譯步亦趨｜黑人才能翻譯黑人文學？Amanda Gorman撤換翻譯事件

譯者甄選應該與譯者身份掛鉤嗎？初聽此問題，不少人可能會覺得荒謬無稽。只要具備相關背景知識，擁有良好翻譯技能就可以了，管他是黑人、白人、黃皮膚、男人、女人，還是跨性別。所以當上個月荷蘭和加泰隆那出版社因為有人批評非裔詩人Amanda Gorman 的譯者不是非裔而撤換譯者時，大多數人都表示不解。不過此事竟然也讓翻譯圈的新聞罕有地登上報紙版面，那到底是什麼一回事？

話說自從非裔詩人Amanda Gorman在美國總統就職典禮上朗讀自己寫的新詩The Hill We Climb之後，就有出版社拿下版權，要把作品翻譯成多種語言。誰料荷蘭語譯者的人選卻因受到國內網上作家Janice Deul的質疑而辭退委託。Janice Deul認為，Amanda Gorman是個「徹頭徹尾的黑人年輕女性詩人」，而獲委託的譯者Marieke Lucas Rijneveld卻是個非二元性別的白人，人選「無法理解」。其後加泰隆那出版社也以同樣原因撤換譯者。

即便在歐美譯界，眾人對此事看法也非常不同。有人認同在人力資源許可的情況下，應該優先讓非裔女性翻譯作品，有人則認為譯者人選不應由種族身分定奪，而應取決於譯者能力。哥倫比亞大學教授John McWhorter在接受《紐約時報》訪問時特別指出，我們對於「多元」的理解過於狹窄，只關注膚色（“our sense of ‘diversity’ is narrower than that word implies: It’s only about skin color”），而譯者的富裕程度、政治取向，則通通無人理會。

換轉角度來看，如果要把香港文學推廣到其他國家，而出版社找了一位中國譯者翻譯作品，這消息如果傳回香港，恐怕也會有很多人反對，理由跟歐美國家的一些觀點相同——既然市場上還是有具備香港背景且能力相當的譯者，為什麼要找沒有香港背景的譯者完成工作呢？

再進一步想，如果這位中國譯者對香港文化認識非常深，翻譯造詣也比當地香港譯者高，那我們還會下相同的結論嗎？又如果這次出版社要把香港文學帶到非洲國家，懂得非洲語言的香港人少之又少，更別說譯者了。如果在這種情況下，找中國譯者翻譯香港文學又有沒有問題呢？

話說回來，雖然這件事情在歐美引起軒然大波，德國出版社卻能夠神奇地獨善其身。他們的處理手法非常聰明，就是組合一組來自不同背景的譯者，共同斟酌翻譯用詞。既完美地避過了單一譯者的身分背景問題，亦能集思廣益，令翻譯成品既能符合譯文讀者的閱讀習慣，亦能妥善傳達Amanda Gorman在詩中所傳達破除種族藩籬，共同向目標邁進的意境。

你覺得出版社應該根據譯者身分選擇翻譯人選嗎？歡迎在留言分享你的想法！

How far should identity politics go? That is the question many ponder after the Amanda Gorman incident made the headlines last month. Reportedly, Marieke Lucas Rijneveld, a white non-binary Dutch writer who was commissioned to translate the poem The Hill We Climb by Amanda Gorman, withdrew from the project after being criticized for being an inappropriate translator of the black female poet. Later, a Catalonian translator was also turned down from the job because of his “wrong profile”.

While the incident seemed ridiculous at the first sight, translators’ responses to the incident were varied. Some believed if the situation permits, black female translators should indeed be a priority in this case, while others asserted that the choice of translators should not be determined by one’s race and identity, but their skills and competence. A German translator particularly pinpointed that the contention defeats the purpose of Gorman’s poem, which envisioned a country where racial barriers are torn down and all works towards a common goal.

In fact, while European publishers were busy resolving issues brought about by the incident, the German publisher, with their wit and wisdom, managed to ride out the storm. They gathered a team of translators from different backgrounds, who worked together to deliberate on translation choices and bring in new perspectives to the work, ensuring diversity in the final translation. Their experience may shed light on the future of the translation industry - only with collaboration could we break through the dilemma of one-man work and create something that is at-once innovative and inclusive.

What is your take towards the issue? Do you think translators’ identity and background should be a concern in rendering literary works? Comment down below to share your view!

【傳送門】💬

Amanda Gorman’s Poetry United Critics. It’s Dividing Translators.

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