毕业论文开题报告
学生姓名：专 业：班级学号：
设计(论文)题目：On E-C Translation of English Humors:
指导教师：
2014 年 01 月 12 日
毕 业 论 文 开 题 报 告
1. Research objectives and significance/ issues to be discussed and relevant means to be employed, etc.
Humor is an essential part of a culture. To totally understand a nation, we have to understand and appreciate its humor, which makes the translation of humor necessary.
However, in the translation field, it has been widely acknowledged that humor translation can make a translator feel as desperate as poetry translation can, which indicates that it is very difficult to translate humor. But even so, scholars and translators are still working on it, trying to approach humor translation from one perspective or another and a lot of achievements on humor translation have been made so far.
In previous studies, humor is classified into situational humor and non-situational humor for the purpose of translation. Generally speaking, it is considered easier to deal with situational humor because this kind of humor is neither language-bound nor culture-bound. However, problems are likely to arise in the non-situational humor category due to the fact that humor of this kind is mainly produced with the aid of linguistic techniques and cultural background information．As far as translation of this category of humor is concerned, translation strategies like domestication and annotation are highly recommended．If the translator can not produce exactly the same humor in the target text as that in the source text, he or she is recommended to produce similar humor in the target text, and if similar humor can not be produced either, the translator can resort to 2
annotation to ensure that the target text receiver can feel the humor after reading the annotation.
A brief review of the previous studies on humor translation shows that whatever approach is adopted in discussing this issue, focus is always on how to produce humor in the target text. Therefore, the question of whether a humorous source text must lead to a humorous target text was raised here in this thesis. Besides, what if a humorous target text can not function appropriately in the target culture?
Actually, the answer can be probed into within the framework of functionalist translation theory. Within this theoretical framework, the source text just offers information and a translator chooses certain pieces of information to form a target text which can satisfy the requirements for the target situation in the target culture. Viewed from this perspective, a humorous source text does not have to be translated into a humorous target text, and the type of target text is determined by the translation brief.
Here the thesis will classify humor translation into two types: humor-oriented translation and non—humor-oriented translation, depending on whether humorous function is the primary function of the target text. Occasions of both will be discussed and suggestions will also be given in the thesis.
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2. Research schedule
3. Outline
On E-C Translation of English Humors: A Functionalist Perspective Abstract
内容摘要
I INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background
1.2 Research Orientation and Significances
1.3 Clarification of Some Concepts
1.3.1 English Humors
1.3.2 E-C Translation of English Humors
1.4 Organization of the Thesis
II PREVIOUS STUDIES
2.1 Previous Studies on Humor Translation
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2.1.1 Translatability of Humor
2.1.2 Classification of Humor for the Purpose of Translation
2.1.3 Strategies Adopted to Translate Different Kinds of Humor
2.2 Problems on Previous Studies
2.2.1 Humor-producing-centered
2.2.2 Source-text-centered
III FUNCTIONALIST TRANSLATION THEORIES
3.1 Katharina Reiss' Text Typology and Critical Views
3.1.1 Text Typology
3.1.2 Critical Views on Text Typology
3.2 J.Hans. Vermeer' Skopos Theory
3.2.1 Skopos Theory
3.2.2 Critical View on Skopos Theory
3.3 Action Theory and Critical Views
3.3.1 Action Theory
3.3.2 Critical Views on Action Theory
IV A FUNCTIONALIST PERSPECTIVE
4.1 Humorous Source Text and Humorous Target Source Text
4.1.1 Humorous Source Text
4.1.2 Classification of Target Texts
4.2 Analysis of Two Types of Humor Translation
4.2.1 Humor-oriented Translation
4.2.2 Non-humor-oriented Translation
4.3 Challenges for a Translator in Humor Translation
4.3.1 Identifying the Humorous Elements
4.3.2 Identifying the Primary Function of the Target Text Based on the Translation Brief
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4.4 Summary
V CONCLUSION
References
4. Literature review
Humor is a significant part of a culture and is considered to be full of understatement and wisdom, sarcasm and jocularity that make English a beautiful language. In everyday English, humor can be created when the semantic meaning of the speaker crosses with that of the hearer. Besides, the inappropriate use of text cohesion, conversational principles and speech acts could result in different understandings of the conversation, which then creates humor. When it comes to translation from English humor into Chinese, the translating process always encounters great difficulties in the translation field due to different reasons. Despite the difficulties, many scholars are still working hard on English humor translation. Actually, the existing problems of English humor translation make the area of translation of English humor worth being probed into. Here in my thesis, I will try to discuss the English-Chinese translation of English humor from a functionalist perspective. In order to enrich my knowledge and theories in this field, I read some relevant books and thesis. Below is a short list of the books or papers I have covered.
