The Translation of Chinese Prose Writings

1. The Translation of Chinese Prose Writings

2. Teaching Plan Teaching Aims: • Enable students to get the knowledge of the genaral pricinples of translation of Chinese proses. • Students are aware when and how to apply different translation methods in different situations through doing exercises concerned. Teaching Contents: • I The analysis of the assignment (p3-10) • II The Translation of Chinese Prose (p11-18) • III Translation techniques(p19-38) • IV Exercises (p39-43) Teaching Focus: Translation techeniques Teaching Methods: Discussion (group work, then class work) and teacher-oriented lecturing Teaching Approaches: Multi-media aided Teaching Procedures:

3. 看 月叶圣陶 • 住在上海“弄堂房子”里的人对于月亮的圆缺隐现是不甚关心的。所谓“天井”，不到一丈见方的面。至少十六支光的电灯每间里总得挂一盏。环境限定，不容你有关心到月亮的便利。走到路上，还没“断黑”已经一连串地亮了街灯。有月亮吧，就像多了一盏灯。没有月亮吧，犹如一盏街灯损坏了，没有亮起来。谁留意这些呢？

4. Enjoying the MoonTr Zhang Peiji • People living in the small alleyways of Shanghai pay little attention to the waxing and waning, or the visibility, of the moon. The so-called “courtyards” in their houses are generally smaller than three metres square. And each room is illuminated by an electric bulb of at least 16 watts. Such a living environment is of course inconvenient for you to enjoy the moonlight. When you go out for a walk towards the evening, you’ll see street lamps lit up one after another though it is not yet quite dark. Moon or no moon simply means the appearance of one extra street lamp or that one of the street lamps has gone wrong and ceased to give out light. Nobody cares.

5. 第二段 • 去年夏天，我曾经说过不大听到蝉声，现在说起月亮，我又觉得许久不看见月亮了。只记得某夜夜半醒来，对窗的收音机已经沉寂，隔壁的“麻将”也歇了手，各家的电灯都已熄灭，一道象牙色的光从南窗透进来，把窗棂印在我的被袱上。我略微感到惊异，随即想到原来是月亮光。好奇地要看看月亮本身，我向窗外望。但是，一会儿月亮被云遮没了。

6. Pragraph 2 • Last summer, I complained that I could seldom hear the singing of cicades. Now I’m sorry I haven’t seen the moon for a long time. I remember how late one night I happened to wake up to find no more blaring of the radio from the window of the opposite house, no more clatter of next door’s mahjong tiles and that all lights in the neighbourhood had been put out. A creamy white ray of light streamed in through my southern window to cast the shadow of the window lattice on my quilt. I was somewhat surprised. Then, when it dawned on me that it was the moon, I immediately looked out of the window, curious to have a look at it. But, unfortunately, it was soon hidden by clouds.

7. 第三段 • 从北平来的人往往说在上海这地方怎么“呆”得住。一切都这样紧张，空气是这样龌龊，走出去很难得看见树木，诸如此类，他们可以举出一大堆。我想，月亮仿佛失掉了这一点，也该列入他们为上海“呆”不住的理由吧，假若如此，我倒并不同意。在生活的诸般条件里列入必须看月亮一项，那是没有理由的。清旷的襟怀和高远的想象力未必定须由对月而养成。把仰望的双眼移到地面，同样可以收到修养上的效益，而且更见切实。可是我并非反对看月亮，只是说即使不看也没有什么关系罢了。

8. Pragraph 3 • People from Peiping often wonder why Shanghailanders should choose to live in such a lousy place. They say life here is so full of tension, the air so foul, and trees so scarce, and so on and so forth. I wonder if the apparent loss of moonlight might as well be listed among their reasons for staying away from this city. But I would think otherwise, for it doesn’t make sense to call enjoyment of moonlight one of the requisites of life. Open heart and wide vision do not necessarily come of watching the moon. The same can be achieved in self-cultivation, and that in a more practical way, by looking earthward instead of skyward. Nevertheless, I’m not opposed to watching the moon. I only mean it doesm’t matter at all if you see no moon.

