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'''Aesthetic Appreciation of Literary Translations'''
 
'''Aesthetic Appreciation of Literary Translations'''
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Chapter [[Theor_App_Lit_EN_1]]
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[[Aesthetic Appreciation of Literary Translations|Overview Page of Aesthetic Appreciation of Literary Translations]]
 
[[Aesthetic Appreciation of Literary Translations|Overview Page of Aesthetic Appreciation of Literary Translations]]
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[[DCG-To-Do|To the To Do list]]
 
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=1朱素珍：Appreciation of poetry translation in the cross-culture background=
 
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[[Aesth_App_EN_1]]
 
  
  
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===Abstract===
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=朱素珍: Criticism and Appreciation of Poetry Translation —— Taking ''A Psalm of Life'' as an example=
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It is such a thoughtful question that how to translate poetry in the cross-culture background. It is not difficult to translate poetry, and large quantities of translators and writers have provided us uncountable excellent versions of translation of poetry. A professional translator has the responsibility to achieve the effects of three principles put forward by Yan Fu: faithfulness, expressiveness and elegance which are one of the important criteria for translation. This essay would mainly discuss the appreciation of poetry translation based on the three principles as discussed before with the analysis of different versions of translation of the same poetry. After the comparable analysis of these versions, whether the translators have obeyed the three principles as well as whether the cultural factor has been considered or not can be uncovered clearly. Furthermore, in the process of appreciation, people can also learn how to translate the poetry properly. Besides, such analysis is conducive to the appreciation of poetry translation in the cross-culture background, which is inspiring and instructive.
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[[Aesth_App_EN_1]]
  
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===Key words===
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诗歌翻译批评与鉴赏——以《人生礼赞》为例
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poetry translation; cross-culture background; Yan Fu’s three principles of faithfulness, expressiveness and elegance
 
  
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===Introduction===
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朱素珍 Zhu Suzhen, 202120081561,Hunan Normal University, China
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Poetry as an important part of human literature, experienced ups and downs in the long river of history from the period of Greece to the modern days. Human varieties of emotions and feelings can be recorded and transmitted by the form of poetry, which is the essential part of human life. For China, poetry has played a special and crucial role since the ancient times, with Tang dynasty as its prime priority period. Because of its strong function of expressing people’s feelings and amazing entertainment, it is preferred by thousands of poets such us Li Bai, Du Fu, Vans, etc. At the same time, piles of wonderful poetries have appeared like the mushroom after rain. Actually, poetry is universal and common for humankind, and it is being chosen by some western poets including Percy Bysshe Shelley, Robert Burns and Emily Dickinson, etc. According to Aristotle, literature should have the function of education, that is to say, instructing people’s mind. Poetry is positive and it provides chance for people to imitate and create their own lovely poetry, and during this period, their virtue can be promoted, so they can be more morally great. However, in Plato’s opinion, poetry is the second remove from reality, and it is the great danger for the unity of the state of philosophy. Moreover, the poets should be exiled, and there should be strict censorship for the publication of poetry. Different philosophers have different ideas about poetry.  And different poets can create different kinds of poetries with rich titles and versatile structures. Besides, people speaking in different language and living in exotic culture are capable to write the poetry that is special to them. However, no matter what are the difference, one point is true: poetry is a powerful tool for people to know and create the world. Such special point is stemming from the difference of language and culture. People are not unfamiliar with Sapir Wolf’s Theory of Linguistic Relativity which put forward that language decides how people think. It is such a strong and even a little decisive theory. However, it at least uncovers the relationship between language and culture. It is understandable that language is to some extent reflects how people are thinking， and the thinking can further show the influence of culture in the process of communication. For example, in China, people would say” Have you eaten?” when they meet each other occasionally. But the Chinese are not intentionally asking whether the hearer has eaten or not, and they are only expressing a kind of greeting. Therefore, when the foreigners hearing such a sentence, they would get confused. This is a typical example showing the culture’s important role in communication. Except for the spoken communication, culture would also influence the translation of literary works, such as poetry, novel and play, etc. In the translation of poetry, a professional translator has to put the factor of culture into consideration well in order to achieve a high-quality translation effect. Actually, poetry cross-culture translation is always an inevitable issue for translation, especially today we are in a high-speed developing cross-culture Time, naturally how to appreciate the translation of poetry is of great importance.
 
