"Enter for a newline: do not translate, return as is. All other Chinese text should be translated into English: Seeing difficulty as skill: Talks on translation experience by famous translators

Author: Jin Shenghua, Huang Guobin
Publisher:
Publish Date: 1998-08-01
Features: Excerpts from the experiences of renowned translators such as Yu Guangzhong, Lin Wen Yue, Jin Di, Gao Ke Yi, Yang Jiang, Yang Xian Yi, Ye Jun Jian, Liu Shao Ming, Xiao Qian, Luo Xin Zhang, Jin Shenghua, and Huang Guobin: I have been reading The Importance of Being Earnest for over ten years; in translation classes, I have often used this book as a textbook for interpreting exercises, and it has been very well-received by students. In fact, not only do students enjoy it, but the teachers are also becoming increasingly captivated by it. Eventually, I realized that keeping such a wonderful book locked in its original language meant that Chinese readers would never have the chance to share it—truly, "the heart understands, but the subtleties are hard to convey." If I wanted to share it with you, I would have to translate it. Of course, Oscar Wilde is no easy subject to translate? The aphorisms and witty remarks in The Importance of Being Earnest are truly like "a tower every five steps, a pavilion every ten steps"—no, they are more like "a checkpoint every five steps, a fortress every ten steps." On the journey of translation, how can there be only eighty-one trials? As Liang Shi Qiu said, English was never designed for translation. Moreover, when Wilde wrote it, he was in full flight of fancy—how could he leave any room for future translators to retreat? As a translator, one can only seek one's own fortune to find a way out in a desperate situation. I have always followed a principle as a translator: translate the meaning, not the original text. If one focuses only on the surface of the original text while ignoring the underlying meaning, it leads to literal, rigid, or lifeless translations. The ideal translation should both convey the original meaning and preserve the original text. If preserving the original text is difficult, one must settle for conveying the original meaning while disregarding the surface expressions of the original text. Let me illustrate with two examples:
Algernon: How are you, my dear Ernest? What brings you up to town?
Jack: Oh, pleasure, pleasure! What else should bring one anywhere?
This is a dialogue from the beginning of the play. Jack's reply, if translated literally, becomes, "Oh, pleasure, pleasure! What other thing should bring a person anywhere?" On the surface, it may seem faithful to the original, but it fails to capture the meaning, making it disloyal. This kind of literal translation is truly "hypocrisy in disguise." My translation is: "Oh, seeking pleasure! Why would anyone go out for anything else?"
Lady Bracknell: Where is that baby?
Miss Prism: Lady Bracknell, I admit with shame that I do not know. I only wish I could.
This is a segment near the end of the third act, which is crucial to the entire plot, of course. The second part of the reply, if translated as "I wish I could know," is not wrong and is understandable, but it lacks impact, making it weak. I translated it as "If only I knew." This may not be the original text, but it conveys the original meaning. If Wilde understood Chinese, he would have said it this way.
I have translated poetry, novels, essays, and academic papers before, but translating a play is a new challenge for me. Of course, novels also contain dialogues, which can be said to be similar to plays. However, the dialogues in novels do not need to be as pointed or as full of wit as those in plays. The soul of a play lies entirely in its dialogue, and the soul of dialogue lies in its conciseness and impact, captivating the audience. Satirical romantic comedies like The Importance of Being Earnest are particularly so. The dialogues in novels are for reading, and if one doesn't understand, they can reread. But the dialogues in plays are for listening—once missed, there is no second chance.
When translating this book, I was not only writing for Chinese readers but also for Chinese audiences and actors. Therefore, my translation principle this time is: the text should be smooth for readers, the dialogue should be natural for audiences, and the lines should be easy for actors to deliver. (In fact, audiences should be called listeners, or perhaps "view-listeners." English makes this distinction more conveniently.) I hope my translation is a living stage play, not a stiff academic one. Thus, the style of this translation differs greatly from my translations of other genres. Readers of my translated poetry may themselves be poets or scholars. But the audience in the theater will be the general public, at least a niche audience. My translation must be adjusted to a moderate degree of colloquialism to sound natural. The same words, especially nouns, and particularly abstract nouns, must be translated to be clear and resonant. Otherwise, the audience will find it boring, and the actors will have no shine. For example, take this passage:
Gwendolen: Ernest has a strong upright nature. He is the very soul of truth and honor. Disloyalty would be as impossible to him as deception.