论在汉译英中主语的选择 ——以张培基《英译中国现代散文选》为

摘要：翻译是两种语言间相互转换的语言活动。在汉译英中，我们面临的任务之一是选择合适的词做主语。然而，由于英汉语言间存在较大差异，我们在汉译英过程中选择主语并不容易。汉英主语在形式和构句方面存在差异，而且汉语注重话题而英语注重主语。本文从对这些差异的分析入手，通过对张培基《英译中国现代散文选》的学习以及本人自身的实践和总结，在汉译英主语选择方面提出了一些方法和建议。一、保留原文主语作译文主语，二、选择原文的其他句子成分作译文主语，三、在译文中增补主语，四、减少改变主语。进而得出结论。在汉译英选择主语时，我们应该现在英美人的思维方式上考虑，结合英语的语言习惯，充分理解原文，运用一些技巧选择合适的主语。
关键词：汉译英;主语的选择;英汉主语的差异;张培基;英译中国现代散文选

Key words: Chinese-English Translation；the choice of subjects；the differences of subjects in English and Chinese；Zhang Peiji；Selected Modern Chinese Essays
 1．Literature Review
1.1 Existing Researches on this Topic
      Many scholars discussed the translation of Chinese and English sentences from the perspective of differences between Chinese and English subjects. According to the existing research, there are many different forms of expression between Chinese and English, which can be divided into topic-prominent language and subject-prominent language, covert subject and overt subject, parataxis and hypotaxis in sentence structure, personal subject and impersonal subject. These studies focus on the analysis of subjective differences between Chinese and English languages, but the discussion of subjects in Chinese-English translation is relatively less detailed. In the book Chinese-English Translation Studies and Practice written by Ji Dequan (2005: 105), who puts forward five principles of determining the subjects in Chinese-English translation: "(1) It must conform to the English expression and the background. (2) It must conform to the English way of thinking ". (3) It must be the information that should be emphasized in the sentence. (4) It must follow the logical order of the sentence. (5) It should meet the context of the request ". In addition, Liu Miqing (1992: 37:46) has concluded in his book Contrast and Translation of English and Chinese three specific methods of selecting the subjects in the procession of translating Chinese into English, which are equivalence, shift, and supplement. These studies provide translators with some theories, principles, and strategies to choose the subject of Chinese to English translation.
1.2 Purposes and importance of the Study
      The main purposes and importance of my paper can be summarized as the following two aspects. First of all, as a famous translator and translation theorist, Zhang Peiji made a great contribution to the translation of Chinese papers. The qualities and standards of the articles which he translated are very high. His Selected Modem Chinese Essays was widely accepted by readers and scholars to help spread the Chinese culture, so his translation of the paper worthy of translators’ unremitting study, they learned a lot, so as to improve translators’ ability to translate; the other aspect is that there is no denying the important role of the subject in shaping and constructing sentences in both Chinese and English. They also have a significant impact on the cohesion of sentences, but because of the differences between English and Chinese subjects, translators choose an appropriate subject from Chinese into English as a challenge, so it seems that it should be investigated and made detailed use of some useful translation techniques and strategies to help translators’ determine the subject of Chinese to English translation. Zhang Peiji's Chinese prose translation has set a good example in choosing the appropriate subject, so the author chose to analyze own translation works together with him and explore the method of choosing the subject.
2. Differences between Chinese and English Subjects
      Chinese and English belong to two different language families, therefore Chinese finds its root in the Sino-Tibetan Language Family, while English belongs to Indo-European Language Family. Differences exist between the two languages, one of which is the difference between their subjects, so as bring difficulties to us in English learning and Chinese and English translation. This chapter will generally discuss the differences between Chinese and English subjects mainly in the following three facts.
