簡介
他還認為,主導文化社會“習慣於接受通順易懂的譯文,把外國文本中的價值觀隱匿在本國的價值觀之中,令讀者面對他國文化時,還在自我陶醉地欣賞自己的文化”(1995:15)。這裡的“隱匿”是一個重要的概念,因為它說明了譯者在翻譯中的角色。在以歸化法作為標準翻譯法的文化社會中,正是譯者的“隱匿性”使譯文自然而然地歸化於目的語文化而不被讀者發覺(1995:16-17)。
步驟
歸化翻譯法通常包含以下幾個步驟:(1)謹慎地選擇適合于歸化翻譯的文本;(2)有意識地採取一種自然流暢的目的語文體;(3)把譯文調整成目的語篇體裁;(4)插入解釋性資料;(5)刪去原文中的實觀材料;(6)調協譯文和原文中的觀念與特徵。
分析
Venuti指出,歸化翻譯法是英美文化社會中占主導地位的翻譯策略。這種策略與該文化社會和其他文化社會的非對稱文學關係相一致。由於歸化翻譯法流行於英美文化社會諸多領域,因此有必要有意識地選擇其他翻譯策略,以挑戰其統治地位。以下分析一個歸化翻譯的例子。
6. A well-known scientist (some say it was Bertrand Russell) once gave a public lecture on astronomy. He described how the earth orbits around the sun and how the sun, in turn, orbits around the center of a vast collection of stars called our galaxy. At the end of the lecture, a little old lady at the back of the room got up and said: “What you have told us is rubbish. The world is really a flat plate supported on the back of a giant tortoise. The scientist gave a superior smile before replying, ”What is the tortoise standing on?“ ”You‘re very clever, young man, very clever,“ said the old lady. ”But it’s turtles all the way down!“
(From Hawking,
S.W. 1988. A Brief History of Time from the Big Bang to Black Holes. London and Auckland: Bantam Press. (從希臘譯本回譯) Alice in Wonderland was once giving a lecture about astronomy. She said that the earth is a spherical planet in the solar system which orbits around its center the sun, and that the sun is a star which in turn orbits around the center of the star system which we call the Galaxy. At the end of the lecture the Queen looked at her angrily and disapprovingly. “what you say is nonsense. The earth is just a giant playing card, so it‘s flat like all playing card,” she said, and turned triumphantly to the members of her retinue, who seemed clearly satisfied by her explanation. Alice smiled a superior smile, “and what is this playing card supported on?” she asked with irony. The Queen did not seem put out, “You are clever, very clever,” she replied, “so let me tell you, young lady, that this playing card is supported on another, and the other on another other, and the other other on another other other…” She topped, out of breath, “The Universe is nothing but a great big pack of cards,” she shrieked.
析:原文是霍金(S.W. Hawking)的《時間簡史》,屬於科普著作,閱讀對象為有一定文化程度的讀者。其文本類型和讀者類型決定了其語言特點是樸實明了,不帶太多的修飾成分。譯文(希臘語)的目的讀者顯然是少年兒童,譯者根據目的語的文化背景,採用了歸化翻譯法,對譯文進行了特殊的處理:(1)採用了形象替代法,套用了少年兒童熟悉的“Alice in Wonderland”(《愛麗絲遊記》)故事中的人物來講原文中的故事。愛麗絲(Alice)是一個充滿好奇心、求知慾強、愛思考的女孩子,譯者用她來代替原文中的科學家,對於少年兒童來說更加有吸引力。《愛麗絲遊記》中有一段是講愛麗絲與一個撲克王國的故事,而這個王國中最主要的人物就是皇后。愛麗絲常與皇后發生爭論,而皇后的形象與原文中的老婦人(the old lady)十分相似,就是趾高氣揚,固執己見。因此,譯者用皇后(the Queen)代替原文中的老婦人(the old lady);用撲克(playing card)代替烏龜(tortoise),整個故事裡面的喻體變了,但是喻義沒有變。