翻譯再現的層次

對有相當的表達功力的翻譯者而言，對意義和意向把握的深度和完整度與其表達的質素是成正比的。一般說來，具有這樣的水平的翻譯也完全理解“勿失厥義”（三國時代支謙引維祇難語，“厥”的意思是“其”，當時指的是梵文經書；“勿失厥義”意思是不要喪失經書原文的本義）的重要性。

應該說，“勿失厥義”是表現論的第一要義或基本要求。因此，我們可以根據譯者對意義把握和意義表達的程度之深淺將翻譯分為深層翻譯、中介層翻譯及表層翻譯。下面是《易傳》中《系辭》的一段：

一陰一陽之謂道。繼之者，善也；成之者，性也。仁者見之謂之仁，知者見之謂之知，百姓日用而不知，故君子之道鮮矣。

很明顯，譯者要把握意義必先把握指稱：“陰、陽”就是一個大問題，此外還有“仁”、“知”、“君子”、“道”等等。表層的翻譯通常的做法是（一）回避指稱；（二）不求甚解，按字面定指稱；（三）不揭示句子與句子間的邏輯關系，譯成流散型語段（俗稱流水句）。下面的翻譯屬于這種類型：

The collocation of Yin and Yang is called Tao. He who follows it is wise. He who succeeds to follow it gives the credit to his nature. He who is benevolent could find benevolence in what he regards it as benevolent and he who is wise could find wisdom in what he regards it as wise. The ordinary people act upon these principles everyday without being aware of them. This is why they say that the superior man's Tao is rare.

中介層翻譯以意向參與對意義的調節、調和為特征，頻頻借助于替代、解釋，以充分表達作者的陳述意向。

下面引用的譯文出自理雅各（James Legge，1815-1897)，理雅各的翻譯似乎是在針對淺層翻譯的弊端，有意地釋而改譯之：

The successive movement of the inactive and active operations constitutes what is called the course (of things). That which ensues as the result (of their movement) is goodness; that which shows it in its completeness is the natures (of men and things). The benevolent see it and call it benevolence. The wise see it and call it wisdom. The common people, acting daily according to it, yet have no knowledge of it. Thus it is that the course (of things), as seen by the superior man, is seen by few.

理雅各的譯文內容或有值得推敲之處，但他旨在擺脫或力圖擺脫中國典籍翻譯初期的表層翻譯幼稚病是毋庸置疑的。這種以解釋指稱為主旨的翻譯，基本上保持了原文的“機理”(組織層次)。我們稱之為“中介層翻譯”。再看《系辭》中還有一段文字，歷來被視為儒家宇宙生成論的源頭：

是故易有太極，是生兩儀。兩儀生四象。四象生八卦。八卦定吉兇。吉兇生大業。是故法象莫大乎天地。變通莫大乎四時?？h象著明莫大乎日月?！?/span>

理氏的譯文不僅工于滌除翻譯中的淺表之見（止于從字面上解釋指稱是什么意思），而且對原語作了恰如其分的意向性釋義（即意在研究說明什么），重視超指稱意義。理氏的譯文如下：

Therefore in (the system of) the I there is the Grand Terminus, which produced the two elenentary Forms. Those two Forms produced the Four emblematic Symbols, which again produced the eight Trigrams. The eight trigrams served to determine the good and evil (issues of events), and form this determination was produced the (successful prosecution of the) great business (of life). Therefore of all things that furnish models and visible figures there are none greater than heaven and earth; of things that change and extend an influence (on other ) there are none greater than the four seasons; of things suspended (in the sky) with their figures displayed clear and bright, there are none greater than the sun and moon;

“深層翻譯”也稱為“深層涵養翻譯”，重在發掘“言下之意”和“言外之意”，總之是“超指稱”成了譯者的關注中心。我們可從小處看到理氏在翻譯時很重視有意向參與的超指稱意義：“一陰一陽”表示的不是搭配，而是運動，理氏譯出來了。漢語中這種例子很多：“一前一后”、“一進一出”、“一開一關”，成語結構本身就有運動、發展意向的含蓄意義。對于深層意向把握，理氏非常慎重，不輕易以音譯了事。例如“太極”他按意譯舍音譯。兩漢時代劉歆、王充、鄭玄都將“太極”理解為“元氣”（如王充《衡論·談天》：“元氣未分，渾沌為一?！?/span>）。在唐代孔穎達以前，“太極”并無定義，《呂氏春秋》認為“太極”就是“太一”：“太一出兩儀，兩儀出陰陽，一上一下，合而成章?！睋追f達的解釋，“太極”就是“太初”（孔穎達《系辭傳》正義），所以理雅各將“太極”譯成“Grand Terminus”是有道理的。

中外翻譯史上有許多例證說明，表層翻譯與深層翻譯是表現論問題，也是翻譯價值觀問題，而深層表現論的關健是（一）引入意向與意義整合；（二）確保語境的定型功能。執著于表層翻譯的翻譯家認為翻譯理應符合原作的表層，因為原作的表層體現原作者的藝術匠心，這種不舍形式的藝術性的努力也不是沒有道理的。

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