Abstract

Style is an essential element in literary works, for it represents the author’s idea and personality. Especially in English prose, style is highlighted as a key factor in distinguishing authors from one another. Hence, it is crucial to reproduce the style of the original text in translation. The necessity of style conveyance is also stressed in Tytler’s three principles of translation. He ranked it the second important rule of making a good translation, right after faithfulness of idea but before resemblance to the force and effect.

The Essays is a representative of English prose written by Francis Bacon, whose works feature archaism, brevity, forcefulness and a beauty of rhythm. There are varied Chinese versions of the Essays. The most well known ones not only transfer the meaning clearly but also convey the style effectively.

Under the guidance of Tytler’s three principles of translation, this thesis will explore the techniques or strategies applied in Chinese translations of the Essays from the perspective of style conveyance. A comparative study of three selected Chinese translations is carried out with the help of Mr. Liu Miqing’s style recognition system. The translators are respectively Wang Zuoliang, Shui Tiantong and Cao Minglun. A detailed analysis will be given through use of words, arrangement of sentences, figures of speech and the overall tones, with supporting examples taken from four essays (“Of Truth”, “Of Great Place”, “Of Beauty” and “Of Study”).


Key words: style conveyance in translation, Essays, translation strategy, Francis Bacon

摘        要

在文学作品中，风格占有重要的地位。因为它是作者的创作思想与性格特点的集中体现。英语散文就是一种格外注重风格的文学体裁，其谋篇布局与行文措辞都是作者风格的体现，一旦缺失就会使文章失去独特性。因此，在翻译散文作品时，译文对原作风格的再现不可或缺。泰特勒也在其著名的翻译三原则中强调了风格翻译的重要性。他指出一部优秀的翻译作品要在忠实地表达原作思想内容的基础上对其风格进行有效地传达，最后力求达到与原作相同的效果和影响力。 可见，风格传达在散文翻译中至关重要。

培根论说文是英国散文的代表作。作者弗朗西斯培根的语言简洁、典雅、令人信服且富有韵律，充分表现了他独特的写作风格特色。国内有许多对其论说文的不同的译本，有些译文甚至已是闻名遐尔，广为流传。这些译文之所以广为流传、深入人心，不仅因为文章富含深刻的哲理，还因为其中文译文语言到位、风格鲜明。

本文将以泰特勒的翻译三原则为理论指导，从风格传达的角度，按照刘宓庆的风格符号体系，对培根论说文及其三个中译本进行对比研究，译者分别为王佐良、水天同和曹明伦。论文将从用词、句式、修辞和语气四个方面进行翻译策略的探究和分析。文中举例均选自培根的四篇论说文佳作，分别是《论真理》《论高位》《论美》《论读书》。


关键词： 风格传译，培根论说文，翻译策略，弗朗西斯培根