A COMPARATIVE STUDY ON TRANSLATION OF ENGLISH AND CHINESE BIOGRAPHICAL REPORTS FROM THE PERSPECTIVE OF AESTHETICS AND RECEPTION AESTHETICS

School of Foreign Languages,Xi’an Shiyou University,Xi’an,China Email:719473514@qq.com

Dong Mei

School of Foreign Languages,Xi’an Shiyou University,Xi’an,China Email:2548121615@qq.com

[Abstract]From the perspective of aesthetics and reception aesthetics,this paper analyzes the characteristics of Chinese and English biographical reports and summarizes their differences respectively,so as to give some guidance to translation.

[Keywords]aesthetics;reception aesthetics;contrast;translation studies

Literature Review

Comparative study in linguistics is called“contrastive analysis”,also known as contrastive linguistics.In the first half of the 19th century,German linguist Humboldt first put forward the idea of the relationship between language comparison and human spirit,which laid the ideological and theoretical foundation for comparative linguistics.(Pan,2002,p.60)However,the development of contrastive linguistics as an independent discipline can be traced back to the early 20th century.Danish linguist Otto Jespersen first advanced the concept of“comparative grammar”in his bookThePhilosophy of Grammar(1924).Whereas the American anthropologist B.L.Whorf was the first person to give the concept of“contrastive linguistics”.(Pan,2002,p.61)After the Second World War,linguist Fries(Fries,1945,p.9)came up with the idea of taking contrast as the basis of teaching.Inspired by this,Lado published the bookLinguisticsacross Culturein 1957,which discussed and contrasted from phonetics,grammar,vocabulary,written form and culture.(Lado,1957,p.vii)Modern scholars regard it as the formal establishment of comparative linguistics as an independent discipline.In China,Zhao Yuanren published his thesis on the contrast between Chinese and English intonation in 1932.In 1933,Lin Yutang publishedKaiming English Grammarand Li Jinxi also finished his book《比较文法》(1933)with contrast as the main method.Subsequently,Wang Li,Lv Shuxiang and other scholars systematically and comprehensively conducted a comparative study of Chinese and foreign languages,and formed a distinctive Chinese grammar system.(Pan,2002,p.62)The comparative studies in China can be roughly divided into three periods.The first period began with Ma Jianzhong’s《马氏文通》(1983)and Yan Fu’sEnglish Grammar Explained in Chinese.(1904)Zhao Yuanren and Lv Shuxiang made great contributions to the comparative studies between English and Chinese during this period.The second period started from 1949 to 1976,basically,the comparative study in China made no progress.With the publication of Lv Shuxiang’s《通过对比研究语法》(Learn Grammar through Comparative Study),comparative study in China entered its third stage.(Liu,1996,p.v)From the year 1977 to 1997,there were more than 600 papers and nearly 40 works focusing on comparative studies.Especially in 1998 and 1999,more than 200 papers were related to comparative studies,forming a thriving situation.(Yang,2000,pp.9-18)However,the first systematic and comprehensive work on comparative linguistics in China was Xu Yulong’s《对比语言学概论》(1992)(An introduction to comparative linguistics),which was revised,supplemented and renamed asContrastive Linguisticsin 2002.This book provides a theoretical frame for contrastive study between English and Chinese.Whereafter,many contrastive works written by Chinese and English scholars in this field came in to world,which constructed the theoretical framework and system of this subject from different perspectives.(Wang,2007,p.66)The main theories and methods of contrastive study between English and Chinese are as follows:

Structuralist Theory

according to structuralist theory,the linguistic structure consists of the horizontal combination of the linguistic elements which combined in a certain way.The structure of language is hierarchical and the language is composed of phonetics,vocabulary,grammar,semantics and discourse.

Transformational Generation Theory

Generative grammar theory holds that language str ucture has certain laws,and the task of grammar study is to reveal such laws.Transformational generation is committed to abstracting,formalizing and systematizing the rules of language structure,which are grammatical rules.

Theory of Systemic-Functional Grammar

This theory focuses on the communicative function of language and the linguistic environment.The first two theories are basically static studies of the language,while systemic function is committed to dynamic studies of languages.The same form of language can be used exactly the same in two languages,but with different meanings.

