Connectivity in Chinese-English Interpretation

中英連接詞邏輯之差異對翻譯之影響

關思(Zi Kwan)

《翻譯學研究集刊》 2輯 (1997/10) Pp. 75-89

https://doi.org/10.29786/STI.199710.0006

摘要

在中英口譯中，除了文化背景的差異外，這兩種語言在句子結構上的不同也造成困擾。中文句子各成份的關係大部份靠意思的連貫，即意合，而英文句子則要求結構上的完整，即形合。一般中文句子看似並列的結構，在翻譯時常以並列關係處理。然而，由於英文句子的結構直接反映概念的主次，有時以從屬關係來表達會更清楚。曹逢甫博士以言談分析，將中文歸納為－言談導向型的語言，句子只是一段言談單元的一部份，而言談單元則是在同一個主題下前後連繫的幾個句子所構成。如“這棵樹（主題），花（主題）小，葉子（主題）大，很難看所以我不買了”以言談為中文的語言，在內容結構上得考慮同一主題連鎖（topic-chain）下的所有句子。這概念有助於譯者釐清中文句子語意中的關係結構，與了解句子裏的並列式記號「零」作為連接詞地的功能，在中譯英時，恰當地以並列結構或從屬關係表達內容，使譯文組織嚴密，主次分明。

並列摘要

Professional interpreters, in comparison to students, tend to produce texts which are more user-oriented with increased cohesion or connectivity, thus stating concepts and relations more explicitly than the source text producer did. In Chinese-English translation, inherent differences in cohesive devises often result in the interpretation of seemingly parallel clauses in the Chinese text as symmetrical relations instead of hierarchical representations. A plausible alternative to grammatical or semantic equivalence in interpretation is found in the notion of the Chinese sentence as being topic/comment in structure or a topic chain. Within the sentence, connectivity is often represented by the zero anaphora, e.g. nei-ke shu ZERO hwa syau, ZERO yezi da, ZERO hen nan-kan, swoyi wo nei mai ZERO (”The tree (topic), (its) flowers were small. (Its) leaves were big. (Its) was ugly. So I didn't buy (it).”) Applying this notion to translation, the process would involve analyzing the topic chain of the Chinese sentence to form a mental configuration which is to be reconstructed in syntactical English sentences to produce this rendition: ”I did not buy the plant because it looks ugly with small flowers and large leaves.” Therefore, the unmarked connectives in the Chinese sentence may imply either symmetrical or asymmetrical relations between concepts, and this warrants corresponding coordination or subordination in the English translation.