翻譯與世界文學

Translation and World Literature

張隆溪(Zhang Longxi)

《中國文學學報》 8期 (2017/12) Pp. 1-12

https://doi.org/10.6903/JCL.201712_(8).0001

摘要

德國大詩人歌德由閱讀一部中國小說的譯本，提到世界文學時代的即將來臨，所以世界文學這個概念一開始就與文學翻譯密切相關。十九世紀歐洲興起的比較文學強調把握原文，輕視翻譯，但侷限於歐洲語言，也就必然形成以歐洲為中心的比較文學。世界文學近年來發展迅速，一方面超越歐洲中心主義，另一方面也重新注重翻譯。本文批評以歐洲為中心的比較文學，認為世界文學提供了極佳機會，可以把西方主流文學之外的非西方文學以及歐洲小語種文學的經典作品，通過翻譯超越原來語言文化的侷限，流通在世界範圍內，成為世界文學的一部分。但當前西方有些學者強調翻譯之不可能，或批判英語的所謂「霸權」，反對把非西方文學翻譯成英文。本文批評這種不可譯的概念，認為這種看似政治正確的激進主張，其實妨礙了非西方文學成為世界文學的一部分，也恰好維護了西方文學的霸權地位。世界文學的發展必須要重新思考文學翻譯的問題，充分承認翻譯在世界文學研究中的貢獻和重要性。

關鍵字

翻譯 ； 世界文學 ； 比較文學 ； 文學翻譯

並列摘要

The foremost German poet Johann Wolfgang von Goethe predicted the imminent arrival of the age of world literature (Weltliteratur), after reading a Chinese story in translation. The notion of ＂world literature＂ was thus intertwined with the translation of literature from the very beginning. Comparative literature, a discipline that emerged in Europe in the nineteenth century, highlights the importance of the original texts and overlooks translations; with its scope confined to European languages, comparative literature thus became a Eurocentric discipline. The rapid development of world literature in recent years has helped displace this Eurocentrism and brought with it a renewed interest in translations. The present paper criticizes the Eurocentric comparative literature and argues that the rise of world literature offers an excellent opportunity for non- European literature as well as canonical works in minor European languages to break through their original language confines and be circulated worldwide by means of translation, thus becoming a part of the world literature. Nevertheless, some contemporary Western scholars has underlined the impossibility of translation, or opposed the so-called hegemony of English and were against the idea of translating non-Western literature into English. This paper disapproves this concept of untranslatability, pointing out that the seemingly politically correct argument has in fact impeded non-Western literature from becoming a part of the world literature, thereby reinforcing the hegemony of Western literature. As world literature develops, one should reconsider the issue of literary translation and acknowledge the contribution and significance of translation in the studies of world literature.

並列關鍵字

translation ； world literature ； comparative literature ； literary translation