波西米亞意象？──臺灣與中國的捷克文學翻譯

Images of Bohemia: The Translation of Czech Literature in Taiwan and Mainland China

本文從「波西米亞」一詞的意象出發，探討文學翻譯作品對跨文化認識的重要性。藉由問卷調查，本文驗證了臺灣民眾普遍對捷克以及捷克文學的了解過於侷限，探究原因除了市場需求所反映出來的翻譯數量外，翻譯本身的品質以及文學作品的選擇也是重要因素。本文更進一步整理並檢視臺灣與中國的捷克文學翻譯作品，映證兩岸政策與需求的不同，不僅直接反映在翻譯作品的選擇上，同時也間接地影響了兩岸讀者對捷克文學與文化的詮釋以及所獲得的捷克意象。除此之外，因政策導致的捷克語翻譯人才的斷層，更是未來捷克文學翻譯發展在華語世界的隱憂。

“Bohemia” is the historically rich and traditional name of the Czech lands or Czechia (i.e., the Czech Republic, the latter being its current official name). This term may suggest to us a “romantic” image, perhaps a romantic atmosphere and wandering, carefree style, though it is a word that cannot be defined precisely. Or perhaps a specific ethnic group will first come to mind, and/or a piece of land in Eastern Europe. Even in our so-called era of globalization, there still remains a great “cultural distance” between Chinese culture and Eastern European culture. Literary translation is of course an important bridge between Chinese and Czech culture, even if the translation itself is inevitably influenced by cultural differences. These differences are absorbed into the translated content -- either intentionally or unintentionally -- and thus affect the reader's understanding. This paper investigates the development of translations of Czech literary texts in Taiwan and Mainland China during three periods: the period before 1989, when the Soviet iron curtain collapsed; the late 1990s, when translations of Czech literature in simplified Chinese characters were being increasingly re-published in Taiwan; and our contemporary period, in which we have Czech literary translations in both Taiwan and Mainland China. This study also introduces and discusses the results of a questionnaire, one which focuses on the image of Bohemia in East Asia, and the Taiwanese people's understanding of Czech literature. This paper provides a comprehensive description of Czech literary translations in Taiwan and Mainland China, and further explores the impact of literary choices on the creation of Bohemian images in Taiwanese society.