Enlightenment of “Multi—dimensionalAdaptations and Adaptive Selections” to

Xie Dan

【Abstract】Base on analysis of the translation of Li Shangyins Untitled by Xu Yuanchong， this paper discusses the application of translation principle “multi-dimensional adaptations and adaptive selections” in translating classical Chinese poetry. It is proved that “three dimensional transformations” are effective translation methods in C-E translation of classical Chinese poetry.

【Key words】multi-dimensional adaptations and adaptive selections； three dimensional transformations； C-E translation of classical Chinese poetry

1. Introduction

Li Shangyin， a famous Chinese poet in the late Tang Dynasty， composed many well-known poems characterized by sensuous， dense and allusive. He is particularly famous for his untitled poems， which of various genres such as verse， quatrain and so on. Among them the most influential and popular is the seven-character octave To One Unnamed. It is a love poem comprised of eight lines； each consisting of seven characters strict in tonal pattern and rhyme scheme. It has been highly appreciated by Chinese readers as well as translators such as Chinese translator Xu Yuanchong and English Sinologist Innes Herdan. Additionally， its English version translated by Prof. Xu is recognized and accepted by westerner readers.

Its Chinese and English versions （translated by Prof. Xu） are presented as follows：

無題 To One Unnamed

相見時難別亦難，Its difficult for us to meet and hard to part；

東風無力百花殘。The east wind is too weak to revive flowers dead.

春蠶到死絲方盡，Spring silkworm till its death spins silk from love-sick heart；

蠟炬成灰淚始干。A candle but when burned out has no tears to shed.

曉鏡但愁云鬢改，At dawn Im grieved to think your mirrored hair turns grey；

夜吟應覺月光寒。At night you would feel cold while I croon by moonlight.

蓬山此去無多路，To the three fairy hills it is not a long way.

青鳥殷勤為探看。Would the blue birds oft fly to see you on the height？

2. Multi-dimensional Adaptations and Adaptive Selections

In the Approach to Translation as Adaptation and selection， Prof. Hu Gengshen gave translation such a definition as “a selection activity of the translators adaptation to the translational eco-environment” （Hu Gengshen， 2004）. Referring to the worlds of the source text and the SL/TL， the translational eco-environment embodies the linguistic， communicative， cultural and social aspects of translating in addition to such elements as the author， the reader， and the client. The translation principle is briefly summarized by him as “multi-dimensional adaptations and adaptive selections”， while the translation methods as “three dimensional transformations” （i.e. linguistic，cultural and communicative dimension） （Hu Gengshen， 2006）.

3. Application of Translation Principle “Multi-dimensional Adaptations and Adaptive Selections” in Translation of Li Shangyins Untitled by Xu Yuanchong

The Approach to Translation as Adaptation and selection， raised by Prof. Hu in 2004， provides a new perspective for translation research as well as translation practice. It is of great significance for the C-E translation of classical Chinese poetry. Taking the translation of Li Shangyins Untitled by Xu Yuanchong as a case study， this paper focuses on discussing the application of translation principle “multi-dimensional adaptations and adaptive selections” in translating classical Chinese poetry， giving an illustration on how to make adaptive transformations from linguistic， cultural and communicative dimensions in the process of translation so as to achieve quality translation with the highest degree of holistic adaptation and selection.

3.1 Adaptive Transformation from the Linguistic Dimension

Adaptive transformation from the linguistic dimension refers to translators adaptation and selection of linguistic forms in the process of translating. It is conducted on different aspects and levels of linguistics. Poem， integration of content and form， is a kind of language arts， using special forms to conveying specific senses. In translation of poems， it is essential to emphasizing transfer of linguistic forms. It is required that the translated verse should retain as much as its original beauty in sense， in sound and in form. Therefore， the translator should keep in mind the huge differences existed between the SL and TL， based on his comprehensive understanding of the linguistic eco-environment； select the most appropriate linguistic forms to convey the original information.