9. 第四段 • 最好的月色我也曾看过。那时在福州的乡下，地当闽江一折的那个角上。某夜，靠着楼栏直望。闽江正在上潮，受着月亮，成为水银的洪流。江岸诸山略微笼罩着雾气，好像不是平日看惯的那几座山了。月亮高高停在天空，非常舒泰的样子。从江岸直到我的楼下是一大片沙坪，月光照着，茫然一白，但带点儿青的意味。不知什么地方送来晚香玉的香气。也许是月亮的香气吧，我这么想。我心中不起一切杂念，大约历一刻钟之久，才回转身来。看见蛎粉墙上印着我的身影，我于是重又意识到了我。

10. Pragraph 4 • The moonlight I once enjoyed watching in th suburbs of Fuzhou, round a bend of the Min River, was the best I have ever seen. Over there, one might as I leaned on an upstairs railing and gazed into the distance, it was amazed to see the surging tidal water in the River sparkling like silver in the moonlight. The mountains along the river banks, enveloped in a thin mist, appeared quite different from what we had been accustomed to see. The moon was hanging leisurely high up in the sky. A wide sandy beach lay stretching all the way from the riverside to where I lived, showing a vast expanse of white in the moonlight, with slight undertones of green. Suddenly the sweet fragrance of tuberoses wafted up from somewhere. It might be the sweet fragrance of the moon, I thought. I stood lost in reverie. It was not until fifteen minutes later that, turning round to see my own shadow on the plaster wall, I finally returned to my old self.

11. 结尾 The ending • 那样的月色如果能得再看几回，自然是愉悦的事，虽然前面我说过“即使不看也没有什么关系”。 • Of course it will bring me great pleasure to see the same brilliant moonlight a few more times even though I’ve said, “It doesn’t matter at all if you see no moon.”

12. The translation strategy of Chinese proses • 刘士聪提出翻译文学作品的最高境界是译出原文韵味。《汉英·英汉美文翻译与鉴赏》 The best literary translation always reproduces the charm of the original text. • “韵味”主要体现在语言的“声响与节奏”、“意境与氛围”和“个性化的话语与式”三个方面（王宏印，2004）。即节奏、意境和语言风格。 The charm is represented by the rhythm, the artistic mood and the individual style of language.

13. The rhythm • “江南，秋当然也是有的；但草木凋得慢，空气来得润，天的颜色显得淡，并且又时常多雨而少风；……秋并不是名花，也不是美酒，那一种半开，半醉的状态，在领略秋的过程上，是不合适的。” “There is of course autumn in the South too，but over there plants wither slowly，the air is moist，the sky pallid， and it is often more rainy than windy……Unlike famous flowers which are most attractive when half opening，or good wine which is most tempting when one is half drunk， autumn，however，is best appreciated in its entirety. ”

14. The rhythm (II) • （都市闲人）便会用了缓慢悠闲的声调，微叹着互答的说：“唉，天真凉了——”（这“了”字念得很高，拖得很长。） “可不是么？一层秋雨一层凉了！” （Some idle townsfolk）exchange leisurely conversation with acquaintances with a slight touch of regret at the passing of time：“Oh，real nice and cool-” “Sure! Getting cooler with each autumn shower!”

15. The artistic mood • 在南方每年到了秋天，总要想起陶然亭的芦花，钓鱼台的柳影，西山的虫唱，玉泉的夜月，潭柘寺的钟声。 When I am in the South，the arrival of each autumn will put me in mind of Peiping’s Tai Ran Ting with its reed catkins， Diao Yu Tai with its shady willow trees，Western Hills with their chirping insects，Yu Quan Shan Mountain on a moonlight evening and Tan Zhen Si with its reverberating bell.

16. The artistic mood (II) • 扫街的在树影下一阵扫后，灰土上留下来的一条条扫帚的丝纹，看起来既觉得细腻，又觉得清闲，潜意识下并且还觉得有点儿落寞，古人所说的梧桐一叶而天下知秋的遥想，大约也就在这些深沉的地方。 After a street cleaner has done the sweeping under the shade of thetrees，you will discover countless lines left by his broom in the dust，which look so fine and quiet that somehow a feeling of forlornness will begin to creep up on you. The same depth of implication is found in the ancient saying that a single fallen leaf from the wutong tree is more than enough to inform the world of autumn’s presence.

17. The individual style of language • 江南，秋当然也是有的。 There is of course autumn in the South too. 秋天，无论在什么地方的秋天，总是好的。 • Autumn，wherever it is，always has something to recommend itself.

18. The individual style of language • 南国之秋，当然是也有它的特异的地方的，比如二十四桥的明月，钱塘江的秋潮，普陀山的凉雾，荔枝湾的残荷等等。 Autumn in the South also has its unique features，such as the moon-lit Ershisi Bridge in Yangzhou，the flowing sea tide at the Qiangtangjiang River，the mist-shrouded Putuo Mountain and lotuses at the Lizhiwan Bay.