More and more achievements were made in English-Chinese contrast studies,while there are still some shortcomings.For example,the misuse of"contrast"and"comparison";the macro research system of the nature,the objective and discipline theory of English-Chinese contrast and translation has not been formed yet.(Wang,2007,p.68)Although there are still some problems in the development of Contrastive linguistics in China,it is still full of hope on the whole.We still need more efforts to study and promote the development of contrastive study of English and Chinese witha rigorous and scientific attitude.

aesthetic Choice of the Language

The aesthetic choice of the language refers to the choice made by the speech subject in order to achieve the best effect in practical and aesthetic purposes.With the intention of beauty,they are approaching towards appropriateness and properness in a group of language elements with slight differences.

The aesthetic choice of language includes the aesthetic choice of symbol,channel,language variety,style,communication type,speech act and discourse.(Qian,1993,p.96)

Language Comparison and Translation Studies of Chinese and English Biographical Reports under the Guidance of Aesthetics and Reception Aesthetics

It is generally believed that aesthetics is a human science that studies beauty,aesthetic feeling,skills to create beauty and law of aesthetic education.It is generally considered in academic circles that aesthetics,as an independent discipline,came into being in 1750.The concept of aesthetics gradually came to be known with the publication of the bookAestheticswritten by German philosopher A.G.Baumgarten(1714-1762).

Reception aesthetics appeared in the late 1960s.In the 20th century,the research focus on aesthetics gradually shifted from the author to the works and then from the works to the readers,which promoted the birth and development of reception aesthetics.The most fundamental characteristic of reception aesthetics is to place the reader at the center of literary theory and aesthetic research.(Zhu,2004,p.3)

Beauty is what people pursue,and language itself is full of beauty.However,how to retain the beauty of the source language to the greatest extent and create a new beauty in translation activities?How to better understand the aesthetic difference between English and Chinese?How to carry out translation practice from the perspective of aesthetics and receptive aesthetics? These questions have become a hot topic in the field of translation.This paper makes a comparative study on biography in English and Chinese news reports from the perspective of aesthetics and reception aesthetics.

The Characteristics of English Biographical Reports

By comparison,it is found that English biographies are more flexible and less formal than Chinese ones.The English biographical reports are flexible in structure,and the pictures are always matched with and texts to help readers better understand the content.They tend to report something representative or several meaningful moments when people were alive to show their real life to readers.The reports come with lesscomment but with plain and funny words.They give enough space to readers to understand the life value of the deceased by other’s evaluation,and then further think of their own life.At the same time,the reports of English figuresfocus on a comprehensive and objective description of the deceased,with both positive and negative stories.People come from all walks of life,from celebrities and senior officials to ordinary people,and the only criterion is the journalistic value.(Chen,2002,pp.85-86)

E.g.A piece of news from VOA:“Not everyone remembers Bush fondly,especially some Iraqis who saw their country expelled from Kuwait in 1991.History will not honor Bush Senior because he attacked a peaceful nation that never challenged America.The airstrikes were a disgrace and will remain his legacy.”

The news broadcast the death of President George H.W.Bush.It gives an objective description of his actions in starting the Iraq war and criticized him.This is quite different from Chinese biographical reports.

and another biographical report from Associated Press,here’s the passage:

“He was an angry and rebellious teen,who started drinking at 13.His mother shipped him off to live with his godmother in Detroit,where he stayed until enlisting in the Navy at 17.”

The report reveals that the deceased was a rebellious and angry teenager in his teens.He began drinking heavily at the age of 13 and joined the army at 17.The characters and his stories are described realistically,comprehensively and objectively,while in Chinese,the characters are often portrayed in a positive way,and their faults and shortcomings are often ignored.Because the Chinese hold that the deceased should be respected after their death.

From the point of view of aesthetics and reception aesthetics:the English biographical reports are flexible in language,including standard style,dialect and slang.The reporting style is sometimes formal,sometimes humorous,sometimes illustrated.It is characterized by various forms to report,instead of sticking to one pattern.The layout can be long or short.English reports are often written in long sentences,with complex sentence structure and rigorous logic,highlighting the important things and moving them forward.The past tense is frequently used.

E.g.“He eventually made his way to New York in the 1950s to pursue acting,launching a 60-year career with appearances in over 100 films.It was there that he met Cassavetes,who he said "saved" his life,and made his film debut in his 1958 feature"Shadows,"which he also associate-produced,almost by accident.”

It adopts the simple past tense for description,with plain words,long sentences,complex sentence structure and rigorous logic.

