Abstract:

British translator Peter Newmark proposes the theory of Communicative and Semantic Translation. The two methods of translation give different expressions on the culture and translation of target language. Song Prose is a resplendent jewel with Chinese elements. This thesis studies the Communicative and Semantic Translation based on the translation of Song Prose and it compares the differences between Communicative and Semantic Translation. The author wants to find out which translating method can reflect Chinese culture better. The first part of this thesis is the basic theory of Communicative and Semantic Translation. The second part is the study of the two different translating methods in Song Prose. The last part discusses the effects of the Communicative and Semantic Translation according to the study of  given examples. It is easy to find that in the translation of Song Prose, Semantic Translation expresses the formal beauty of Song Prose while Communicative Translation focuses on transmitting the inside meaning of Song Prose. So it is not very strict on the format of Song Prose and conciseness in the sentences. In the author’s opinion, the beauty and cultural spirits of Song Prose will be expressed well if the translator combines the Communicative and Semantic Translation methods together.

Key words: Communicative Translation; Semantic Translation; Song Prose

摘  要：

“交际翻译”和“语义翻译”是英国翻译学家纽马克提出的两种基本的翻译方法。两种翻译方法体现了对目的语的文化，语言的不同表达。《宋词》是中国文学史上一颗璀璨的明珠，它代表了中国的古典文化，其中饱含了浓郁的中国元素。本篇论文以《宋词》的两个英译本来研究交际翻译和语义翻译的应用，比较两者的优缺点及哪种方法更有利于传播中国文化。本篇论文的前半部分讨论了本论文的大概内容以及论文意义所在。论文第一部分讲述了交际翻译和语义翻译的基本理论，主要阐述了纽马克的观点。第二部分对两本宋词译本进行对比研究，主要讨论了作者在翻译时采用了哪种翻译方法。最后一部分则是讨论交际翻译和语义翻译的影响。笔者通过研究发现，在宋词翻译中，语义翻译能更好地表现宋词的形式美，但是语言比较繁琐；交际翻译则更注重向国外友人传递宋词所表达的内在意义，所以淡化了宋词的格式要求，在语言上也更简洁。因此笔者认为，在宋词翻译中，如果将语义翻译和交际翻译结合起来会更好地表现宋词。

关键词：交际翻译；语义翻译；宋词

1. Introduction
Prose is a kind of poetry in ancient China. It can be dated from Liang dynasty, forming in Tang dynasty and prospering in Song dynasty. According to The old Tang Dynasty, it is said “Since Kaiyuan [the regnal year of Tang Xuanzong], the singers sang the songs from the people.” The original prose were the songs which were composed for singing by the singers. What’s more, the prose from folk are earlier than the prose from the poets. Song prose has always attracted lots of readers and scholars to study and translate. Yang Xianyi and Xu Yuanchong are two representatives of the people who translate Song Prose. Their translations are all outstanding.