2.1  In Forms
   Chinese subjects are diverse and highly compatible. Wei Zhicheng (2003) points out that all kinds of words, phrases and clauses can be used as Chinese subject. Liu Miqing (1992) argues that, due to the diversity of Chinese characteristics, the Chinese language features, almost any form of expression can be directly used as the subject of Chinese, or in other words, topics, such as nouns, verbs, adjectives, quantifiers or any other words, phrases or terms, we consider them to be "topics" rather than "subjects". “TmS (time subject), PlS (place subject), DaS (subject matter), MrS (modifier subject) Chinese subject” (Liu Meiqing, 1992: 39). Unlike Chinese subjects, English subjects are less incompatible and form singular, because they must be nominal. Thus, noun and subject pronouns can be used as subject of English, and as for other non-nominal words, phrases or clauses, if you want to use them as subjects of English, you must change their form and make them nouns.
2.2 Topic-prominent Language vs. Subject-prominent Language
      According to Li and Thompson (1976) theory, different languages can be divided into four categories, namely the subject-prominent language, the topic-prominent language, both the subject-prominent and the topic-prominent language, neither the subject-prominent nor the topic-prominent language. And they show that Chinese belongs to the topic-prominent language which is the informational units of topic and comment that are basic to the structure of sentences, while English is the subject-prominent language which is the grammatical units of the subject and predicate that are basic to the structure of sentences. English focuses more on the relationship between the subject and the actor and the action, and the performance of the behavior can be found in the close grammatical relationship between the English subject and the predicate. This is not the same as Chinese. Zhao Yuanren (1979) said that only about 50% of the relationship between the Chinese subject and the predicate reflects the relationship between the actor and the behavior, so it is best to be the Chinese subject and predicate as the topic and comment. This also explains why Chinese subjects are more diverse than English subjects.
 
2.3 In Sentence Structure
     From the above discussion, you can conclude that that English emphasizes the subject. They are indispensable in constructing sentences. In most cases, the subject is the starting point, the center and the must in English sentences. Often using the formal subject "it" can also be a good explanation of the English subject is indispensable. They have a decisive grammatical function and have a comprehensive and close relationship with the whole sentence. In English, the subject decides the number of predicates, so it should be consistent with the subject when the sentence is constructed. “The main body and the predicate form the seven main English sentences, namely SV, SVC, SVO, SVA, SVOO, SVOC, SVOA.” (Quirk, R., Greenbaum, G. Leech & J. Svartvik, 1985: 721). These forms of sentences also reveal the importance of English subjects. Chinese sentences are more flexible and do not have to follow strict sentences as English. As for the Chinese subject, they are not indispensable in the sentence structure and are not related to the form of the predicate. No subject sentences are common to meet in Chinese, and in many cases the subject can be omitted.
 
3. Methods of Choosing the Subjects in Chinese-English Translation
3.1 Keep the Subjects of the Original Sentences
      From the analysis and discussion in section two, translators understand that the subject of English sentences is mainly nouns, subjective pronouns or nominal words. If the original Chinese has a clear subject, and the subject is composed of nouns or subjective pronouns, and in line with the English primitive order, which is the thematic progression pattern. And then the translation of the original subject can be used as the subject of English translation. This is the easiest and most reliable means of choosing a subject in Chinese to English translation.
(1)这激流永远动荡着，并不曾有一个时候停止过，而且它也不能够停止；没有什么东西可以阻止它。在它的途中，它也曾发射出种种的水花，这里面有爱，有恨，有欢乐，也有痛苦。这一切造成了一股奔腾的激流，具着排山之势，向着唯一的海流去。(巴金 《激流》总序）
a. This torrent is always surging ahead; it has never stopped for a single moment and will never stop. Nothing whatever can hold it up. While on its way, it sometimes throws clouds of spray into the air embodying love and hate, and happiness and sorrow. All that makes up thetumultuous torrent rushing with terrific force towards the only sea. (“a” is Zhang Peiji’s translation texts, the following are same)
b.The torrent is always turbulent, it never stop and it can not stop; there is nothing to stop it. On its way, it has also launched a variety of water which including love, hate, joy and pain. All these caused a tumultuous surging towards the only ocean with terrific force. (“b” is author translation texts, the following are same)
    The first example shows that when the Chinese subject is a noun, translators can keep the original subject. In the original Chinese, "激流" is the starting point of information, and when the following original text mentions it again, and it is replaced with the pronoun "它" , all of which are explicit nouns and nominative pronouns. In the procession which translates Chinese into English, these subjects are in turn corresponding to the original subject, respectively, translated into “torrent” and “it”, thus retaining the original subject. So, the author and Zhang Peiji choose the same subjects “torrent” and “it” in their translation.
