Wiseman 中醫名詞英譯：應用系統化原則的翻譯模式

    中医名词英译：应用系统化原则的翻译模式

    台湾长庚大学中医学系Nigel Wiseman (魏迺杰)

    台湾长庚大学中医学系许权维译

    关键词: 中医名词英译、翻译方法、名词规范化

    英文题目： English Translation of Chinese Medical Terms: A Scheme Based on Integrated Principles

    作者简介： Nigel Wiseman(魏迺杰) (1954~)，男，英国人，英国替代医学博士，现任台湾长 庚大学中医系讲师，从事中医翻译 20年。

    Although Chinese medicine has gained in popularity in Western countries over the last few

    decades, there is still no standardized English terminology of Chinese medicine. Chinese

    medicine has an immense vocabulary (the Zhōngyī Dàcídiǎn [1] includes over 30,000 terms);

    hence the creation of a corresponding terminology in any other language is a major task and the

    process of standardization is complex. Numerous terms lists proposing English equivalents have

    been published, but they differ considerably in the translation methods applied and most lack any

    systematic approach. A large proportion of the textbooks and clinical literature currently

    available in English does not strictly apply any English terminology published in a bilingual

    terms list; most Western translators only provide small lists of terms appended to their works. In

    the context of efforts led by the National Terminology Committee to standardize both the

    Chinese and English terminology of Chinese Medicine, I would like to present my proposed

    scheme for the translation of Chinese medical terms into English. This scheme is derived from

    observation of translation practices in other fields and has been tested in the creation of

    terminology that has been used in the English translation of modern and ancient literature.

    虽然近几十年来中医已广受西方国家的欢迎，但标准化的中医英文词汇仍付之阙如。

    中国传统医学的词汇极为庞大复杂，在《中医大词典》[1]中即收词逾30,000个, 因此，在

    任何译入语中制订对应词汇必然工程浩大，规范化的过程亦将极为复杂。曾经有许多中医

    汉英双语词表问世，但其所用的翻译方法不一，而且在翻译法则上大都缺乏系统化的总纲

    领。大部分英文教科书和临床文献都不采用已出版之双语词汇表中的词汇，而大部分西方

    翻译人员顶多在其出版物中附上名词双语对照简表。值此中国全国名词委员会致力于中医

    词汇英译规范化之际，本人愿意就中医词汇的英译提出我个人的翻译模式。此一模式的产

    生系参酌其它领域的翻译实务，并已经由中医现代与古典文献的英译实务所建立的词汇体

    系加以检视。

    Different methods can be used to devise a terminology in the target language: a) existing

    terms (用现成的名词); b) loans (借辞，即音译); c) loan-translations (仿造); or d) neologisms

    based on the definition of the term (根剧定义造新词). In each case, more than one of these

    methods are used. When we observe the practice of term translation in other fields, we find that

    in any given terminology different methods are used for different term classes. Furthermore,different combinations of methods are used when translating terms in a given field into different Wiseman 中醫名詞英譯：應用系統化原則的翻譯模式 2

    target languages. Close observation of translation practice in other fields enables us to discover

    the laws governing the use of different translation methods, and help us to select the best

    approach in the English translation of Chinese medical terms.

    在译入语中创建词汇有诸多方法可供运用，最基本的四种方法一为使用现有的名词；

    二为借词，亦即借用译出语的名词直接音译；三为仿造；四为根剧原文定义造新词。创建

    某一领域的词汇时，每每数法并用。而检视其它领域的名词翻译实务，可发现不同类型的

    名词应用不同的方法，至于要结合那些翻译方法端赖译入语的性质而定。仔细检视各领域

    的翻译实务，有助于找到运用不同翻译方法的规律及选择最适合中医名词英译的方法。

    The translation of Western medical terms furnishes good examples of classic trends in term

    translation. Generally speaking, terms that are used by lay people are simply translated by their

    obvious lay equivalents. When the Latin anatomical terms were first translated from Latin into

    English, lay terms such as nasus, os, cor, and genu were naturally translated into English as nose,mouth, heart, and knee, and into German as Nase, Mund, Herz, and Knie. When Western

    medicine was adopted in China, these English terms naturally translated into Chinese as 鼻、口、心、膝. Lay terms are translated by lay equivalents because they are the obvious choices,but also because they help to preserve the relationship between general knowledge and specialist

    knowledge.

    西医名词翻译为名词翻译做了良好的示范 ......