Harmonious Translation

Since Yan Fu put forward the famous"信,达,雅", this three-in-one translation standard has become the golden rule for many translators in the 19th century, it has always been a practical rule to the translators. In Yan Fu's eyes,'信'means'faithfulness (to the original)'. Obviously,'faithfulness'is the most important among the three measurements. However, there are differences between one language and another– differences in the lexicology, in the linguistic structure and even in the tradition and culture. So'absolute faithfulness'is impossible. Later, with the emergence of such translation standards as"resembling the ST in spirit"and"transmigration of the souls of the ST", translation criteria became a hot topic. Gu Zhengkun argues in his well-acknowledged book on translation criteria that there is no one absolute good-for-all criterion, for translation practice is a very complex process involving many factors. What kind of criterion can be accepted by most translators is the kernel problem. Centering on the theory of harmonious translation, the author of this thesis discusses in great detail on how to achieve the real harmony in real terms, arguing that a harmonious translation should be in keeping with not only the original meaning, but also the original form and style. To achieve such an effect, translators must do well in an all-round way, catering for the needs of the readership in the target text, the intention of the author of the source text and the constraints of the socio-cultural environment in which the translation is being produced. Only by doing so can translators produce satisfactory versions for people to read. Of course, harmonious translation itself needs further improvement and perfection.