Zhang Guren's Translation Art Research

Author: Sun Yingchun
Publisher:
Publishing Date: 2004-09-01
Features: Research on the Translation Art of Zhang Guro's Characteristics: A groundbreaking work in the field of case studies of literary translators. An innovative achievement in the study of the subject of translation. Based on rich materials, it comprehensively explores Zhang Guro's exquisite translation art. Grounded in translation theory, it deeply elaborates on Zhang Guro's translation philosophy. Vividly demonstrates Zhang Guro's personal charm as a role model in three dimensions: being a person, pursuing knowledge, and practicing translation. The publication of Research on the Translation Art of Zhang Guro is an inevitable requirement of the times, a call to organize and interpret the traditional Chinese translation theory in a modern way, and its birth holds great historical significance. The book consists of two prefaces and seven chapters. In the first preface, Professor Su Zhengkun first clarifies the concept of the subject of translation, pointing out that it is an indispensable part of the framework of translation studies. He deepens and elevates Zhang Guro's translation art concept of "authentic translation and authentic original text" to the level of domestication and foreignization, interpreting it with the example of translating the Diamond Sutra to illustrate the long history of the confrontation between domestication and foreignization over millennia. Finally, he points out that the personality of the translator can determine the adoption of translation strategies, "translation practice and the direction of translation theory are often constrained by the personality or character of the translator or the creator of translation theory." However, he also points out that regardless of discussing domestication or authentic translation methods, we cannot neglect the 'original work'—the. In the second preface, Professor Sun Zhili also cites many examples to prove that good translation requires a solid foundation in foreign languages, necessary research on the original work (including the translator, society, customs, historical geography, and other factors), rigorous translation style, and clear translation concepts. In the chapter, the author introduces the life of Mr. Wang Shengyu and his hometown based on the extensive collection of materials, and further explains the life journey of Mr. Zhang from a young age to becoming an expert on Hardy through the eyes of his eldest daughter, Zhang Ling. Chapter 2 mainly analyzes Mr. Zhang's view on "Is translation an art or a science?" The author first introduces the debate over the essence of translation—whether translation is a science or an art—then starts from the study of the nature of translation, extensively quoting the views of Chinese and foreign translation researchers on whether translation is a science or an art for summary, and finally concludes that "translation is both a science and an art." In addition, he also deeply reflects on the philosophical meaning of what "translation studies" is from a broad and narrow perspective. Chapter 3 mainly introduces Mr. Zhang's seminal translation concept "authentic original text, authentic translation," published in the Translation Communications in 1980. Professor Sun Yingchun first explores the concept of "authentic," explaining that in Mr. Zhang's view, "authentic" should mean 'the original language and characters should be authentic, and the translation should also be translated into authentic language and characters.' In addition, the author also deeply discusses both sides of the paradox of "domestication" and "foreignization." In Chapter 4, the author mainly introduces the annotations in translation, which are rarely discussed by general scholars. These are the results of Mr. Zhang's extensive research on the original work, involving religion, legends, allusions, customs, and many other aspects. The author believes that it is precisely Mr. Zhang's rigorous scientific spirit in making annotations that permeates all his translations, blending with his superb artistry, that has created a series of classic translations. Subsequently, the author also provides detailed examples and analyses of the conditions, methods, and principles of Mr. Zhang's annotations. In Chapter 5, the author explores the study of the traditional Chinese aesthetic category of "yijing" in literary translation, explaining the conditions that the translator must possess to convey the "yijing" of literary works. While discussing "yijing" and "shen Yun," the author analyzes Mr. Zhang's views on "yijing" and "shen Yun," and proves in several specific aspects how Mr. Zhang conveys the spiritual essence of the original work and how the readers of the translation can receive "inspiration, emotion, and aesthetic enjoyment." In Chapter 6, after a comparative study of foreign and Chinese languages, the author elaborates on the uniqueness of the form of Chinese characters, the development of Chinese character patterns, and the aesthetic characteristics of four-character phrases. He argues that the unique aesthetic features of Chinese characters provide a natural material foundation for the role of four-character phrases in literary works. The author uses numerous examples from Mr. Zhang's translations to demonstrate the aesthetic effects of four-character phrases, proving that this is also a bright feature in Mr. Zhang's literary translation art. Chapter 7 mainly defines translation theory, techniques, and methods, explores the numerous translation methods from ancient to modern times and their various manifestations in the contemporary era, and provides a comprehensive overview of translation and its hierarchical levels. Additionally, the author discusses how Mr. Zhang reflected his translation art concept in his translation methods and techniques, and how he achieved a level of perfection in the translation that is widely admired. Finally, the author selects representative chapters from Mr. Zhang's translations for artistic analysis and appreciation. The publication of Art Research holds extremely important practical significance, broadening the