Lu Xun's methods and motivations in translating fairy tales
鲁迅童话翻译的方法与动机

摘要

本文以鲁迅的童话翻译实践为研究对象，采用文本分析法，对其译介的童话作品进行考察，旨在揭示其翻译方法论、受众定位及文化动机。研究发现，在方法论层面，鲁迅的童话翻译以直译为根本原则，但在术语处理上呈现策略性变奏。例如，植物学术语采用音译、意译、保留日文名等多元策略；《小彼得》虽宣称"宜意译"，实际仍严格对应源文本句式结构，体现其"直译"概念的苛刻标准。在受众选择层面，鲁迅的童话翻译表层面向儿童，实则以知识分子为目标读者，通过童话形式实现社会批判与思想启蒙，如借寓言揭露国民劣根性，调整阶级抗争叙事以适应中国语境。在翻译动机层面，鲁迅的译介兼具文化批判与语言革新意图，其中蕴含的人道主义共鸣与哲学探索服务于其“立人”思想，反映了五四时期知识分子的启蒙焦虑。研究表明，鲁迅对童话翻译的认知超越了通常意义上的翻译实践，成为20世纪中国现代性建构的重要文化实践。

Abstract

This study examines Lu Xun’s fairy tale translation practice through text analysis, aiming to reveal his methodological approaches, audience targeting, and cultural motivations. The findings indicate that at the methodological level, Lu Xun’s translations adhere to literal translation as the fundamental principle but employ strategic variations in terminology. For instance, botanical terms are rendered through transliteration, free translation, or retention of Japanese names. Although Little Peter claims to prioritize "free translation," it strictly mirrors the source text’s syntactic structure, reflecting Lu Xun’s rigorous standards for "literal translation." In terms of audience selection, while his translations ostensibly target children, they are actually directed at intellectuals, using the fairy tale form for social critique and ideological enlightenment—such as exposing national flaws through allegories and adapting class struggle narratives to the Chinese context. Culturally, Lu Xun’s translations serve both critical and linguistic reform purposes, embedding humanitarian echoes and philosophical explorations aligned with his "humanization" ideology, reflecting the intellectual anxieties of the May Fourth era. The study concludes that Lu Xun’s approach to fairy tale translation transcends conventional practice, constituting a significant cultural endeavor in China’s 20th-century modernization project.