Xu Jialing of the three generations of translators of "Chinese Translation World Academic Books"

Author:Catti center Time:2022.09.04

"The attitude of translation is a question of learning style"

Xu Jialing (History Department of Northeast Normal University):

After the "Cultural Revolution", I resumed the college entrance examination. I was the first batch of master students who admitted to the school. At the Northeast Normal University, Mr. Zhu Huan and Mr. Guo Shoutian were done to do the study of medieval history. At that time, I wrote a graduation thesis and involved France in the Middle Ages. When I went to Beijing to collect information, I discovered the "History of Economic and Social History in the late Middle Ages". I thought to myself, this book is so good, why no one reads, no one translates? After returning, I asked my teacher. At that time, the "Cultural Revolution" was just over, and it was anyway, anyway, there were a lot of things to do anyway. He said that this book can be done, but I have no energy when I am old. If you like to do it, you can do it. No problem, I will check it. At that time, my master's degree had not graduated. If he didn't say that, I really didn't have this guts. After all, I dealt with the famous business printing hall. Mr. Zhu also supports it, saying that it is a good thing.

At that time, the Ministry of Education said that no one did the history of the Middle Ages, and asked Mr. Zhu to take the lead and organized a training class to send the young backbone teachers of the famous universities of Nankai, Sichuan University, and Wuhan University to the training of our Normal University for one year. When they contacted the business for the first time, they wrote back and said that there was no such plan for the time being. After entering the class, the business came again and asked me if I wanted to do it? I quickly wrote thousands of words of translation, and my understanding and explanation of this book -the role and significance in academic history, and why this book is translated now. After they watched it, they approved. At the beginning of the class, I mentioned this with everyone. They were all willing and said that it was great, so I pulled the team up. Teacher Guo was old and couldn't read. He told me that there was a problem to find him at any time. He helped me solve it.

Later, I was sent abroad by the Ministry of Education. After returning to China in 1985, I had a concentration. The manuscript was completed as a student. Some concepts could not be understood. There were certain limitations. After studying in Greece for two years, my vision and ideas were expanded. Essence I submitted the translation of the "History of the Economic and Social History of the Middle Ages" in the late Middle Ages in 1988, and it was officially published in 1992. When I went to Beijing to submit the manuscript, it happened to be before giving birth to my son. They also said that it was not easy for you to have a big belly. In 1996, this one -line book was included in the "Chinese Translation World Academic During the Book", and it was ten years before and after.

The entire process of translation books is very hard, and there are resistance. After the book was published, the school resolved my title for me. I don't write much about my article, which affects the title of the job, but I think the translation masterpiece is very meaningful. For a long time, the translation has not been counted as academic results. Until the early 1990s, the books published by the Business Press were provincial publications in our school's identification. The older generation can not understand, "What is the translation? Isn't the translation just a text game? Like academic research?" But after finishing, I think it is a lot of gains. The translation is not a text game, but I can learn a lot thing. Through this book, I have a deeper understanding of the medieval society and lifestyle. Many stories, legends, and proverbs have not understood before, and it is interesting to learn.

The technical means of translation are also developed. At that time, it was a word of words, and it was a day in the library. For one or two nouns, or the ins and outs of the incident. There is a teacher's information room in our school. The conditions are very difficult and the heating is not very good. Writish writing in winter is frozen, and both hands are red. If you do n’t have any benefits, you ca n’t talk about your name, but the work of translation academic works is meaningful. Many people are learning and using them. how to say? Pain, but also very happy.

I do a world history. I do n’t look at foreign works. Someone also recommends to me, but I do n’t have enough energy. I do n’t have much to translate academic works. Every time I make a book is a process of learning. Introduce foreign thoughts to the country. First of all, I have to learn it. If you know half -knowledge when you translate, the reader is even more cloudy. A word, a sentence, how to translate, sometimes you need to check a lot of information, and you will also get stuck for a day for the translation of a word. To my gratitude, my translation is not a product of quick success.

I was talking about the quality of academic translation a while ago, and seeing some news is really angry. Many students are under the banner of the teacher, and there is another. The teacher lets the students work, and they do not look at themselves. This is a work attitude and an attitude of life. Teacher Guo taught me that he could not mistaken people, and he had to do things with a sound. Occasionally, it was difficult to avoid it, but in the large direction and principles, it was never allowed to be wrong. Those who buy this book read the original book, or understand the original text of the original book, or do not understand the original text 100 %, so our translation is responsible for readers. What kind of attitude is used to engage in translation work is a question of learning. If there are too many errors in the book, it is the lack of professional level, but in terms of attitude, I do my best. I can't play myself a hundred points. The actors of the film and television drama say that the performance is a regretful art. In my opinion, translation is the same. Once, I translated the name of Voltaire in accordance with French transliteration. When the teacher reviewed the manuscript, I reminded me very politely that the knowledge was not enough. I need to learn a little modern history.

In 1982, when the first series of "Chinese Translation World Academic Dispost" was published, we purchased it with public expenses. At the beginning of the history, we joined philosophy and economics. I read a lot of Russell's "History of Western Philosophy", because teaching students have this need, but they will not be selected from beginning to end. Rostov Caifu's "The Social Economic History of the Roman Empire" was often turned over and read. And Hipot's "Arabic History", I read a lot. Other masterpieces that are unrelated to professionalism are just ruming and not too thin. In any case, no publisher in China can be compared with the business printing library. I have seen a batch of publications in Taiwan, and the quality of translation is very poor. The editors of the old -fashioned business are very serious and have a layer of control. Even the young factions, the level of translation and editing is the best. The publishing cycle of the Business Press is relatively long, in order to ensure the quality. At that time, the market economy had begun. Publishing academic masterpieces was lost. They had to consider the income of the dictionary and then support this set of books. Business books are slow, and they cannot blame them.

There are too few people who do a job as a career at the moment, such as translation. Struggling, affecting the titles of the job, affecting the writing of articles, as far as the identification of scientific research results, it is not worthwhile. Teachers with deep feelings will tell students to do less translation. My suggestion is that it is best to set up a fund, encounter good books, good translators, and seize them in time to solve their worries. While expanding the translator's team, we must also strengthen the editorial power. I hope that the more this series of books will come out in the future.

Author: Xu Jialing

Source: Wen report

Reporter: Huang Chunyu

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