3.2 Choose other constituents of the Original Sentences
Because of the great difference between Chinese and English ways of thinking and the great differences between Chinese language and English language, translators can not determine and retain the subject of the original texts when they do the translation from Chinese to English each time. In many cases, in order to ensure that the translation with clear logic, fluent language,authentic expression, sometimes they need to select and determine the new subject, rather than casual to use the subject in the original texts. Choosing the other elements of the original sentence as the subject of the translated text is a good way worth learning and trying.
 3.2.1 Choose the objects to be the subjects
(2)是有人偷了他们罢：那是谁？又藏在何处呢？是他们自己逃走了罢：现在又到了那里呢？（朱自清  《匆匆》）
a.Perhaps they have been stolen by someone.But who could do it be and where could he hide them? Perhaps they have just run away by themselves. But where could they be at the present moment?
b.Perhaps someone steals them. But who is he and where does he hide? Perhaps they escape by themselves. But where could they be at this moment in time?
     In the second example, the main concern is "有人偷了他们罢" and here "他们" means "my days". Zhang Peiji's translation chooses "他们" as the subject and uses passive voice to support the construction of sentences. The author thinks his translation is better. First of all, the original text of the essay is talking about the transience of time, the theme of the sentence is "time" or "my days" rather than “someone”, so Zhang Peiji's translation is more closely related to the theme and use it as a subject to think more. Secondly, the use of passive voice is more in line with the English expression of the habit. Lian Shu’neng (2010) pointed out that the passive voice in English is a common grammatical phenomenon, the use of passive statements has almost become a expression habit.
    In addition to the easily definable nouns acting as the objects in the Chinese sentence, other forms of objects in the Chinese sentence are worthy of our attention, because translators can choose any other nouns in these components as our English subject.
(3) 我不禁头涔涔而泪潸潸了。 （朱自清  《匆匆》）
a.At the thought of this, sweat oozes from my forehead and tears trickle down my checks.
b.I can’t help sweating from my forehead and streaming from eyes.
    In the third example, it can be obviously seen that “汗涔涔”and“泪潸潸”use as the objects in original texts, but they are the subject-predicate phrases. The author chooses to retain the original subject “我”as the subject in the translation texts while Zhang Peiji uses the subject-predicate phrases and chooses the nouns “汗”and“泪”which are in the objects as his translation’s subjects. The author’s translation texts starts from the feeling of the prose’s author while Zhang Peiji starts from the objective things “sweat” and “tears”. So, the author thinks Zhang Peiji’s translation texts is more livelier than the author’s version in depicting the scenes. “At the thought of this”,this adding conjunctive expression in Zhang Peiji’s translation texts plays the role of supporting, reflects the original internal logic in the sentence, so that readers can understand the essay more clearly .
 
3.2.2 Choose the Adverbials to be the Subjects
      Choosing the adverbial of the original texts as the subject of the translation texts can bring the following advantages to us. First of all, it is a way to use the objective things as the starting point of the information, which is in line with the British way of thinking. Secondly, it sets a good example for us, learning to break the Chinese mind, and translators can be more flexible in the translation procession. Thirdly, it can help us to diversify the sentence pattern, so that the translation structure is more compact, expression is more natural and fluent, sentence meaning is more logical. Zhang Peiji is good at choosing adverbial as the subject of the translation texts, and translators can learn a lot from his translation works.
