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A new era for Chinese wuxia culture? 《射雕》英译本问世,能否开启武侠文化对外传播的新大门?
By:Wu Qiong  |  From:english.eastday.com  |  2018-02-28 08:51

提起中国功夫,李小龙、成龙的电影作品可以说为许多老外打开了中国武侠世界的大门。2月22日,经典武侠小说《射雕英雄传》英译本(Legends of the Condor Heroes)第一卷《英雄诞生》(A Hero Born)开始面向全球发行。据悉,译者是来自瑞典、对中国文化兴趣浓厚的Anna Holmwood(中文名郝玉青),翻译历时一年半完成。这一武侠名著被译成英文的消息,也吸引了不少网友和专家的注意。武侠文化的对外传播能否因此受到西方读者更广泛的关注?

Speaking of kung fu (or Chinese martial arts), films of Bruce Li and Jackie Chan have been a window for many foreigners to the world of wuxia. Recently, an English translation of a Chinese classic “Legends of the Condor Heroes” has raised the attention of many netizens and experts who are concerned about the international communication of Chinese wuxia culture.

(《射雕》英译本第一卷封面 Cover of “A Hero Born: Legends of the Condor Heroes”)

The book started its global release on February 22nd. Titled “A Hero Born: Legends of the Condor Heroes,” it was the first volume of the martial arts novel written by Jin Yong (pen name of Louis Cha). It took the translator, Anna Holmwood, one and a half years to complete the work.

事实上,在《射雕》英译本正式发行之前,《卫报》、《电讯报》等外媒就对此进行了新闻报道。《卫报》甚至将郭靖称作“中国版的佛拉多·巴金斯(《指环王》中主要人物之一)或琼恩·雪诺(《权力的游戏》中主要人物之一)”。美国Quartzy网站也将《射雕》三部曲誉为中国版《指环王》。然而,金庸这位最畅销的武侠小说家,他的名字在英语国家却不太知名。

Actually, before the official release of the book, related news was reported by some Western media. The Guardian compares Guo Jing, the fictional protagonist of “Legends of the Condor Heroes,” to Frodo Baggins from Tolkien’s “Lord of the Rings” and Jon Snow from “Game of Thrones.” Quartzy.com refers to the novel as the "Lord of the Rings" of Chinese literature. However, as the author of the novel and the world’s best-selling wuxia novelist, Jin Yong is barely known in English-speaking countries.

(图片来源:英国《卫报》网站截图 Screenshot from The Guardian)

国外书迷:译文流畅,故事引人入胜

Reviews on the English translation

去年年底,《射雕》英译本第一卷就已在亚马逊上预售,许多热爱中国武侠的国外网友都抢鲜试读了此书。一位网名Arynth 的英国朋友就在亚马逊网站的评论区写道,尽管他认为译文中缺少了解释性的脚注,在姓名和委婉语的翻译处理上,译者也有所妥协,有些名字乍一看还有些奇怪(如:杨铁心Ironheart Yang、郭啸天Skyfury Guo),但译本还是非常流畅易懂的,Holmwood不仅在语言上保留了原文的幽默特点,故事也十分吸引人,引人入胜。

Pre-sale of the translated work on Amazon.com started at the end of 2017. Many foreigners who are interested in wuxia had a preview of the book. Arynth, one of the book reviewers, said the translation was easy to follow, though it could have done with footnotes. Oftentimes, the translation of names or the euphemisms used have been bent to make sense and some names are slightly odd to readers, like Ironheart Yang and Skyfury Guo. The story is page-turning and the translation has captured much of the humor of the original.

(图片来源:亚马逊官网截图 Screenshot from Amazon.com)

另一位英国网友Lindsay表示,原本还担心译文会很生硬和笨拙,事实证明,至少对她来说,英文版的效果很好。不过,与其他长篇叙事性小说(尤其是从国外语言翻译过来的小说)一样,读者很难跟得上书中那些复杂的人物。但她对金庸的作品给予了很高的评价:“我暂且不拿它(指《射雕英雄传》)与《战争与和平》或《悲惨世界》相比,但它真的是一个史诗级的故事。”

For Lindsay, another book reviewer, the translation reads very well though she was worried that it would be stilted and awkward. Like any long narrative novel, especially one from a foreign tongue, it is difficult to keep up with the characters. She speaks highly of the novel,“I do not rank it up with War and Peace or Les Miserables, at least not yet, but it truly is an epic tale.”

(图片来源:亚马逊官网截图 Screenshot from Amazon.com)

专家:中国现当代文学在英语世界里翻译得太少

More translations of modern Chinese literature are needed

要翻译金庸的武侠小说,并非易事,光是其中的武功招式就足以令人眼花缭乱,人名也更为复杂。郝玉青曾透露了一些翻译,如“打狗棒法” (Branch Beats the White Chimpanzee)、“九阴白骨爪” (Nine Yin Skeleton Claw)、“懒驴打滚” (Lazy Donkey Roll)、“梅超风” (Cyclone Mei)、“江南七怪” (Seven Freaks of the South)、“飞天蝙蝠柯镇恶” (Ke Zhen’e, Suppressor of Evil)。

It is not easy to translate Jin Yong’s wuxia novels into English, especially the kung fu moves and the characters’ names. Some of the translations used by Holmwood include “Branch Beats the White Chimpanzee,” “Nine Yin Skeleton Claw,” “Lazy Donkey Roll,” “Cyclone Mei,” “Seven Freaks of the South” and “Ke Zhen’e, Suppressor of Evil.”

对此,记者采访了上外高翻学院副院长吴刚。对于中国武侠小说被译成英文,他表示,总的原则和态度是鼓励和支持。“中国现当代文学在英语世界里翻译得不是太多,而是太少,所以现在根本没到可以对个别具体译法斤斤计较的奢侈程度。以英语为母语的译者要比以中文为母语的译者好,适当的语言陌生感乃至可容忍范围内的误译有时会为译本带来意想不到的文学魅力,在中文文学作品外译的原始积累时期要给予最大限度的理解与包容。翻译批评的观念要更新,要避免双重标准。”

In an interview, Wu Gang, Deputy Dean of the Graduate Institute of Interpretation and Translation of Shanghai International Studies University, told Eastday.com that translation of Chinese wuxia novels should be encouraged and supported, generally speaking. When asked about his opinion on Holmwood’s translations, Wu said, “The number of modern Chinese literature translated into English is too small, so people should not be too particular about some specific translations. In this regard, English native speakers are better than translators whose mother tongue is Chinese. Proper linguistic strangeness and even tolerable mistranslation can sometimes bring unexpected literary charm to the translated work. Since we are at the early stage of translating Chinese literature into foreign languages, it needs the maximum understanding and tolerance. Translation criticism has to be updated to avoid a double standard.”

要论这部武侠作品的英译究竟如何,感兴趣的读者不妨自己找来品味一番。但无论如何,我们都应向译者致敬。正因为她的努力,才让西方读者感受到武侠、金庸和中国文化的魅力,让武侠文化的对外传播更进一步。正如郝玉青在译者序中所写的,“The greatest loss that can occur in translation can only come from not translating it at all.(不译,才是最大的损失。)”

People who are interested in the English version of “Legends of the Condor Heroes” can read the book. Anyhow, the translator deserves tribute from all of us. Thanks to her efforts, Western readers can feel the charm of martial arts, Jin Yong and Chinese culture, pushing forward the spread of wuxia culture in foreign countries. Just as Holmwood says in the translator’s forward of the book, “The greatest loss that can occur in translation can only come from not translating it at all.”

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