考古文本中文化专有项的英译策略探讨——以《发现三星堆》英译为例

Exploration of Strategies for Translating Culture-Specific Items in Archaeological Texts—A Case Study of the Chinese-to-English Translation of the Archaeological Discovery of Sanxingdui Culture

摘要: 本文以刘宓庆的文化翻译理论为框架，以《发现三星堆》一书的汉译英翻译实践为案例，探讨考古文本中文化专有项的英译策略。研究采用文本细读、译例对比与理论阐释相结合的方法，依据刘宓庆对文化信息的层级划分，将书中主要的文化专有项分为实物文化词(物质形态层)与观念文化词(心智活动层)两类并分别展开分析。研究结果表明：对实物文化词，宜采取“音译 + 定性词 + 注释”的复合补偿模式，通过文本内证、外证与人文互证等证据链，确保译文的准确性与科学性；而对观念文化词，翻译的关键在于对文化概念的深度把握，需深入理解其背后的文化心理与观念系统，并在异化与归化之间实现动态平衡。通过对《发现三星堆》英译案例的分析，本文验证并拓展了刘宓庆的文化信息层级分类在考古文本翻译中的适用性，将抽象的理论框架转化为可操作的文化专有项识别与处理策略，为文化翻译理论提供了来自考古文本领域的实证支撑，期望为同类文本的翻译实践与方法论建设提供有益参照。

Abstract: Taking Liu Miqing’s theory of cultural translation as a framework, and using the Chinese-to-English translation practice of the Archaeological Discovery of Sanxingdui Culture as a case study, this paper discusses strategies for translating culture-specific items in archaeological texts. The study employs a combined approach of close reading, translation-by-example comparison, and theoretical interpretation. Following Liu Miqing’s hierarchical categorization of cultural information, the book’s main culture-specific items are divided into two types—material-culture terms (the material-form level) and ideational-culture terms (the mental-activity level)—and analyzed separately. The findings show that for material-culture terms, a composite compensatory model of phonetic transliteration plus qualifying terms and annotations is appropriate, supported by a chain of evidence from internal textual corroboration, external corroboration, and humanities-based cross-checks to ensure accuracy and scientific rigor. For ideational-culture terms, the key lies in a deep grasp of the cultural concepts, requiring a thorough understanding of the underlying cultural psychology and conceptual system, and achieving a dynamic balance between alienation and domestication. Through the analysis of the Chinese-to-English translation cases from the Archaeological Discovery of Sanxingdui Culture, this paper validates and extends Liu’s hierarchical categorization of cultural information for archaeological-text translation, translating the abstract theoretical framework into operable strategies for identifying and handling culture-specific items. It provides empirical support for cultural translation theory from the field of archaeological texts and aims to offer a useful reference for the translation practice and methodological development of similar texts.