2002年10月，南开大学外国语学院和《中国翻译》编辑部联合举办“全国《红楼梦》翻译研讨会”，这是专就一部文学经典的翻译举行的学术会议。大会收到数量较多的论文，这里汇集的是其中的一部分，凑成一个集子，以资纪念。同时，借此机会与学者们互通信息，交流经验，共同推动《红楼梦》的翻译研究。
在世界文学史上，有因对具体作家的研究而发展成为一个专门学问的，如，将英国戏剧家莎士比亚研究称为“莎学”，将爱尔兰作家乔伊斯 (JamesJoyce)研究称为“乔学”。因对一本书的研究而发展成专门学问的不多，《红楼梦》是一个。这是文学史上一个特殊的现象。
《红楼梦》于乾隆五十六(1791)年第一次刊印，至清朝末年，一些文人把对《红楼梦》的研读和评说称之为“红学”。此后的“红学”经历了一个曲折的发展过程，至于今，已成为一门显学，不仅在中国，在国外也受关注。
《红楼梦》作为一部文学经典具有恒久的魅力，它在中国文化里产生、流传，在异域文化里也得到传播——主要通过它的译文得以实现。 目前，《红楼梦》已有十五六种文字的译本。就英语译本看，它的翻译经历了一个较长的历史。陈宏薇教授和江帆在她们合写的《难忘的历程》里说，自 1830年英国皇家学会会员戴维斯翻译《红楼梦》第三回片断开始， 160年来，先后产生了9种英译文。在霍克斯／闵福德和杨宪益夫女王的全译本之前的翻译都是节译，其中以王良志(1927)和王际真 (1929)的译本在推动《红楼梦》在西方流传方面影响较大。
20世纪70年代，英国汉学家戴维·霍克斯(DavidHawkes)着手翻译《红楼梦》前80回，由英国企鹅出版公司出版，译文书名为 The StoryO／the Stone，分三卷，第一卷The Golden Days(1973)，包括前26回；第二卷The Crab—Flower Club(1977)，包括27 —53回；第三卷The Warning Voice(1980)，包括54—80回。后来约翰·闵福德(John Minford)继霍克斯翻译了《红楼梦》的后四十回，分两卷出版，第四卷TheDebto／Tears(1982)，包括81—98回；第五卷TheDreamer Wakes(1986)，包括99—120回。
20世纪70年代后期，杨宪益(Yang Hsien-yi)和戴乃迭(Glad— ysYang)夫夕]也开始了翻译《红楼梦》的巨大工程，于1978— 1980年由外文出版社(北京)分三卷出版，译文书名为‘4 Dream o／ Red Mansions。
《红楼梦》两个英文全译本的出版，不仅是中国和英语国家文化交流的大事，也是文学翻译的大事，它促进了中国古典小说的翻译进程。在此后不到十年的时间里，相继又出版了由詹纳(W．J。 P．Jenner)翻译的《西游记》(／ourneycOthe West，1982)，由沙博里 (SidneyShapiro)翻译的《水浒传》(Outlaws O／the Marsh，1988)，以及由罗伯茨(Moss Roberts)翻译的《三国演义》(Three King— doms，1994)。至此，中国四部古典文学名著的英文全译本已出齐。在推动中国古典文学名著英译并使其形成一个蓬勃发展的形势过程中，《红楼梦》的英译者们是有功劳的。
随着《红楼梦》的翻译出版，出现了《红楼梦》翻译批评和研究的好形势。 自戴维·霍克斯于1973年出版第一卷The Golden Days以来，便有人开始写研究《红楼梦》翻译的文章。据不完全统计，到目前就霍克斯／闵福德译本和杨宪益／戴乃迭译本所写的散见于各地的研究文章，已有70余篇，加上这里收集的30几篇，足有100多篇。这期间也有关于《红楼梦》翻译研究的专著问世，如南开大学王宏印教授的《<红楼梦>诗词曲赋英译比较研究》，是《红楼梦》系统研究的一个良好开端。现在研究《红楼梦》翻译的人逐渐多起来，专家学者之外，也有青年教师和研究生。在这种形势下，探讨如何使《红楼梦》的翻译研究深入，也许能够使其成为一个专门的研究课题，为翻译作为一门学科的建设做贡献，这是很值得的。
