本文讨论文学作品中节奏的翻译问题。文中指出,文本的节奏是文本形式的重要组成部分、也是意义的表达形式之一,因此应该尽可能在译文中再现出来。本文以实例说明,基于人类语言的共性,节奏的翻译在一定程度上是可能的。笔者根据索绪尔的理论,把节奏分为两大类,一类是语言(langue)特有的节奏,如汉语和日语,汉语和西方语言;另一类是话语(parole)的节奏,即反映作者和文本独特风格的节奏。笔者提出,在翻译中必须尽可能在译入语允许的范围内再现文本的节奏,从而充分地再现原作的意义和风采。

This paper discusses the transference of the “tempo ”or rhythm of text in literary translation． It is pointed out that rhythm is an important part of textual form and a way of expression of meaning ，and therefore should be represented in the target text as much as possible． It is illustrated that the rendering of rhythm is ，to some extent ，possible due to the large common core among human languages． Based on Saussure ’s dichotomy of langue and parole ，this paper then makes a distinction between two types of rhythms ，viz． linguistic rhythm ，i． e． that of specific languages ，and textual rhythm ，i.e． that of specific texts． It is concluded that the textual rhythm should be conveyed as much as it is licensed by the target language so as to adequately represent the meaning and style of the source text．