《紅樓夢(mèng)》第二十八回翻譯賞析 —楊憲益、戴乃迭與David Hawkes譯文差異

一、 引言

翻譯作為一項(xiàng)人類(lèi)跨文化交流活動(dòng)，譯者在翻譯過(guò)程中會(huì)碰到諸如采用直譯還是意譯、歸化還是異化等一系列問(wèn)題。本文是對(duì)《紅樓夢(mèng)》英譯本第二十八回兩種不同譯文的分析和鑒賞。比較的譯本分別是楊憲益、戴乃迭的A Dream of Red Mansions和David Hawkes的The Story of the Stone 。而對(duì)兩種譯本的對(duì)比，在翻譯不無(wú)啟迪。

二、 《紅樓夢(mèng)》第二十八回英譯對(duì)比

1. 章回目錄

在章回目錄上，楊憲益、戴乃迭和David Hawkes的兩種譯本有較大差別。楊憲益、戴乃迭的譯文更中性，而David Hawkes在章回目錄的翻譯中明顯帶有譯者的感情色彩。比如第二十八回目錄：

蔣玉菡情贈(zèng)茜香羅 薛寶釵羞籠紅麝串 （曹雪芹）

楊憲益、戴乃迭譯文：

Jiang Yuhan Gives a New Friend a Scarlet Perfumed Sash

Baochai Bashfully Shows Her Red Bracelet Scented with Musk (Cao, 1999)

David Hawkes譯文：

A crimson cummerbund becomes a pledge of friendship

And a chaplet of medicine-beads becomes a source of embarrassment (Cao, 1986)

楊憲益、戴乃迭的譯文十分簡(jiǎn)練，而David Hawkes的譯文顯然加入了一些渲染。從Hawkes在章回目錄的翻譯上所表現(xiàn)出的特點(diǎn)來(lái)看，他對(duì)“紅”字很敏感。“薛寶釵羞籠紅麝串”中的“紅”，楊憲益、戴乃迭譯為“Red”,而Hawkes則略去不譯。他甚至在文中也盡量避免“red”，比如：

……，往怡紅院來(lái)。（曹雪芹）

楊憲益、戴乃迭譯文：

… to make his way back again to Happy Red Court. (Cao, 1999)

David Hawkes譯文：

… to retrace his steps in the direction of Green Delights. (Cao, 1986)

Hawkes對(duì)“紅”的處理方式是可商榷的。“紅”包含了中國(guó)文化中的大量信息，他在許多地方以“綠”代“紅”，出于對(duì)譯文讀者的考慮，不失為一種明智的妥協(xié)。但從推廣中國(guó)文化的角度而言，楊憲益、戴乃迭不避諱“紅”，可以令西方讀者在閱讀中產(chǎn)生新的認(rèn)識(shí)。

2. 詩(shī)詞曲令

楊憲益、戴乃迭的譯本被認(rèn)為忠實(shí)全面地再現(xiàn)了原著的面貌，把最不易翻譯的詩(shī)詞曲令譯得準(zhǔn)確傳神。而David Hawkes的譯本也顯示了譯者的中國(guó)文學(xué)修養(yǎng)。通過(guò)比較《紅樓夢(mèng)》第二十八回中詩(shī)詞曲令的兩種譯文。我們將得到更全面深刻的認(rèn)識(shí)。

“儂今葬花人笑癡，他年葬儂知是誰(shuí)”……“一朝春盡紅顏老，花落人亡兩不知”（曹雪芹）

楊憲益、戴乃迭譯文：

Men laugh at my folly in burying fallen flowers,

But who will bury me when dead I lie? …

The day that spring takes wing and beauty fades

Who will care for the fallen blossoms or dead maid? (Cao, 1999)

David Hawkes譯文：

‘Can I, that these flowers’ obsequies attend,

Divine how soon or late my life will end? ’

…

‘One day when spring has gone and youth has fled,

The Maiden and the flowers will both be dead.’ (Cao, 1986)

兩個(gè)譯本都表現(xiàn)出極高的語(yǔ)言技巧。楊憲益、戴乃迭的譯文十分簡(jiǎn)潔，結(jié)構(gòu)一如原詩(shī)，從對(duì)原文的忠實(shí)而言，顯然更要高明；后者則句句押韻，尤其前兩行，渲染地淋漓盡致。但Hawkes沒(méi)有譯出“他年葬儂知是誰(shuí)”中的“誰(shuí)”，不能不說(shuō)是一個(gè)缺憾，無(wú)法如原文刺激讀者思考，而楊憲益、戴乃迭在譯詩(shī)中用了兩次“who”，使其所譯超過(guò)了后者。

詩(shī)詞曲令的翻譯體現(xiàn)了兩個(gè)譯本的不同之處。David Hawkes的譯本表現(xiàn)出高超的文學(xué)功力，尤其是人物心理情感的描寫(xiě)，但偶爾也會(huì)渲染過(guò)頭；楊憲益、戴乃迭的譯本重視譯文對(duì)原文的傳真，譯文遵循中國(guó)民族心理和思維方式，更具傳播中國(guó)文化的功能?；艉蜅畹淖g法往往迥然不同，但最后都在準(zhǔn)確地傳達(dá)原意這一點(diǎn)上達(dá)到了統(tǒng)一（鄭恩岳，1994）。

