When did translation studies rise and develop in China?

China's translation theory and practice have a prominent position in the world. Translation is recorded in The Book of Rites. The word "Xu Xiang" in The Book of Rites is the collective name of four translators. "Book of Rites Wang Zhi" mentioned that "people of five parties can't speak". In order to "achieve their aspirations and convey their desires", all parties have special personnel, and "translate from the North".

In China, the translation of Buddhist scriptures lasted 12300 years from the end of Han Dynasty to Song Dynasty, which is unprecedented in the world. The theory produced from practice is also the most systematic and profound. Dao An (365,438+04 ~ 385) in Jin Dynasty advocated quality, that is, literal translation. He put forward "five losses", which means that there are three difficulties. Qin's (344 ~ 4 13) advocated that "body" should be considered in addition to "getting the general idea". He said: "Tianzhu has a very elegant national style, and its palace business style is rhyme, so what is it?" Be good. Anyone who visits the king will be praised; Seeing the Buddha's instrument and sighing with songs are all unique. However, if the Vatican is changed to Qin, it will lose its algae. Although you get the gist, you will lose your style. Just like chewing rice and people, but it will lose its taste. " ("Biography of Monks" Volume II "Biography of Kumarajiva") Yan Cong of Sui Dynasty. "Ten Rules" refers to his ten rules about the style and format of translation. In the Tang Dynasty, Xuanzang (602 ~ 664) was a master in the translation history of China. He paid equal attention to quality, but he seemed to pay more attention to quality. He didn't leave any articles about translation theory. His theory of "five kinds of translation" was included in the Collection of Translation Names, pointing out that five words can only be translated. This paper discusses six aspects of translation in detail. He defined translation as: "A translator is like a brocade with flowers on his back, but his flowers have different ears on the left and right." This vivid metaphor shows that translation is an art (such as a brocade), changing the form (left and right) while keeping the content unchanged (with flowers on the back).

There was translation activity in the early Northern Song Dynasty (960 ~ 1 127), and then it gradually declined. Its reappearance began in the fifth year of Yongle in the Ming Dynasty (1368 ~ 1644). At that time, due to the need of external traffic, Siyi Pavilion was established.

Some famous translators in Ming Dynasty also put forward their own translation views. Italian missionary Matteo Ricci (1552 ~ 16 10) said: "What's more, the eastern and western arts and sciences have their own merits and meanings, but there are still many omissions. It is encouraging to learn from the mouth; It is difficult to write in writing. " In other words, the structure of Chinese and western languages is different, and the context of the article is also different. Some western terms are not available in China. Oral explanation is ok, but it is hard to understand when translated into words. Contemporary China scientist Li Zhizao (? ~ 163 1) when describing the attitude of foreign missionaries in translating books at that time, he said: "They borrowed my Chinese words and dug up the western meanings, and did not dare to increase their knowledge, thus losing their authenticity." At this time, translation is often carried out in a cooperative way, similar to the original Buddhist translation, that is, China scholars cooperate with foreigners, and the responsibility of polishing the text is placed on China scholars.

After the Opium War, people of insight in China felt it necessary to learn from the West, and translation activities gradually rose. It has formed a new stage in China's translation history. Ma Jianzhong (1845 ~ 1900) emphasized the difficulty of translation. Liang Qichao (1875 ~ 1929) advocated the wisdom of Buddhist scripture translation. Yan Fu (1853 ~ 65929) devoted his whole life to the translation of western social sciences. In several prefaces, he stated the principles he followed in translation. In the preface to Evolution, he said: "There are three difficulties in translation: faithfulness, expressiveness and elegance." Faith is loyalty to the original, expressiveness is loyalty to readers, and elegance is loyalty to literary language. Faithfulness, expressiveness and elegance are only three words, but they reflect the works, readers and language. Fu Yuan is close to literal translation. He said, "Yes, translation is different from evolution. Although the whole paragraph of arts and sciences can't be integrated, there is no upside down between words and meanings. " But he deleted the "complex and irrelevant" places in the book. In the translation of the Theory of Group Rights, he said: "It can be seen that Evolution is a narrative translation intended to achieve the goal, Fu Yuan is a strict translation without inversion of word meaning, and On the Boundary of Group Rights is a generalized translation that does not follow the text. However, no matter what the translation method is, one thing is the same: avoid literal translation and try to convey all the meanings with new words or phrases. For example, evolving Chinese. The legal concept of freedom was not available in China at that time, so Yan Fu used the term "the boundary of group rights". Yan Fu has made a valuable attempt in translating the meaning of western languages, but the research in this field needs to be carried out.

