DICTATION BANANA TECHNIQUE
TÈCNICA 4 PALABRA TRASTORNO.
The use of reduplication can intensify the charm of the poems and give them unique rhythm. However, how to translate these Chinese reduplicative words into English remains a great challenge for translators.
a. 茫茫九派流中国, 沉沉一线穿南北。 (菩萨蛮·黄鹤楼) China is vague and immense where the nine rivers pour.
The horizon is a deep line threading north and south. (Willis Barnstone) Nine streams, mighty and misty, each ploughs the land in its course,
One railroad line so endless and dark threads from south to north. (Gu Zhengkun) Wide, wide through the land flow nine streams full to the brim;
Long, long from south to north threads one line deep and dim. (Xu Yuanchong)
In Willis Barnstone’s translation, “茫茫” and “沉沉” are rendered into “vague and immense” and “deep,” respectively. In Gu Zhengkun’s translation, they are rendered into “mighty and misty” and “endless and dark.” Xu Yuanchong uses “wide, wide,” and “long, long…deep and dim.” Using repetitive words to translate the reduplicative words in an appropriate way that can restore the beauty of sound and sense in the original poem. Other rhetorical devices, like alliteration, can strengthen the effect.
b. 烟雨莽苍苍, 龟蛇锁大江。 (菩萨蛮·黄鹤楼) Blue haze and rain,
Hills like a snake or tortoise guard the river. (Willis Barnstone) Far and wide the smoky rain veils the scene and the town,
The Mountain Tortoise and the Mountain Snake lock the River Long.(Gu Zhengkun) Shrouded in grizzling mist and drizzling rain,
Tortoise and Snake hold the River in chain. (Xu Yuanchong)
Since “苍苍” in the first line cannot be separated from the previous part, it requires the translators to use some techniques to reach the poetic effect. Willis Barnstone doesn’t translate “苍苍” specifically, and its meaning is hidden in “blue haze and rain.” Gu Zhengkun’s version “far and wide the smoky rain veils the scene and the town” conveys the vivid image yet it’s a bit redundant. “Shrouded in grizzling mist and drizzling rain” in Xu Yuanchong’s version best conveys the picturesque scene. “Grizzling” and “drizzling” can restore the effect of reduplicative words to the maximum extent.
c. 战士指看南粤, 更加郁郁葱葱。 (清平乐·会昌) Our soldiers point and look eagerly
south to Guangdong,
onion green and sensual in the distance. (Willis Barnstone) Our soldiers point southward to East and West Guang,
Where the southern hills look doubly verdant and young. (Gu Zhengkun) Our warriors, pointing south, see Guangdong loom
In a richer green and a lusher gloom. (Xu Yuanchong)
Willis Barnstone’s “onion green and sensual”, as well as Gu Zhengkun’s “verdant and young” is not sufficient to express the meaning of “郁郁葱葱”. In comparison, “in a richer green and a lusher gloom” in Xu Yuanchong’s translation better conveys the image in the original poem.
d. 高天滚滚寒流急, 大地微微暖气吹。 (七律·冬云) Icy brooks bubble high in the air
and on earth a slender wind is warm. (Willis Barnstone) In the skies cold waves roll on, swift and strong,
On the earth warm breeze gently fans and moves along. (Gu Zhengkun) In the steep sky cold waves are swiftly sweeping by;
On the vast earth warm winds gradually growing high. (Xu Yuanchong)
Willis Barnstone uses “bubble” and “slender” to express “滚滚” and “微微”. “Bubble” and “slender” are not antithetic in the part of speech, or in meaning. Gu Zhengkun employs rhymes and alliteration to express the beauty of sound. In Xu Yuanchong’s version, the subjects, verbs, adverbs, and adverbial phrases in these two lines are well balanced. What is more, alliterations such as “swiftly sweeping” and “gradually growing” are used to represent the original repetition of characters so that beauty in sense, in sound, and in form are all brought out (Xu Yuanchong, 1993).
From the above examples, when translating reduplicative words, it can be summarized that the original beauty in sound is brought out by the use of rhymes, alliterations, and assonances. The translators need to adopt various methods and deal with it flexibly.
Conclusion
The Chinese nation has a long history with a rich culture. After several thousand years of sediment, many unique “Chinese elements” have been accumulated, which reflect the humanism, history, and customs of
the Chinese nation that are unique in the world. In Mao Zedong’s poems, there are a lot of “Chinese elements,” such as traditional verse forms, allusions and legends, and reduplicative words. They are difficult to understand, especially for foreign readers who know little of the Chinese culture. If translated well, the poems can be more accepted and appreciated in the world. Many excellent translators, both at home and abroad, have contributed their talents in this field. Willis Barnstone, Gu Zhengkun, and Xu Yuanchong are the best of them. The authors of this paper compare the three versions of Mao Zedong’s poems and briefly analyze the translation of “Chinese elements” in Mao’s poems. Concerning verse forms, especially the tunes of ci, although they are irrelevant to the content of poems, it is better to translate them since the tunes can arouse certain associations in the readers’ minds. For allusions and legends, it is better to combine translations with annotations so that the readers can understand the history and legend in the poem. When translating reduplicative words, the translators need to be more flexible, and the use of rhymes, alliterations, and assonances can definitely increase the poetic effect.
With the promotion of international cultural exchanges, it can be asserted that the profound ideological and aesthetic connotations of Mao Zedong’s poems will be increasingly accepted and appreciated. The “Chinese elements,” together with Mao’s poems, will be more and more recognized in the world. To translate the “Chinese elements” and to spread them to people from other cultures still remain a challenging task for scholars and translators.
Acknowledgement
I gratefully acknowledge the financial support of the Doctoral Scientific Research Foundation of Linyi University.
References
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