3. 對(duì)話

對(duì)話方面，《紅樓夢(mèng)》原文文字具有以一當(dāng)十的效果。楊憲益、戴乃迭的譯文具有同樣特點(diǎn)，十分簡(jiǎn)潔而傳神。David Hawkes的譯文則會(huì)強(qiáng)化描寫(xiě)，對(duì)原文一筆帶過(guò)的細(xì)節(jié)加以渲染。但這需要譯者對(duì)原文精確的把握。Hawkes在原文是下了功夫的，不過(guò)也有照顧不周的例子，如第二十八回中一段寶玉與黛玉的對(duì)話：

（寶玉）說(shuō)道：“你且站住。我知你不理我，我只說(shuō)一句話，從今后撂開(kāi)手?！绷主煊窕仡^看見(jiàn)是寶玉，待要不理他，聽(tīng)他說(shuō)“只說(shuō)一句話，從此撂開(kāi)手”，這話里有文章，少不得站住說(shuō)道：“有一句話，請(qǐng)說(shuō)來(lái)?！睂氂裥Φ溃骸皟删湓挘f(shuō)了你聽(tīng)不聽(tīng)？”黛玉聽(tīng)說(shuō)，回頭就走。寶玉在身后面嘆道：“既有今日，何必當(dāng)初！”黛玉聽(tīng)見(jiàn)這話，由不得站住，回頭道：“當(dāng)初怎么樣？今日怎么樣？”（曹雪芹）

楊憲益、戴乃迭譯文：

“Do stop!” he begged. “I know you won’t look at me, but let me just say one word. After that we can part company for good. ”

Daiyu glanced round and would have ignored him, but was curious to hear this “one word,” thinking there must be something in it. She came to a halt.

“Out with it.”

Baoyu smiled.

“Would you listen if I said two words?” he asked.

At once she walked away.

Baoyu, close behind her, sighed.

“Why are things so different now from in the past?”

Against her will she stopped once more and turned her head.

“What do you mean by ‘now’ and the ‘past’?” (Cao, 1999)

David Hawkes譯文：

“Stop a minute!” he cried, hurrying forward to catch up with her. “I know you are not taking any notice of me, but I only want to ask you one simple question, and then you need never have anything more to do with me.”

Daiyu had turned back to see who it was. When she saw that it was Baoyu still, she was going to ignore him again; but hearing him say that he only wanted to ask her one question, she told him that he might do so.

Baoyu could not resist teasing her a little.

“How about two questions? Would you wait for two?”

Daiyu set her face forwards and began walking on again.

Baoyu sighed.

“If it has to be like this now,” he said, as if to himself, “it’s a pity it was ever like it was in the beginning.”

Daiyu’s curiosity got the better of her. She stopped walking and turned once more towards him.

“Like what in the beginning?” she said. “And like what now?” (Cao, 1986)

在Hawkes看來(lái)，這一段對(duì)話似乎并無(wú)言外之意，他對(duì)這段對(duì)話基本沒(méi)有渲染，譯文也很平淡，如把黛玉的那句“有一句話，請(qǐng)說(shuō)來(lái)”由原文的直接引語(yǔ)變?yōu)殚g接引語(yǔ)“she told him that he might do so”，使得譯文與原文相比之下意趣全無(wú)。而楊憲益、戴乃迭的譯文更符合原文語(yǔ)體風(fēng)格?！凹扔薪袢眨伪禺?dāng)初！”這話具有強(qiáng)烈的感慨味道，這在楊、戴的譯文中得到了再現(xiàn)“Why are things so different now from in the past?”，保留了原文簡(jiǎn)短有力的特點(diǎn)。另外，Hawkes把“一句話”，“兩句話”譯為“one question”，“two questions”也值得商榷，可能會(huì)誤導(dǎo)讀者，產(chǎn)生不必要的聯(lián)想。

所以，正如有論者指出的“人物、情節(jié)、環(huán)境是小說(shuō)創(chuàng)作中不可缺少的三個(gè)要素。對(duì)話描寫(xiě)能達(dá)到塑造人物形象，描繪客觀環(huán)境，推動(dòng)情節(jié)發(fā)展的藝術(shù)效果。小說(shuō)翻譯成功與否，關(guān)鍵在于原文的三個(gè)要素是否被完好無(wú)損地移注到了譯文中。而對(duì)對(duì)話語(yǔ)言的翻譯成功與否，則在很大程度上決定著這個(gè)移注過(guò)程是否‘完好無(wú)損’”（王濤，1997）。

三、 結(jié)語(yǔ)

通過(guò)對(duì)《紅樓夢(mèng)》兩個(gè)英譯本的賞析，我們得出的結(jié)論是：David Hawkes的譯文極富藝術(shù)魅力，更容易受到以英語(yǔ)為母語(yǔ)的讀者的歡迎，而楊憲益、戴乃迭的譯文更具傳播中國(guó)文學(xué)和文化的價(jià)值，需要讀者在閱讀中思考。正如楊曉榮教授所說(shuō)：“兩種處理方式反映了兩種規(guī)范，都符合事實(shí)（文學(xué)作品中的“真”），因此都可以說(shuō)是對(duì)的。但是，譯者畢竟作了一個(gè)選擇，選了這一種規(guī)范而不是那一種，體現(xiàn)出譯者在文化等方面的考慮或差異?！?/p>