論大陸高校翻譯教學與培訓的功能途徑

Functional Approaches to Translation Teaching and Training at Tertiary Level in Chinese Mainland

This study takes functional approaches to translation teaching and training in Chinese Mainland. As translation education is getting prosperous in China, translation teaching and training have gained priorities and call for new teaching models in the new century. As Christina Nord has proved that functional approach into translation teaching and translator training is very effective, this approach is suggested to be applied into Chinese context of translation teaching and training and thus we may figure out a new functional teaching model in Chinese tertiary institutions: (1) assign realistic translation tasks with a translation brief in order to motivate students to do active translating; (2) analyze the source text from top to down: i.e., from pragmatic level, cultural level to linguistic level; (3) introduce a variety of translation strategies, including cultural adaptation, paraphrase, expansion, reduction, modulation, transposition, substitution, loanword, literal translation or even omission. Student translators are encouraged to use their editorial skills, writing skills and knowledge of parallel texts to rewrite the source text in line with the conventions of the target text and expectations of readers; (4) define translation errors more globally and evaluate translations more flexibly. The functional appropriateness is considered the yardstick to assess translation quality. The real-world criteria should be incorporated within a curriculum for translation teaching and training. Applying functional approach into translation teaching and translator training can assure that the trainees commit fewer grammatical and pragmatic mistakes and learn more about cultures and conventions. Therefore, introducing this approach to translation classroom in Chinese mainland will bring us great innovations in translation pedagogy and benefit our translator and interpreter training.在全球化的今天，翻譯的作用越來越重要，越來越專業化，翻譯教育在中國的地位也越來越引起人們的關注。到2007年止，翻譯作為一個專業在中國大陸院校已經形成了一個完整的體系：本科專業（2006年中國大陸開始在復旦大學等高等院校正式成立翻譯系），碩士（2003年上海外國語大學開始招收翻譯學碩士研究生），翻譯碩士專業學位（2007年全國15所院校獲准開始招收口筆譯方向的翻譯碩士專業學位學生），博士（2003年上海外國語大學開始招生翻譯學博士研究生）。如何進行高效地、高質量地培養翻譯人才成為業界的當務之急。因此，翻譯教學和譯員培訓被提上了議事日程。在傳統的翻譯教學中，大陸大部分老師比較注重師徒式教學，著重翻譯技能培訓，忽視了職業技能教育。而根據德國著名翻譯理論家諾德提出的功能主義翻譯理論，應該在翻譯教學和培訓中採取功能主義途徑。本研究就是以此理論為導向，具體探索如何在中國大陸院校翻譯專業的課堂教學中採取一種新型教學模式：首先，佈置真實的翻譯作業，而且有明確的”翻譯要求”，讓學生明白翻譯的目的、意圖以及讀者的期待等等，從宏觀上指導學生翻譯是一種有目的的交流，而不僅僅是兩種文字的轉換；其次，引導學生從上至下分析理解原文：從語用層面、文化層面再到辭彙層面，指導學生脫離詞語的束縛，從整體理解要翻譯的原文本；第三，介紹各種翻譯策略，如文化變通、釋義、擴充、減少、重複、省略、借用外來詞、變化視角等等。在練習過程中，教會學生使用一定的編輯技巧，寫作技巧和平行文本知識，強調學生母語寫作知識的重要性。第四，從宏觀上界定翻譯錯誤，靈活評價翻譯作品。根據諾德的分類，翻譯錯誤包括語用翻譯錯誤，文化翻譯錯誤，語言翻譯錯誤和具體文本翻譯錯誤。這一分類給教師的啟示是：在批改學生作業時，不要只盯著語法錯誤而忽視其他因素，而且要具體情況具體評價，要以達到合適的翻譯目的為最終評價標準。總而言之，在翻譯教學和培訓中引入功能主義理論是很有啟發和創新意義的：不但可以拓寬學生對翻譯的認識，而且會讓學生”知其然”，並且”知其所以然”，少犯翻譯錯誤，多瞭解有關文化、規範和職業行規等方面的知識，從而從根本上提高翻譯能力。