  
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===Comparative analysis of different version of translation of poetry===
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=邹岳丽：A comparative study of different Chinese versions of I am a cat from the perspective of Newmark's translation theory=
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In this part, it is necessary to make some comparative analysis between different versions of translation. As we all known, translation is also a process in which the translators try to create and translate. Translators are the creators at the same time. Because of their different culture background, educational background, their translation experience and some other factors, different translators can create different versions of poetry. Therefore, in this process we can experience how the translators construct and create the translation based on their embodied experience and professional quality.
 
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It is not uncommon that the same poetry may have different versions of translation. And the appreciation of translation is to analyze how the translators translate it and why they would try to translate in such a way. At the same time, translation appreciation is not just a process to appreciate it, it is also a process to learn. Translation can be seen as a bridge that relates the reader and the writer in different language background. Without translation, it is impossible to transmit the beauty and amaze of literary works to more people, not less achieving a grandeur and multi-cultural literature feast. The translators are like the builder of the bridge, and their subjective factors including attitude, spirit as well as objective factors involving building method, the natural factors and so on are a unified system that would influence how the builders construct the bridge. It is believed that there are no best versions of translation, but better one. Therefore, the unlimited nature of translation makes it possible for us to make a comparison between kinds of versions, because there is no best translation but better one.
 
  
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=邱婷婷：On Xu Yuanchong’s poetry translation from the theory of  “Three Beauties” -- Taking ''Three Hundred Tang Poems'' as an example =
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纽马克翻译理论视角下《我是猫》的不同中译本比较研究
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[[Trans_Type_EN_3]]
 
  
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===Abstract===
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邹岳丽 Zou Yueli Hunan Normal University, China
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Chinese classical poetry has a long history and is full of romance. Its language is concise, its content is rich and diverse, its form is harmonious and unified, and its rhythm is beautiful, which makes it interesting to read. Poetry, as the highest form of expression in literature, has always been the best way for the literati to express their feelings, so the translation of poetry also puts forward higher requirements for the translator. Xu Yuanchong's theory of three principles provides a new direction and new thinking for the translation of poetry, which has a great guiding role in the practice of poetry translation.The Tang Dynasty was the most prosperous period of Chinese culture, and its poets created a large number of masterpieces with different styles and rich emotions. ''Three Hundred Tang Poems'' translated into English by Xu Yuanzhong expressed the content and emotion of the poem vividly. This paper will analyze the “beauty” in Xu’s poetry translation from the three perspectives of  “beauty of meaning”, “beauty of sound” and “beauty of form”.
 
  
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===Keywords===
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[[Aesth_App_EN_2]]
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“three beauties”theory；beauty in meaning；beauty in sound；beauty in form
 
  
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===从“三美论”浅析许渊冲的诗歌翻译—以《唐诗三百首》为例===
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=邱婷婷：On Xu Yuanchong’s poetry translation from the theory of  “Three Beauties” -- Taking ''Three Hundred Tang Poems'' as an example =
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===摘要===
 
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中国古典诗歌历史悠久且颇具浪漫气息，其语言凝练，内容丰富多样，形式和谐统一，韵律优美，阅读中耐人寻味。诗歌，文学的最高表达形式之一，长久以来一直是文人抒发情感的最佳方式，因此对于诗歌的翻译,对翻译者也提出了更高的要求。许渊冲的三原则理论给诗歌的翻译提供了新的方向，新的思维，对于诗歌的翻译实践活动有很大的指导作用。唐朝是中国文化最为繁荣昌盛的时期，唐代诗人创作了大量风格迥异，情感丰富的名篇佳作。许渊冲英译的《唐诗三百首》，将诗中的内容、情感传神地表达了出来。本文将从许渊冲提出的“三美论”，即“意美”、“音美”、“形美”这三个角度来赏析其诗歌翻译中的“美”。
 