perspective of literary translation studies. It is not only a review of traditional translation theory but also a major inspection of the artistic concept of literary translation. Overall, the book has the following distinct features. . It is a pioneer in the study of translators (subjectivity), opening the way for case studies of individual translators. Previous research on the subject of translation has mostly appeared in the form of papers, with relatively scattered and lack of systematic logic. Often, it focused on a particular translator or translation view, with insufficient horizontal and vertical comparative research. Sometimes, a book would be published to study multiple translators, but the research on each translator was not comprehensive enough. However, the author of Art Research took a different approach, studying a single translator in the form of a monograph, which undoubtedly ensures greater length, more comprehensive information, and thus more thorough research. Second. The book has a novel arrangement perspective. The author dedicates a chapter to provide a detailed introduction to Mr. Zhang's life and hometown. More importantly, this chapter collects research materials about Mr. Zhang's hometown, which have a special significance in explaining that Jiaodong is a region with complex dialects, and many of the works of Hardy he translated also contain many local dialects. The reason Mr. Zhang became the 'Eastern confidant of Hardy' lies in his imitation translation using similar Chinese dialectal language. The study of these materials shows how his hometown profoundly influenced his growth, development, and success. In the following chapters, each focuses on explaining Mr. Zhang's translation views and conducts horizontal and vertical comparative research. The author begins the second, third, and fifth chapters by deeply studying each of Mr. Zhang's translation views, exploring their scientific connotations, historical manifestations, and significance, before specifically discussing Mr. Zhang's translation views. This arrangement helps readers not only understand the 'what' but also the 'why,' which is another distinct feature of the book. Third. Through case analysis and extensive references, it exhibits a seamless blend of translation theories from ancient and modern times. The book goes beyond just studying Mr. Zhang's personal translation art concept, deepening and expanding the research. For example, in Chapter 2, the author not only explores Mr. Zhang's translation view of "both science and art, and both art and science" but also delves into deeper reflections on the issue, highlights the focal points, and lists the research findings of scholars from China and abroad. For instance, when discussing translation as a science, he quotes Tan Zaixi's words: "Translation is merely an interlingual (or intralingual, intersemiotic) conversion process of speech products, and can only be a technology and an art." ⑥p35 He also quotes views from scholars such as Nida from the United States, Muran from France, and Wells from Germany, who proposed that "translation is a science." When referring to the three-character maxim of "faithfulness, expressiveness, and elegance" revered in China, he also cites authoritative classics such as the Book of Changes and the Analects, while also introducing Western counterparts such as "elegance" and "faithfulness." Fourth. It has a distinct feature of inheriting, developing, and reinterpreting the aesthetic of traditional Chinese translation theory. From the perspective of cultural psychology, traditional Chinese translation theory aesthetics emphasizes not the reflection of the object but its evaluation, not an objective aesthetic interpretation of the attributes of beauty and translation art, but instead the aesthetic norms of the aesthetic subject, with value judgment often outweighing factual judgment. In traditional Chinese translation theory, "shen Si," "shen Yun," and "hua Jing" are all evaluated and appreciated from the perspective of artistic aesthetics. When appreciating literary translations, people often unconsciously judge the quality of the translation based on whether the "shen Yun" and "yijing" are conveyed, rather than evaluating it based on word choice, sentence structure, or linguistic features. Xi Yongji said: "Zhang Guro not only meticulously crafts his translations but also carefully studies the style of the original work." ⑦p203 However, the author considers micro-level aspects such as rich and unique phrases, subtle expressions, the implied meaning of words, the overall special atmosphere, and the special tone of characters, combined with the context of the original work, to provide a comprehensive and objective evaluation. This book is the result of translation researchers' emphasis on the study of the subject of translation and a crystallization of in-depth research on traditional Chinese translation theory. The author's research on the subject of translation is original, systematic, comprehensive, and meticulous, with substantial evidence and elegant writing. The author traces the origins of translation concepts and provides artistic examples and analyses of Mr. Zhang's translation art concept, demonstrating the effort and dedication Professor Sun has invested in this book and the study of translation theory both in China and abroad. In the 21st century, when new Western translation theories are constantly emerging, China's humanities and social sciences are also facing a unique dilemma. While embracing new things and theories, we also need to better explore our own traditional spiritual heritage and carry forward the wealth of our predecessors. We must truly take ourselves as the mainstay, supplement with Western learning, systematically introduce, and compare, inherit, and develop traditional translation studies, translate and introduce Western translation theories, and establish and improve a translation theory with Chinese characteristics as soon as possible. At the same time, this book also sets an example for us who follow, and we hope that in the near future, there will be more works on the subjectivity of traditional Chinese translation theory.