Article,
Réflexions sur les etudes des problèmes fondamentaux de la traduction
Meta, (1999)
Abstract
The author looks at some of the fundamental problems faced by translators.Through a comparison of French and Chinese translation theories, he focuses on the similarity and dichotomy between free translation and literal translation. A discussion of the (re)translation of Stendhal's Le Rouge et le Noir in China serves as a perfect illustrative example. To move away from this dichotomy in translation studies, the author proposes a study of levels of translation (with analysis of interdependent and interactive elements): the conceptual level (thought), the semantic level and the esthetic level. The aim is to adopt a new approach to discussions on the nature of translation and the processes involved and to better assess the complexity of the translator's task.
