Era of great translators draws to a sad close

• Source: Global Times
• [21:21 December 01 2009]
• Comments

Liu Feng

Editor's Note:

Yang Xianyi, a renowned translator of Chinese and Western literature masterworks, passed away on November 23, 2009. Yang introduced A Dream of Red Mansions, Records of the Historian and some of Lu Xun's stories to the West, and was also the first to render The Odyssey into Chinese prose from the ancient Greek original. Many saw him as China's last great translator. Global Times (GT) reporter Chen Chenchen recently talked to Liu Feng (Liu), editor-in-chief at the Yilin Press, one of China's prestigious publishing houses engaging in foreign literature publication, on China's "post-era of great translators."

GT: China's modern colleges have produced many outstanding PhDs of translation studies. Why do some claim that Yang's death means the end of the era of great translators?

Liu: It's true that today we have many good translators, but not great translators.

In the 1940s, Zhu Shenghao (1912- 44) translated 37 of Shakespeare's plays, using only a very shabby dictionary. Shakespeare's works cover many differ-ent fields, and that dictionary could not solve all the problems. Therefore, even though Zhu made a few mistakes, we choose to ignore them.

Some criticize Zhu for translating Shakespeare's couplets into prose. However, if we divide that prose up, we get beautiful poems. In comparison, the so-called verses by some translators, if linked up, are not poetry at all.

The Chinese language emphasizes linguistic rhythm and cadence, not just visual effect. It does not just delight the eye, but appeals to the ear. In such a sense, no one has yet surpassed Zhu.

It's hard to find enthusiastic translators who are as loyal to the translation as the older generation. Fu Lei (1908- 66) regarded translation as his life. His translations of Balzac's and Rolland's works were so.

Though he translated the two writers' works into a similar style, Fu was still a great translator. His grasp and apprehension of the Chinese language was so profound that people nowadays can hardly achieve his height and depth.

During the period of the Republic of China (1912-49), there was a batch of great translators who had extraordinary abilities in both Chinese and foreign languages. Gu Hongming (1857-1928), Lin Yutang (1895-1976), Lao She (1899- 1976) – all of them were able to write directly in English.

However those having keen discernment today are often not good at foreign languages. This is largely why great translators are absent here today – a great translator is often a good writer at the same time.