1、Translation CriticismSpring, 20081. Introduction1.1 The definition of translation criticism Translation criticism: the reasoned discussion of translated works, an activity which may include some or all of the following procedures, in varying proportions: classification of translated works according
2、to their genre, interpretation of their meaning, analyses of their culture and style, judgment of their worth by comparison with other works, estimation of their likely effects on readers, and the establishment of general principles by which translated works (individually, in categories, or as a who
3、le) can be evaluated and understood. (Oxford Concise Dictionary of Literary Terms, 2000:48)Some of the representative statements about translation criticism or evaluation in the Westl(a) The testing of the translation should cover the entire range of possible problems: accuracy of rendering, intelli
4、gibility, stylistic equivalence, etc. (Nida & Taber, 2004:163)l(b) Translation criticism is an essential link between translation theory and its practice; it is also an enjoyable and instructive exercise, particularly if you are criticizing someone elses translation or, even better, two or more tran
5、slations of the same text. (Newmark, 2001:184)l(c) In trying to make statements about the quality of a translation, one thus addresses the heart of any theory of translation, i.e., the crucial issue of lthe nature of translation, or, more specifically, the nature of (1) the relationship between a so
6、urce text and its translation, (2) the relationship between (features of) the text(s) and how they are perceived by human agents (author, translator, recipient(s), and (3) the consequences views about these relationships have for determining the borders between a translation and other textual operat
7、ions. (House, 1997:1)l(d) Translation criticism is possible only by persons who are familiar with both the target and source languages, and is accordingly in a position to compare the translation directly with its original. In brief, translation criticism requires a comparison of the target and sour
8、ce texts. (Reiss, 2004:2-3)l (e) Reviewing and criticism are evaluative practices that provide distinct but inseparable responses to published literary translations (translations of literature in the broadest sense of not only imaginative writing but also non-fiction and other materials in the human
9、ities). lOn the one hand, the differences cited conventionally between the two forms of evaluation hold true for translations as well: the reviewer alerts a reader to new books, describing them and passing judgment as to whether they are worth reading and buying; the critic addresses books that may
10、or may not be new, considering them in detail and usually assuming a readers familiarity with them. On the other hand, neither the reviewing nor the criticism of literary translation has developed fully as an art - unlike the reviewing and criticism of literature. This can be explained only in part
11、by the multiple difficulties presented by any attempt to analyze and pass judgment fairly on creative activity. The general lack of value associated with translation in the West has undoubtedly been an additional factor and an equally determinant one. (Maier, 1998:205)Definitions of translation crit
12、icism given by Chinese scholarsl翻译批评即参照一定的标准，对翻译过程及其译作质量与价值进行全面的评价。 （中国翻译词典P184）l依照一定的翻译标准，采用某种论证方法，对一部译作进行分析、评论、评价，或通过比较一部作品的不同译本对翻译中的某种现象作出评论。（杨晓荣，2005：3）l翻译批评即依据一定理论，采用相关方法，对译者、翻译过程、译作质量与价值及其影响进行分析与评价。（文军，2006：9）lTranslation criticism is to judge the quality and value of translated texts under th
13、e guidance of translation theories and related knowledge for the purpose of improving translation quality, by means of which to make further studies on various translation phenomena from a wider perspective of cultural interactions. (Hu Dexiang, 2006:168)lKey words: lMethod: judgment, appreciation,
14、research lPurpose: description, explanation, evaluationlTranslation criticism is a word with two-fold meaning. It may refer to the practice of translation criticism; it may also refer to the science about the nature, the general laws and principles of translation criticism summarized from the practi
15、ce of translation criticism. When it is used in the second sense, that is, when it refers to the science, it may also be called translation studies and regarded as a discipline.Assignment lAfter learning the various definitions for translation criticism, think about the following questions:l1) Whats
16、 your understanding of translation criticism?l2) Whats the relationship between translation studies and translation criticism? 3) Can you give your own definition? 1.2 The importance of translation criticismlTranslation criticism should be regarded as an essential component in a translation course:
17、firstly, because it painlessly improves our competence as a translator; secondly, because it expands our knowledge and understanding of our own and the foreign language, as well as perhaps of the topic; thirdly, because, in presenting you with options, it will help us to sort out our ideas about tra
