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Mind-food for the literary translator
By Bruce Humes (徐穆实), published April 16, 2:22p.m.
A series of books widely available in China – in English – has opened my eyes to new ways of looking at literary translation.
Published by Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press (上海外语教育出版社), the cover of each of the 30+ tomes carries a 国外翻译研究丛书 etiquette on the cover. I bought some of these volumes at 王府井的外文书店, but I have seen the series in places as diverse as Xi’an, Shanghai and Shenzhen.
Authors include scholars known for their role in what many call “translation studies.” They include Susan Bassnet, Andre Lefevere, Eugene Nida, Maria Tymoczko and Lawrence Venuti.
I personally recommend:
“Translation, Rewriting and the Manipulation of Literary Fame” by Andre Lefevere (翻译、改写以及对文学名声的制控)
“Translation Studies” by Susan Bassnet (翻译研究)
“The Translator’s Invisibility: The History of Translation” by Lawrence Venuti (译者的隐身)
“Translation and Gender: Translating in the Era of Feminism” by Luise von Flotow (翻译与性别：女性主义时代的翻译)
I have read several of the books and have been pleasantly surprised that some—certainly not all—of these authors are bloody good writers whose writing is highly critical, witty and spot on when it comes to identifying and analyzing thorny issues that I have confronted as a translator of Chinese fiction into English.
If you only read one, make sure you read “The Translator’s Invisibility”!
Comments
Lawrence Venuti has compiled a book called The Translation Studies Reader. It has a good collection of essays on translation dating back to Jerome, providing the reader a comprehensive look at the different approaches toward translation. The essays are also introduced in chronological order which gives us a sense of how studies on translation have evolved (or gone back and forth). And the discussion on translation should definitely move beyond the concept of "faithfulness." I highly recommend it.
caicai, April 19, 7:01p.m.
Thanks for the suggestions. I've flipped throught some of the books in that series, but there are so many that it's hard to know where to start.
zhwj, April 23, 7:55p.m.
I just finished The Translator's Invisibility in English. I'm curious: how does the Chinese version deal with the translations from French or Italian referenced in the text? Is a Chinese translation provided as well or does the explanation in the main text (translated into Chinese) just describe what's happening in the other languages? Hopefully that question makes sense...
Matt, June 3, 5:12p.m.