(3)这些日子，家中光景很是惨淡，一半是为了丧事，一半是为了父亲赋闲。（朱自清 《背影》）
a.Between grandma’s funeral and father’s unemployment, our family was then is reduced circumstances.
b.Those days were desolate for my family, half due to the funeral of my grandma,half due to the unemployment of my father.
    Here, Zhang Peiji chooses to use the place adverbial "家中" as the subject, and the author chooses to use the attributive "这些日子" as the subject. Both translation texts are acceptable. Zhang Peiji's translation texts is more focused on the reduction and gloomy scene of family situations, while the author’s translation texts emphasizes the time of the event.
3.2.3 Choose the Attributives to be the Subjects
(4)我不知道他们给了我多少日子；但我的手确乎是渐渐空虚了。（朱自清，《匆匆》)
a.I don't know how many days I am entitled to altogether，but my quota of them is undoubtedly wearing away.
b.I don't know how long time they gave me, but I do feel the time are gradually escaping from my hands.
    As for the translation of the second sentence"但我的手确然是渐渐空虚了", the author thinks her translation texts is better than Zhang Peiji's translation texts. In fact, it is not "my hand" really empty, but a feeling of the author. This is the author that the days have gone. So the author chooses "I" as the subject of the translation to help express the author's personal feelings while preserving the original rhetorical beauty. Zhang Peiji's version is too specific, the original taste of the Chinese sentence is not retained.
3.2.4 Choose the Predicates to be the Subjects
(5)“少壮不努力，老大徒伤悲。”（梁实秋，《时间即生命》）
a.“One who does not work hard in youth will grieve in vain in old age.”
b.“Lazy youth make rueful age..”
      The author thinks her translation is better than Zhang Peiji’s version. The original Chinese sentence is a typical "theme + comment" to take "少壮不努力" as the theme and "老大徒伤悲" as a comment. The author’s translation captures the verb "不努力" and turns it into the subject "lazy youth". It is more concise than Zhang Peiji's translation, but also in line with the characteristics of simple language. The view of Zhang Peiji's translation is "one" or in another word “people”. By choosing "不努力" as the author’s subject, the idea is transferred from the action executor to the objective action or the act itself. In addition, the Chinese tend to have metaphorical thinking, while Westerners are abstract thinking, which is one of the reasons why Chinese often use specific nouns, and English abstract nouns. In the author’s translation, the use of the subject "lazy youth", abstract nouns to meet the needs of English features.
3.3 Replenish New Subjects for the Translation
3.3.1 Replenish the Suppressed Subjects of the Original
     In Chinese, the subject is not indispensable, as Wang Li (1984) puts forward, according to Western grammar rules, each sentence should have a subject, the only exception is omitted. But according to the Chinese grammar rules, you can see that they are often faded, but not omitted. In addition to the sentences that contain the subject, sentences without subjects are common to see in Chinese, and their subjects are unknowable. But you can also say that the subject in the non-subject sentence is virtual. For example, in the sentence"不登高山，不显平地", in the sentence so that state the truth, you can put "people" as their virtual subject. Therefore, Wang Li summed up that in the Chinese language, as much as possible to faint the subject; subjects are hidden, and they also have a real contact or virtual contact with the sentences. Therefore, in the face of the sentence which hidden the subjects in the Chinese language, translators can choose to add the subject in the English translation texts .
(6)过不了儿个月，居然收获了！（许地山，《落花生》）
a.We gathered in a good harvest just after a couple of months!
b.Only in a few months, we actually had a harvest!
      From the context, translators can get that the hidden subject in the Chinese sentence is “we” that includes 'the children and the several girls”，so both Zhang Peiji and the author replenish “we” into our English translation serving as the subject.
3.3.2 Replenish the Impersonal Pronoun “It”
      “It” as an impersonal pronoun , what is often used as the subject in English language. The using of “it” in such cases also indicates the objectiveness in English way of thinking and the trend of choosing impersonal subject in English language.