18、nslation. As an academic discipline, translation criticism ought to be the keystone of any course in comparative literature, or literature in translation, and a component of any professional translation course with the appropriate text-types (e.g. legal, engineering, etc.) as an exercise for critici
19、sm and discussion. (New Mark, 1988:185)1.3 The target of translation criticismlTranslatorslTranslated textslTranslation activitieslThe features of the target:lBeing specific: Translation criticism studies the specific components of translation. Although this study is related to other components, eve
20、n to translation as a whole, it has the focus on the specific translation phenomenon. In other words, it studies translation as a whole for the study of a specific phenomenon. In some cases, it is a micro study, in other cases, it is a macro study.lBeing centralized: on translated works, because the
21、 criticism on translators, ones translation theories, translation process, the interaction between translation and culture, etc. are actually conducted in relation to translated works. 1.4 The characteristics of translation criticismA) concerning more than one language and culture B) unique perspect
22、ive of understanding the objective world lC) unique mode of thought lD) unique relationship between subject and object lE) unique spiritual product2.2 Newmarks planl2.2.1 Status of TClAccording to Newmark, TC is an essential connection between translation theory and translation practice. And to crit
23、icize a translation or to evaluate different translations of the same text can be an enjoyable and instructive activity. (Newmark 2001 b:184) Generally speaking TC aims at evaluating practical translations and it is carried out according to a certain standard or theory. lIn this way, translation the
24、ory and practice are linked through TC. Even when TC is presented in such fragmentary forms as essays or prefaces, the critics have their own theory or standard whether they explicitly refer to it or not. Therefore, the role of TC as the connection between theory and practice is determined by its na
25、ture. It is fun and a pleasure to conduct TC because the difference in translators methods may result in a variety of translations. lBesides, while studying the different versions one can get a deeper understanding of the original text and the potential of TL to express the same idea; and when a tra
26、nslation and its original text are compared the difference between languages and cultures is better understood. Therefore, TC can be instructive as well. Newmark also holds that TC ought to be the keystone of any course in comparative literature and an essential component of any professional transla
27、tion course (Newmark 2001b:185). lThis is primarily because TC takes into consideration both the original text and the translated text, improves the translators competence, expands the translators knowledge and understanding of his/her mother tongue and the foreign language and helps him to better u
28、nderstand the nature of translation. In one word, Newmark places a great deal of emphasis on the importance of TC which it deserves. 2.2.2 Purposes of TClFor Newmark, TC, as applied translation theory, has five purposes: l(a) to improve standards of translation; (b) to provide an object lesson for t
29、ranslators; l(c) to throw light on ideas about translation at particular times and in particular subject-areas;lGenre, literary ( novel, drama, essay, poetry), non-literary (advertisement, history, newspaper, letter, tourism, legal documents) l(d) to assist in the interpretation of the work of signi
30、ficant writers and significant translators;l(e) to assess critically semantic and grammatical differences between SL and TL . l (Newmark 2001 a:181). lNewmarks statement about the purposes of TC is only somewhat complete. lFirst, in the process of evaluation, consciously or unconsciously, the transl
31、ation critic tries to find more suitable and workable criteria for assessing translation. In doing so, the standards of translation are being explored from many different perspectives. Therefore, TC is helpful for improving the criteria of translation. lSecond, the mistakes in translation can be rev
32、ealed when the translated work is evaluated, so the translator can learn much through TC. In this sense TC can provide an object lesson for translators. lThird, detailed analyses of different translations can help people better understand translations at specific periods and about particular subject
33、s. Hidden ideas or under-emphasized ones may be revealed. lFourth, with the help of TC a particular author or translators works can be focused upon, thus providing much more information about the writer and the translator. Accordingly, this facilitates the interpretation of the work of significant w
