Abstract

This study explores the intersection of Kress and van Leeuwen’s (1996) visual grammar and reader perceptions of the covers of Chinese-translated books, revealing both the complexity of reader perceptions and the explanatory powers of visual grammar in this under-researched context. The research firstly applies visual grammar to semiotically analyze ten covers of Chinese émigré literature translated from English to Chinese and subsequently investigates, via questionnaires, how sixty-five Chinese readers interpret key semiotic elements on the covers. Results from the semiotic analyzes and questionnaires confirm the utility of visual grammar in predicting reader interactions with translation book covers, particularly in terms of the represented dynamism as achieved within the ideational metafunction. However, misalignment between predictions and actual reader perceptions is revealed in terms of the social distance between human figures and viewers by an interpersonal metafunction analysis. Visual grammar proves less efficacious in predicting reader interactions than in determining how readers understand the representations on covers. The study discusses implications of these findings for applying visual grammar to multimodal translation and for designing effective translation book covers, advocating for designs that are both appealing and ethically inclusive of the translator’s name. This research sets the stage for further studies involving controlled semiotic variables and broader engagement with the design and reader communities.

摘要

本研究探討克雷斯和范．李文（Kress and van Leeuwen 1996）的視覺語法理論與中文翻譯書籍封面，當中讀者感知之間的關係，揭示了讀者感知的複雜性，以及究探視覺語法在研究領域中，其解釋力較少受到關注的原因。首先運用視覺語法理論，對十本英譯中的華人移民文學作品封面進行符號學分析，隨後通過問卷調查了65 位中國讀者對封面關鍵符號元素的解讀。符號學分析和問卷調查下，證實視覺語法在預測讀者與翻譯書籍封面互動方面的實用性，在概念元功能對動態性的表達尤其實用。然而，在分析人際元功能時，研究預測封面人物與觀者之間的社會距離，卻與讀者的實際感知出現了偏差。相比於預測讀者互動，視覺語法的效果更佳，確定了讀者如何理解封面表達的內容。在本文研究中，發現對於視覺語法在多模態翻譯領域的應用，以及有效設計翻譯書籍封面的啟示。本文主張書籍封面的設計應有吸引力，且應呈現譯者的姓名，以合乎倫理。本文為下一步研究奠定了基礎。下一步研究將控制符號學變量，並更廣泛地參與到設計和讀者社群當中。

Abstract

The English translation of the Chinese classic comic Chan Shuo 禪說 has garnered significant attention as a vital medium for introducing Chinese Chan Buddhism to English readers. This study investigates the representational meaning that emerges through the comic translation of Chan Shuo. In a digital humanities (DH) approach, the study first creates a self-built database of bilingual texts and images of Chan Master and then utilizes two tools developed at the Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, UAM CorpusTool and ImageTool, to annotate the database systematically, culminating in an analysis of the multimodal representational realizations of Chan Master. Based on the analytical framework combining visual grammar and visual narrative, it scrutinizes the participants, processes, and circumstances through both quantitative and qualitative methods. Moreover, it seeks to explore the multimodal translation methods to adapt Chan story for contemporary readers by examining the representation of Chan Master’s image through the textimage interplay. The findings indicate that such a multimodal translation adeptly conveys the inclusiveness and dynamism of the Chan Master, effectively transmitting core concepts of Chan Buddhism to the English-speaking world.

摘要

中國經典漫畫《禪說》的英譯本作為向英語世界傳播中國禪宗文化的重要媒介，引起了廣泛關注。本研究旨在探討此漫畫翻譯過程中的多模態再現意義。基於數碼人文方法，研究首先自建雙語圖文資料庫，整合禪宗漫畫的文本與影像資源，隨後運用馬德里自治大學研發的UAM CorpusTool 與ImageTool工具進行系統性標註，最終系統分析禪師形象的多模態再現過程。通過融合視覺語法與視覺敘事的理論框架，採用定量與定性相結合的研究方法，深入檢視翻譯主體、過程及語境要素。同時，通過解析圖文互動中的禪師形象再現機制，探索面向當代讀者的禪宗故事多模態翻譯策略。研究結果表明，這種多模態翻譯策略不僅生動呈現了禪師的包容性與動態特徵，更有效地向英語世界傳遞了禪宗文化的核心概念。

Abstract

This article provides a thorough review of constraints in translation studies. It analyzes existing literature to assess whether constraints positively or negatively impact translators. Drawing on studies of translation constraints, it proposes an ecosystemic perspective, viewing constraints as transversal elements within translation ecosystems that manifest differently according to given environments and organisms. We propose an abstracted constraint prioritization procedure aimed at harnessing affordance perception, a skill that learners, scholars, and practitioners might find beneficial. The article concludes by providing an ecosystemic map of these forces, and it brings to the surface the importance of establishing clear vantage points to create ecologically valid abstractions, underscoring that constraints lead translators to perceive affordances. This ecological and affordance-based perspective aims to enable learners and practitioners to better incorporate the “constraint concept” in their work and connect the scholarly and professional communities. One such area of connection is translator’s posture, centered on how translators occupy a position in the environments forming their domains of practice, be they textual, professional, or social.

