译者行为批评双中心评价系统下的科幻小说英译研究——以《北京折叠》为例

doi:10.12002/j.bisu.627

摘要/Abstract

摘要：

译者是翻译活动的主体，其行为是文本内外因素互动的结果。本文选取《北京折叠》为个案，借助译者行为批评“行为 - 社会视域”双中心评价系统，描写并解释了刘宇昆的科幻小说英译行为。研究发现，刘宇昆的译者行为总体上偏向“社会中心”，注重译文的接受效果。其行为动因是译者在译入语社会的社会人身份：作为拥有独特跨文化经历的华裔，刘宇昆努力促进中美文化间的平等对话和有效沟通；作为斩获大奖的科幻作家，他灵活游走于中美两种文学传统之间，求作者原意之真，务文学效果之实。本研究旨在弥补中国科幻小说英译研究中对译者主体关注的不足，尝试揭示影响科幻小说英译的社会动因，以期对中国科幻小说的后续译介及研究有所启示。

关键词: 译者行为批评; 刘宇昆; 《北京折叠》; 科幻小说; 社会人身份

Abstract:

Translators are the primary agents in translation activities, and their behaviors emerge from the interaction between textual and extratextual factors. Taking Folding Beijing as a case study, this paper employed the double-centered evaluative system in translator behavior criticism to describe and explain Ken Liu’s translator behavior in rendering this Chinese science fiction novelette into English. The analysis revealed that Liu’s translator behavior prioritized target-culture reception, aligning more closely with a “society-centered” orientation. This orientation was influenced by Liu’s distinctive social identities within the target society. As a Chinese American with unique cross-cultural experience, Liu approaches translation as a means of facilitating equal dialogue and effective communication between Chinese and American cultures. Simultaneously, as an award-winning science fiction author, he negotiates flexibly between Chinese and Anglophone literary traditions, seeking fidelity to the source author’s original intentions while aiming for substantive literary effects. In this study, translator agency in the English translation of Chinese science fiction is foregrounded, the social motivations shaping such translations are elucidated, and suggestions for future research and translation practice are provided.

Keywords: translator behavior criticism; Ken Liu; Folding Beijing; science fiction; social identities

中图分类号:

H315.9

王晓辉, 高茜. 译者行为批评双中心评价系统下的科幻小说英译研究——以《北京折叠》为例[J]. 北京第二外国语学院学报, 2026, 48(1): 48-66.

Wang Xiaohui, Gao Qian. The English Translation of Chinese Science Fiction from the Perspective of the Double-Centered Evaluative System in Translator Behavior Criticism: The Case of Folding Beijing[J]. Journal of Beijing International Studies University, 2026, 48(1): 48-66.

图/表 3

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	原文	译文
显化	①老刀艰难地穿过人群。	Lao Dao squeezed through the crowd slowly.
隐化	②身边卖大枣的女人高声叫卖，不时打断他的思绪，声音的洪亮刺得他头疼。	The loud chants of the woman next to him hawking her jujubes interrupted his thoughts and gave him a headache.
添加	③他已经上了年纪，对事懒散倦怠了，但他明白，自己在五十岁前也会和老刀一样。	He was old enough to feel lazy and tired of everything, but he remembered how he had felt as a younger man, and he would have made the same choice as Lao Dao.
省略	④不远不近的距离，就像遥望西山或是海上的一座孤岛。	The distance was perfect for taking in the whole city, like gazing at an island in the sea.
替换	⑤他让暖意丛生的午后阳光照亮僵硬的面孔，也照亮空乏的心底。	The afternoon sun warmed his stiff face and brightened his empty heart.

	原文	译文
显化	①老刀艰难地穿过人群。	Lao Dao squeezed through the crowd slowly.
隐化	②身边卖大枣的女人高声叫卖，不时打断他的思绪，声音的洪亮刺得他头疼。	The loud chants of the woman next to him hawking her jujubes interrupted his thoughts and gave him a headache.
添加	③他已经上了年纪，对事懒散倦怠了，但他明白，自己在五十岁前也会和老刀一样。	He was old enough to feel lazy and tired of everything, but he remembered how he had felt as a younger man, and he would have made the same choice as Lao Dao.
省略	④不远不近的距离，就像遥望西山或是海上的一座孤岛。	The distance was perfect for taking in the whole city, like gazing at an island in the sea.
替换	⑤他让暖意丛生的午后阳光照亮僵硬的面孔，也照亮空乏的心底。	The afternoon sun warmed his stiff face and brightened his empty heart.

翻译方法	显化	隐化	添加	省略	替换
数量	528	165	11	33	38
所占比例	58.28%	18.21%	1.21%	3.64%	4.19%

翻译方法	显化	隐化	添加	省略	替换
数量	528	165	11	33	38
所占比例	58.28%	18.21%	1.21%	3.64%	4.19%