摘 要:滿族人的生育禮儀既非常復雜又帶有濃郁的民族風味。對于這樣的民俗翻譯我們采用直譯加注釋的方法能夠在保持民俗文化原滋原味的基礎上使目的語讀者獲得最大的認知語境,翻譯也就易于取得成功。筆者通過英文示例呈現了這種翻譯的方法。
關鍵詞:生育;直譯
一、滿族生育禮儀概述
滿族十分重視對子女的生育。婦女一旦懷孕,被視為全家吉事,這時婆母便告訴她一些保胎知識和傳統禁忌。如:不準孕婦到別人的產房去,不準坐鍋臺、窗臺。不許大哭大笑,不準侍奉祖先神。懷孕五月,不許去馬棚,不許牽馬等。小孩出生稱“落草”。據說,古時滿族婦女在炕上臨產時,要卷起炕席,鋪上谷草,產婦在谷草上分娩,以后便相沿成習。小孩“落草”后,如果是男孩,要懸一小弓箭于門左,象征其長大后成為一個優秀射手;若是女孩,則門前掛 一紅布條,象征吉祥。嬰兒出生的第二天,要請子女多、身體好的婦女喂第一次奶,叫“開奶”。第一個進產房看孩子的外人叫“采生人”。滿族認為嬰兒長大后性格會像“采生人”的性格,所以十分注重挑選“采生人”。嬰兒出生的第三天,要“洗三”,請兒女雙全,德高望重的老太太給孩子沐浴,也稱沐浴禮。沐浴用大銅盆,內放槐樹葉、艾蒿,倒上熱水后,前來祝賀的親友們則將銅錢、花生和雞蛋等放入盆內,叫做添盆。沐浴過程中,如嬰兒放聲大哭,則視為大吉大利,這叫“響盆。”孩子出生后第七天開始上悠車,孩子滿月后正式起名。
二、滿族生育禮儀的英譯原則及示例
由于滿族的生育禮儀十分講究,充滿著封建迷信的色彩。在對其進行英譯時,譯者應該盡量在翻譯出滿族人生育時喜慶的氣氛同時,保持其原滋原味的民俗特征。可通過采用直譯加注解的辦法來解決中西兩種文化在生育禮儀方面的沖突,盡量能夠讓西方讀者獲得足夠多的認知語境。具體翻譯示例如下:
Manchu attaches importance to the child-birth. Once the woman is pregnant, it is regarded as the familys happy event. At this time the mother-in-law will tell her some knowledge about fetus protection and traditional taboos. For example, pregnant woman is prohibited to go to other womans delivery room, to sit on the top of the kitchen range or the windowsill, to cry and laugh loudly, to serve for the gods of ancestors , to go to the stable or pull the horse at the fifth month of pregnance.
It is a custom called “luocao” that Manchu mothers will deliver the baby onto the grass. It is said that the ancient women would roll the kang mat and spread the rice straw with a desire to make a delivery on the kang. It becomes a convention after many years practices. If a new-born baby is a boy, a small bow and arrow that symbolizes he would become an excellent shooter after grown-up will be hanged on the left part of the door; if it is a girl, a red piece of cloth that symbolizes luck will be hanged in front of the door. The healthy woman who delivers more children would be invited to give first suck to the new-born baby the next day, which is called “kainai”. The first person who went into the delivery room to see the new-born baby is called “caishengren”. Manchu believe that the character of the baby tends to be like the “caishengrens”. As a result, they pay more attention to choose a “caishengren”. On the third day, the new- born baby would be taken a bath by a noble old woman who has sons and daughters, which is called “xisan”. The basin should be made of copper which contains the leaves of locust tree, felon herb. After pouring hot water into it, the close relatives and friends who are coming to celebrate the child-birth would put copper coins, peanuts and eggs into the basin, which is called “tianpen”. During the process of bath, if the baby cries, it means good luck, which is called “xiangpen”. From the seventh day, the new-born baby begins to sleep in “youche”(a hanging cradle for a babys fast and good sleep). The new-born babys name will be given after a whole month.
參考文獻:
[1] 烏丙安,1999,《中國民俗學》,[M],沈陽:遼寧大學出版社。
[2] 董曉萍,2002,《說話文化——民俗傳統與現代生活》,[M],北京:中華書局。
作者簡介:王曉輝(1977.1—),男,研究生,現為東北電力大學外國語學院講師,主要研究方向為英美文學和英語教育。