Study on the Translation Strategies of the Ordinary World

趙穎

【Abstract】The Ordinary World recorded a crucial period in Chinas modern history. As for western readers， they can gain some insights into Chinese history and ordinary Chinese peoples minds from this book. However， there are many cultural vocabulary and cultural background knowledge in the novel， which cannot be understood by western readers， which brings a great challenge for translators.

【Key words】the Original World； culture； translation strategy

I. Introduction

Eugene Nida once said， “ As for the real successful translating， to be familiar with two cultures is even more important than to master two languages， because the words have their meanings only in the cultural background they have effect on.”（Nida， 1993： 110） What is very common in a culture is likely unknown in another culture， which also is the embodiment of the cultural default. Wang Dongfeng once said： “Cultural default is the omission of the cultural background knowledge in the process of communication.”（Wang Dongfeng， 1999： 230）

II. Case Analysis

The Ordinary World is bound to bearing the rich cultural connotation and covers the customs， ethics， religious beliefs and values， etc. that are unique in Chinese culture. The author attempts to adopt different translation strategies.

Annotation is suitable to introduce the meaning of the peculiar cultural phenomena and events to target language readers. It can also be used to introduce the characters of the original， place names， terms， etc.， in order to help readers to understand. （Xia Tingde， 2006： 212） e.g.她手指的名字叫“初瀾”?！俺鯙憽?is a writing team of “literary criticism”， working for “the gang of four”. Only after understanding the background knowledge at the Cultural Revolution can we know the real cultural meaning. Annotation can interpret the relevant cultural knowledge of the original text in detail to help readers solve the relevant vacuum points.

Free translation is to explain the meaning of the original words or sentences directly. Translation theorist George Steiner once pointed out that a translator must explicitly express the meaning implied in the words. Therefore， translation skills should be interpretive first and be able to illustrate and reproduce the semantic properties of the original works. （George Steiner， 2001： 291） Free translation is also a kind of explanatory skills. e.g.生活已經在他面前展現出更寬闊的內容。他的眼光開始向四面八方進射。For this sentence， “他的眼光開始向四面八方進射” can be clearly explained by “he also starts to focus on other aspects” rather than word-for-word translation “his eyes starts shooting into all directions”. Therefore， a brief explanation can express its deep meaning as far as possible. However， this method sometimes may make the implicit expression become too straightforward and to some extent loss the original artistic quality； at the same time， the readers cannot have a more comprehensive understanding for the related cultural background knowledge.

Literal translation means directly translating Chinese into corresponding English expression and fully explaining the text according to the literal meaning of the original. e.g.參加了革命故事調講會. “革命故事調講會”is translated into “the reading-out session of revolutionary stories”， adopting the literal translation. Although this is a specific word in Chinas particular historical period， there is no difficulty for readers to infer its meaning through the context. In this case， literal translation largely simplifies the sentence. Literal translation can save the space of sentence pattern and avoid the too long sentences， and can keep the continuity of the reading and do not affect the aesthetic feeling of reading.

III. Conclusion

The goal of translation is not only to transform a language into another language. The translators should build bridges for the communication and transfer between two cultures on the basis of the original and make the readers appreciate the unique exotic flavor as well as the cultural information contained. Therefore， in translation practice， the author should choose the reasonable translation strategies flexibly according to the specific conditions of the original and the cultural factors of the two kinds of language.

References：

[1]Eugene Nida.Language，Culture，and Translating[M].Shanghai：Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press，1993：110.

[2]Steiner George.After Babel[M].Shanghai：Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press，2001：291.

[3]路遙.平凡的世界[M].北京：人民文學出版社，2004.

[4]王東風.文化缺省與翻譯補償[M].北京：中國對外翻譯出版公司，1999：230.

[5]夏廷德.翻譯補償研究[M].武漢：湖北教育出版社，2006：212.