Interpreting Qian Zhongshu’s Translation-Sublimation in Translation.docVIP

Interpreting Qian Zhongshu’s Translation:Sublimation in Translation 【Abstract】As an master of cultural traditions of classical and modern Chinese and English，Mr.Qian zhongshu presents the“sublimation”theory，which reflects his unique insight into translation theories.It inherits traditional Chinese art philosophy on the one hand and absorbs Western aesthetics on the other.Besides works as a translation criterion，sublimation also reveals the nature of literary translation，i.e.，the unity between original stylistic excellence and the translator’s artistic recreation techniques. 【Key Words】Qian Zhongshu；translation theory；sublimation 1 INTRODUCTION Qian was an advocate of cultural fusion in terms o f translation.He believed in the academic merging of the past and present，and Chinese and Western cultures，and encouraged a dualistic approach.Removing the barriers between the past and the present，between Chinese and Western cultures and between different disciplines of the humanities is a feature of Qians translation practice. 2 QIAN ZHONGSHU’S TRANSLATION THEORY 2.1 Sublimation ——The Highest Ideal of Translation. Qian regards“sublimation”as the ideal of literary translation especially in poetry translation.In Qian’s opinion，“sublimation”has the following connotations： First，it implies losses and damages，changes and non-changes.What is lost or changed is the original linguistic form，whereas its content，or style and spirit is kept. Second，a translation should be both“expressive”and grammatical.While changing the form，a translator should try his or her utmost to avoid“any evidence of artifice by virtue of divergences in language and speech habits”. Third，“sublimation”and“misinformation”are contradictory to each other.A perfect translation should be“transmigration of souls”of the original，so faithful to the original as to be void of any deviance，or，to be more exact，any misinformation. 3 THE APPLICATION OF SUBLIMATION IN QIANS TRANSLATION Qian’