Shanghai foreign language education press
THE QUALITY OF THE WRITING
tải về 2 Mb. Chế độ xem pdf
|
| THE QUALITY OF THE WRITING
Vou have to consider the quality of the writing and the authority of the text, two critical factors in the choice of translation method. The quality of the writing has to be judged in relation to the author's intention and/or the requirements of the subject-matter. If the text is well written, i , e . T the manner is as important as the matter, the right words arc in the right places, with a minimum ot redundancy, vou have to regard every nuance of the author's meaning (particularly if it is subtle and difficult) as having precedence over the reader's response - assuming they are not required to act or react promptly; on the contrary, assuming hopefully that they will read your translation at least twice. Deciding what is good writing is sometimes criticised as 'subjective 1 but it is a decision, like many others, not subjective but with a subjective element ('the area of taste! which you have to make, using any experience of literary criticism you may have had but bearing in mind that the criterion here is meaning: to what extent does the web of words of the SL text correspond to a clear representation of facts or images? If a text is well written, the svntax will reflect the writer's personality - complex syntax will reflect subtlety (Proust, Mann) - plain syntax, simplicity. Words will be freshly used with unusual connotations. A badly written text will be cluttered w T ith stereotyped phrases, recently fashionable general words and probably poorly structured. Note that language rules and prescriptions have nothing much to do with good writing. What matters is a fresh reflection of the reality outside language or of the writer's mind. The authority of the text is derived from good writing; but also independently, unconnectedly, from the status of the SL writer. If the SI. writer is recognised as important in his field, and he is making an ex-cathedra or official statement, the text is also authoritative. The point is that 'expressive* texts, i.e. serious imaginative literature and authoritative and personal statements, have to be translated closely, matching the writing, good or bad, of the original. Informative texts, siarements that relate primarily to the truth, to the real facts of the matter, have to be translated in the best style that the translator can reconcile with the style of the original. tải về 2 Mb. Chia sẻ với bạn bè của bạn:
|