As we all know, it is very important to act as a bridge translator when translating English, French, German, Japanese and other languages into Chinese. He not only determines whether the original text can be conveyed to readers truthfully, but also determines the reading experience of readers. Some poor versions, not only the language can't stand scrutiny, but even the original intention has changed because of shoddy production, which has affected reading.
So, the question is: how do we choose?
My undergraduate major is English literature, and I know a lot about books written by English-speaking countries, so I want to answer them with my own experience.
In the field of foreign literature, Shanghai Translation Publishing House, People's Literature Publishing House and Yilin Publishing House are traditional old clubs with guaranteed book quality. But it is by no means that as long as the versions released by these institutions are good.
For example, the classic Yilin series of Hulan hardcover published by Yilin Publishing House, regardless of the content for the time being, has a very unpleasant smell of paper, and it is really a pity that there is a book fragrance when reading. Yilin's series of books is just a gimmick on the packaging, but it ignores the inside, which is impossible to choose.
Speaking of packaging, when we want to buy a famous foreign book, such as david copperfield, we can see many versions online or in bookstores.
At this time, it is important to note that you should never let the packaging and comments affect your judgment. For classics, translators and publishers determine the quality of books, while packaging is an external form of expression. No matter how gaudy the appearance is, it's no use being bad inside. Of course, for books, good packaging is icing on the cake, but if reading is neglected just because of packaging, it is to lose watermelon and pick up sesame seeds.
Nowadays, many publishers turn to translators for translation, put on beautiful and fashionable covers and use marketing to create momentum, which can really trigger large-scale purchase behavior. I also bought several famous books with romantic covers, but after reading them, I found that the quality of translation was really poor, and then I was less affected by packaging.
Of course, it does not rule out that the repackaged version of individual publishing houses is better, and the translation has been added, deleted and polished. This kind of book can also be started. Before deciding whether to buy, you can read the comments of Zhihu and Douban on the translator before deciding whether to buy a new version.
If you can't make up your mind, of course, it is safest to choose these traditional big clubs.
The famous translation series of People's Literature is ugly, but the content is good. But the disadvantage is that the age is long, the typesetting and paper are poor, the layout is too full, and it is not recommended to buy it.
The cover of the famous series of Chinese translations in the Commercial Press is all white, and only the waist cover and the back cover distinguish the types of works as philosophy, literature, natural science and so on. , is also a very classic sets of books. This set of books is well typeset and can be collected.
There is a reason why these books are enduring.
Good content is really good, so remember this.
After the publishing house, let's talk about translators.
If you only recognize these publishing houses, you think that if you buy these publishing houses, there will be no problem, and it is not foolproof.
For example, The Selected Works of Mao Mu published in Shanghai translation and The Moon and Sixpence translated by Fu Weici are all classics, which no one can surpass. However, the translation of Blade belonging to the same series is not smooth.
I've been watching the blade recently I compared the two versions of Shanghai Translation Publishing House and Zhejiang Literature and Art Publishing House: the translator of Shanghai Translation Publishing House is Zhou, and the translator of Zhejiang Literature and Art Publishing House is Lin Busheng.
Lin Busheng's translation is fluent, not only in oral expression, but also in literary talent.
In contrast, Zhou's translation is a little dry, and he doesn't deal with English long sentences and clauses enough, resulting in a strong translation cavity that people can't understand.
Of course, this is only my personal humble opinion and feeling, not on behalf of others. For writing, radish and vegetables are also different. Some people may prefer Zhou Xiliang's style, while others prefer Lin Busheng's style.
The standard of quality is whether you like it or not, and whether you can understand it.
For Blade, I can read Lin Busheng's version better.
Here are a few examples:
1.
In Zhou's translation, "it has been raining" is an adverbial, describing the state at that time, and "going back to London by car" is put at the end, and the sentence is slightly longer.
In Lin's translation, "driving back to London" was advanced, which formed a hidden cause and effect with "it's still raining outside", and then Isabel was mentioned.
In English, long sentences pay attention to the logical relationship between sentences, while in Chinese, short sentences need to be split in order to conform to Chinese expression habits.
