The Connotation and Translation of Persons文档格式.docx

The Connotation and Translation of Persons文档格式.docx

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I.Introduction2

II.TheConnotationofPerson’sNameinLiteraryWorks3

A.HomophonicPun3

AA.DrivedfromAlusions5

AAA.AstheNameSuggest6

III.TranslationofPerson’sNameinLiteraryWorks7

AAAA.BasicRulesintheTranslationofNames.7

AAAAA.ChineseNamesintoEnglish.8

AAAAAA.EnglishnamesintoChinese.9

IIII.Conclusion11

IIIII.Bibliography12

IIIIII.Acknowledgements12

TheConnotationandTranslationofPerson’sNameinLiteraryWorks

I.Introduction

Characters’namesaremuchmoreintentionallygivenbywritersinliteraryworksthanbypeopleintheirreallives.Theymaybeconsideredaclueoftheplot,adescriptionoftheappearanceofthecharacters,apresentationoftheircharacteristicsorpersonalities,orevenanindicationoftheirfates.Mostwritershidetheirstandpoints,hopes,likesanddislikesinthenamesofthecharacters.Besides,characters’names,ifcleverlydesigned,canusuallyputreadersintoimaginationwhileaddingnewflavortothelanguage.Sincenamesusuallygivevividimagesofthecharacters,showtheirtemperamentsandevensuggesttheirfates,writersalwaystrytoemploydifferentlinguistictechniquesinnamingtheircharacterstoachievethesegoals.Ofallthelinguistictechniques,rhetoricaldevicesarethemosteffectiveones.Thusthepapertendstoanalyzetwotypesofnamesgiveninliteraryworks,thatis,onetypeofnamesdesignedtocreatepunsonthephoneticlevelandtheothertypedesignedtocreatepunsonthesemanticlevel,andtodiscussthemethodsoftheirtranslation:

“Languageistheculturalcarrierandculturehasarestrictedviewonlanguage”.Person’sname,asaculturalcarrier,hasabundantlyculturalconnotationandembodiesthecharacteristicsofnationalcultureconcentratedly.Person’snameisanart,themostuniversallanguagephenomenaofhumansocietyandthespecialsignwhichpersoncanusetodistinguishbetweenothers.（Green，1979:

201）

However,Person’snameinliteraryworkshasitsspecialconnotationbasedonthecharacters’identity,status,andtheme.

II.TheConnotationofPerson’sNameinLiteraryWorks

TheoppositeordersofChineseandEnglishnamesarereflectionofdifferentculturesonpersonalnames.Chinesefamilynamesrepresenttherelationshipofclan,groupandconsanguinity;

TraditionalChinesecultureemphasizesthegenerality.Therefore,inthiskindofcultureatmosphere,Chinesepeopleputtheirfamilynameswhichrepresenttheirancestors,clansandgroupsbeforetheirgivennames,whichsymbolspersonindividualitywhilethewesternpeoplenotonlyemphasizeindividualpersonandindividuality,butalsovaluetheindependentpersonalityandself-consciousness,theythinkthegivennamesarelifeandsoulofaperson,sotheyhighlyvaluethem.

Contrarytothehighesteemofgivennames,Englishpeoplethinkfamilynamesarenotveryimportant.Thereflectionofthissenseleadstothedifferentorderofname,i.e.givennamesareputbeforefamilynames.Andwecanalsofindthedifferentcultureconnotationinwomen’snames.Chinesewomenremaintheirfamilynamesandgivennames,eveninthepast.However,inmostwesterncountries,thewomenoncemarried,theyshouldchangetheirfamilynametothatoftheirhusbands’accordingtothecustom.Forexample,whenMaryWhitemarredJohnBrown,hernameshouldbechangedintoMaryBrown.

Incidentally,asmentionedabove,thegivennamesinEnglish-speakingcountriesarealsocalledChristiannames.Thephenomenonreflectstheimportantroleinpeople’slife.

A.HomophonicPun

Inmanyaliterarywork,thenamesofcharactersarenolongermerelinguisticsymbolsbutveryoftenexpresssomeabstractconceptionslikepride,shame,talkative,pity-worthyandsoon.Theseconceptionsusuallyimplyacharacter’stemper,moralsorhabits.Tosomecriticalreaders,namesofcharactersoftenhelpthemalotingettingaquickgeneralimpressionofwhateachcharacterislike,butthereaderswhoarenotcriticalenougharelesslikelytounderstandtheimplications.

InTheSchoolforScandal《造谣学校》,RichardBrinsleySheridan,adistinguishedEnglishdramatistofthe18thcentury,pointedoutthecharacters’dispositionthroughtheirnames.Forexample,inthisnovel,LadySneerwellisacharacterwholikestoridicule,whichisimpliedin“sneerwell”.Snake,anothercharacter,issinisterbutfeignstobeafriendlyperson,justlikeasnake,akindofanimalthatiscunningandfearful.JosephSurfaceisanothermaincharacterinthiscomedywhoappearstobemodestandvirtuousatfirstsightbutisinrealityacallousandhypocriticalperson.Hisname“Surface”,meaningskin-deeporsuperficialityinEnglish,isustsoappropriatelyusedinexposinghisPuritanhypocracyandselfishness.Thesearethetypicalexamplestohowthenamesthatpresentabitingsatireonthetragicandabsurdaspectsofthecharacters’moralsorpersonalities.Foranotherexample:

