不可译性及其可译潜势(英文)

Abstract：This paper attempts to discuss untranslatability、potential translatability and language function from the aspect of translation by meticulously selecting many fresh examples. The author put forward to untranslatability has potential translatability. The author thinks that translatability and untranslatability are relative. The transferring from untranslatability to translatability is dynamic instead of being static. As far as translation theory is concerned, language functions can be classified into three kinds, namely, cognitive and expressive function, cultural function and aesthetic function. In the author's opinion, there is high correlation between the question of translatability and untranslatability and the three language functions. With increasing frequency of cultural communication and great efforts of translators, untranslatability will be found more and more potential translatability. Translation studies should attach primary importance to performance of language function to reduce untranslatability and increase translatability so as to make the end product of translating lie in the superior grade. The thesis also introduce preliminary understanding of zero translation. The application principles of zero translation should be taken into consideration in order to employ its positive role and to avoid its negative role.

Key words: Untranslatability; Zero translation; Potential Translatability
    摘  要: 本文从翻译中存在不可译性、不可译性的可译潜势、语言功能的角度，对翻译中过程中不可译性现象具有可译潜势进行了分析，证明了中英翻译中不可译性是存在的，但是不可译性和可译性也是相对的，可以转换的过程，而不是一成不变的。就翻译理论而言，语言功能包括三种，即:认知表达功能，文化功能和美学功能。可译性，不可译性和三种语言功能间具有密切关系。随着社会的发展，文化交流的频繁和译者的努力，不可译性的可译潜势也越来越多的挖掘出来。翻译理论应注重翻译的语言功能研究，以减少不可译性增加可译性从而使译文始终处于最高等级。文章中也讨论了对零翻译的初步理解。在使用零翻译手段时应该注意相应的使用原则，要扬长避短，发挥零翻译的积极意义，避免其消极意义。

关键词：不可译性；零翻译；可译潜势

Introduction
The thesis is intended to do some research on untranslatability and its potential translatability. According to Peter Newmark, translation is “rendering the meaning of a text into another language in the way that the author intended the text”.[1] Therefore, on the one hand, translation can be a rendering from one language into another. On the other hand, it can also refer to translating, the process of translation, in which the source language text is transferred into the target language text.
Translation activity is a process full of difficulties, which may lead to untranslatability, no matter relative or absolute. People become more aware of translation difficulty along with human communication and translation practice. Those who have no idea about translation regard it as a process of telegraph transmission, something handled literally and without any difficulty. There are still others who take it for granted that translation is quite easy to deal with, just like a piece of cake. As time passes by, cross-cultural communication becomes more frequent, and people learn more about translation and its difficulties.

1  Translatability in Translation
Theoretically speaking, there lies basic and wide possibility of translation between
languages. That is what we called channel for message transferring. When the channel is
available, translatability comes into being. On the contrary, when the channel for message
transferring does not exist or is unavailable, untranslatability emerges [2].
By translatability, we mean first:The translator is able to understand the information encoded in the SL text as the author expects; second, the translator is in a position to transfer the information he has understood in the TL; and third, the TL readers have no problem accepting the information conveyed[3].
Of course, there are obstacles while performing a translation, but they are definitely not insurmountable. As Newmark addresses like this:Not for a moment am I trying to minimize the difficulties of many aspects (too long overlooked) as well as instances of the translators' task.Moreover, I believe that there are also many texts that present few or no difficulties to a translator, and that an effective,if approximate, translation of any text into any language is always possible[2].The possibility of translation is inevitably grounded on a series of logical bases it pertains to.

2 Untranslatability in Translation
2. 1 Background of the study
The issue of untranslatability has always been the hot topic in translation history. An important contribution to translation studies and to the definition of the concept of translatability from a semiotic point of view comes from J. M. Lotman， founder of the Tartu School of Semiotics. In Lotman’s point o f view, translatability is a relative concept, but a minimum level of translatability is guaranteed by the contiguity of many systems. We can understand translatability as the possibilities and limits of translation while apparent untranslatability, brought about by interlingual structural incompatibilities among individual languages and the thought processes of individual speech communities, can be counted with potential transalatabiliy. Translatability is not absolute, but relative. In the process of translating, many barriers will be met with, which constitute limitations of translatability. It is widely acknowledged that in principle anything that can be expressed in one language can be expressed in another. In other words, every text, if necessary, can be rendered in some way or other. But translatability is said of language as a whole. As a text is to be rendered, it is sometimes faced with obstructions, which result in limitations of translatability. We even find something untranslatable at times.