2.
This sentence, Lin Busheng is expressed in spoken language, because the scene in the text is dialogue. Imagine, can you speak gracefully? It sounds that Lin's translation is a bit superficial, but it just shows the state of the interlocutor at that time.
In the translation of Upanishads at the beginning of this book, I prefer Lin Busheng's translation:
If Lin's style is easy to understand in the text, then his Chinese skills are highlighted in this translation. Can be shallow or deep, I think this is the subtlety of translation.
Let's look at the first paragraph of the full text:
It's still the same problem as the first example. Zhou's translation expresses the meaning of sentences, but the logical relationship between sentences is not very strong, which makes people read very hard, while Lin's translation is smooth, so you can read along unconsciously.
If you read the previous paragraph, I believe many people have no courage to continue reading.
Is it because the book written by Mao Mu is not good? Of course not. Lin Busheng can bring his words to life and read them like running water, but if you read Zhou's version, it may not be so smooth.
Therefore, choosing a good translator is also the key to choosing foreign masterpieces.
Of course, I'm here to compare the two versions, which is better. It's really a feeling of teaching others how to teach an axe. After all, if I were allowed to translate, my translation would be even worse, which would be outrageous. Therefore, I only analyze the feelings of the translation from the perspective of a reader, and I have no intention of slandering or criticizing any translator.
Zhou Xiliang is a famous English literary translator, professor, poet and writer, and also a great translator. But only on the edge of the book, I think Lin Busheng's translation is better. Of course, many people on the Internet speak highly of Zhou Xiliang's translation, so the above is just my personal opinion, and I can only say that different people have different opinions.
Generally speaking, some old translators can stand the test of time, but Zhou Xiliang is really a little surprised.
A few decades ago, there were a large number of translators in China who might devote their lives to translation, such as Zhu Shenghao, who translated the complete works of Shakespeare, and Fu Lei, who translated john christopher.
But now, if someone wants to make a living by translating, they will basically starve to death. Our society does not give translators enough respect. Their salary is thousands of words and tens of dollars, and their life is really difficult. This is also the reason why the translation quality of imported books is relatively poor.
We can't let a translator spend half a year translating a book and get 5000 yuan after tax deduction.
This is why most people stay away from foreign classics. As we all know, in the vast literary history, foreign literary masterpieces are like bright stars, and each one is a masterpiece, which embodies the author's hard work for many years or even his life.
But we can't read it.
When reading foreign classics, there is always such a feeling: is this book about people? I know all the words, but what does the author want to say? Walking around makes me dizzy.
Then I borrowed or bought it from the library most of the time, intending to concentrate on conquering this voluminous book, but in the end I had to put it on the shelf.
This is the fate of most foreign masterpieces.
However, are foreign classics really that boring?
Of course not. The key ability of an excellent writer is that words can arouse the admiration of readers, not to mention being a great writer who goes down in history.
Unfortunately, the Chinese versions of many famous books do not convey the original information. Poor translation affects readers' reading experience and makes them unable to continue reading.
Therefore, when we choose foreign classics, we should look at both publishers and translators.
At this point, you may say: Who doesn't know to look at publishing houses and translators? The key is who knows which translation is good? Doesn't that mean saying nothing?
At this time, you need to conduct a second screening on the basis of the first screening. The ways to get information are major reading websites and exchange groups.
Websites where young people like Douban and Zhihu gather are happy to share their views and experiences on books. When you decide to read a book, you might as well read everyone's comments.
I really don't recommend going to Dangdang or JD.COM. You will find that the whole article "This product is very good, I will buy it next time" is of no reference value.
As for the website selling books, look at Amazon, where the comments are still watery and can reflect the real evaluation.
I will share my reading notes, experiences, etc. Come here from time to time, and I will recommend some good books. Welcome everyone to pay attention to them and learn and progress together.
Let's stop here about how to choose foreign classics. In the future, I will share the translations of foreign classics I have read in turn, tell you what I think is a good version, and share some experiences in book selection and reading, so that when you read foreign classics again, you will not be far away and find the beauty of foreign classics.