作为现代性建构手段的现代文学早期英译——以《天下月刊》的《雷雨》译介为例  

Expectations of Modernity in Early English Translation of Modern Chinese Literature-Take the Translation of Thunder and Rain in Tien Hsia Monthly as an Example

作　　者：刘月悦 Liu Yueyue

机构地区：[1]中国社会科学院大学文学院,北京102488

出　　处：《四川大学学报（哲学社会科学版）》2023年第2期177-185,200,共10页Journal of Sichuan University：Philosophy and Social Science Edition

基　　金：国家社会科学基金青年项目“中国现代文学早期英译与国家形象建构研究(1919—1949)”(22ZW045)。

摘　　要：20世纪20至40年代,在新文学主将们以外国文学的译入作为实现中国文学、思想乃至社会现代化的手段的同时,也有一些中国知识分子,尝试着把刚刚诞生不久的中国现代文学译介到西方。这种实践包含着现代性的努力和期许,却往往为研究者所忽略。1936至1937年,英文期刊《天下月刊》连载姚莘农翻译的《雷雨》,这是曹禺这部重要剧作的首个英文译本。《天下月刊》从其“阐释现代中国”的办刊理念出发,试图以《雷雨》作为中国现代文学的优秀代表,与世界文学“对话”,从而帮助中国获取现代国际共同体中的成员资格。这种以翻译作为现代性建构手段的诉求,既体现在了《天下月刊》对《雷雨》的评价和定位上,也决定了作为译者和《天下月刊》编辑的姚莘农在翻译中采用了颇受争议的直译策略。《天下月刊》同仁与五四作家们形成了一种“接力”,在创作与翻译的不同领域,共同为中国文学和文化的现代性转型努力。The translation of a large number of foreign literary works had greatly influenced Chinese modern literature and promoted the process of Chinese modernity,which has been acknowledged by scholars on modern Chinese literature.But from the 1920s to the 1940s,some Chinese intellectuals had already tried to translate the newborn modern Chinese literature to the West.However,these translation practices,as efforts and expectations in the process of Chinese modernity,are often ignored by researchers.Tien Hsia Monthly s translation of Cao Yu's play Thunder and Rain is such a case.The mission of Tien Hsia Monthly,in the words of Chief editor John.C.H.Wu,was to“explain China to the West”.Their basic attitude was to see the West as a partner of dialogue and communication rather than a reference for imitation.To be specific,the colleagues of Tien Hsia Monthly wanted to realize such a concept of modernity through translation—not only to let the West understand China and complete the construction of modern Chinese cultural image,but also to re-examine China itself,learn the essence of the West to help the modernization of national culture.Starting from the above conception of modernity,the colleagues of Tien Hsia Monthly translated Thunder and Rain into English as a representative work of modern Chinese drama.They saw Thunder and Rain as a landmark work in modern Chinese drama and hoped it would serve as a window for Western readers to develop an interest in modern Chinese culture and modern China.In this process,we can see their urgent desire for modern China to shake off its scorned status and achieve the recognition of“modern”Western society.Also,starting from the pursuit of modernity,the translator Yao Hsin-nong had chosen the strategy of“literal translation”.This choice was intended to preserve the cultural characteristics carried by the source language,such as values,world views,beliefs,customs,etc.In this way,it would enable western readers to expand the cultural depth and understand the real Chinese cultur

关 键 词：《天下月刊》 《雷雨》 外译 现代性 

分 类 号：H315.9[语言文字—英语] I046[文学—文学理论]