On The Translation Of Classical Chinese Poetry

Whether poetry is translatable and how to translate poetry are topics heated discussed in translation studies throughout the world.Before we put such questions to rest, I think we should, first, know what translation and the Chinese language is and how it is used as a medium for poetic expression.Chapter One discusses what translation is. The task of translation is as follows: First, an understanding of the cultural and experimental worlds that lie behind the original act of speaking or of writing, ways into their schemata. Second, an understanding of the potential of the two semiotic systems in terms of their image-making. Third, a making intelligible of the linguistic choices expressed in the message. Fourthly, an opportunity to explore the social psychological intentions of the originator of the message matched against one's own. Lastly, a challenge to match all of these with our appropriate response in our semiotic and linguistic system, and our culture. Traditional translation theory also presented means of differentiating and categorizing translation types, including metaphrase, imitation and paraphrase. Besides, rules of translation are also listed according to some theorists of translation.Chapter Two shows the characteristics of Chinese as a poetic medium. The Chinese character is unique. Differences between Chinese and English lie in the nature of the two languages themselves, such as visual, semantic, auditory and grammatical ones. Then there are differences due to unique concepts or divergent ways of thinking and modes of feeling.Chapter Three illustrates the translatability of classical Chinese poetry. First, there exist unavoidable linguistic bases of translation, in the aspects of phonology, syntax, vocabulary, forms and genres and prosody and comparative prosody, respectively. Follows that is a more detailed examination of the above propositions.Chapter Four deals with the art of translating Chinese poetry. Concerning the difficulties of translating Chinese poetry, I put more emphasis on the problems of translation of rhythm and rhyme. Moreover, in Chinese poetry, the thinking about nature, time, history, leisure, nostalgia, and the feeling of love and life are not the same, either. Nevertheless, though the poem cannot be transfused from one language to another, it can nevertheless be transplanted. The task of the translator is to determine and locate that seed and to set about its transplantation. Or in other words, translation is a kind of recreation.Though we should confess that the translation of classical Chinese poetry is not an easy task, it doesn't follow that it is useless to make any efforts. Anyway, what is untranslatable is really worth translating.