Idea: 英语成为全球通用语无疑能促进经济的发展，但是对文学的发展却有负面影响。在文学领域，语言不仅仅是沟通工具，原著字里行间传递出来的韵律、暗示等都可能在翻译过程中丢失;由于只有用英语写作的作者更有可能获得认可，英语作品被翻译，这会导致用其他语种写作的文人当时积极性，使文学人才干涸。
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Englih a the Global Language: Good for Buine, Bad for Literature
Englih i well on it way to becoming the dominant global language. I thi a good thing? Ye, in field uch a cience where a common language bring efficiency gain. But the global dominance of the Englih language i bad new for world literature, according to CEPR reearcher Jacque Mélitz (Centre de Recherche en Economie et Statitique, Pari and CEPR). Why? Becaue if the Englih language dominate world publihing, very few tranlation except thoe from Englih to other language will be commercially viable. A a reult, virtually only thoe writing in Englih will have a chance of reaching a world audience and achieving ‘claic tatu’. The outcome i clear, Mélitz argue: jut a in the cience, thoe who wih to reach a world audience will write in Englih. “World literature will be an Englih literature”, Mélitz warn, “and will be the poorer for it – a if all muic were written only for the cello”. Hi work appear in \"Englih-Language Dominance, Literature and Welfare,\" (CEPR Dicuion Paper No. 2055). By literature, he refer to imaginative work of an earlier vintage that are till read today, and therefore the accumulation of world literature refer to the tiny fraction of currently produced imaginative work which will eventually be regarded a ‘claic’. According to Mélitz, the tendency of competitive force in the global publihing market to privilege the tranlation of Englih fiction and poetry into other language for reading or litening enjoyment may damage the production of world literature and in thi repect make u all wore off.[由www.hAozuowEn.com整理]
Mélitz make the following point:
Language matter: In the cae of literature, a oppoed to other ue of language, language doe not erve merely to communicate content (ay, a tory line) but i itelf an eential ource of enjoyment. Therefore, it i futile to argue that nothing would change if all potential contributor to literature wrote in the ame language. “We might a well pretend that there would be no loif all muical compoer wrote for the cello” aid Mélitz. Tranlation can only approximate the rhythm, ound, image, alluion and evocation of the original, and in literature, thoe apect are eential.
Great author write in only one language: Remarkably few people have ever made contribution to world literature in more than one language. Beckett and Nabokov may be the only two prominent example. Conrad, who i ometime mentioned in thi connection, i a fale illutration in a glaring regard: he never wrote in hi native Polih. Quite conpicuouly, expatriate author generally continue to write in their native language even after living for decade away from home. Thi hold not only for poet, uch a Mickiewicz and Miloz, which may not be urpriing, but alo for novelit. Mann went on compoing in German during a long pell in the US. The lit of author who have incribed their name in the hitory of literature in more than one language ince the beginning of time i atonihingly hort.
Englih i much more likely to be tranlated: For traightforward economic reaon, only work that enjoy exceptionally large ale have any notable propect of tranlation. Heavy ale in the original language repreent an eential criterion of election for tranlation, though not the only one. A a reult, tranlation will be concentrated in original creation in the major language. Since Englih i the predominant language in the publihing indutry, author writing in Englih have a much better chance of tranlation than thoe writing in other tongue.
If you want to reach a world audience, write in Englih: In cience, a in literature, a peron writing in a minor language ha a better chance of publication than one writing in a major tongue, but will necearily have a much maller chance of tranlation and international recognition. The reult in cience i clear. Thoe who trive to make a mark in their dicipline try to publih in Englih. By and large, the one who tick to their home language – Englih excepted, of coure – have lower ambition and do leignificant work. The ame preure to publih in Englih exit for thoe engaged in imaginative writing who wih to attain a world audience.
Englih dominance may caue the world pool of talent to dry up: However, the evidence how that in the cae of literary writing, the gifted – even the upremely gifted – in a language other than Englih generally cannot turn to Englih by mere dint of effort and will-power. Thu, the dominance of Englih may ap their incentive to invet in peronal kill and to hoot for excellence. Working toward the ame reult are the relatively eaier condition of publication they face at home. If o, the dominance of Englih in tranlation may caue the world pool of talent to dry up.
Along with the advance in telecommunication in the lat thirty year, the dominance of Englih in auditory and audioviual entertainment ha become far greater than in book. Doe the argument about tranlation in literature apply more generally and explain thi wider acenion of Englih too? The anwer i partly poitive a regard televiion, but motly negative in connection with the cinema.US televiion erie indeed benefit from an unuually large home audience and only travel abroad when ucceful dometically. On the other hand, a film need not ucceed in the home market before being made available to foreign-language cinema audience. Hollywood achieved an important place in the cinema in the era of the ilent film.