中间小谢2022-03-16 22:09:57

(I will change the title and some words to Chinese when I get home)

I can think of two fundamental rules:

1. One must acquire the voice of the poet. That is, to speak like the poet being translated. I saw a number of English translations of Li Bai's works, but none sounded like Li Bai. The translators seemed more interested in demonstrating their skills with the English language and showing how "cultured" they were.

2. One must acquire the "mechanism" of the imagery in the poem. Some poems have flying imageries (such as those of Li Bai), some flowing (such as Bai Ju Yi), some rushing, some hesitating, some leaping (such as Li He4) , some stationary (such Du4 Fu3) , and so on. One is not supposed to turn a flying poem into a leaping one, a flowing one into a stationary one, for instances.

In my reading experiences, most translations fail these two basics. Therefore the basic may well be the most challenging.

The rest such as rhyme, meter ... are all much less important or sometimes even superfluous in my observation. Often they do not translate from language to language, from culture to culture. If one draggs them through, during the struggle, one likely loses the voice and the mechanism of the imagery altogether. So, no need to labor it.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

唐静安2022-03-16 22:31:41
"the voice " ,确是的,这几乎关乎灵魂。而诗歌不过就是灵魂的低语罢了。
唐静安2022-03-16 22:35:21
因之相似的灵魂最适合转述。因为相似的灵魂能轻易进入到彼此的世界。或者至少善感。
SAR2022-03-16 23:52:10
其它文体的翻译有无类似的问题?比如中英译本和原文对比 译文给我的感觉和读原文得到的感觉不一样,味不同 即便译意准确
唐静安2022-03-17 00:48:25
我感觉是一样的。小说家们的格调也是各式各样的。每个人都有自己叙事的口吻。
snowandlotus2022-03-17 00:54:09
跟文体无关,主要是诗歌更难把握。
唐静安2022-03-17 01:09:28
诗歌对诗人是容易的,对小说家可能难。
简丹儿2022-03-17 02:39:55
喜欢小谢这一段。:)文学翻译,中国推崇出神入化,西方强调等值等效。神似化境与等值等效,是长久以来中外两种不同的翻译思想。
中间小谢2022-03-17 02:45:07
謝各位,有六個讚,就不改回中文了。
中间小谢2022-03-17 02:49:50
我覺得就文學而言,不同體裁都應有這個要求,但詩要求最高,也最難。
盈盈一笑间2022-03-17 03:27:50
用英文写关于唐诗宋词的诗歌评论,很见文字功底,英文的,还有古文的。。评论内容也很有见地。。
中间小谢2022-03-17 04:05:56
盈盈過奖。我僅有些比较零碎的理解,有感而發倒是。
中间小谢2022-03-17 04:47:02
The "dynamics" of the imageries.
颤音2022-03-17 16:31:25
登录点赞!brilliant points on voice and imagery