The_Task_of_the_Translator

TheTaskoftheTranslatorWalterBenjaminTranslatedbyHarryZohnSource:Schulte,R.andJ.Biguenet.1992.(eds.).TheoriesofTranslation.UniversityofChicagoPressExerciseWesometimesfallinwithpersonswhohaveseenmuchoftheworld,andofthemanwho,intheirday,haveplayedaconspicuouspartinit,butwhogeneralizenothing,andhavenoobservation,inthetruesenseoftheword.Theyaboundininformationindetail,curiousandentertaining,aboutmenandthings;and,havinglivedundertheinfluenceofnoveryclearorsettledprinciple,religiousorpolitical,theyspeakofeveryoneandeverything,onlyassomanyphenomena,whicharecompleteinthemselves,andleadtonothing,notdiscussinganytruth,orinstructingthehearer,butsimplytalking.Noonewouldsaythatthesepersons,wellinformedastheyare,hadattainedtoanygreatcultureorintellectortophilosophy.（CardinalNewman）Note:CardinalNewmanwasawell-knownBritishprelateandtheologian.AfounderoftheOxfordmovement,heconvertedtoRomanCatholicism(1845)andwasmadeacardinal(1879).纽曼，约翰·亨利（1801-1890）英国高级教士和神学家，牛津运动的创始人之一。他皈依罗马天主教(1845年)并做过红衣主教(1879年)。牛津运动是19世纪中期由英国牛津大学部分教授发动的宗教复兴运动。该运动主张恢复教会昔日的权威和早期的传统，保留罗马天主教的礼仪。LifeWalterBenjamin,bornonJuly15,1892,studiedphilosophyinFreiburg,Munich,BerlinandBern.EarningadegreewithhisConceptofCriticisminGermanRomanticism,hewasnotsuccessfulinhisattempttobecomeauniversityprofessor.HisHabilitationsschrift,OntheOriginsoftheGermanTrauerspiel,wasrejectedbyFrankfurtUniversityonlytobecomeacanonizedclassicof20thCenturyliterarycriticism.Benjaminmadehislivingasafree-lanceauthorandtranslatorinBerlin,wherehealsotookpartinprogressiveGermanpsychopharmacologicalresearch.Aprolificcritic,hewasforcedintoexilebytheNazisin1933.EmigratingtoFrance,hebecameamemberoftheInstituteofSocialResearch(whichincludedMaxHorkheimer,TheodorW.Adorno,HerbertMarcuse,OttoKirchheimer,FriedrichPollack,LeoLöwenthal,FranzNeumann,KarlWittvogelandothers).BenjaminmadeanattempttojointheInstitutewhenitemigratedfromParistoNewYork.InflightfromtheGestapohetookhisownlifeintheSpanishborder-townofPortBouonSeptember27,1940.Someofhismostimportantpublicationsinclude:Goethe'sElectiveAffinities,TheOriginofGermanTrauerspiel,One-wayStreet,TheWorkofArtintheAgeofMechanicalReproduction,BerlinChildhoodin1900andthemonumentalParisArcadesProject.Comments“归根结底,他在一生中都是死者，但却是真正的幸存者。”卡夫卡。阿伦特说，本雅明乃是“一位最后的文人”（oneofthelasthommesdeletters）。苏珊·桑塔格说本雅明是“欧洲最后一个自由知识分子”。–所谓知识分子的自由,就是知识分子独立和准超然地观察力世界、生产知识。与本雅明同时代的陈寅恪说，知识分子应追求“独立之品格、自由之精神”。他提出的“物的语言存在”、“纯粹语言”和“语言组成的统一运动”等三十年后才开始流行的语言哲学思想。CommentscontinuedEdwinGentzler:AllwesterndeconstructiondiscussionsontranslationarealmosttheexpansionoftheideasexpressedinTheTaskoftheTranslator.deMan:Ifyoudonothaveanydiscussiononthisarticle,youwillneverhaveanystatusinscholarship.Majorcontributions语言存在论：物的语言存在论基于事物的语言与人类的语言之间的区别，事物的语言存在即其语言，这个命题被适用到人类身上就成了:人类以命名所有其他事物来传达其自身的精神存在。所以，人类的语言存在即命名。历史废墟论：“没有一部关于文明的记录不同时也是关于野蛮的记录”，他认为在资本主义社会,技术的进步意味着社会的倒退，它不能给人类带来全面的解放。真理虚无论：“真理拒绝把自己纳入知识领域”。–因文风晦涩，他的文章难于理解。他申请教授资格的论文《德国悲剧的起源》被认为是不知所云。–由于上述的原因，汉娜·阿伦特把本雅明划为“不能分类”的作家。Importantlines（p71）Worksofartpositman’sspiritualandphysicalnature,butarenotconcernedwithman’sresponse.“Nopoemisintendedforthereader,nopictureforthebeholder,nosymphonyforthelistener.”——notranslationisintendedforthereader.“Yetanytranslationwhichintendstoperformatransmittingfunctioncannottransmitanythingbutinformation…Thisisthehallmarkofbadtranslations.”Isitnecessarythatatranslatorshouldbeawriteratthesametime?——thecauseofinferiortranslation.–Yesifatranslationisintendedtoservethereader.–Butifso,theoriginalhastobeintendedforthereader.–Thefactisthatitisnotso.Soitisnotnecessary.P71-72Translationisamode.Translatability:–Willanadequatetranslatoreverbefoundamongthetotalityofitsreaders?(contingently)–Doesitsnaturelenditselftotranslation,andcallforit?(apodictically)Thetranslatabilityoflinguisticcreationsoughttobeconsideredevenifmenshouldproveunabletotranslatethem.Iftranslationisamode,translatabilitymustbeanessentialfeatureofcertainworks.p72Itisplausiblethatnotranslation,howevergooditmaybe,canhaveanysignificanceasregardstheoriginal.Butanaturalvitalconnectionisestablished,andthatconnectionisnolongerofimportancetotheoriginal.Justasthemanifestationsoflifeareintimatelyconnectedwiththephenomenonoflifewithoutbeingofimportancetoit,atranslationissuesfromtheoriginal—notsomuchfromitslifeasfromitsafterlife.Translationsmarkthestageofcontinuedlifeoftheoriginal.Theconceptoflifeisgivenitsdueonlyifeverythingthathasahistoryofitsowniscreditedwithlife.–Fechner,GustavTheodor.1801-1887.Germanpsychologistandphysicistwhostudiedtherelationshipbetweenstrengthofstimulusandintensityofsensation,therebyfoundingpsychophysics.p73杨老师：尽管把TheTaskoftheTranslator中文都看了，仍然搞不懂他在讲什么。也难怪他的论文被拒绝。有一种说法“根本没有真正的历史，所有的历史都是当代史。”同样的道理，所有的译作都是翻译者对源文的诠释。那么，“再现原文”“传达原文意义”这样的说法也就毫无意义了。究竟翻译的定义是什么呢？另一种说法“理想的译者应成为一块玻璃，透明得让读者感觉不到他/她的存在。”这和钱钟书先生的“化”境颇有默契。我很赞同这样的观点，但是又有很多翻译的实践者认为这根本是做不到的。我想知道，现今翻译界对此有没有较为明确的评价？在汉语中，“面貌”一词有脸的形状意思，也有景象，状态的意思，因为这两者之间有相似之处，所以用一个词表达。这样的例子比比皆是。我们是不是可以反过来这样想，由一个词所表达的两者必然有相似之处。Benjamin说到“翻译是原作的来生”，在德语中，Übersetzen有两个意思：①翻译②渡船过河。那么，在德语中翻译与船过河是相似的，