After the May 4th Movement, the history of China has entered a modern era, and the importance of translation is far greater than before. The rise of China's new literature is inseparable from translation. The first person who attached importance to translation and strongly advocated it was Lu Xun. Lu Xun advocated literal translation. His aim is to introduce foreign ideas for reference. We need to change our language through translation. 193 1 12 On February 28th, he talked about Yan Fu in his letter to Qu Qiubai. He said: "His translation is really a microcosm of the history of translating Buddhist scriptures during the Han and Tang Dynasties. At the end of Han Dynasty, China's translation of Buddhist scriptures was straightforward, but he didn't take any measures. The Six Dynasties were really elegant. Just like his later translation. " Lu Xun did not advocate all-China translation. Incomplete China translation "is not only to input new content, but also to input new expressions." He thinks that China's grammar is not accurate enough. "The inaccuracy of this grammar proves the inaccuracy of thinking. In other words, it's just that his mind is a little confused. "

Qu Qiubai and Lu Xun are consistent in advocating literal translation. He said: "Translation can not only introduce the original content to readers in China, but also play a very important role: it helps us create a new modern language in China." But he also pointed out: "In translation, if we just put it in a different syntax, and so on, regardless of whether it can be spoken in the mouth of the living, then these' strange syntax' can never be' taken for ourselves'." He believes that "new words should be the words of the masses-words that the masses may understand and use." Many modern translators are basically literal translators. The so-called "literal translation" means that the original text exists and cannot be deleted; What is not in the original text cannot be added. This has nothing to do with the fluency of translation. Lu Xun's translation of "Symbol of Depression" and other books is fluent, but it is still literal translation. The so-called "free translation" means that the original text can be added or deleted. Kumarajiva in ancient times belongs to this school. On the one hand, Guo Moruo said: "We believe that the ideal translation is not allowed to turn around for the text of the original text, for the meaning of the original text, especially for the charm of the original text. On the other hand, he also advocated: "I know that translation is by no means an easy task, and the style of translation is by no means an insignificant factor in the casting of a country's national language or literature. Mao Dun simply pointed out: "Literal translation is not necessary to discuss today." He added: "Literal translation became an authority after the May 4th Movement. "Fu Sinian

Comparing the translation history and translation theory of Europe and China, we can see that the issues discussed by the East and the West are basically the same. The two sides discussed the possibility and impossibility of translation, as well as literal translation and free translation. However, the two sides also have differences. When talking about translation theory in the west, it emphasizes the possibility and impossibility, and the degree of possibility. They come to the conclusion that literary translation is difficult and scientific translation is easy. Occasionally it involves literal translation and free translation. But that is not the point. As far as the basis or background of translation is concerned, Europe is different from China. In Europe, except the earliest Hebrew, it is basically the mutual translation between languages of the same language family. Therefore, some theorists advocate translation triad: first, translation; Second, transformation; Third, compare the text word for word. This dichotomy does not apply to China at all. China will never change. Because in the thousands of years of translation history in China, it is always the translation between languages of different language families, and it can only be converted between languages of the same language family. China emphasized the dispute between literal translation and free translation, and the so-called quality is the so-called. This is because the translation of Buddhist scriptures and modern scientific literature works has its special cultural and historical background. China and the West have different ways of thinking. It also shows here. Translators in China do not analyze the essence of language in detail, but focus on synthesis and practical application, so they talk more about translation skills than abstract theories. After solving the problems of literal translation and free translation, how to solve the translation problems of specific works and sentences is put on the agenda.