Abstract
Before the investigation of translation as resistance in the Late Qing is conducted, it is highly necessary to revisit the definition of “translation as resistance” in this chapter, distinguishing it from Venuti’s well-known “resistant translation”. Briefly speaking, resistance in Venuti’s formula is aimed at the cultural hegemony imposed by the Western powers and his strategy to this end is foreignizing translation. Resistance in this study, however, is not culturally bound, but rather suggests how a nation seeks to turn against the foreign coercion and aggression. In this sense, translation as resistance refers to translation as being used/manipulated/appropriated to facilitate in self-strengthening/national salvation/race preservation, etc., which, like translation as conquest, can be examined as well in four dimensions: text selection, translation purpose, translation strategy and stylistic choices that correspond respectively to Aristotle’s material cause, efficient cause, final cause and formal cause. In other words, to explore translation as resistance is to observe whether (1) the texts selected for translation can be used for resistance; (2) the translated texts are produced with the purpose of resistance; (3) the stylistic choices facilitate resistance; (4) the translation strategies serve the purpose of resistance.
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Notes
- 1.
The original is“观今日之世变,盖自秦以来未有若斯之亟也。”
- 2.
The original is “和议始成,府君大受刺激,自是专力于翻译著述,先从事于赫胥黎之天演论,未数月而脱稿。”
- 3.
The original is “但令在野之人,与夫后生英俊,洞识中西实情者日多一日,则炎黄种类未必遂至沦胥,即不幸暂被羁縻,亦得有复苏之一日也。所以摒弃万缘,惟以译书自课。”
- 4.
The original is“多成几册译书,使同种者知彼族所为何事,有所鉴观焉耳。”
- 5.
The original is“鼓励了我们上一辈的知识分子,如梁启超等,发扬民族意识,探索强国之道。”
- 6.
The original is“今是书所言,本五十年来西人新得之学,又为作者晚出之书。译文取明深义,故词句之间,时有所颠到附益,不斤斤于字比句次,而意义则不倍本文。题曰达旨,不云笔译,取便发挥,实非正法。”
- 7.
The original is“民民物物,各争有以自存。其始也,种与种争,群与群争,弱者常为强肉,愚者常为智役。”
- 8.
The original is达尔文曰: “物各竞存,最宜者立。动植如是,政教亦如是也。”
- 9.
The original is“读起来简直像一个战况公报了!”
- 10.
The original is“夫苟其民契需恂愗,各奋其私,则其群将涣。以将涣之群,而与鸷悍多智、爱国保种之民遇,小则虏辱,大则灭亡。”
- 11.
The original is“但中国今日民智极塞,民情极涣,将欲通之,必先合之。”
- 12.
The original is“阅者展卷未终,触人欲呕。”
- 13.
The original is“拟请长于古文词者四五人,专为润色已译之书。”
- 14.
The original is“又惜吾国之译言者,大抵弇陋不文,不足传载其义。”
- 15.
The original is“民智之沦何由?此无他,文不足焉故意也。”
- 16.
The original is“而其书乃骎骎与晚周诸子相上下。”
- 17.
The original is“自吾国之译西书,未有能及严子者也。”
- 18.
The original is“文如几道,可与言译书。”
- 19.
The original is“此间富强之基,与其政教精实严密,斐然可观,而文章礼乐不逮中华远甚。”
- 20.
The original is“足以左右大局,然而却保守成性,对外来事物有深刻的疑惧。”
- 21.
The original is“小说有不可思议之力支配人道。”
- 22.
The original is“小说为文学之最上乘。”
- 23.
The original is“因之黄人受虐,或加甚于黑人……触黄种之将亡,因而愈生其悲怀耳……又误信西人宽待其藩属,跃跃然欲趋而附之。则吾之书足以儆醒之者……”
- 24.
The original is “为奴之势逼近吾种。”
- 25.
The original is“余与魏君同译是书,非巧于叙悲以博阅者无端之眼泪,特为奴之势逼及吾种……则吾书虽俚浅,亦足为振作志气,爱国保种之一助。”
- 26.
The original is“畏庐,闽海一老学究也,少贱,不齿于人……亦冀以诚告海内至宝至贵、亲如骨肉、尊如圣贤之青年学生读之,以振动爱国之志气。人谓此即畏庐实业也。畏庐者,狂人也,平生倔强,不屈人下,尤不甘屈诸虎视眈眈诸强邻之下……死固有时……更能不死者,即强支此不死期内,多译有益之书,以代弹词,为劝谕之助。”
- 27.
The original is “天下爱国之道,当争有心无心,不当争有位无位。”
- 28.
The original is“是书专叙黑奴,中虽杂收他事,宗旨必与黑奴有关者,始行着笔。”
- 29.
The original is “我读《吁天录》,以哭黑人之泪哭我黄人,以黑人已往之境哭我黄人之现在。我欲黄人家家置一《吁天录》,我愿读《吁天录》者,人人发儿女之悲啼,洒英雄之热泪。”
- 30.
The original is “以今天的眼光来看,林纾根本没有翻译过一篇作品。完全不懂外语的怎可能从事翻译?事实上,他的合作者才是真正的译者,他所做的是今天翻译学所说的“视译”(Sight Translation), 但他们却寂寂无闻,倒是林纾却得享翻译大家的盛名,他所倚赖的便是一支优秀的古文文笔。”
- 31.
a Chinese historian of the early Han Dynasty (206 B.C. – 220 A. D.) and the author of Shi Ji, or Records of the Grand Historian
- 32.
The original is “古文不曾做过长篇的小说,林纾居然用古文译了一百多种长篇小说......古文的应用,自司马迁以来,从没有这种大的成绩。”
- 33.
The original is“这是一句不着边际的大话,可并非毫无意义的空话。它意味着小说成为文学的最杰出代表,读者阅读时希望从中得到本来是其他文学形式才具有的美感。”
- 34.
The original is“文言在翻译小说方面还是占了主导的地位。”
- 35.
The original is“出色的古文, 才是推动翻译小说流行和畅销的主要力量。”
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Huang, X. (2019). E-C Translation as Resistance in the Late Qing 1811–1911. In: English-Chinese Translation as Conquest and Resistance in the Late Qing 1811-1911. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-13-7572-9_4
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