从这里收入的文章看，大体分二种类型。一种是宏观类型的研究，其研究方法突破了以往规定性的“标准一分析一结论”和文本“对等”的单一模式，回到历史和文化的背景中，研究《红楼梦》翻译和当时的历史、政治、文化和文学思潮的互动关系，·体现了以历史地描述和解释为主的科学研究的性质；这一类型里还有关于《红楼梦》翻译的体制、策略、翻译倾向和补偿策略等问题的研究，也是值得重视的问题。另一种是微观类型的研究，多涉及文化和语言层面的问题，以阐释批评的方式对译作和原作以及它们之间的关系进行评价，对译作进行审美的和其他方面的价值判断等。
这两种类型的研究各有自己的功能和价值。宏观方面的研究可以帮助我们认识不同文化之间的交流和理解是经过怎样一个过程实现的；微观方面的研究可以帮助我们思考如何翻译好，如何培养好的译者，以真正实现文化交流的目的。勒菲弗尔(Andr6 Lefe— vere)和巴斯奈特(Susan Bassneff)将这二者比喻为翻译大厦里的两栋房子，没有理由不让它们并肩而立。
翻译研究的目的除了对翻译活动进行客观的和科学的描述和解释，还要通过研究翻译过程和翻译作品对翻译进行理论总结，以端正对翻译的认识，提高翻译质量，促进翻译事业的发展。
著名红学家冯其庸说：《红楼梦》是一首无韵的《离骚》，也是一部“说”家之绝唱。 自从《红楼梦》问世以后，中国的古典小说再也没有超越它的作品出现了。《红楼梦》是一部“前不见古人，后不见来者”的千古绝唱!
读过《红楼梦》的人大概都同意这个意见，甚至连读过《红楼梦》的外国人也持同样的看法。斯洛伐克翻译家玛丽纳·恰尔诺古尔斯卡(Marina Camogul3ka)就说：因为它是一部天才的小说、散文和诗的交响曲，它是一部集所有重要的中国文化之大成的百科全书，它是一部蕴涵重要的人生哲理和世界观的小说——而这样大师级的文学作品在世界上任何别的地方均不存在。
《红楼梦》的译者以及未来的《红楼梦》译者们肩负着一个伟大而艰难的使命，即，通过译文让英语读者也能认识到“《红楼梦》是一部‘前不见古人，后不见来者’的千古绝唱”，是一部“在世界上任何别的地方均不存在”的作品。如果我们的译文不能达到这样的境界，那就辜负了这部伟大的作品。
钱谷融先生认为一切文学作品都应该是诗，都应该有诗的意味。他说李白、杜甫的诗篇是诗，曹雪芹的《红楼梦》以及鲁迅的《朝花夕拾》都是诗，研究文学不可忘记文学作品的本质是诗。他的这番话对于翻译的研究者和文学作品的译者有很深的启示：《红楼梦》里“诗的意味”是什么，它是以怎样的形式表现出来或隐含在内，翻译《红楼梦》时如何才能体验和再现它的“诗的意味”。这些涉及到文艺美学也涉及到翻译美学，是《红楼梦》的翻译和研究不可回避的问题。
《红楼梦》的翻译研究虽属个案研究，但在对两种语言、两种文学和文化的对比研究中可以汲取丰富的灵感和资源，用科学的方法加以梳理总结，可以使我们的翻译研究建立在语言、文学和文化对比研究的坚实的基础之上，在对比语言学、对比文化学、文艺美学和翻译诗学等方面有所发现，为翻译学的建设和翻译事业的发展做出自己的贡献
In October 2002, Nankai University Foreign Languages Institute and "Chinese Translation" Editorial Department jointly organized the "National" Dream of Red Mansions "translation workshop," This is a classic on the translation of a literary conference held. The General Assembly received a large number of papers collected here are part of, to make up a collection, memento of the occasion. At the same time, and scholars to take this opportunity to share information, exchange experiences and jointly promote the "Dream of Red Mansions" of translation studies.
