新浪博客

略论中国古陶瓷器物名称英译的一般规范

2008-01-21 13:10阅读:
中国古陶瓷术语的英译是一个专业性很强的问题,而我们现在看到的国内出版物中所翻译的陶瓷术语与国外学术界通行的译法存在一定的差异,这在学术交流或对外宣传中是会造成误解的。这种差异主要表现在古陶瓷术语的翻译和语法的运用上,术语是最主要的,同样的一件器物中文表述很明确,但翻译成英文却出现两种或两种以上的情况,这样势必造成理解上的误差;语法则是要合乎英语国家的语言习惯而不是“中国式的英语”,这就需要掌握中国古陶瓷英文翻译的一般规范,即准确的术语和规范的语法。本文主要就古陶瓷器物名称的英译谈一点粗浅的看法。

一. 术语
古陶瓷术语主要包括釉彩、纹饰、器型、工艺技法等几个方面,而器物名称也往往会涉及到这几个方面的的内容。
从目前看到的国外有关中国古陶瓷的著作中,术语在不同的时期有不同的叫法,这并不是说这些术语有对错之分,而是说这些术语越来越科学、准确,反映了中外学术界的交流与相互借鉴。国内古陶瓷出版物中器物名称的英译存在的主要问题是不准确、不科学,与国外学术界通行的译法存在差异;而中文英译的目的就是要让国外的相关人士看懂读懂,如果与国外的通行做法存在差异就不能够获得这种效果。
FONT>

下面对一些在英译中出现差异较大的釉彩术语名词作一具体分析。
1. famille verte
【英文释义】
Famille verte is a term coined by Jacquemart in the nineteenth century, and applies to the porcelain decorated in translucent enamels, among which green is dominant, iron red is opaque, but this rarely plays an important part in the decoration.
Famille verte has two parts. One consists of ordinary overglaze decorated pieces, and the other of enamel on biscuit pieces, the distinctions between them not always being very clear. The enamel on biscuit type lends itself to slightly denser treatment and the use of white areas is drastically reduced. To the famille verte there may be limited additions of gold for some details, but gold does not normally occur on the enamel on biscuit type. Famille verte is applied only to types made from the seventeenth century onward (Kangxi period) which differ much in style from earlier wares. Famille verte has survived intermittently, having reached its apogee early in the eighteenth century.
Famille noire and famille jaune are the variants under the general heading of famille verte. They use the same palette but the emphasis is either on the black or the yellow rather than the green, and in both cases these tend to be background colors. Black is the dominant background color of famille noire, famille noire consisits of a dull black ground covered with a green enamel. Yellow is the dominant background color of famille janue.
The five-colored wares known as Wucai are complicated, as the blue had to be put on under the glaze and fired, and the enamel colores added and refired. Towards the end of the seventeenth century the use of underglaze blue in combination with the overglaze colors diminished. It is finally abandoned in favor of an overglaze blue, and it is to this type that the name truly applies.
During the Kangxi period Wucai was replaced with the famille verte.

【中文说明】
Famille verte 主要是对清朝康熙时部分五彩瓷及其后时期五彩瓷和素三彩的统称,尤以指五彩瓷为多。在famille verte中则又有famille noire famille jaune的区分,前者是指墨地五彩,后者是指黄地五彩。对于康熙时期的五彩瓷,我们在翻译的时候都与一般五彩瓷同样对待,看不出二者的区别,但在国外学术界则是有严格的区分的。对于一般五彩瓷与famille verte 的区分主要通过蓝彩是属于釉上彩还是釉下彩来做出的。一般五彩瓷,主要是指明代五彩瓷和清代早期五彩瓷,其中的蓝彩仍然是釉下蓝彩,也就是青花;而famille verte 中的蓝彩则是釉上彩。国内出版的大部分文物及相关图录或著作中的英文翻译中,对于康熙这一部分蓝彩为釉上彩的五彩瓷的译法与一般五彩瓷的译法一样,没有做出区分,而在国外的同类著作中,则能看到明显的区分。

【实例应用】
a. Famille verte plate painted with a kingfisher and lotus plants.
五彩荷花翠鸟纹盘
b. Famille verte saucer-dish painted with peach and pomegranate sprays and incised with dragons pursuing pearls among clouds.
素三彩花果刻云龙戏珠纹盘
c. Famille noire vase painted with history stories.
墨地五彩历史故事图瓶

我的更多文章

下载客户端阅读体验更佳

APP专享