The Importance of Common Sense in Translation

The term "common sense" in Chinese refers to the basic knowledge that a mentally sound person living in society should possess. This includes survival skills (self-care abilities), basic labor skills, foundational knowledge in natural sciences, and human and social sciences, all grounded in a reverence for nature. Clearly, common sense forms the basis for our correct understanding of things.

Taking English as an example, there are many technical terms, professional nomenclature, fixed collocations, and some words with specific usages or obscure meanings. Misunderstanding a word or phrase in a sentence may lead to essential errors in the overall translation.

Here are some examples:

Original Sentence: He is experienced in handling letters and visits from the masses.

Initial Translation: 他擅长处理群众的来信和访问。

From the perspective of meaning, this translation aligns with the original sentence and is a typical example of literal translation. However, in the context of Chinese language, the translation feels somewhat awkward and lacks authenticity. The phrase "处理群众的来信和访问" actually refers to "信访工作," which is common knowledge. Therefore, translating it as "他善于做信访工作" would be a more concise and natural expression. 

Original Sentence: 你告不赢他的，县里当官的和他穿一条裤子。

Initial Translation: You won’t win the lawsuit against him. Officials in the county wear the same pants with him.

Original Sentence: 他拜倒在她的石榴裙下。

Initial Translation: He prostrated himself under her skirt.

In these two instances of Chinese-to-English translation, the translations also take a literal approach to convey the surface meaning of the original sentences. It is evident that expressions like "和他穿一条裤子" and "拜倒在她的石榴裙下" are metaphors: the former implies "being on the same side as him," while the latter means "being captivated by her charm and deeply admiring her." Due to a lack of understanding of these specific Chinese phrases, the initial translations fail to convey their true meanings, leaving readers confused.

The correct translation for the first example should be:

You won’t win the lawsuit against him. Officials in the county are hand in glove with him.

The correct translation for the second example should be:

He worshiped her on his knees.

This illustrates that certain words or sentences in Chinese carry specific meanings, requiring translators to have a certain level of knowledge; otherwise, accurate interpretation cannot be achieved.

The examples mentioned here involve basic common knowledge, but there are many sentences or vocabulary items that require a greater depth of knowledge, even specialized expertise within certain fields. Thus, we need to broaden our horizons, accumulate knowledge, think critically during the translation process, and conduct thorough research to ensure accurate translations.

Issues of Substitution and Redundancy in French-Chinese Translation

A significant difference between French and Chinese lies in their expressive tendencies: French often employs substitution methods in expression, while Chinese tends to favor repetition. For instance: “木兰的父亲以前是一位军人，木兰十来岁的时，他就常常带木兰到村外河边练武、骑马、射箭、舞刀、使棒。” translates to “Le père de Mulan, qui était militaire, lui apprenait, alors qu'elle était adolescente, les arts martiaux, à monter à cheval, à tirer à l'arc, à manier le bâton.” In the original Chinese text, the word "木兰" appears three times, whereas in the translation, the subsequent mentions are replaced by pronouns (lui, elle). Generally, in the translation process, we adopt either the repetition of nouns or the omission of pronouns to resolve this issue.

1. Repetition of Nouns: 

For example, “les grands yeux noirs et remplis de larmes de Julien se trouvèrent en face des petits yeux gris et méchants du vieux charpentier, qui avait l'air de vouloir lire jusqu'au fond de son âme.” translates to “于连又黑又大的眼睛，含着一泡泪水，劈面碰见老木匠灰溜溜恶狠狠的小眼睛，老木匠恨不能把儿子的心思一眼看透。” In this case, the French text uses the relative pronoun "qui" (qui avait l'air…) to substitute for "vieux charpentier," while the Chinese translation repeats "老木匠" twice. Another example: “Non par religion pour son père, mais à cause de ce respect vague de la mort qui est toujours si imprérieux au cœur de l'homme, Marius prit ce papier et le serra.” translates to “马里尤斯接过纸条，紧紧捏在手里，那并不是出自对父亲的崇敬，而是出自对死者的那种无名的尊重，那种尊重在大家心里总是那么根深蒂固。In this example, the relative pronoun "qui" is used to replace the antecedent "ce respect."

2.     Omission of Pronouns in Translation:

In situations where the context is very clear, pronouns can be omitted in translation. This aligns with the Chinese language's emphasis on meaning and coherence. 

For example:  

*Une certaine après-midi… L'aigle Meaux était sensuellement adossé au chambranle de la porte du café Musain. Il avait l'air d'une cariatide en vacances ; il ne portait rien que sa rêverie. Il regardait la place Saint-Michel.* (Hugo)  

*某天下午……赖格尔·德·墨懒洋洋地靠在缪尚咖啡馆的门框上，那神情就像一根闲置着的女像石柱，在哪里浮想联翩。眼睛则望着圣米歇尔广场。*

In this example, the French text uses the pronoun "il" three times, but in the translation, all instances are omitted because the context clearly indicates that each sentence refers to "him," the character named Raigel de Meaux. It is unnecessary to explicitly mention the subject in every sentence.

This translation technique is quite common. In our regular translation practice, we should also be aware of such substitutions and omissions. This approach enables us to produce smooth and fluent translations.

◀️：Exploring the Extension of Meaning in Russian-to-Chinese Translation

▶️：Common Sense Issues in French Translation