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Year

1957

Text

Fu, Lei. Fragments of my translation experience [ID D38986].
My hesitation [about translating a literary work] has its theoretical foundations. In the first place, because of my love of literature and the high regard I have for all literary activity, I will consider any damage done to a work of art to be equivalent to a distortion of truth… A translator who does not thoroughly understand the original, who cannot empathize with it, will definitely not be able to arouse deep sympathy in his readers. Further, the sympathy and understanding each person is capable of is determined by individual differences in character… One needs to read a literary work that one desires to translate four or five times, in order to become familiar enough with the story to be able to analyze it perceptively, from clear images of the characters, and slowly grasp the profound but intricate ideas buried between the lines of the text… I have revised my translation of Voltaire's Candide eight times, but I am still unsure how much of the spirit of the original I have managed to convey.
I feel strongly that :
1. As far as literary genres are concerned, we should translate with a clear sense of our strengths and weaknesses…
2. With regard to the different literary schools, we should know which school we fit best into : Romantic or Classicist, Realist or Modernist ?...
The second reason why I need to take translation seriously is my lack of academic preparation. The little bit of everything that I know is of little use when it comes to practical application. Since our literature is written for the whole society and for every individual, it is naturally related to politics, economics, philosophy, science, history, painting, sculpture, architecture, music, and even astronomy, geography, medicine and the divinatory sciences… How distinct the Chinese way of thinking is from the Western ! Westerners are fond of the abstracts ; they love analysis. The Chinese prefer the concrete ; they are strong at synthesis. If we do not completely assimilate the spirit of the work to be translated, but transfer word for word in a stilted manner, the original will not only lose all its beauty, but become abstruse and incomprehensible, thoroughly confusing the reader… I retranslated Jean Christoph not just to correct my own errors ; rather, the classical literary language used in my earlier translation creates a jarring hybridization of styles… The language problem is basically one of aesthetic insight. To raise the standard of translations, we must first work out some objective criteria so that we can tell good translations from bad ones.

Mentioned People (1)

Fu, Lei  (Wanglou, Nanhui, Shanghai 1908-1966 Selbstmord) : Übersetzer

Subjects

Translation : History and Theory / Translator

Documents (1)