19. The approaches of transaltion • Polysemy • Diction • Amplification • Omission • Negation • Cohension of the translation • Adoption of the set frame in the target language

20. Polysemy (I) • One word has various parts of speech and various meanings. Firth said, “Each word when used in a new context is a new word. ”

21. 看 • 贪看 devour 看涨 bullish • 看守 guard 看押 take into custody • 看轻/重 over/underestimate • 看护 nursing参看 refer to • 难看 offend the eye 看漏 overleap • 乍看 at first glance窥看 peep • 看门keep the house 看台 grandstand • 看待 treat 眼看 soon, helpless

22. Diction (I) • It means proper choice of words in translation on the basis of accurate comprehension of the original.

23. Diction (II) • 山不在高,有仙则名。水不在深,有龙则灵。斯是陋室,惟吾德馨。 A mountain needn’t be high ; It is famous so long as there is a deity on it . A lake needn’t be deep ; It has supernatural power so long as there is dragon in it . My home is humble , But it enjoys the fame of virtue so long as I am living in it . (罗经国)

24. Diction (III) • 一粒种子所可以显现出来的力，简直是超越一切。 The force displayed by a seed is incredible. • 一发芽，这些种子便以可怕的力量，将一切机械力所不能分开的骨骼，完整地分开了。 Once the seeds germinate, they manifest a terrible force that succeeds in opening up the humanskull that has failed to be opened even by mechanical force. • 这是一种不可抗的力，阻止它的石块，结果也被它掀翻。 This is an irresistible force. Any rock lying in its way will be upset.

25. Amplification (I) • It means supplying necessary words in our translation work so as to make the version correct and clear. Words thus supplied must be indispensable either syntactically or semantically.

26. Amplification (II) • 到徐州见着父亲, 看见满院狼藉的东西, 又想起祖母, 不禁簌簌地掉眼泪。 When I met father in Xuzhou , the sight of the disorderly mess in the courtyard and the thought of grandma started tears trickling down my cheeks. • 但是他给我的一点点温暖至今还使我的心颤动。———《朋友》 But the little warmth that he gave me has been keep ing myheart throbbing with gratitude.

27. Omission • In the process of translation we may make proper omission of some individual words in accordance with the corresponding laws inherent in the two languages concerned in order to retain and better express the original meaning.

28. Omission (II) • 也许是我的精、气、神都不足吧…… Perhaps due to my failing energies… • 人的头盖骨，结合得非常致密与坚固，生理学家和解剖学者用尽了一切的方法，要把它完整地分出来，都没有这种力气。 The bones of a human skull are so tightly and firmly joined that no physiologist or anatomist has succeeded in taking them apart whatever means they try.

29. Negation (I) • It means in translation some words, phrases or sentences with negative expression in SL may be transformed into affirmative expression in TL. Vice versa, some affirmative expression in SL may be transformed into negative expression in TL, to make the version clearer and more explicit.

30. Negation (II) • 雨声渐渐的住了,窗帘后隐隐的透进清光来。推开窗户一看,呀! 凉云散了,树叶上的残滴,映着月儿,好似萤光千点,闪闪烁烁的动着。———真没想到苦雨孤灯之后,会有这么一副清美的图画! As the rain gradually ceased to patter , a glimmer of light began to flitter into the room through the window curtain. I opened the window and looked out. Ah , the rain clouds had vanished and the remaining raindrops on the tree leaves glistened tremulously under the moonlight like myriads of fireflies. To think that there should appear before my eyes such a beautiful sight after the miserable rain on a lonely evening !

31. Negation (III) • 这种力是一般人看不见的生命力，只要生命存在，这种力就要显现。 … it is a force that keeps growing over a period of time … it is an elastic force that can shrink and expand … it is a tenacious force that will not stop growing until it is grown.

32. Cohension • It is the grammatical and lexical relationship within a text or sentence. It can be defined as the links that hold a text together and give it meaning. Cohesion in English M.A.K. Halliday and Ruqaiya Hasan

33. Cohension of the translation (II) • 人的头盖骨，结合得非常致密与坚固，生理学家和解剖学者用尽了一切的方法，要把它完整地分出来，都没有这种力气。 The bones of a human skull are so tightly and firmly joined that no physiologist or anatomist has succeeded in taking them apart whatever means they try. • 庭有枇杷树,吾妻死之年所手植也,今已亭亭如盖矣。<<项脊轩志>> In the courtyard there was the loquat tree my wife had planted the year she died. It stood there with graceful poise , it s top spread out with exuberant foliage. (刘士聪)

34. Adoption of the set frame in the target language • During translation, it is better to choose the approach where there has been a conventional way in target langauge to express the words, phrases or sentences in the source one.