34、riters and translators. lFifth, when TC deals with the different linguistic structures of SL and TL the semantic and grammatical differences between the two languages can be made clearer. Besides these five points, TC also helps people obtain a more profound understanding of the nature and the under
35、lying laws of translation; in this way the readers of the translation get properly guided; excellent works may also be promoted; and TC can become a subject for theoretical studies. 2.2.3 Planl2.2.3.1 Procedures of TCl Newmark lists the different authorities who are entitled to evaluate a translatio
36、n, including the person who does revising employed by a firm or a translation company, the head of a section or of a company, a client, a professional critic of translations or a teacher of translation, and the readers of the published work (Newmark 2001b:185). The last category, the reader of a wor
37、k, is highly inclusive, for anyone who can read the translated works is justified in presenting an opinion. In other words, TC can be conducted by anyone who has the ability to read the published work, whether bilingual or not.l lIn Approaches to Translation, Newmark elaborates on four basic procedu
38、res to conduct TC:l(1) to analyze the intention, predominant language function, tone, themes, register, style (syntactic and lexical), literary quality, cultural features, putative readership and setting of SL text, and to propose an appropriate translation method; l (2) to make a detailed compariso
39、n between SL and TL texts, noting all significant semantic, stylistic, pragmatic and ideological differences (either in the whole TL text or in random passages);lInformative, expressive, aesthetic, vocative, phatic, metalingual function lFrozen style, formal, informal, intimate, periodic sentence, l
40、oose sentence l(3) to assess the differences between the total impression of SL and TL text, including in particular their interpretations of the subject-matter; l(4) to evaluate the translation (Newmark 2001 a: 182).lThese procedures take into account both ST and TT and cover both linguistic and ex
41、tra-linguistic factors. The focus first falls on the original text and all the elements related to it. Then the critics attention moves to a comparison of meaning, style and ideology between ST and TT. lThen, the relevant differences are analyzed in detail. In the final step the translation is evalu
42、ated on the basis of the work done in the former three steps. These procedures, as a whole, are reasonable and representative, for the general steps a translation critic may take. Newmark offers more details in his A Textbook of Translation.2.2.3.2 What should be coveredlNewmark holds that any compr
43、ehensive criticism of a translated work should take into consideration the following five aspects: l(1) a brief analysis of the SL text stressing its intention and its functional aspects; l(2) the translators interpretation of the SL texts purpose, the translators translation method and a translatio
44、ns likely readership; l(3) a selective but representative detailed comparison of the translation with the original; l(4) an evaluation of the translation in both the translators and the critics terms;l(5) where appropriate, an assessment of the likely place of the translation in the TL culture or di
45、scipline (Newmark 20Qib:186). lThese five points can be interpreted as follows. First, with ST analysis many more factors should be considered other than linguistic structures and implications. The authors purpose, the intended readership, and the text category are all included. The translators degr
46、ee of license can be determined according to the text types of ST. For example, if ST is mainly informative, the translator may be allowed to make explicit what is implicit in the original text.l lSecond, Newmark emphasizes the importance of examining a text from the translators viewpoint. The criti
47、c should study the translators translation methods since they may reflect his/her special purpose. The translation critic is expected to empathize with the translator, and distinguish between translation incompetence and the translators deliberate methods. In addition, reasons should be provided for
48、 the translators choices.lThird, a selective comparison between ST and TT is recommended. The translators solution to the problems in the original text should be analyzed, but not in a random order. All the categories should be grouped selectively under such general headings as the title, the struct
49、ure, shifts, metaphors, cultural words, translationese, proper names, neologisms, untranslatable words, ambiguity, and even puns and sound effects. In this way the comparison is more systematic and to the point. lFourth, the evaluation of a translation should be done first from the translators persp
50、ective and then from the critics own perspective. The translators standards should be used to measure referential and pragmatic accuracy. The critic should decide whether the essential element in a text has been kept intact in its translation. lAfter considering the translation from the translators