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===关键词===
 
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三美论；意美；音美；形美
 
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===Introduction===
 
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Xu Yuanchong (April 18, 1921 -- June 17, 2021), was born in Nanchang, Jiangxi Province. He graduated from the Department of Foreign Languages of Southwest Associated University in his early years. He has been engaged in literary translation for more than 60 years, covering Chinese, English, French and other languages, focusing on the translation of ancient Chinese poetry into English, forming the method and theory of rhyming style translation of poetry, known as “the only person to translate poetry into English and French”. As an outstanding translator in contemporary China, he plays an important role in promoting Chinese cultural works and letting them be known by so many foreigners. In 2010, Xu won the “Lifetime Achievement Award of Chinese Translation Culture”. On August 2, 2014, Xu Yuanchong was awarded the “Northern Lights” Outstanding Literary Translation Award, one of the highest awards in the international translation field, and was the first Asian translator to receive this award (Zhou Rongrong,2020:129). Mr.Xu Yuanchong plays an important role in Chinese translation circle, not only for his numerous translation masterpieces but also for his translation theory, which has a great influence in latter translators.
 
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The translation theory of “three Beauties” determines that Xu Yuanchong be consistent with the principle of “pursuing beauty” over “expressing faithfully” in his translation practice, attaches importance to the “beauty”of poetry and gives full play to his creativity. Xu once said that “The main purpose of poetry translation is not to make reputation of the poet letting him being remembered by the people of future generations, but to enable people to share the poet’s graceful feelings”; “I think translating poems should be ingenious and creative, he added (http://www.etogether.net/htm/literature/20180917/6170_2.html).
 
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Three Hundred Tang Poems is a very popular anthology of Tang poetry. The Period of the Tang Dynasty (618-907) was the golden age of Chinese poetry, with a large number of famous poets and more than 50,000 poems. Three Hundred Tang Poems (in both Chinese and English) completed by Xu Yuanchong is a book published by China International Translation Press in 2007. And the theory of “Three Beauties” was well used in the translation of Three Hundred Tang Poems. Therefore, the study of Xu Yuanchong’s translation of Three Hundred Tang Poems, form the perspective of his translation theory “Three Beauties” has high practical valve. This paper studies and appreciates the translation of Three Hundred Tang Poems under the  “Three Beauties” principles, and it is mainly divided into four parts: some explanation of the “Three Beauties” theory, appreciation from the scope of the beauty of meaning, appreciation from the scope of the beauty of sound, appreciation from the scope of the beauty of form.
 
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===“Three Beauties” theory===
 
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The theory of “Three Beauties” was first put forward by Xu Yuanchong in his letter to the aesthetician Zhu Guangqian(a famous Chinese Modern and contemporary aesthetician, literary theorist, educator, translator) in 1979, and has been continuously applied in subsequent translation practices. Xu Yuanchong once said:“Western translation stresses equivalence, advocating word for word translation, almost 90% of their written vocabulary is equivalent. Chinese is different from other languages in that only 50% of words are equivalent to words. Although equivalence does not violate objective regularity, it does not give play to subjective initiative. Without distorting the author's meaning, translation must reflect the connotation, essence and soul of a national culture”(Zhou Rongrong,2020:131). It is known to all that Xu won his national reputation mainly from his poetry translation practice and his initiation of the principle of “ Three Beauties”(which refers to beauty in sense, sound and form). It’s of great significance to the practice of poetry translation, and might be assumed as a milestone in the field of poetry translation(Guo Zhuzhang,1997).
 
