Analysis and Application of the Hermeneutic Motion

【Abstract】George Steiner has published his great work， After Babel： Aspects of Language and Translation， to put forward the Hermeneutic Motion and discuss some key issues from every aspects. This paper talks about definition， application and significance of the Hermeneutic Motion.

【Key Words】hermeneutics； trust； aggression； incorporation； restitution

【作者簡介】徐滢，上海师范大学。

1. Introduction

George Steiner is a remarkable scholar in western countries. His great work， After Babel： Aspects of Language and Translation， has contributed to study and advance translation theory as well as practice. This paper talks about his theory， the Hermeneutic Motion， and demonstrates how to put it into practice.

2. Definition of Hermeneutics

Hermeneutics is the study of understanding，especially the task of understanding texts.（Palmer， 1980：8） From the perspective of western contemporary language and culture， Steiner uniquely claimed that comprehension is also translation， extending its meaning range. Inside or between languages， human communication equals translation. A study of translation is a study of language.

3. The Hermeneutic Motion

Translation， said Steiner， should include four steps： trust， aggression， incorporation and restitution.First and foremost， for translators， trust and faith come from the heart at the sight of involved text to be translated. Understanding of things cant exist without language and vice versa.（洪汉鼎， 2001：306）Secondly， translation is similar to decoding. Through which， the original text probably will be faithfully translated， or totally changed owing to individual understanding. Thirdly， proper introduction of the source language text and form matters a lot because of difficulty in understanding exotic language and culture. However， full copy of foreign culture may cause extreme compromise or rejection， which seems to be dangerous for a unified country. Last but not least， it is vital to restitute deleted message or lost function of the original text to achieve equivalent translation. Only in this way could translation be done better.

4. Application and Significance

As a distinctive and logical theory， the Hermeneutic Motion contributes a lot to translation. As a foremost element， trust means faith in text， respect for author， and confidence in translation. Trust makes the original text anticipated in advance. Next， skillful dealing with the source language text is so necessary that the translated text can be greatly understood. “Interpretation” as the which gives language life beyond the moment and place of immediate utterance or transcription，is what I am concerned with.

For example： Rachel： What are these？

Monica： Electrical plans for the building.

Rachel： Okay， should I be scared？

瑞秋：这些是什么？

莫妮卡：这栋楼的电路图。

瑞秋：你到底想干什么？

Monica is obsessive about finding what the light switch does and she even gets electrical plans from city hall. Rachel has been tired of Monicas excessive attention to this little thing and she mockingly asks if she should be scared. Although the original text is not the literal meaning of the English text， it successfully reveals Rachels anger to Monica and equivalent effect is gained.Then， introduction of exotic expression and custom is essential to understand foreign language and culture more. Hence， excellent foreign elements should accepted and learned for cultural progress. Lastly， the only way to get a better translation is to utmostly restitute lost information to achieve equivalence. This step is indispensable for the translated text to be authentic and greatly understood.

For example： Ross： Yeah. Maybe today is just， close call day.

罗斯：也许今天就是“千钧一发”日（字面意是差点打电话）。

Emily leaves Ross a message to inform him of her wedding after they divorce. Ross happens to be very emotional after a near death experience outside and he wants to seize everything. But Rachel manages to convince Ross not to call Emily back because Emily is controlling and makes Ross miserable. “Close call” literally means to almost give a phone call and it is also another expression for “close shave” which Ross overstates a little. According to culture context， this case restitutes key information for better understanding and equivalence has been kept successfully.

5. Conclusion

Steiners claim has blazed a new way in understanding and researching translation theory. Practical as the Hermeneutic Motion is， it still has limits. Objection to defining translation makes it stuck in explaining translation philosophically. So many improvements need to be done in order to better apply it into practice.

References：

[1]符白羽.闡释学在翻译领域中的运用[J].长沙铁道学院学报，2006.

[2]洪汉鼎.理解的真理：解读伽达默尔《真理与方法》[M].济南：山东人民出版社，2001.