Transcript Document

Gideon Toury and the
Application of Translation
Norms in The Great Gatsby
翻译硕士
黄怡晴
2012211058
Content
• ⅠGideon Toury
1.1 Brief Introduction
1.2 General Idea
• II Toury’s Target-text Oriented Theory of Translation
2.1 Study of Hebrew literature
2.2 Traditional model Vs.Toury’s model
2.3 Target-text oriented theory
• III Toury’s Translation Norms
3.1nature of norms
3.2types of translational norms
• Ⅳ Prescriptive VS Descriptive approach
4.1 Prescriptive approach
4.2 Descriptive approach
4.3 The advantage of descriptive approach
4.4 The disadvantage of descriptive approach
I. Gideon Toury
1.1 Brief introduction
Professor of University of Tel Aviv
World-famous translation theorist
 Works:
“In search of a theory of translation ”
《翻译理论探索》（1980）
”Descriptive Translation Studies and Beyond“
《描写翻译研究及展望》（1995）
1.2 General ideas
1. Target-text oriented theory of translation
2. Translation norms
3. Descriptive translation
II Toury’s Target-text Oriented Theory of Translation
2.1 Study of Hebrew literature
Starting point
Hebrew literature --- a starting point
What he had found :
ideological > literary \ aesthetic
• Most texts were translated for ideological reasons
不忠实以译语为导向
not for linguistics or aesthetics;
• However, general lack of concern for
faithfulness to the source text did not influence the
identity of translated text.
GOAL: acceptable translation in target culture
2.2 Traditional model vs.Toury’s model
Source-text oriented theory
Translation equivalence
Functional-dynamic
equivalence
Focus: correctness
faithfulness
Target-text oriented theory
Basis: Difference between languages.
“every linguisitic system
and/or texual tradition differs
from any other in terms of
structure repertory norms of
usage.”
Focus; cultual-linguistic context
2.3 Target-text oriented theory
(more details)
• Two poles : adequacy & acceptability
Source-text
adequacy
Target-text
translation
acceptability
No translation is ever entirely “ adequate” to the
original version because the cultural norms cause
shifts from the source text structures.
No translaiton is ever entirely “acceptable” to the
target culture because some new information and
forms will be introduced to the system.
• The eventual goal :
In short, Toury demanded that translation
theory include cultural-historical “facts”,
a set of laws that he calls “translation
norms”.
III Toury’s Translation Norms
“The Nature and Role of Norms in
Literary Translation”
Center of Toury’s theory
《文学翻译规则的本质和功用》
Preliminary norms (初步常规)
Classification
Initial norms (首要常规)
Operational norms (操作常规)
Norms
• Borrowed from social behaviorism，
the notion Norm means the regular
decisions the translator ‘normally’ makes
to avoid dispute in the translating process.
• Toury classifies norms according to
different stages of their occurrence in the
• translational decision making process.
Rules, Norms, Idiosyncrasies
• Factors restraining translation
source text, the language difference, the culture,
the knowledge of translator
绝对规则 〈------------〉规范 〈------------〉特异质
rules〈---------〉 norms 〈---------〉idiosyncrasies
•Preliminary norms (初步常规)
Involving factors such as which govern the
choice of the work and the overall translation
strategy.
It includes the choice of translation policies
and the directness of the translations.
It is the macro element that affects the
translators before the translating starts.
• Initial norms (首要常规)
Individual translator’s choice to subject
oneself either to the original text or target
culture’s linguistic and literary norms.
It determines whether the translation is
source-norm oriented or target-norm oriented.
In other words, it concerns general choices
between the adequacy and acceptability of the
translation
• Operational norms (操作常规)
Actural decisions made during the
translation process. And they can be divided
into matricial norms and textual-linguistic
norms and are thus the micro elements
affecting the translation.
In terms of initial norms, the translation
attitude toward the source text is affected by
text’s position in the source culture’s literary
In terms of operational norms, all decisions
are influenced by the position of------central or
peripheral----held by translated literature in the
target culture
Ⅳ Prescriptive VS Descriptive
approach
•
As we all know, the study of translation
approaches is often prescriptive, such as Nida’s
functional equivalence and Yanfu’s trinity
principle. They offer norms for the translator to
follow.
•
So the disadvantage of the prescriptive
approach is that it’s only within the language
circle and neglect other facts. Morever, they
often want to extend itself to all the translation.
Thus, the dispute is often unadvoidable.
Descriptive approach
• Descriptive translation studies--- they
attend to process, product, and function--set translation practices in time and, thus
by extension, in politics, ideology,
economics, culture.
• As Toury mentioned, a translation will be
any target language text which is
presented or regarded as such in a target
system, on whatever grounds.)
The achievement of descriptive
approach
• The attribute :
• they all give the right place to the translation
version, thus giving an end to the debate about
the gauge of the translation.