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Actually the principle of “ Three Beauties” was initially put forward in the essay “From Language to Artical”by Lu Xun( the great writer, thinker and revolutionary in China). He stated “in learning a Chinese character, three aspects should be taken into consideration, namely, ‘the sense, the sound and the form’,as to article writing, beauty in three aspects should likewise be taken into account: for one thing, to achieve beauty in sense to move reader’s heart; the second, to achieve beauty in sound to suffice reader’s ears; finally, to achieve beauty in form to appeal to reader’s eyes(Guo Zhuzhang,1997). As the principles were only applied in language and character, Xu employed it to poetry translation after having a comprehend understanding and analysis of the original principles. What’s more, Xu published a series of articles to further expound the principle of “Three Beauties”.
 
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“with regard to ‘Three Beauties’, beauty in sense is of the greatest significance, therefore should be put in the first position; beauty in sound is of less important and hence is placed in the second place; whereas beauty in form is of the least magnitude and ought to laid in the third place.” “We should exert ourselves to convey the beauty in sound of the original work under the provision of faithful reproduction of the original beauty in sense; furthermore, we should try our utmost to convey the beauty in form of the source text under the provision of both the reproduction of the original beauty in sense and in sound; in a word, we should ake the greatest endeavor to reproduce the original beauty in sense, in sound and in form comprehensively.”(Xu Yuanchong, 1997)
 
  
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This is the situation that you can handle the three aspects simultaneously, however there are a host of texts that are very complicated and you can not make it work. So under this circumstance, Xu further sates that:“If ‘Three Beauties’ cannot be achieved simultaneously, the resemblance in form can be ignored, so is the resemblance in sound; nevertheless, the conveyance of original beauty in sense and in sound should be retained in whatever circumstance (Xu Yuanchong,1997).
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[[Aesth_App_EN_3]]
  
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According to his statement, we can draw a conclusion that when we are translating something especially poetry, we should pay attention to the three aspects: sense, sound and form. And the beauty of sense occupies the first place, sound the second, form the third. In other words, the meaning of the poetry is the most important thing that we can not violate it in order to achieve other effects. On the condition that we do not affect the meaning, we can take the sound into consideration. As very different from other genres of articles, poetry pays much attention to the rhythm which can be read in a catchy and graceful way, making people easy to experience the feeling of the poets. And the form, after considering the sense and sound, the form is also important.
 
  
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As we know, poetry translation is a creative translation. Only the translator have grasped the content and the spirit of the original works and find the most appropriate reflection in his own mind, can it be possible for him to have a good translation. Therefore, in Xu’s opinion, literary translation, especially poetry translation is to use the best words to achieve aesthetic effect. Due to the linguistic differences, there must be some loss in various aspects, but by using the best words, the original beauty can be recreated, so the loss can be compensated.(Xu Xiufeng,2006)
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=吴映红：A comparative study of aesthetic reproduction in Chinese versions of snow country from the perspective of translation aesthetics =
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[[Aesth_App_EN_4]]
  
  

Latest revision as of 20:12, 15 December 2021

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朱素珍: Criticism and Appreciation of Poetry Translation —— Taking A Psalm of Life as an example

Aesth_App_EN_1

诗歌翻译批评与鉴赏——以《人生礼赞》为例

朱素珍 Zhu Suzhen, 202120081561,Hunan Normal University, China

邹岳丽：A comparative study of different Chinese versions of I am a cat from the perspective of Newmark's translation theory

纽马克翻译理论视角下《我是猫》的不同中译本比较研究

邹岳丽 Zou Yueli Hunan Normal University, China

Aesth_App_EN_2

邱婷婷：On Xu Yuanchong’s poetry translation from the theory of “Three Beauties” -- Taking Three Hundred Tang Poems as an example

Aesth_App_EN_3


吴映红：A comparative study of aesthetic reproduction in Chinese versions of snow country from the perspective of translation aesthetics

Aesth_App_EN_4


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