Chapter 10:French Translation Theories From 16th Century to 18th Century

"十六世纪至十八世纪法国翻译理论"

杨堃 Yang Kun,Hunan Normal University,China.

Abstract

The history of translation is as ancient as the history of language. Since human beings have the ability to communicate with language, translation has begun. It can be said that human translation activities evolve and develop together with human culture and civilization. Whether a culture can survive or not is closely related to translation.French translation theory plays an important role in western translation theory. However, due to various reasons, compared with translation theories in the United States and The United Kingdom, there are very few studies on French translation theories in China, and the only studies are mainly limited to some famous French translators. This paper gives a brief overview of the development of French translation theory from three periods: French translation theory from 16th century to 18th century, combining with some famous French translators and their theories. Stones from other hills may serve to polish the jade of this one. It is hoped that this paper will provide some reference for the development of Translation theory in China.

Key words

French Translation Theory;the Renaissance;the classicism

摘要

翻译的历史与语言的历史一样久远亘古，自从人类有了语言交往的能力，就开始了翻译。可以说，人类的翻译活动伴随着人类的文化、文明一同进化发展。一种文化文明能否历久弥新，与翻译有着密切的渊源。法国翻译理论在西方翻译理论中占有重要的地位。但由于种种原因，相比美国、英国翻译理论研究，我国对法国翻译理论的研究非常少，仅有的研究主要限于一些著名的法国的翻译家。本文从法国文艺复兴时期翻译理论、近代法国翻译理论和当代法国翻译理论三个方面，结合一些著名的法国翻译家及其理论，简述法国翻译理论的发展概况。以“他山之石”为自己“攻玉”，为我国翻译理论发展提供一定参考。

关键词

法国翻译理论；文艺复兴；古典主义

Introduction

The history of western translation originated in the third century BC. The earliest translation is the Seventy Greek texts of the Old Testament, the Bible, translated by seventy-two Jewish scholars in Alexandria, Egypt. But strictly speaking, the first translation in the West was a Latin translation of The Greek Homer's epic Odyssey. Therefore, western translation activities have been going on for more than two thousand years. Since the reform and opening up, China has made great achievements in the study of western translation theories, but the main achievements are English and American translation theories, and there is not much research on the translation theories of France, Germany and other "small language" countries.As Professor Xu Jun said, "Due to various reasons, we have not made a systematic introduction to the translation studies of many countries, let alone an in-depth study. For example, we have little understanding of the translation studies of France." However, it is undeniable that these countries have also made great achievements in translation studies, such as Etienne Dore, Charles Barth, George Munan and the Interpretive School. Therefore, a brief introduction to French translation theory will help us better understand the history of French translation and the history of western translation theory, and also contribute to the in-depth and development of translation theory research in China. The following will be discussed from 16th to 18th century.（Xu Jun,Yuan Xiaoyi 2001:1）

1.Translation theories in 16th century

The Renaissance movement in Europe from the 14th century to the 16th century was a great movement of ideological and literary innovation as well as a great development in the history of western translation.Especially in the 16th century and the following century when the Renaissance movement was widely carried out in Western Europe, translation activities reached an unprecedented peak.Translation activities went deep into the fields of ideology, politics, philosophy, literature and other fields, involving the major works of classicism, and produced a large number of outstanding translators and a series of excellent works in translation.The translation of this period has three characteristics: first, the focus of translation from religious works to classical literature works;Second, the national consciousness of translators of various countries has been strengthened, and they have shifted from mechanically imitating Latin to attaching importance to the unique style of national languages.Third, the translation of national languages in Western Europe has developed in parallel and independently.

In the 16th century, there was a boom in translation in France. As a new genre, the translation of literary works is different from the previous religious translation, and translators are faced with many new problems, so the translation theory arises at the historic moment. Etienne Dolet and Jacques Amyot are the most prominent representatives of translation theory in this period. They are both translators and translation theorists, and the latter is especially successful in translation. Both of their translation theories come from translation practice, so they are convincing to some extent.(Chen Shunyi,2014:12)

Etienne Dolet

Etienne Dolet (1509-1546) established himself as a translator, humanist and linguist in the history of French translation.He was born in 1509 in Orleans, France, studied in Paris, travelled to Italy and returned home at the age of 21.In the field of French translation, he is honored as "the father of French translation theory" and "the first one who put forward translation theory systematically in the modern History of Europe". Dolet returned to France at a time when the Renaissance was sweeping Western Europe and he actively participated in the humanist movement.During this period, the study of Greek and Latin flourished in the country, and ancient Greek and Latin writers were respected and valued. Translation activities became more frequent and the focus of translation shifted from religious works to classical literature works. Erasmus,a contemporary Dutch translator, exerted a certain influence on the formation of Dolet's translation thoughts, such as his emphasis on language and style.At the same time, Dolet was also deeply influenced by his contemporary German translator Martin Luther, who stressed that the translation should use the language with its own characteristics so that the general public can accept it. When it comes to specific translation skills, they all agree that the desired effect can be achieved by adjusting the word order.

Dolet's translation principles were his translation thoughts which were put forward in his article How to Translate Well from One Language to Another in 1540. He listed the following basic principles of translation: 1.The translator must understand perfectly the content and intention of the author whom he is translating; 2.The translator should have a perfect knowledge of the language from which he is translating and equally excellent knowledge of the language into which he is translating; 3.The translator should avoid the tendency to translate word for word, for to do so is to destroy the meaning of the original and to ruin the beauty of the expression; 4.The translator should employ the forms of speech in common sense; 5.Through his choice and order of words the translator should produce a total overall effect with appropriate “tone”.（Etienne Dolet,1540）

The first principle is aimed at the meaning of faithfulness to the original work, which is the fundamental principle that can not be ignored in translation. The second principle is the language requirement for the translator. Dolet believed that an excellent translator must be proficient in both languages. In principle, there is no primary or secondary distinction between the two languages, and the translator should be a language expert who is good at reading and writing in the target language.The third principle shows that Dolet did not advocate literal translation or word-by-word dead translation, but advocated free translation and live translation.In the fourth principle, Dolet, like all humanists, stressed the importance of using national languages and idioms to serve the general audience so that the translation can be understood by the common people.The last principle refers to the style, which requires the translation to be consistent with the original text in style through various rhetorical devices. The translation itself must be natural, smooth and harmonious, so as to give readers "aesthetic enjoyment".

Dolet's translation theory is quite modern in its principles.It involves the basic principles and problems of translation put forward by the later theorists.Gallix, a famous contemporary French translator, believes that Dolet's principle is "concise and clear, he was the first person who really put forward the theory of translation art in Europe".Ballard,

Hist Trans Theo EN 10

Contents