严复“信达雅”在文件翻译中的运用

【摘 要】自从严复提出了“信达雅”的翻译标准，这个标准就在中国的翻译界占有举足轻重的地位。在这篇文章中，通过详细的分析严复所提出的理论和文件翻译的特点，最终得出如何才能更好的把此理论运用到文件翻译中去。

【关键词】“信达雅”；严复；文件翻译

Abstract：Since the criteria of translation “Xin Da Ya”

was introduced by Yan Fu， it has become quite important in the

field of translation in China. In this study， through analyzing

the Yan Fu’s theory and document translation in detail， how

the theory better applied to the document translation can be

achieved.

Key words： “Xin Da Ya”； Yan Fu； Document

Translation

Yan Fu is one of the famous translators in the history of

China. In the preface to the translation of Evolution and Ethics，

he pointed out that “there are three things difficult to achieve in

translation： Xin （faithfulness）， Da （expressiveness）， Ya

（elegance）.” Then can we apply this theory in the document translation？ According to Ko， the document translation refers

to “the translation of various kinds of documents which are

largely based on factual information， such as brochures and

newsletters of various organizations， government policy papers

and reports， legal documents， business correspondence，

public notices， information sheet， operating manuals and

instructions” （Ko 2005： 49）. Moreover， Ko indicated that

“in document translation， translators are required to maintain

a high level of accuracy while also maintaining the natural flow

of expression in the target language”. That is to say， when

translating the document， a basic principle should be followed

by translators， which is conveying information in the source

text without distortion， addition or omission； at the same time

the expression in the target language must be understood by

target readers.

Based on the definition and requirement of document

translation， the translation criteria proposed by Yan Fu can

provide guidance at macro level to translators in document

translation. The reasons are as follows：

First of all， Xin emphasizes the source text and requires

the target text to be faithful to the source text. This means that

the source text is the basis of translation and the target text is the product of translation. In document translation， translators

should remember that all the information in the source text

should be translated faithfully.

Secondly， Da and Ya focus on the target text and takes

readers of the target text into consideration. In document

translation， translators need to make sure that the target text is

comprehensible and conforms to the norms of target language，

so the readers of the target text can fully understand the

connotative meaning， and the communicative purpose of

translation can be achieved. Thirdly， the relationship

between Xin Da Ya is unified. The most basic function of

translation is communication； therefore Xin is fundamental

since it tries to preserve what is to be communicated. In addition

to Xin， Da and Ya are also important to achieve the purpose of

translation. Without any one of the three （Xin Da Ya）， the

communicative purpose of translation cannot be fulfilled.

Therefore， in document translation， translators need to pay

attention to Xin， Da and Ya.

In conclusion， Yan Fu’s Xin Da Ya can provide guidance

at macro level to document translation as a general translation

principle， but it is highly summarized and cannot take other

factors of translation into consideration. Since translation is a very complicated process， there are many factors which should

be considered， such as the purpose of the translation， the

intention of the writer， the requirement of the client and the

needs of the prospective readers. So Translators need to consider

each situation respectively and apply Yan Fu’s theory in their

translation to achieve the best possible result.

References：

[1]Yan， F. （1898）. Preface to Tianyanlun （Modern

Chinese Version） （S. Shen， Trans.）. In Lun Xin Da Ya： Yan

Fu Fan Yi Li Lun Yan Jiu （Discussion of Xin Da Ya： the Study

of Yan Fu's Translation Theory）. Taipei： Taiwan Commercial

Publishing House

[2]Ko， L. （2005）. NAATI Accreditation for Translators

in Australia： Theoretical underpinnings and practical

implications. Translation Watch Quarterly （Inaugural Issue），

46-58.