| It is very common to retranslate literary works,especially classical works.By comparing these translated texts,though they come from the same source,we find that they differ from each other,whether they have been translated by different translators in the same era or by the same translator at different times.So how should we evaluate these variants? Are they all reasonable? What is the connection among the translational variations with the same original?This research explains the process of translational variation on the basis of philosophical hermeneutics and proposes the definition of it.Restricted by historical and personal uniqueness,translators have their own prejudices and horizons.Translational variation is the varieties of translation products that resulted by fusing two horizons: the horizon of the source text(ST)and the translators’ horizons with different prejudices.The variations are of the same root,but with some differences.They interpret ST from different angles,complementing each other.As for translational variation,the paper focuses on following three questions: 1.How does the translational variation come about with rationality? 2.What factors influence the variants of translation? 3.Is the translational variation limited? Answers to the three questions constitute central points of the research: 1.The translational variations are rational.2.The factors leading to variation are varied.3.The translational variation is limited.This work consists of the introduction,main part containing three chapters and the conclusion.Among them,the first,second and third chapters respectively demonstrate one of the central arguments.The introduction puts forward reasons for selecting the topic,summarizes the domestic and foreign research status,and reviews intercultural communication theory.In addition,the introduction contains causes for the chosen translated versions and editions,scientific innovation,main points and difficulties of the research,methodology of the study,significance of the work,and brief content of the paper.The first chapter discusses the causes of translational variation,demonstrates its rationality,describes its attributes,and reveals the value of literary translational variations.Every translator has his own prejudice,which has no negative color.When a translator interprets the original text,his horizon and the horizon of ST are constantly merged to form a new horizon of target text(TT).Translational variations are different translation products derived from the fusion of translators’ horizons and the horizon of ST.For translational activities,ST is historical reality,and translator’s interpretation is historical understanding.Therefore,we should assess the rationality of translational variation from a historical point of view.In addition,this chapter describes three attributes of translational variation: historicity,fusion,and limitation.In the second chapter,according to the framework of intercultural communication proposed by Professor Jia Yuxin,the factors that dominate the translational variations are divided into three categories: environmental factors,communicators and language signs.Environmental factors contain cultural environment,social situation and spacetime environment;communicators include translators and readers;language signs are analyzed from four aspects: phonetics,semantics,grammar and pragmatism.Combined with a large number of examples selected from five Chinese versions of the Russian novel “And Quiet Flows the Don”,translational variations are analyzed in the aspects of these factors.In the first two chapters,we fully affirm the rationality and value of translational variation.But the “limit” of translational variation maintains its rationality within certain boundaries.In the third chapter,the “limit” of translation variation is discussed.We explain what translation criticism is,and standards on it related to this research are listed.Finally,an estimated criterion for translational variation was put forward,as well as three steps to evaluate it through analyzing specific translation examples of “And Quiet Flows the Don”.The last part of this work is conclusion,which summarizes the results of the research,pointing out the shortcomings and possible prospects for further study. |