      First of all, the impersonal pronoun “it” can serve as unspecified “it”，serving as the subjects to lead the sentences that depict time, place, person and his/her characteristics, temperature, weather, season, distance, natural environment, general conditions and so on. The unspecified “it” only acts the role of the subject, but doesn't have any practical meanings.
(7)我与父亲不相见已二年余了，我最不能忘记的是他的背影。（朱自清，《背影》）
a.It is more than two years since I last saw father, and what 1 can never forget is the sight of his back.
b.It has been more than two years since I last time saw my father, and I can never forget is the view of his back.
      Here, “It” acts as the subject to show time. However, the present perfect tense applied in the author’s translation texts is better than the present tense in Zhang Peiji’s translation texts.
Next, the impersonal pronoun “it” can also serve as preparatory “it”, acting the part of subject as the formal subject.
3.4 Reduce of Changing the Subjects
      English-speaking people usually do not change the subject in the sentence or among the sentences, because they think the subject is the center of the message, and their language is the hypotaxis language. On the contrary, the Chinese often use many short sentences to describe a major topic. The relevant short sentence is that their subject is not necessarily to be same, because the Chinese is intended to fit the language,it is parataxis.Wang Li (1984:457) said that Westerners tend to put the parts into a whole when they write something, while the Chinese tend to combine things together when they write things to break the whole into the parts. Therefore, translators should reduce the changes of subjects, to ensure consistency within the sentence or among the sentences, and make the information more fluent and clear.
(8)我们过了江，进了车站。我买票，他忙着照看行李。行李太多了，得向脚夫行些小费，才可过去。（朱自清  《背影》）
a.We entered the railway station after crossing the River. While I was at the booking office buying a ticket, father saw to my luggage. There was quite a bit of luggage and he had to bargain with the porter over the fee.
b.We crossed the river and entered the railway station where I bought the ticket and father saw to my baggage, quite a lot of baggage which he had to give some tips to the porter in order to enter.
      In Chinese original texts, the subjects change from “我们”、“我”、“他”to the hidden subject “他”. In Zhang Peiji’s translation texts, he chooses as many subjects as the original essay. But the author uses just one subject to combine with all the sentences, because the author has known the logical relations among the Chinese original texts, and then in the author’s translation texts the author can reveal the relations among the sentences with the help of relative words to guide the attributive clauses. So the author’s translation is more in line with the English expression, its structure and content are more compact than Zhang Peiji's translation texts.
4. Conclusion
       In Chinese and English translations, the choice of subject is extremely important, because the subject is indispensable in English. There are many differences between English and Chinese subjects, which bring us difficulties in translating between Chinese and English. Chinese is the topic-prominent language, while English is the subject-prominent language. In addition, their subjects are different in form and sentence structure. From the above discussion, you can see that many kinds of translation techniques and strategies can be used to help us determine the subject in Chinese-English translation. In general, they can be summed up in three ways. In these three general ways, the author’s paper summarizes the detailed methods and strategies. Although they can not cover the whole methods and strategies, the flexibility of subject selection in Chinese and English translations is obvious. By comparing the author’s thesis translation texts with Zhang Peiji's translation texts, you can also see that for a Chinese sentence you have more than one choice when you choose the subject in Chinese-English translation. But not all the choices are good or appropriate. By analyzing and studying the author’s translation and translation of Zhang Peiji, translators conclude that firstly, the translator should master the differences between the two languages. And then the translator should get correct and thorough understanding in the context of the Chinese sentence and its context , to get rid of the negative transfer of Chinese influence, and follow the Anglo-American English thinking and expression habits, to use the skills and strategies in selecting the subjects. And the translation texts should be based on the text, adjusting the original sentence. In order to the translators can not only translate the the original sentence semantics, but also accurately convey the original sentence of the translation. However, the translator should not be confined to a certain skill, but should be based on the characteristics of the Chinese sentence itself and the English translation of the acceptability. Using flexibly, analysing the specific circumstances in specific ways, so that the translation can faithfully convey the original and original style, so as to achieve people through the English translation can also enjoy the expression effects in profound Chinese language.
 
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