創造性翻譯：將《周成過台灣》搬上世界文學舞台

Abstract

歌德在十九世紀上半葉的宣言至二十一世紀方告實現，我們終於步入世界文學的時代，而這一切都得靠著翻譯來完成。的確，諸如皮瓦克（Spivak）、阿普特（Apter）、韋努蒂（Venuti）、卡薩諾瓦（Casanova）以及莫雷蒂（Moretti）等權威理論家與批評家，都曾立論闡述世界文學翻譯中心論的概念。因此，倘若要研究、比較和鑑賞來自全球的文章，那麼翻譯不僅是重要工具，更是不可或缺的藝術。大衛・丹穆若什（David Damrosch）認為，世界文學作品，是那些「有所得」的譯作。不過他指出「有所失」於翻譯一樣無可避免。因此譯作的最大挑戰，就是將「所得」極大化、將「所失」極小化。此論文，筆者試圖模擬一個翻譯情境，將著名歌仔冊《周成過台灣》搬上世界文學舞台。我的目標是「從原著文化下工夫」（丹穆若什），同時傳達勒菲弗爾（Lefevere）所說的原著的「言外之力」，產出一個「得多於失」的譯本。然而，「得」該如何獲益、「失」又該如何補償？對此，本文擬從實踐和理論的角度，分析選定譯本並探索理論的實際應用。本文最後附上《周成過台灣》摘錄，說明如何將此本歌仔册建構成世界文學的原理與實踐。 丹穆若什進一步表明，翻譯可以自自然然地『提高（……）讀者和文本的創意和互動』（丹穆若什的斜體字）近年來，翻譯研究採取了『創意轉向』的方案，將翻譯視為創意而非模仿行為。創意雖無公式可言，但卻有模型共學習和參考。Douglas Robinson的『軀體理論』（somatic theory），為創意提供了一個理論基礎；而他的修辭『轉向』就是方法論的基石。Jorge Luis Borges以及各大理論家和實踐者，都提供了理論和實用的靈感。此外，筆者還借鑒民謠大師楊秀卿的表演視頻。楊氏作為民謠代表人物，以極具生動的民間口頭傳統（oral folk tradition）就催生了歌本體裁（songbook genre）。而筆者便是透過多重渠道，將民謠視為一系列場景，和翻譯文本、超文本對話與描述融為一體。

關鍵詞: 世界文學、台灣文學、周成過台灣歌、創造性翻

“The Ballad of Tsiu Sing” (周成過台灣歌) is an iconic Taiwanese folktale, and songbooks (歌仔册) are archetypal Taiwanese literature. In this paper my aim is to devise a strategy for translating the ballad (歌仔) as a work of World Literature, as David Damrosch defines the concept; that is, to translate in a way that produces “gains” in the target language. Translation is central to the World Literature paradigm. In the first chapter, I survey the construct’s origins and history, and translation’s place within it, focusing on the work of two theorists, David Damrosch and Franco Moretti. Moretti’s “evolutionary” theory accounts for world literary development prior to the seventeenth-century advent of capitalism. Damrosch defines World Literature as it is read, taught, studied, and practiced in academia today. Other scholars question the construct’s validity, pointing out problems inherent to it, particularly the so-called “imperium of English.” Songbooks (歌仔冊) are a vital part of Taiwan’s national literary canon. In the second chapter, I examine the songbook genre’s origins, history, and, more importantly, how a literary form with roots in Tang Dynasty shuochang wenxue 說唱文學 evolved as national literature. I then consider Damrosch’s concept of translational gain and its role in effecting a national literary work's transition into World Literature. Damrosch further suggests that translations gain insofar as they “heighten (…) the naturally creative interaction of reader and text” [Damrosch’s italics] (What Is? 292). In recent years, translation studies have taken a “creative turn,” a paradigm shift that frames translation as a creative rather than imitative act. While there are no formulae for creativity, there are models to study and emulate. Douglas Robinson’s “somatic theory” provided the theoretical rationale and his rhetorical “turns" the methodological underpinning for a creative approach. Jorge Luis Borges and theorists and practitioners identified with the creative turn supplied both theoretical support and practical inspiration. Moreover, I also drew on video-recorded performances by master balladeer Iunn Siu-khing, 楊秀卿 Taiwan’s foremost living representative of the oral folk tradition that gave birth to the songbook genre. Working from multiple sources, I approach the ballad as a series of scenes, blending translated material with extra-textual dialogue and description. In the fourth chapter, I implement certain of the theorists’ ideas, showing how they have shaped and informed my approach to translating the “Tsiu Sing” story. Working from multiple source texts, both oral and written, I treat the ballad as a series of scenes rather than a sequence of stanzas, blending translated material with dialogue and description of my own invention. Discussions focus on strategies and methods, comparing translated passages with their sources. The paper ends with questions and answers. Does the translation gain more than it loses? What about “the author”? What is “bad” translation?

Keywords: World Literature, Taiwanese literature, Taiwanese songbooks, creative translation