# Year Bibliographical Data Type / Abbreviation Linked Data
1 2004 Chan, Leo Tak-hung. Twentieth-century Chinese translation theory : modes, issues and debates. (Amsterdam : John Benjamins, 2004). (Benjamins translation library ; vol. 51).
Table of contents :
PART I
1. The traditional approach: Impressionistic theories 3
2. "Modern" theories of the 1920s and 30s 15
3. Theories from a postcolonial perspective 29
4. End of the century: The impact of "new theories" 43
References for Chapters 1-4 6o
PART II
A. Responses to Yan Fu 67
1. Yan Fu: "Preface to Tianyanlun (Evolution and ethics)" (1901)
Tr. C. Y. Hsu 69
2. Zheng Zhenduo: "How to translate literary texts" (1921)
Tr. Leo Chan 72
3. Bian Zhilin: "Literary translation and sensitivity to language" (1983)
Tr. Gilbert Fong 74
4. Ye Weilian: "Debunking claims of Xin, Da and Ya" (1994)
Tr. Ye Weilian 77
Notes to Articles 1-4 89
B. Spiritual resonance 91
5. Chen Xiying: "On translation" (1929)
Tr. Chapman Chen 93
6. Zeng Xubai: "Spirit and fluency in translation" (1929)
Tr. Chapman Chen 98
7. Fu Lei: "Preface to the retranslation of Pere Goriot" (1951)
Tr. May Wong 102
8. Qian Zhongshu: "The translations of Lin Shu" (1963)
Tr. George Kao 104
Notes to Articles 5-8 115
C. Art vs. science 121
9. Zhu Guangqian: "On translation" (1944)
Tr. Leo Chan 123
10. Fu Lei: "Fragments of my translation experience" (1957)
Tr. Leo Chan 126
11. Huang Xuanfan: "Review of Si Guo's Studies of Translation" (1974)
Tr. Matthew Leung 129
12. Huang Xuanfan: "Translation and linguistic knowledge" (1974)
Tr. Matthew Leung 134
13. Jin Di: "The debate of art vs. science" (1987)
Tr. Priscilla Yip 141
Notes to Articles 9-13 147
D. The language of translation 151
14. Qu Qiubai: "On translation - A letter to Lu Xun" (1931)
Tr. Yau Wai Ping 153
15. Lu Xun: "A reply to Qu Qiubai" (1931)
Tr. Leo Chan 158
16. Qu Qiubai: "Again on translation - A reply to Lu Xun" (1932)
Tr. Yau Wai Ping 162
17. Fu Lei: "Letter to Lin Yiliang on translation" (1951)
Tr. Sara Ho 168
18. Yu Guangzhong: "Translation and creative writing" (1969)
Tr. Leo Chan 173
Notes to Articles 14-18 175
E. Literal translation vs. sense-translation 179
19. Liang Shiqiu: "On Mr. Lu Xun's 'Stiff translation"' (1929)
Tr. Evangeline Almberg 181
20. Lu Xun: "'Stiff translation' and the class nature of literature" (1930)
Tr. Leo Chan 184
21. Ye Gongchao, "On translation and language reform" (1931)
Tr. Rachel Lung 188
22. Mao Dun: "Literal translation, smooth translation, and distorted
translation" (1934)
Tr. Leo Chan 192
23. Ai Siqi: "On translation" (1937)
Tr. John Lai 195
Notes to Articles 19-23 198
F. The untranslatability of poetry 201
24. Mao Dun: "Some thoughts on translating poetry" (1922)
Tr. Brian Holton 203
25. Cheng Fangwu: "On translating poetry" (1923)
Tr. May Wong 208
26. Bian Zhilin: "Translation and its positive/negative impact on
modern Chinese poetry" (1987)
Tr. Kellj Chan 211
27. Gu Zhengkun: "On multiple complementary norms and the
translation of poetry" (1990)
Tr. Julie Chiu 214
Notes to Articles 24-27 220
G. Translation theory for China 223
28. Dong Qiusi: "On building our translation theories" (1951)
Tr. Tan Zaixi 225
29. Luo Xinzhang: "Chinese translation theory, a system of its
own" (1984)
Tr. Tan Zaixi 230
30. Liu Miqing: "The basic paradigm of Chinese translation
theory" (1990)
Tr. Han Yang 236
31. Sun Zhili: "Some thoughts on building our nation's translation
theory" (1998)
Tr. Han Yang 240
32. Lin Zhang: "On theories in translation studies" (1998)
Tr. Leo Chan 244
Notes to Articles 28-32 246
H. Creativity and translation 249
33. Zheng Zhenduo: "Virgins and matchmakers" (1921)
Tr. Rachel Lung 251
34. Guo Moruo: "Letter to Zheng Zhenduo" (1921)
Tr. Rachel Lung 252
35. Mao Dun: "The 'matchmaker' and the 'virgin"' (1934)
Tr. Laurence Wong 254
36. Fang Ping: "Miscellaneous thoughts on translation" (1995)
Tr. Orlando Ho 257
37. Xu Yuanchong: "Verbal translation and literary translation" (1995)
Tr. Orlando Ho 261
38. Xu Jun and Yuan Xiaoyi: "For the sake of our common cause" (1995)
Tr. Orlando Ho 264
Notes to Articles 33-38 268
Index 271 S. 126-128. 		Publication / ChanL1
  • Source: Zheng, Zhenduo. How to translate literary texts.
    In : Chan, Leo Tak-hung. Twentieth-century Chinese translation theory : modes, issues and debates. (Amsterdam : John Benjamins, 2004). (ZheZ6, Publication)
  • Source: Zheng, Zhenduo. Virgins and matchmakers.
    In : Chan, Leo Tak-hung. Twentieth-century Chinese translation theory : modes, issues and debates. (Amsterdam : John Benjamins, 2004). (ZheZ7, Publication)
  • Source: Guo, Moruo. Letter to Zheng Zhenduo.
    In : Chan, Leo Tak-hung. Twentieth-century Chinese translation theory : modes, issues and debates. (Amsterdam : John Benjamins, 2004). (GuoM16, Publication)
  • Source: Mao, Dun. Some thoughts on translating poetry.
    In : Chan, Leo Tak-hung. Twentieth-century Chinese translation theory : modes, issues and debates. (Amsterdam : John Benjamins, 2004). (MaoD31, Publication)
  • Source: Cheng, Fangwu. On translating poetry.
    In : Chan, Leo Tak-hung. Twentieth-century Chinese translation theory : modes, issues and debates. (Amsterdam : John Benjamins, 2004). (ChenF1, Publication)
  • Source: Qu Qiubai. On translation : a letter to Lu Xun.
    In : Chan, Leo Tak-hung. Twentieth-century Chinese translation theory : modes, issues and debates. (Amsterdam : John Benjamins, 2004). (QuQ11, Publication)
  • Source: Lu, Xun. A reply to Qu Qiubai. (1931). In : Chan, Leo Tak-hung. Twentieth-century Chinese translation theory : modes, issues and debates. (Amsterdam : John Benjamins, 2004). (LuX217, Publication)
  • Source: Qu, Qiubai. Again on translation : a reply to Lu Xun.
    In : Chan, Leo Tak-hung. Twentieth-century Chinese translation theory : modes, issues and debates. (Amsterdam : John Benjamins, 2004). (QuQ12, Publication)
  • Source: Mao, Dun. Literal translation, smooth translation, and distorted translation.
    In : Chan, Leo Tak-hung. Twentieth-century Chinese translation theory : modes, issues and debates. (Amsterdam : John Benjamins, 2004). (MaoD30, Publication)
  • Source: Mao, Dun. The 'matchmaker' and the 'virgin'.
    In : Chan, Leo Tak-hung. Twentieth-century Chinese translation theory : modes, issues and debates. (Amsterdam : John Benjamins, 2004). (MaoD32, Publication)
  • Source: Ai, Siqi. On translation.
    In : Chan, Leo Tak-hung. Twentieth-century Chinese translation theory : modes, issues and debates. (Amsterdam : John Benjamins, 2004). (AiS1, Publication)
  • Source: Zhu, Guangqian. On translation.
    In : Chan, Leo Tak-hung. Twentieth-century Chinese translation theory : modes, issues and debates. (Amsterdam : John Benjamins, 2004). (ZhuG16, Publication)
  • Source: Fu, Lei. Fragments of my translation experience.
    In : Chan, Leo Tak-hung. Twentieth-century Chinese translation theory : modes, issues and debates. (Amsterdam : John Benjamins, 2004). (FuL1, Publication)
  • Source: Bian, Zhilin. Translation and its positive/negative impact on modern Chinese poetry.
    In : Chan, Leo Tak-hung. Twentieth-century Chinese translation theory : modes, issues and debates. (Amsterdam : John Benjamins, 2004). (BiaZ2, Publication)
  • Cited by: Asien-Orient-Institut Universität Zürich (AOI, Organisation)