1. A Comprehensive Case Study in Translation Theories
In this book, Mr. He and his co-workers sort out many Chinese and western translation theories and theorists, which are quite helpful for us students to acquire a comprehensive understanding of both domestic and overseas translation theories. Mr. He gave a brief introduction to Katharina Reiss and her Text Typology. According to what was elaborated in the book, when Katharina Reiss started to develop the functional approach, she had gained lots of translation experiences. 6
Before 1970s, it was the linguistic approach to translation studies that were prevailing in the field, especially the equivalence theory. Nevertheless, Katharina Reiss' translation experiences proved that the "equivalence principle" was not desirable all the time. Thus, Katharina Reiss advocates that functionalist approach is more suitable in those occasions.
2. Translating as a Purposeful Activity: Functionalist Approaches Explained
In the chapter I chose, emphasis is on translating as an activity, which means that a theory of translation can be embedded in a theory of human action or activity. According to Nord, human actions can be carried out by "agent", individual playing roles. When playing the role of senders in communication, people have communicative purposes that they try to put into practice by means of texts. Communicative purposes are aimed at other people who are playing the role of receivers. Communication occurs through a medium and in situations that are limited in time and place. Every specific situation determines what and how people communicate, and it is changed by people who are involved in communication.
3. Translation of Humors from the Functionalist Approach
In her thesis, Sheng gives us definitions and her explanation on humor and humor translation. According what she said in her thesis, the original meaning of humor is “liquid”, “fluid’’ or “moisture”. Later on, it got the meaning of a mood quality, either positive or negative. According to the Shorter Oxford English Dictionary, on page 1616, humor was "the condition of being in a cheerful and amiable mood". Since then the original neutral term became a positively loaded term. The word humor didn’t get the meaning of a kind of behavior or language that triggers laughter until the 1680s. In the 19th century, humor became a part of English life style and a quality that people strive to attain. In 1993，Koestler defines humor as a form of communication in which a complex mental stimulus illuminates，amuses or 7
elicits a stereotyped predicable response: the laughter reflex (Koestler,1993：682)．Nowadays, people from different study areas have studied humor from different perspectives.
Sheng gives us a general introduction of humor, the preconditions and the barriers in humor translation and the ideas and models relevant to humor translation strategies and techniques. The first part is about the general introduction of humor, in which the definitions of humor and the relevant terms usually mixed together with humor are discussed and defined in this thesis. The second part is about the preconditions in humor translation which include the requirements from international communication and the nature of humor which is the base of humor translation. The third part is about the obstacles in humor translation, which include the reasons for the existence of barriers, the examples of different types of barriers and the detailed analyses of them. The fourth part is about the theories and models on humor translation strategies and techniques, which include the most popular debate between domestication and foreignization, the functional translation approach and humor signals. The last part points out the conclusion and the necessity of the empirical research.
As for humor translation, which is considered to be a process that begins with a "humorous " source text, and as to the target text, it may not be a humorous one. This point of view is explained by the author in two aspects.
The first is that a source text is called a "humorous" one when the translator who firstly acts as a receiver of the source text "feels " it is humorous. But it is considered that there is no yardstick for humor because different people may have different definitions for humor and even the same person may define humor in various ways at different times and in different situations. Therefore, the translator' feeling about the source text is crucial in determining whether or not the translation is a humorous one.
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The second is that from the view of functional theory, the intended function of the target text determines what kind of target text should be produced. Since the same source text may be translated in various ways, it can be included that a humorous source text will not necessarily lead to a humorous target text.
Thus, according to the author, the fact that the translator can feel the humor of the source text is the starting point of a humor translation, which is also the foundation of the discussion on humor translation. Besides, the author of this thesis believes that a humorous source text will not necessary lead to a humorous target text.
4. Translation of English Humors from the Perspective of Translation
Equivalence
Based on Eugene. Nida' s dynamic equivalence and formal equivalence theory, the author Wang Yujie explored several kinds of standards and techniques on humor translation. Wang points out that the primary and most important goal is to keep the equivalence between the source text and the target text in function, which means to make the target receiver to feel similar way as the source text readers.
According to the author, the most significant factor in humor translation is to maintain its humor during the translating process, in which he views "humor function" as primary function. Therefore, the author advocates that, provided the meaning is not changed, the translator should try his or her most to make the target text feels as humorous as the original one.
5. On the Translation of English Humors
According to the thesis, there are two types of humor translation: humor-oriented translation and non-humor-oriented translation. In humor-oriented translation, the target text serves the purpose of amusing the target text reader and 9
priority is given to appeal to the target-receiver. Besides, great attention should be paid to the humorous elements of the source text and strategies like literal translation, domestication and annotation are frequently used. In non-humor-oriented translation where humor is used as a method or strategy to achieve the primary function, priority should be given to its primary function. As long as the primary function is achieved, the translator can adopt other methods to perform its humorous function effectively.
