CSI 上海:探討張愛玲短篇小說英法譯本中的文化詞翻譯

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2019

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一般而言,語言能反映出其根源文化,然而有部分詞彙單位(lexical units)仍無法擺脫文化的制約。本文中的文化詞(culture-specific items, CSIs)為指涉抽象概念或具體物件的字彙和語句,且這些文化詞僅存在於特定語言文化中,或是在譯入其他語言後,其意義(meaning)或意涵(connotation)可能背離原意。各文化詞的文化特殊性及涵義晦澀程度不一,有些文化詞較明顯、容易辨識,其餘反之;且文化詞無法單獨存在,必須依賴涉及的來源語(source language)和目標語(target language)組合、文本功能及出版脈絡等,文化詞才得以展現。 翻譯工作為跨越文化和語言隔閡,將所指內容精準傳達,筆者欲瞭解譯者在翻譯過程中,是如何處理文化詞的翻譯不對等現象。傳統研究將譯者的處理手法分為兩類:異化(foreignization)和歸化(domestication);但現今許多學者修正此過時概念,研究趨勢逐漸從二分法轉變為流動頻譜,並著重於中間的各種翻譯情形。 本論文探討中文的文化詞,如何在英文和法文譯本中呈現,是否如實保留、受到中性化策略(neutralization)影響,亦或由目標語文化中相對應的概念取代。過往研究分析多限於特定文化詞種類,本研究採取更全面方法,即檢視文本中所有符合條件的文化詞。另外,針對文化詞翻譯的處理手法,本論文提出新的架構,用以評析和分類各種翻譯方式;奠基於現有研究中的各模式,此一新架構將詞彙化(lexicalization)、語意規則(semantic regularity)及同義詞(synonymy)等納入考量,其中涵蓋的九種翻譯方式可大致歸類為三種翻譯策略,即異化、歸化、中性化策略。接著將資料進行量化分析,以判定文化詞翻譯方式的成效,以及各篇譯文的文化轉移(cultural transposition)價值。 本研究文本為張愛玲的短篇小說《等》和《桂花蒸阿小悲秋》,其英文和法文譯本為主要研究題材,共八部文本,其中四部是由張愛玲撰寫和翻譯,而蒐集出的文化詞最後彙編成三語文化詞語料庫。本研究發現,不論譯者或目標語為何,文化詞的翻譯方式多受到中性化策略影響,並極少出現極端翻譯方式。然而各譯者的翻譯手法仍有差異,英文譯者 Kingsbury 和 Patton 採用較謹慎且中性的方式,法文譯者 Péchenart 和張愛玲的自譯版本則傾向使用非詞彙化且不合乎文法的文字;又面對不同文本時,部分譯者處理文化詞的方式並不一致,其中又以張玲愛的情形較明顯。 本研究的學術貢獻在於證明文化詞翻譯量化分析的可行性,以及其成果可支持相關的質性研究。此外,本論文提出的新分類架構也能改編用於其他翻譯研究,進而促進不同語言組合、文本或作者等的對比文本分析研究。
To a certain extent, all language is a reflection of the culture in which it originates; yet, there are some lexical units which are inextricably culture-bound. Known as culture-specific items (CSIs), these words and/or expressions refer to abstract ideas or concrete objects which only exist in a given language-culture or deviate in meaning or connotation when rendered into another. Since each has its own particular degree of opacity and cultural specificity, some may prove transparent and accessible, while others obscure and unrecognizable. Elusive by nature, CSIs do not simply exist in and of themselves—their actualization depends on the source- and target-language pair in question, the textual function of the given item, and the context of publication. This thesis attempts to explore the interesting challenge of non-equivalence such items pose to the translator, who is tasked with conveying their referents across intercultural gaps and linguistic borders. Traditionally, approaches to their treatment have been classed as either foreignizing or domesticating, but scholars have begun to remodel this time-worn dichotomy into a fluid spectrum to highlight intermediate alternatives. Exploring a wide range of possibilities, this thesis investigates how CSIs are treated in translation from Chinese into English and French, seeking to determine if they are preserved, neutralized or replaced by target-culture equivalents. As compared to previous selective studies which limit analysis to specific CSI categories, this study takes a more comprehensive, inclusive approach and examines the translation of all items which meet stipulated selection criteria. This thesis also proposes a new framework to evaluate and classify the translation procedures by which Chinese CSIs are processed. Building upon existing models in the literature, this framework accounts for (un)lexicalization, semantic (ir)regularity, and (non)synonymy, and consists of nine procedures which contribute to three overall translation strategies, i.e. foreignization, domestication, and most importantly neutralization. The data is then subjected to quantitative analysis to determine the distribution of CSI procedures and cultural transposition value of each target text. For the purposes of this investigation, two Eileen Chang stories, entitled 等 (“Deng”) and 桂花蒸 阿小悲秋 (“Guihua”), and their English and French translations were selected as primary source material. Data was collected from the eight texts—four of which being produced by Chang as author and translator—and compiled into trilingual CSI corpora. The findings of this analysis indicate that, regardless of translator or target language, CSIs were more often than not neutralized and extreme procedures were typically avoided. However, there were discrepancies between translators’ approaches. Whereas the English translators Kingsbury and Patton adopted more cautious and moderate orientations, the French translator Péchenart and self-translator Chang experimented more with unlexicalized and ungrammatical language. However, translators, particularly Chang, did not treat CSIs uniformly across texts. As part of its important academic contribution, this case study demonstrates the validity of quantitative analysis of CSI translation and its potential for enriching and substantiating qualitative research. The framework proposed herein can also be adapted for use in other translation studies research, thus facilitating contrastive textual analysis across different language pairs, texts, and authors.

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文化詞, 量性翻譯分析, 張愛玲自譯, 異化策略, 歸化策略, 中性化策略, culture-specific items, quantitative translation analysis, Eileen Chang self-translation, foreignization, domestication, neutralization

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