The Characteristics of Chinese Biographical Reports

By comparison,such a conclusion can be drawn that the Chinese biographical reports are quite different from those in English.Chinese reports usually follow three patterns:first,the name,the position,the age and cause of death,then their life stories and important experiences,in the end,evaluations about their whole life.Compared with English reports,there are few pictures in Chinese reports.Chinese reports generally present the positive deeds of the deceased to readers,highlighting the words and deeds of the deceased is a reflection of the Party's policies and guidelines,and the deeds are instructive and educational,emphasizing the deeds themselves instead of the deceased themselves.And those reports avoid talking about the characters' shortcomings and mistakes.Celebrities are the focus of the reports,not ordinary people.Taking a typical case for example,in the 1980s,theGuangming Dailypointed out that only people with a title of deputy senior or higher could be published after their death.What's more,it has always been a tradition that the reports should highlight the achievements and contributions of the people with high titles and avoid mentioning their mistakes or something negative.It seems to have certain rules about what to write and what not to write,and the length of the reports is matched with their social status.

From the point of view of aesthetics and reception aesthetics,Chinese reports always adopt the serious and solemn words to describe,which stands for majesty and solemnity of the words,such as“deep mourning”,“deep sorrow”,“turning sorrow into strength”,can be found in almost all the life reports of the characters.These words on one hand are the reflection of the standard and solemn atmosphere.On the other hand,they lack of humanity and interest,which makes it difficult to arouse readers’attention and resonance.Compared with English biography,Chinese ones are characterize by loose structures,simple sentence patterns,and short sentences.Words repetition,omissions of relational words,frequent use of rhetoric are quite common in Chinese reports.They pay more attention to convey the exact meaning to readers and many sentences without subjects can be found in these reports.Logic exists among the sentences.(Chen,2012,p.86)

For example,inLouis Cha’s biographical report:

“金庸一生经历极其丰富，获颁荣衔甚多，他是著名的武侠小说家、是一代杰出报人、是学者、是华人文化界的重要的人物之一等等，见证了上世纪中国无数重大历史事件。

Translation:Jin Yong(Louis Cha),with his rich life experiences,was awarded many honors.He is a famous novelist for martial arts,an outstanding journalist,a scholar and one of the important figures in Chinese cultural field.He witnessed numerous historical events in China in the last century.

1972 年，金庸封笔；1989 年，《明报》创刊三十周年的日子，金庸卸任社长职务；90 年代，金庸将《明报》集团卖给商人，退出商界；2007 年，金庸辞去浙江大学人文学院院长职务……

在完成了一次次谢幕后

这次，他真的退出江湖了

儿女情长今犹在

江湖侠骨已无多。”

Translation:In 1972,Jin Yong stopped writing.It was the 30th anniversary of the establishment ofMing Baoin 1989,and Jin Yong resigned his post as President.In 1990s,he soldMing Baoto businessmen and left business world.He resigned as dean of the School of Humanities at Zhejiang University in 2007…

One task after another

This time,he really retired.

The affection between boys and girls is still there.

However,there are no such heroes.

This part mainly describes Jin Yong’s(Louis Cha’s)important achievements and experiences through his life with short sentences and loose structure.There are no obvious conjunctions.It described in detail at first and highlighted the important part in the end to express the regret his passing away and recall him.

Conclusion

By comparing the biographical reports of Chinese and English characters,it is not difficult to find that the characteristics and aesthetic choices of Chinese and English writing,which can effectively guide translation practice.Zhu Guangqian once said that“translation cannot be separated from aesthetics”,and the process of translation comes with aesthetic choices.Under the guidance of aesthetics and reception aesthetics theory,the translator should get rid of the limitation of source language and conform to the aesthetics of the target language.For English-Chinese biographical reports,translators should take the cultural factors,reporting style,writing form,way of wording and writing requirements of the target country into consideration.The translator is expected to translate excellent works that meet the aesthetic requirements under the guidance of aesthetics and reception aesthetics theory,as well as the translation theory.

Acknowledgements

I would like to express my gratitude to all those who helped me during the writing of this paper.

My deepest gratitude goes first and foremost to professor Dong Mei,who led me into the world of translation.Without her constant encouragement and guidance,I could not have finished this paper smoothly.

My thanks would also go to my beloved family for their loving considerations andgreat support.I also owe my sincere gratitude to my friends and my fellow classmates,especially my roommates,who gave me their help and time to help me work out my problems during the difficult course of this paper.