6. Strategies for Translating English Humors
Although to argue the translatability seems to be of no avail to some researchers since humor has long been considered untransferrable between languages, the progressive studies in this respect can not be neglected. New theories are being put forward in translation studies. Much impossibility has been or is being shifted to the possible category through viewing the issue from a different stank point. In the thesis, the untranslatability and translatability of English verbal humor as well as the shift from the former to the latter is dealt with by the author.
In the essay, Jin points out that languages can be translated because they share and the recognition of the common points between languages is the foundation. Though from Sino—Tibetan and Indo-European families respectively, Chinese and English undoubtedly overlap more or less because of the universality of environmental and historic development and the cognitive process. Translation practice, which has contributed greatly to the exchange of ideas between the East and the West has verified the translatability. When it comes to humorous language, which has been thought as untranslatable for linguistic and cultural reasons, Jin has given a positive answer on condition that language-expressed or language-created humor and situational humor are differentiated. Jin said, the former is translatable because it uses techniques, largely logical and some rhetorical devices with equivalents in both languages and some times literal translation is enough to convey the charm. 10
7. Classification and Translation of English Humors
According to the thesis, there are two types of humor translation: humor-oriented translation and non-humor-oriented translation. In humor-oriented translation, the target text serves the purpose of amusing the target text reader and priority is given to appeal to the target-receiver. In this type, the author holds that great attention should be paid to the humorous elements of the source text and strategies like literal translation, domestication and annotation are frequently used. In non-humor-oriented translation where humor is used as a method or strategy to achieve the primary function, priority should be given to its primary function. As long as the primary function is achieved, the translator can adopt other methods to perform its humorous function effectively.
8. Translating English Humor with Vividness and Faithfulness
English humor has its linguistic artistic features embodied at such three levels as phonology，morphology and syntax. Based on this，the author concludes that success in translating English humor lies in the fact that target language readers can enjoy similar or even the same degree of aesthetic joys with source language readers.
Although it is universally acknowledged that English humor is extremely difficult to translate, the author holds that English humor is translatable if adequate attention is paid to the rebuilding of image and the keep of the beauty of form. Besides, in the thesis translating English humor with vividness and faithfulness is emphasized.
9. On E-C Translation of English Humor from the Functionalist Approach In the past two decades, humor and its translation have attracted scholarly attention from home and abroad. A popular view is that humor translation is as 11
desperate as poem translation. In this essay, the author tries to explore translating English humor into Chinese from functionalist approach and she divides humor it into situational and non-situational humor. Situational humor is highly translatable while non-situational humor is difficult to translate due to both linguistic factors and cultural factors.
Here in the paper, the author starts from the German functionalist approach, by referring to the Hans. J. Vermeer' s skopos theory and Christiana Nord's functionality and loyalty, she points out that the function of the translation determines that way we choose. When doing translating work, we should first look into the function of translation, and then combine that to the framework of functionalist approaches. In this way,the author thinks that English humor is to some extant translatable. More importantly, the author points out that even if the source text is humorous, the target text may not necessarily be humorous.
10. Selected Readings of Contemporary Western Translation Theories
The American- Netherlands Scholar James Holmes published his thesis The Name and Nature of Translation Studies in 1972, in which he elaborated the name, nature and scope of translation study as a subject(Genzler 1993:92). For the past thirty years, translation has become an independent subject home and abroad. Therefore, the book, named as Selected Reading of Contemporary Western Translation Theories, aims at giving clear definitions and explanations on contemporary translation approaches between the sixties of 20th century, and the representatives as well as their monographies. In the book, many approaches like linguistic approaches to translation, functionalist approaches, descriptive approaches, cultural studies approaches, etc. were explained.
In the development of functionalist approaches to translation, the Skopos Theory, put forward by Hans.J. Vermeer and developed in Germany in the late 1970s mainly represented by Katharina Reiss, Justa Holz Manttari, and Christiane Nord, has played 12
a leading role. From Vermeer' s point of view, translation is a type of human action, an intentional, purposeful behavior that takes place in a given situation and it is a form of translational action based on a source text. He believes that every action has an aim, a purpose, so does a translation activity. First introduced into translation theory by Vermeer in 1970s, the Greek word" skopos" is a technique term for the goal or purpose of a translation(Ma& Miao, 2009, p. 81). The skopos theory holds the view that the way the target text eventually forms is determined largely by the function, or "skopos", intended for it in the target context.
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