摘要

本論文全面綜述了翻譯研究的約束概念。研究回顧了專述翻譯約束的現有文獻，討論約束是正面地還是負面地影響著譯者。論文建基於專述翻譯約束的研究，提出翻譯生態系的觀點，並將約束視為橫跨翻譯生態系的元素，會依據特定環境和有機生命，而有不同的表述方式。論者概要提出了一套規程，為約束制度優先權重，規程旨在幫助譯者掌握可供性的線索，可能是裨益學生、學者和從業人員的技能。論文最後擬定了一副翻譯生態系藍圖，枚舉翻譯工作的約束因素。藍圖表明，建立明確的觀點，和創造有效的生態系概念是相當重要，強調了約束能夠引導譯者有更好覺察和可供性。論文提出以生態和可供性為基礎的觀點，旨在學生和從業人員能更好把「約束觀念」融入翻譯工作，連接學界和業界。學界和業界能連接的一個領域便是譯者的處理方式，無論是文本、專業還是社會的實踐領域，都以譯者如何在構成自其實踐領域的環境中佔一席之地為中心。

Abstract

This paper offers a critical analysis of the reinterpretation of female authority in William Shakespeare’s The Merchant of Venice by exploring the role of Portia and her transformation in early Chinese translations. First, it provides a brief survey of recent interpretations of Portia’s role in The Merchant to familiarize the reader with current debates and the different readings. The objective is to present a concrete understanding of Shakespeare’s intentions regarding sexual dynamics in order to assess how these elements were recontextualized in Chinese translations for specific cultural purposes. Next, the paper examines the first Chinese translations of the play to determine how faithfully they preserved the original portrayal of female characters. Finally, this paper analyzes Bao Tianxiao’s adaptation, The Lawyeress, considering how deviations from Shakespeare’s original text reflected evolving attitudes toward sexual equality in early twentieth century China and contributed to the creation of a uniquely feminist reading of Portia’s character.

摘要

本文旨在重新詮釋莎士比亞作品《威尼斯商人》中的女性權力，探索其中人物波西亞扮演的角色，以及人物在早期漢語譯本中的轉化。首先，本文將概述近年學界如何詮釋波西亞在劇中扮演的角色，闡述當前學術辯論走向和作品的不同解讀，以具體了解莎士比亞描繪兩性互動的意圖，評估這些元素在漢語譯本中，如何為了特定的文化目的而被重新詮釋，切合中國語境需要。其次，本文會評估劇作的早期漢語譯本，以及譯文在重構原著女性角色描寫時的忠實程度。最後，本文會分析包天笑的改編作《女律師》，並從觀察此譯本對原文的偏離如何反映中國二十世紀初對兩性平等的態度演變，並說明譯本如何有助從女性主義角度解讀波西亞的角色。

Abstract

At the turn of the twentieth century, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s work was regularly translated into Chinese despite the complexity of the medical terminology that permeates his work. This article considers how references in the Sherlock Holmes stories were rendered in translations published in 1916, thereby bridging the gap between Western and Chinese medical traditions. In particular, it considers how Western medical diagnoses and procedures were grafted onto existing concepts in traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) through analysis of the translation methods used. It reflects on the need to make such medical references accessible to non-specialist readers in order to not impede their reading experience. By comparing early and later translations, the article assesses the extent to which Western medicine (WM) permeates Chinese culture at different points in twentieth century history.

摘要

儘管柯南．道爾的作品中滲透著複雜的醫學術語，其著作在二十世紀之間被續譯介至中文世界中。本文通過考察1916年中華書局出版的《福爾摩斯偵探案全集》譯本中醫學指涉的轉化方式，揭示這些翻譯如何成為中西醫學傳統的溝通橋梁。研究特別聚焦於譯者如何通過翻譯策略，將西方醫學診斷與治療手段，嫁接到傳統中醫的既有概念之中。文章深入探討了譯本在保持文學可讀性與傳遞專業醫學知識之間的平衡：為避免影響普通讀者的閱讀體驗，譯者需對專業內容進行通俗化處理。通過對比早期與後期譯本，本研究評估了西方醫學在二十世紀不同歷史節點對中國文化產生的滲透程度，勾勒出跨文化醫學知識遷移的歷時性圖景。