谁是老子?谁是儿子?——论文学作品原作和译作的关系

就特定的原作和它的译作而言,原作是“老子”,译作是“儿子”。就泛指的原作和译作之间的关系而言,在特定的社会文化环境下,译作可能成为“老子”,原创则转换成“儿子”。

Son or father?——On the relationship between original works and translated works

Traditional translation theories held that the original work was the absolute authority over translated works whereas the translated works were derivations from the original work.Therefore,the relationship between the original work and its translated versions was that of a father and his sons.The deconstruction and post-modern translation theories denied the authority of the original work,thinking that the translated works were the afterlife of the original work.It is the translations determining the meaning of the original,not the other way round.According to Poly-system theories,under certain social-cultural circumstances,the translated works assumes the position of "father" by providing new themes and forms of creation for the target cultures. It is clear through analysis that the relationship between certain original work and its translated works is that of a father and his sons,while on a broader sense,the translated works can be "father" of creations in the target culture in certain circumstances.