InVanityFair,WilliamMakepeaceThackeraysuccessfullycharacterizeswoheroines,“Sharp（夏泼）”and“Amelia（艾米丽娅）”,whostandincontrastintheircharacteristicsandttitudestowardslife.Justastheirnamesindicate,Ameliaisacharacterofmilk-and-watertype.Sheisgoodinnature,sentimentalandsympathetic,butunabletomasterherownfate.（Drinkwater.1980:

46）

Thepersonalityof“Amelia”ispicturedintheword“Amelia”whichmeans“reticent,tameandindustrious”.Sharp,whoismoreimpressivelycharacterized,isdifferentfromAmelia.Sheiscrafty,unscrupulousandresourceful;

sheisneverobedienttoherdestinyandalwaysrebelsinordertohaveachangeinherlife,regardlessofmoralityandthesocialjudgementofher.Theoppositepersonalityof“Sharp”ispicturedintheword“sharp”whichusuallymeans“harsh,severe,orunscrupulous.”

TheChinesewriterLuXun（鲁迅）isalsoagreatmasterincreatingnamesforcharacters.InhisnovelMedicine（《药》）,therearesuchfiguresasHuaLaoshuan（华老栓）andGrandmotherXiaSi（夏四奶奶）.Hua（华）andXia（夏）aretwodifferentsurnamesinChina,butwhenputtogether,theyrepresentthewholenationofHuaxia（华夏）,anotherwayofsayingChina.ThestorybetweenthetwoindividualfamiliesofHua（华）andXia（夏）wellindicatesthetragicfateofthewholenationofChina.XiaYu（夏瑜）,anothermaincharacterinthisnovel,isalsointentionallynamedbythewritersoastocauseasimilaritybetweenthetwonamesXiaYu（夏瑜）andQiuJin（秋瑾）.ThesetwonamesaresimilarinthesensethatthetwosurnamesXiaandQiuarebothoneofthefourseasonswhilethegivennamesYuandJinbothsymbolizeakindofjade,whichbyextensionmeanthevirtuesofaperson.Throughthissimilarity,thewritertendstosignifythatXiaYuisapersonwhosharesthesamefinequalitiesofQiuJin,agreatwomanintherevolutionagainsttheQingDynasty.ThereareabundantpolysemicwordsinbothChineseandEnglishlanguage,whichencouragewriterstobringtheirpotentialstothefullplayindesigningtheircharacters’nameswithpunsonthesemanticlevel.Understandingcharacters’nameshelpsappreciatinganyliteraryworks.Apartfromthis,understandingcharacters’namesalsohelpstranslatingliteraryworks.Whenpeopletranslateliteraryworksfromonelanguageintoanother,thefirstthingtheywilldealwithischaracters’names.Therefore,itisnecessarytostudythemethodsoftranslatingcharacters’names.

AA.DrivedfromAlusions

Forexample,Shylock,inShakespeare’scomedyTheMerchantofVeniceindicatessomeusurersandbusinessmenwhoaremeanandcruel.Itcanalsobeusedasverbreferringtotheactionofowingusury.Forinstance,“Hisincomederivedfromillicitactivities-bookmaking,gambling,shylocking,andquestionableunionactivities”.TakethepersonalnameZhuGeliang（诸葛亮）asanotherexample.Itcanbeusednotonlytorefertothespecificpersonwhooncereallyexistedinhistory,butalsousedasacommonnoun.“诸葛亮”inthesaying“三个臭皮匠，顶个诸葛亮”（Workingtogether,threeordinarymencanbeaswiseasZhugeLiangwhowasaverywisemanintheThreeStatesPeriod）isnotspecificaperson,itreferstosamewisemenlikehim.InChineseliterature,wemayfindnameswithspeciallyimpliedmeaningchosebywriterswhotendtotakeadvantageofhomophone,whichactsasapun.Forexample,charactersinTheStoryofStonethatwrittenbyChaoXueqin.JiaYucun（贾雨村），Jiahua（贾化），ZhenShiyin（甄士隐），whichpronouncethesameasjiayucun（假语存--liesexist）,jiahua（假话--telllies），zhenshiyin（真事隐--truthishidden）.BothinChineseandEnglish,therearealsonamesingreatauthors’writingswhicharetakenascurrentvocabulary.

HamletistheheroinShakespeare’stragedyHamlet.Hisunclemurdershisfathersohewantstotakerevengesonhim.Buthehesitatessomuchinhisavengingplanthatintheendhehastopretendbeingmad.HamletinpresentEnglishisnotonlyoneofthecharactersinShakespeare’stragedy,butalsoconsideredasasynonymtoapersonwhoishesitatingindoingsomethingortoahesitatingaction.Ifpeoplethinksomeoneisveryhesitatingindoingsomething,theymaysay“YouareHamlet”.RipVanWinkleisoneoftheheroesintheworksoftheAmericanwriterWashingtonIrving.Heisahen-packedman.Oncebeingscoldedbyhiswife,herunsintotheCatskill,amountainnearhisvillage.Hefeelsrelaxedthereanddrinkstoomuchbeforefallingasleep.Whenhewakesup,itistoomanyyearslaterthateverythinginthevillagehasbeengreatlychanged.RipVanWinkleisnowreferringtosomepeoplewhoareold-fashioned,orwhosemindsandthoughtsaredroppedfarbehindfromthepresentsociety.Peoplemayexpresssomeone’si