In the original poem Untitled， there are 8 vertically and evenly arranged lines among which even lines are written in end rhyme /an/， making it sound smooth and catchy. The utilization of repetition of vowel sounds “殷勤” and that of consonances “夜吟” bring musical effect on the poem. And the employment of parallelism such as “春蠶到死絲方盡，蠟炬成灰淚始干” makes great contributions towards achieving the phonetic and syntactic beauty in form of the original poem. In Xus translated verse， the use of rhyme scheme ababcdcd， combined with the use of rhetorical devices alliteration （“wind” and “weak”） ， assonance （“hard” and “part”） and consonance （“meet” and “part”） makes it sound accented and cadenced. Besides， parallelism is also employed in the third couplets in the target poem. It can be seen that the translated verse retain the same beauty in sound and in form as the original.

3.2 Adaptive Transformation from the Cultural Dimension

Adaptive transformation from cultural dimension refers to translators emphasis on transmission and explanation of cultural connotation of the original into the target text in the process of translating due to cultural differences between SL and TL. Thus， with regard to translation of classical Chinese poems containing images embodying rich cultural connotations， the translator should bear these differences in mind， overcome the barriers arising therefrom and make appropriate selective transformation from cultural dimension.

In the original poem， there exist some culturally-loaded expressions， such as “東風”， “百花”， “蠟燭”， “春蠶”， “蓬山” and “青鳥” etc. Because of the differences in geographical environment and traditions and customs between Chinese and English-speaking countries， it is very difficult to find absolute equivalents for them in English. So the translator sacrifices the equivalent in the translated verse and makes some necessary amendments so as to fully conveying their cultural connotations. in Chinese myth， “蓬山” is a allusion to a fairy mountain in the sea. It is a metonymy employed by the poet to refer to the place where his beloved lives. It is translated into “fairy hills” revealing the mythical nature of the place and giving the target readers space for imagination. “青鳥” is a legendary messenger-carrying bird which is translated into “bluebird”. In order to facilitate target readers understanding and make the translated poem produces as nearly possible the same effect on the target readers as was produced on the readers of the original， the translator gives an explanation “The poet writes this poem for his unnamed lover compared to a fairy living in the three mountains on the sea where only the mythical blue birds could bring messages”.

3.3 Adaptive Transformation from the Communicative Dimension

Adaptive transformation from the communicative dimension refers to the translators adaptive transformation with a concern on communicative intentions of two languages. It is required that the translator should focus on representing communicative intention in addition to conveying information and transmitting connotative meaning of the original. In translating classical Chinese poems， based on his analysis of the specific translational eco-environment， the translator should take his initiatives to make appropriate transformations so as to reproduce the communicative intentions of the original in the translated verse.

The original poem is obscure and dense， depicting the profound and immortal love between two lovers through parting—a particular scene in people's ordinary life. However， from the beginning to the end， there are no personal pronouns in the original verse which are inaccessible to target readers. In order to make it easier for the target readers to understand the poem， the translator successfully added the first and second person pronouns in his translation. The translated version “At dawn Im grieved to think your mirrored hair turns grey； at night you would feel cold while I croon by moonlight”， gives a vivid reproduction of the situation that the two lovers' longing for each other， successfully rendering the theme and artistic conception of the original poem.

4. Conclusion

The Approach to Translation as Adaptation and Selection brings a new perspective for the translation research and translation practice of classical Chinese poetry. Through analysis of the translated version of Untitled by Prof. Xu， it is concluded that under the guidance of translation principle “multi-dimensional adaptations and adaptive selections” the ideal translation with the highest degree of holistic adaptation and selection can be achieved through the employment of “three dimensional transformations”.

References：

[1]胡庚申.翻譯適應選擇論[M].武漢：湖北教育出版社，2004.

[2]胡庚申.例示“適應選擇論”的翻譯原則和翻譯方法[J].外語與外語教學，2006（3）.

[3]胡庚申.生態翻譯學——構建與詮釋[M].北京：商務印書館，2013.

[4]許淵沖譯.唐詩三百首（中英文對照）[M].北京：中國對外翻譯出版公司，2008.

[5]羅選民.衍譯：詩歌翻譯的涅槃[J].外語教學理論與實踐，2012（2）.

【基金項目】本文系婁底職業技術學院科技創新項目《生態翻譯學視角下的中國古詩英譯研究》（項目編號：2015SK013）的階段性成果。