35. Adoption of the set frame in the target language (II) • 祖父起得早也睡得很早,每晚九点钟就起床了。他上床之前,就把电闸关上,于是整个大家庭就是黑沉沉的一片! Grandpa , who kept early hours , would switch off all the lights when he went to bed at 9 o’clock in the evening , thus plunging the whole big house into deep darkness. • 说出来，有谁相信呢？我已经四天没吃饭了。 谢冰莹 《饥饿》 Believe it or not, I’ve been starving for four days on end

36. Adoption of the set frame in the target language (III) • “难！” 老师从眼镜外斜射出眼光来，看着我，说。“我告诉你一件事----”鲁迅 《立论》 “That’sa hard nut,” said the teacher, giving me a slidelong glace over his glasses. “Let me tell you this story----” • 父亲先一面答应者，临走时才微笑着说：“她是我的儿子，但也是我的女儿。”冰心 《梦》 Her father would up the small talk smilingly with, “she’s my son as well as my daughter.”

37. Exercies (I) Compare the following transaltions • 我不打麻将,我不经常的听戏或看电影,几年中难得一次,我不长时间看电视,通常只看半个小时,我也不串门子闲聊天。 ———梁实秋《时间即生命》 • A I don’t play mahjong. I seldom go to the theatre or cinema ⋯ I go there maybe only once every few years. I seldom spend long hours watching TV ⋯usually I watch TV for no more than 30 minutes at a sitting. Nor do I go visiting and gossiping from door to door. • B I don’t play mahjong ; I seldom go to the theatre or cinema ⋯maybe only once every few years ; I seldom spend long hours watching TV ⋯usually no more than 30 minutes at a sitting ; nor do I go visiting and gossiping from door to door.

38. Exercies (I) Compare the following transaltions • 孙先生手创之中国国民党,历尽艰辛,无数先烈前仆后继,终于推翻帝制,建立民国。 • A The Kuomintang founded by Dr. Sun Yat-sen endured countless hardships and finally overthrew the monarchy and established the republic ;numerous revolutionaries advanced wave after wave and laid down their lives for the cause. • B After going through untold hardships during which countless revolutionaries unflinchingly laid down their lives , the Kuomintang founded by Dr.Sun Yat-sen finally overthrew the monarchy and established the republic.

39. Exercies (II) Put the following into Chinese. • Tickling down my checks 簌簌地… • Tears gushed from my eyes. 泪很快流下来。 • My eyes were again wet with tears. 眼睛又湿了。 • The glistening tears. 晶莹的泪光。 • The sea was ghastly dark blue. 海水蓝得惊人。 • O ye remains of my yesterday′s dead self, itwas your own soul that had come to mourn at the grave! ⋯ 啊,死了的我昨日的尸骸哟,哭坟的是你自己的灵魂⋯⋯

40. Exercies (II) Put the following into Chinese Differnts ways to look • When you look at the sun, you have to squint at it. 当你看太阳时，你得眯缝眼看。 • It is rude to stare. 瞪眼看人是无礼的 • His gaze fastened on the jewels. 他的目光盯在宝石上。 • I only caught a glimpse of the speeding car. 我只瞥见那部疾驰的车子。 • Beauty is in the eye of beholder. 情人眼里出西施。 • You'd better peer at the price list before you buy it. 最好看好价钱再买。 • I do not enjoy being leered at. 我讨厌被别人不怀好意的看着。

41. Exercise (III) Put the followimg into English • 合则对国家有利,分则必伤民族元气。 United, the country and the nation benefit; divided, they suffer. • 书非借不能读也。子不闻藏书者乎? <<黄生借书说>> Books ,unless borrowed f rom others ,have scarcely the luck to be read by anyone. Have you not heard about the bibliophiles ? • 我看见他带着黑布小帽子, 穿着青色旗袍,蹒跚的走到铁道边, 慢慢地探下身去。　　 • I watched him hobble toward the railway truck in his black skullcap, black cloth mandarin jacket and dark blue cotton - padded cloth long gown.