舊城南裡的新風景－談《城南舊事》再譯的可能與傳遞

Abstract

兒少文學用字簡單明瞭、行文風格直接，好的故事配上鮮活插圖，大人小孩皆能從中享受閱讀樂趣。兒少文學訴諸於普世價值與人類共同情感的特質，更易為不同民族文化背景的譯本讀者接受。本研究主張，林海音女士深具語言文化共融特色的《城南舊事》，若透過兒少文學譯本形式進入海外出版市場，或能有益於臺灣文學在國際社會上的傳播。《城南舊事》（1960）描述林海音（1918－2001）於1920至1930年代在北京城居住的童年故事。兩位譯者──殷張蘭熙女士與齊邦媛教授──投注大半心力於該書的英譯，過程中遭遇語言與文化差異上的雙重嚴峻挑戰，最終於1992年付梓，距離原作面世已將近三十年光景。儘管兩位譯者當時竭力克服翻譯困難，但是同樣的難題仍在現代語境中再次浮現。本研究論辯該作品的外譯傳播手段必須納入時下語言使用習慣、文化流變因素，以及當代讀者的接受反應，透過吸引新讀者，進而延續作品的生命與價值。林海音的生平與書中人物的成長經歷有如跨文化縮影，輝映著臺灣歷史裡新舊移民相互包容並存的過程，而經典的再譯也有助於形塑臺灣文學裡的多元文化身分認同。

Children`s and young adult literature is characteristically simple and straightforward featuring common elements of storytelling and illustrations, where both adults and children can find pleasure in reading. It is arguable that Taiwanese literary works could be more easily accessible to international readers via this particular genre which tends to tap into universal values and emotions. However, little research has been devoted to the discussion of the receptiveness and pathways of the translation of local children`s and young adult literature. Existing studies focus predominantly on the introduction of foreign works. With a growing global interest in Chinese language and culture, translating local children`s and young adult literature could be an effective approach to the dissemination of Taiwanese literature, among which Lin Hai-yin`s林海音 (1918-2001) Memories of Peking: South Side Stories城南舊事 (1960) is a classic. The book depicts the author`s childhood in Peking (now Beijing) during the 1920s and 1930s. As a culturally diverse Taiwanese writer, Lin and her work correspond to the multicultural context of the development of Taiwanese society. Its translators, Nancy Ing殷張蘭熙and Pang-yuan Chi齊邦媛, took great efforts to provide a quality English version for adult readers and scholars. The full translation was only published in 1992 as the book posed considerable linguistic challenges (e.g., dialects and local slang) and cultural difficulties (e.g., different social norms between East and West). Although both translators managed to solve these problems of translation, similar predicaments re-emerge in the current context. This study argues that a disseminating approach incorporating modern language use, cultural shifts, and contemporary readers` responses could be useful to promote the work and interest new readers. Also, disseminating strategies integrating Taiwanese military village culture and nostalgia tourism may be adopted to reflect how the island has been constantly evolving by receiving immigrants and their customs to form our own Taiwanese multicultural identity.