In the history of world literature, a writer because of the specific research and the development of a specialized knowledge of, for example, the British dramatist Shakespeare referred to as the "school-sha", the Irish writer James Joyce (JamesJoyce) study known as "Joe Xue . " Because of a book devoted to research and develop into a little learning, "A Dream of Red Mansions" is a. This is a special literary phenomenon.
"A Dream of Red Mansions" at 56 Qianlong (1791) published for the first time to the late Qing dynasty, a number of scholars to "A Dream of Red Mansions" and comment on the study called "A Dream of Red Mansions." Since then the "A Dream of Red Mansions" has gone through a tortuous development process, as this has become a significant study, not only in China, in other countries of concern.
"A Dream of Red Mansions" as a literary classic with a long-lasting charm, which have a culture in China, spread in a foreign land has been the dissemination of culture - mainly through its President can be achieved. At present, the "Dream of Red Mansions" has been the translation of languages十五六. On the English translation, the translation of it has gone through a long history. And Professor Chen Hongwei Jiang Fan in their co-wrote the "unforgettable journey," said that since 1830 the Royal Society of translation Davis, "A Dream of Red Mansions" to fragment the third year, 160 years ago, has resulted in nine kinds of English translation . In the Hawkes / Min Yang Xianyi Ford and the Queen's husband before the whole translation of the translation section is translated, with Wang Chi (1927) and WANG Ji-Zhen (1929) in promoting the translation of "A Dream of Red Mansions" in the West affect the larger circulation.
The 20th century, 70's, the United Kingdom戴维霍克斯sinologist (DavidHawkes) start of translation, "A Dream of Red Mansions" before the 80 back, from United Kingdom Penguin Books published the title of President for The StoryO / the Stone, in three volumes, the first volume of The Golden Days (1973), including the former 26 Back; II The Crab-Flower Club (1977), including back to 27 -53; III The Warning Voice (1980), including back to 54-80. Later, John Minford (John Minford) following the Hawkes translation of "A Dream of Red Mansions" after the 40 back, in two volumes published in Volume IV TheDebto / Tears (1982), including back to 81-98; TheDreamer V Wakes (1986), including back to 99-120.
70 In the late 20th century, Yang Yi (Yang Hsien-yi) and Gladys (Glad-ysYang) Fu Xi] also began the translation, "A Dream of Red Mansions," the great works, in 1978 - 1980 by Foreign Languages Press (Beijing) published in three volumes, entitled Mr'4 Dream o / Red Mansions.
"A Dream of Red Mansions" two of the published English translation of the whole is not only a cultural exchange between China and the major English-speaking countries, but also a major event in literary translation, it has promoted the translation of classical Chinese novels process. Less than a decade in time, have also published by Jenner (W.J. P. Jenner) translation of "Journey to the West" (/ ourneycOthe West, 1982), by the Shapiro-ri (SidneyShapiro) Translation " Outlaws of the Marsh "(Outlaws O / the Marsh, 1988), as well as Roberts (Moss Roberts) translation of the" Romance of the Three Kingdoms "(Three King-doms, 1994). So far, four classical Chinese Literature in English translation has been a homogeneous whole. In promoting the English translation of Chinese Classical Literature and make it into a dynamic growth process, "A Dream of Red Mansions" is the British translator who has the credit of.
With the "Dream of Red Mansions" translated and published, there has been "A Dream of Red Mansions," the study of translation criticism and a good situation.戴维霍克斯since the publication of Volume I in 1973, since The Golden Days, people began to write research "A Dream of Red Mansions," the article translated. According to incomplete statistics, the current on the Hawkes / Minford translation and Yang Hsien-yi / Gladys written translation research scattered throughout the articles, there are more than 70 articles, together with the collection of 30 essays here, there are more than 100 feet articles. During this period there are on "A Dream of Red Mansions" Translation Studies monographs available, such as the Nankai University's Professor Wang Hongyin "<A Dream of Red Mansions> Poetry A Comparative Study of the English translation of Qu Fu" and "A Dream of Red Mansions" System of a good start. Research is now "A Dream of Red Mansions" translation gradually grown, outside experts and scholars, there are young teachers and graduate students. Under such circumstances, to explore how to make the "A Dream of Red Mansions," the translation of research in depth, may be able to make it a special research topic for the translation as a discipline to contribute to the building, it is worth it.
