双关语翻译下《霸王别姬》“游离性身份”流失

The Loss of “Liminal Identity” in Farewell My Concubine under Pun Translation

摘要: 本研究关注电影《霸王别姬》英译中的一个具体困境：如何传递那些塑造程蝶衣“游离性身份”的双关表达。为此本文综合借鉴了德拉巴斯蒂塔的双关语翻译理论、赵会军的“常量–变量”操作模型以及祝朝伟的“杂糅”理论，以此构建一个“技术操作–文化阐释”相结合的分析框架。研究显示，由于语言与文化之间存在结构性差异，译者在处理这些双关语时往往必须在“常量”与“变量”之间做出选择，并采取各种补偿手段。然而这样的处理方式常常导致原文中精妙的多义结构被简化，人物身份中那种微妙而矛盾的游离感也随之减弱。这一过程表明此类翻译并非简单的语言转换，而实际上是对复杂文化主体进行跨文化阐释与重构的实践。

Abstract: This study focuses on a specific dilemma in the English translation of the film Farewell My Concubine: how to convey the punning expressions that shape Cheng Dieyi’s “liminal identity”. To this end, the paper synthesizes Delabastita’s theory of pun translation, Zhao Huijun’s “constant-variable” operational model, and Zhu Chaowei’s “hybridity” theory, thereby constructing an analytical framework that integrates “technical operation” with “cultural interpretation”. The findings reveal that, due to structural differences between languages and cultures, translators often must choose between “constants” and “variables” while adopting various compensatory strategies. However, such treatments frequently result in the simplification of the original text’s intricate polysemic structures, thereby diminishing the subtle and contradictory sense of liminality inherent in the character’s identity. This process demonstrates that such translation is not a mere linguistic conversion but rather a practice of cross-cultural interpretation and reconstruction of a complex cultural subject.