Thesis Submitted in Fulfillment of the Requirement for the Degree of Bachelor of Arts
June 1999
Abstract
‘信、达、雅’, a translation standard put forward by Yan Fu in the
19th century, has always been a practical rule to the translators.
In this standard, ‘信’ means ‘faithful (to the original)’. Obviously,
‘faithful’ is the most important among the three, and it is the first
responsibility to a translator. However, there are disparities between
one language and another – disparities in the lexicology, in the linguistic
structure or even in the tradition and culture. So ‘absolute faithfulness’
is impossible. And this article emphasizes on how to achieve the real
faithfulness in a possible sense – a faithful translation in good
formality with not only the original context, but also the original form
and style. To achieve such an effect we should do well in two aspects.
On the one hand, faithful to the original doesn’t mean to give an
equivalent correspondence to each word literally. While doing this we
should take these factors into consideration – idiomatic translation;
the false faithfulness resulted from obligatory categories; different
classifications in different cultures. On the other hand, faithful to
the original also requires the translator to bring to the readers the
feeling-tone of the original. In doing this we should pay enough
attention to the figures of speech as well as the sound effect. As
long as we observe these rules in translation, we will be able to bring
to the readers perfectly the same feeling as the original will give them.
Content
This thesis centers about the faithfulness in translation.
It comprises four major parts.
Part one introduces the importance of the faithfulness in translation.
Part two puts forward the difficulties concerning faithfulness
when we translate one language into another.
Part three explains at length how to achieve real faithfulness. This
part consists of two aspects.
On the one hand, faithful to the original doesn’t mean to give an
equivalent correspondence to each word literally.
On the other hand, faithful to the original also requires the
translator to bring to the readers the feeling-tone of the original.
Part four summaries the qualifications we should possess in the
respect of faithfulness.
‘There are translations and translations.’ The Chinese meaning is ‘有各式各样的
译本，有好也有坏’. It is a sentence that can’t be translated literally. Because
in English the word ‘translation’ has both its singular and plural forms, while
in Chinese no same case with ‘译本’. Translation has connections with a lot of
aspects, and a translator always has his own emphasis, so there are different kinds
of translations. ‘信、达、雅’, a translation standard which was put forward by Yan Fu
in the 19th century, has always been a practical rule to the translators. In this
standard, ‘信’ means ‘faithful (to the original)’. Since what a translator really
does is expressing other people’s idea in a different language, so the content of
his translation must strictly comply with that of the original. And it is very clear
that ‘faithful’ is the most important among the three, and it is the first
responsibility to a translator.
However, there are disparities between one language and another – disparities in
the lexicology, in the linguistic structure or even in the tradition and culture. And
to maintain that there is always an equivalent correspondence in one language that can
match the one in another is a naive thought. Take English and French for instance.
Although there is only one strait between them, although they have mutual influences
onto each other for about one thousand years, although English has loaned a lot of words
form French, the two peoples will at times meet difficulties in finding a equivalence
to the one in another language. The English have always said that in French there
isn’t an equivalence to the word ‘home’ or ‘gentleman’, while the French believe
that in English there isn’t an appropriate translation to the French expression
‘Rassemblement du Peuple Francais’ (the literal meaning is ‘法国人民大会党’).
Although English is the native language of both England and America, the same case
will at times happen to these two peoples. The American can’t find the British
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