Income from here to see the article, generally divided into two types. One is the macro-type of research, the research methods of breaking through the previous "standard an analysis of a conclusion" and the text of "reciprocity" of single-mode and return to historical and cultural background, the study of "A Dream of Red Mansions" translation and the historical, political, cultural and literary interaction between ideas, reflects the historical description and interpretation of the nature of scientific research-based; this type there are still on "A Dream of Red Mansions" translation system, strategy, Translation compensation trends and issues such as research strategy, one that deserves attention. Another type of study is the micro-, multi-cultural and linguistic level, in order to explain the criticism of the way and the original translation as well as their evaluation of the relationship between, on the translation for aesthetic and other value judgments and so on.
Both types of study have their own functions and values. Macro-studies can help us understand the exchange between different cultures and understanding how a process is achieved; micro research can help us to think about how good the translation, how to cultivate a good translator, so as to really achieve the purpose of cultural exchange . Lefebvre (Andr6 Lefe-vere) and Bassnett (Susan Bassneff) compared to the translation of these two buildings in the two houses, there is no reason not to allow them to stand shoulder to shoulder.
The purpose of translation studies translation activities in addition to objective and scientific description and explanation, but also by studying the process of translation and translation work on the translation of theoretical summary to correct understanding of translation, translation quality, and promote the development of translation.
Yong Feng红学家famous said: "A Dream of Red Mansions" is a non-rhyme of "Li Sao", is also a "say" home of farewell. Since the "Dream of Red Mansions" after launch, the Chinese classical novel does not go beyond it no longer works there. "A Dream of Red Mansions" is a "not before the ancients, the latter were not to" the eternal farewell!
Read "A Dream of Red Mansions" who probably agree with this view, and even read the "Dream of Red Mansions" of foreigners, also holds the same view. Slovakia玛丽纳恰尔诺古尔斯卡translator (Marina Camogul3ka) said: because it is a genius of fiction, prose and poetry of the symphony, it is a collection of all the important of the Chinese culture Dacheng Encyclopedia, which is an important implication of the life philosophy and world view of the novel - and this master of literary works in the world do not exist in any other places.
"A Dream of Red Mansions" and the future of the translator, "A Dream of Red Mansions" translators are responsible for a great and difficult mission, that is, through the President so that English readers will understand "" A Dream of Red Mansions "is a 'pre - not ancient, but not to those who, after 'the eternal farewell "is a" in the world do not exist in any other places "works. Asked if we can not achieve such a state, then let this great work.
Mr. Qian Gurong that all literary works should be poetry, poetry should have the means. He said that Li Bai, Du Fu's poetry is poetry, Cao Xueqin's "Dream of Red Mansions" and Lu Xun's "朝花夕拾" are poetry, literary studies should not forget that the essence of literature is poetry. Translation of his remarks for the researchers and the translator of literary works have a very deep inspiration: "A Dream of Red Mansions" in "means that poetry" is what kind of form it is manifested or implied, including, translation of "A Dream of Red Mansions" how to reproduce it in order to experience and the "means of poetry." These relate to literary aesthetics of translation also involves aesthetics, is "A Dream of Red Mansions" of the translation and study of the problem can not be avoided.
"A Dream of Red Mansions", although the translation of research case studies, but in two languages, two types of Comparative Literature and cultural studies can learn a wealth of inspiration and resources to sort out the scientific method to sum up, you can make our translation Research based on language, literature and cultural comparative study on the solid foundation, in contrast to linguistics, comparative culture, literature and art aesthetics and poetics of translation has been found and so on, for the construction of translation studies and translation of the cause of the development of its own contribution to