Pursuing Multi-Dimensional Fidelity In The Translation Of The Art Book Jan Vermeer

In the discussion of multi-dimensional fidelity,Peter Newmark,a famous British translator,categorizes "five truths" for translation,namely factual truth,linguistic truth,aesthetic truth,allegorical truth and logical truth.While Zhao Yuanren expounds six dimensions of fidelity for translation,including semantic and functional fidelity,literal and idiomatic translation,comparability infrequency of occurrence,the presence of obligatory categories in languages,fidelity in style and in sound effect of the language.Among all these dimensions of fidelity stressed by western and Chinese scholars,the realization of being faithful to facts and style of the original and making natural and elegant translated versions are the consensus.Hence the multi-dimensional fidelity is taken as the primary criterion for translating the art book,Jan Vermeer.Chapter one begins with a brief introduction of the fame and influence of Jan Vermeer1.Then it points out the significance of the translation task.Although English versions of art history,artistic movements and individual artists are increasingly translated and published in China,studies of art book translation are rarely included in the translation textbooks.This report ventures to translate Jan Vermeer to pursue multidimensional fidelity.Chapter two examines the writing style of Brad Finger by collecting some of his books and discusses the linguistic and stylistic features of Jan Vermeer as the references to select and adopt proper translation criteria.In principle,the concisely and illuminatingly written passages and beautifully printed images in the original version offer a pleasurable experience for readers.Besides,two kinds of stylistically different texts exist in this book.One is informative texts,mainly comprising historical or artistic background knowledge;the other is interpretative texts,basically including descriptions and interpretations of the specific painting and emotional responses and imaginations of the original writer.Chapter three explains the multi-dimensional fidelity proposed by western and Chinese scholars.Then it probes the feasibility and effectiveness of pursuing factual,linguistic and aesthetic truths in the translation practice.Chapter four illustrates the guidance of multi-dimensional fidelity with case studies of translation of.Jan Vermeer in accordance with linguistically and stylistically different texts.The translation of informative texts should regard factual truth as the first principle,while the translation of interpretative texts shall pursue fidelity in style and aesthetic effect of the original.Chapter five summarizes the main contents of the report and concludes with a reflection on future translation relating to three aspects,namely losses and gains of the task,responsibilities of the translator and competences for the translator.