• The basic understanding of translation :
• 1. the partiality of translation, that is, you can’t
convey all the message from the SL to the TL
• 2. the manipulation of the translation by the
translator himself
The disadvantage of the descriptive
approach
• 1.overstate the netural stance the reseachers
take, but as we all know as a personel the
inclinantion is unavoidable
• 2.deviate itself from the translation practice.
Although it broadens the scope of translation
study, to some extent it overshadow the
importance of translation pracitce.
•
《了不起的盖茨比》的两个中译本比较研
究——从图里的翻译规范理论角度
• In translation，we can always find that the same
original text will have different or even contrary
translation after translated by different
translators．The key is the translators especially
when they choose and use norms which affect
translation under a certain period under the
influence of the translator’ subjectivity．That is
to say，the mission of the translator is facing
these norms and choosing norms．Translational
strategy is the key choice．
• 巫宁坤
• 姚乃强
• The norms on macro level of translation includes
preliminary norms and initial norms in which the ST is
chosen according to the target language’s social and
cultural background economics，politics，reader’s
expectation, translation policy，the translator’s
subjectivity and so on, and the translational strategies is
selected according to the choice of the translator
between source cultural norms and target cultural norms
with the effect of translator’s subjectivity．
• Mr.Wu mainly adopted the method of foreignization while
Mr．Yao used domestication as the main
strategy．．The two translators use one method as the
main strategy and the other is also used which means no
translation is totally domestication or
foreignization．Their translation works have their own
merits and specialties and are the most famous versions
of this novel which means they are widely accepted by
the readers．
• ‘‘‘The thing to do is to forget about the
heat．’said Tom impatiently．‘You make it
• ten times worse by crabbing about
it．”’(Fitzgerald，2005：158)
• Wu’S version：“正确的办法是忘掉热，”汤姆
不耐烦地说，“像你这样唠唠叨叨只会热得十倍
难受。"
• Yao’S version：“心静自然凉”汤姆不耐烦地说，
“像你这样唠唠叨叨只会热得你更难受。”
• It is fluent and natural，in accordance with the
Chinese language norms．And it fully conveys
the meaning of the original text
• The factors affecting the translation activity on
the micro level are the operational norms which
are concrete translating skills and
strategies．How to translate some certain words，
sentences，how to transmit the elegant and
poem—like literary and linguistic style of the
original text，how to compose the target text
and soon，are the central problems．
• The two translators both successfully convey the
content and meaning of the Source text under
the influence of translational norms and the
influence of subjectivity．
Influence at the micro level
Changes in Distribution
• Matrical norms govern the distribution of linguistic
material，the structure of the text．The translators do
some amendments in the translation of The Great
Gatsby，though they are not very big changes．There
are no macro changes such as adding or omitting
paragraphs or chapters．Both the translators generally
follow the original paragraph by paragraph without big
changes for the language of the source text is really
beautiful，moving and indispensable for the transmitting
of the content．But some places have the small but
important changes to help the readers to have a better
understanding of the original text．
Addition
• Wu’S version：“不管怎样，贝克小姐的嘴唇微微一动，
她几乎看不出来地向我点了点头，接着赶忙把头又仰回去
⋯’’
• Yao’S version：“不管怎样，贝克小姐的嘴唇坯碍动了动，
向我点点头，轻微得几乎让人难以察觉到，然后连忙又把
头往上一仰⋯”
• Yao’S version is more fluent by adding the implied
meaning of the original text，for the context is that Miss
Baker，for some stupid and time· wasting thing，didn’t
greet to Nick by action or words when they first met in
Tom’S home，but during the conversation of others she
suddenly chimed in and lightly nodded to Nick．“还
是”is added here to further convey the arrogant attitude
and impoliteness of Miss Baker for whom nothing
matters and nobody is important．Though famous and
rich,she is ungracious and empty．
Choice of words
• “I Was enjoying myself now．I had taken two fmgerbowls of
champagne，and thescene had changed before my eyes into
something significant，elemental，and profound．"(Fitzgerald，
2005：57)
• Wu’S version： “我现在玩的也挺开心了。我已经喝了两大碗香槟，
因此这片景色在我眼前变成了一种意蝴长的、根本性的、奥妙的东
西。’’
• Yao’S version：“我现在也自娱自乐起来。我已经喝了两大杯香槟。
眼前的景色变得意味深长、质朴自然丽又深奥莫测c
• In the aspect of choosing words，Yao uses much more Chinese
idioms which callbe found here and there．Chinese idioms are
traditional and typical of Chinese language which is concise，short
and rich in meaning．And most of them used in the translation are
very proper，transmitting the profound meanings of the source text
without changing the fluent，exquisite，elegant style．
• Wu’S versions are accurate，plain and concise．While Yao’S
versions have more literary grace and cater to the aesthetic
standards of the 2 1 st century readers．Both of them are well
accepted by readers of their own times．
Thank you ~