功能对等理论视角下《秘密花园》儿童语言翻译比较研究——以李文俊、梅静译本为例

A Functional Equivalence Perspective on the Translation of Children’s Language in The Secret Garden—A Comparative Study of Li Wenjun’s and Mei Jing’s Versions

摘要: 《秘密花园》(The Secret Garden)作为经典儿童文学作品，文本语言极具特色，整体兼具口语化、情感化与人物个性化特征，贴合6~12岁儿童认知表达习惯。本文以尤金・奈达(Eugene A. Nida)功能对等理论(Functional Equivalence Theory)为研究框架，选取李文俊、梅静两个经典中文译本为研究对象，从词汇、句法、文体三大维度对比剖析两位译者的儿童语言翻译策略。研究发现，两译本在童趣语言自然度、原著情感内核还原度、适龄儿童读者阅读接受效果上存在明显差异：李文俊译本整体更强调口语表达与情绪直接性，在儿童语言再现方面表现出较高的适配性；梅静译本则更倾向于文学化表达与书面语润色，在语言规范性与审美性方面表现突出，但在儿童语言自然呈现上相对不足。研究表明，儿童文学翻译不可片面追求文本忠实，需平衡原著忠实性与儿童阅读可读性，贴合儿童语言认知规律，最终实现语义、情感、交际多维功能对等。

Abstract: The Secret Garden is a classic work of children’s literature. Distinctive in linguistic style, its language is colloquial, emotional and personalized, which conforms to the cognitive and expressive habits of children aged from 6 to 12. Taking Eugene A. Nida’s Functional Equivalence Theory as the theoretical framework, this paper selects two influential Chinese versions translated by Li Wenjun and Mei Jing as research subjects, and compares and analyzes their translation strategies for children’s language from three perspectives: vocabulary, syntax and style. The research reveals notable differences between the two translations in reproducing childlike language, restoring the original emotional connotations and catering to young readers. Li Wenjun’s version features colloquial expressions and direct emotional delivery, which is highly suitable for representing children’s language. By contrast, Mei Jing’s version leans toward literary writing and polished formal language. Though it excels in linguistic standardization and aesthetic appeal, it fails to fully present the natural traits of children’s speech. The study indicates that children’s literature translation should not merely pursue literal faithfulness. Instead, translators need to strike a balance between loyalty to the original text and readability for child readers, follow the rules of children’s language, and ultimately achieve multi-dimensional functional equivalence in semantics, emotion and communication.