司马涛 德国科隆大学
Zimmer, Thomas, University of Cologne
原文Original
Chinese Literature in Germany Today: The Latest Developments in Research and Translation
This year 2009 seems important in the development of Chinese literature in Germany. The Frankfurt Book Fair in October 2009 – where China will be guest this year – will present dozens of newly translated titles of Chinese literature. The interest of German readers in literature from China has been constantly increasing during the recent years.
Looking at the translators there are only very few professionals among them. Translating Chinese literature is not supported by universities or institutes; it is mainly a matter between the translator and the publishing houses.
The growing market of literature from China has not been noticed enough by German sinology up to now. Except for a few outstanding projects there is no systematic research done on Chinese literature in Germany today. Has sinology forgotten literature?
This paper is exploring the reasons why Chinese literature appears to be represented so weakly by sinological research in Germany today.
Generally speaking, the history of German translations of Chinese literature started rather late. Translations from Chinese into German during the early period of sinology have been of three kinds: the assimilations of Chinese imagery and thought into German poetry; retranslations from other languages, mainly from historical and philosophical writings; and select scientific and academic translations, often from the area of geography. (Linder 2003) Early translations of Chinese literature like Murr´s translation of Haoqiuzhuan or the classical poems translated by Friedrich Rückert were regarded with great interest by famous authors and poets like Goethe.
While West German sinology still had to re-establish itself after World War II, East German scholars and translators accomplished a lot. Between 1949 and 1962 the exchange between East German and Chinese scholars was intense. In the field of literature, research focused on modern authors, reflecting the preferences of the Chinese government and public. According to research conducted during the recent years, the shift from traditional sinology to contemporary Chinese studies happened much sooner and more radically in the East than in the West. (Kampen 1997) In the case of literary translations, scholars from the former GDR have argued that from the beginning, scholars in the GDR considered it their duty to familiarize the Germany readership with modern and contemporary Chinese literature. (Müller 1992) Well known translators from East Germany include Johanna Herzfeld, Ernst J. Schwarz and Rainer Schwarz.
While during the Cultural Revolution translation and research of Chinese literature remained slack, the situation changed after 1978. Between 1979 and 1987 there was a rapid increase in literary translations from the Chinese into German.
To a great amount, the interest in Chinese literature and in translations of this literature seems to depend on other than scientific interests. The full paper will try to give a detailed descriptions of how Chinese literature is represented by sinological research in Germany today and what may be the developments in the future.
译文Translation
中国文学在当代德国——研究和翻译的最新进展
对于中国文学在德国的发展而言，2009年似乎是一个重要之年。2009年的法兰克福图书博览会——中国也在邀请之列——将展出数十种最新翻译的中国文学作品。近年来，德国读者对中国文学的兴趣以日剧增。就中国文学的翻译和出版来说，翻译者不再只是专业人士，翻译工作也也不再局限于大学或研究机构内，它更多的是译者和出版社之间的事。
到目前为止，德国汉学对于不断增长的中国文学市场却没有足够的重视。除了个别出色的研究项目外，当代德国对于中国文学缺少系统的研究。德国汉学是否遗忘了文学呢？本文要探讨的就是，为何在当代德国汉学界对中国文学的研究如此冷淡。
一般来说，对中国文学的德语翻译起步较晚。在早期汉学界，汉译德的情况分为三种：对中国意象、思想的消化并吸收入德语的诗歌；主要是从其他语言对历史和哲学著作的转译； 主要来自区域性地理的科研和学术翻译。（林德2003）对于中国文学早期翻译如穆尔的《好逑传》或由弗里德里希吕克特翻译的古典诗词，都曾引起了如歌德这样伟大的作家和诗人巨大的兴趣。
在二战后，当西德的汉学界还在重建之时，东德学者就已完成了许多工作。1949年至1962年之间，东德学者和中国学者之间的交流不断加强。在文学领域，学者们开始关注现代作家，这也合符中国政府和公众的意愿。不仅如此，近年来的研究也显示，就从传统汉学转向当代中国学研究来说，东德也走在了西德的前面。（坎彭1997年）以文学翻译为例，来自前民主德国学者从一开始就认为，让德国读者熟悉中国现当代文学是他们的责任。（米勒1992年）东德的著名中国文学翻译家有约翰娜·赫茨菲尔德、恩斯特·施瓦茨和芮尔·施瓦茨。
虽然在文化大革命期间，对中国文学的翻译和文学研究放缓了一阵，但1978年以后，情况又有了改善，在1979年至1987年间，德国的中国文学翻译事业再度得到长足发展。
总体而言，德国对中国文学的研究和翻译似乎并不取决于科学研究的兴趣。因此，本文试图对中国文学在当前德国汉学研究中的情况，以及它在未来的发展前景，做出详细的描述。