The Beijing Opera features that must be taken into account in the translating process

Udovichenko Assol Yur'evna Postgraduate student, Russian Language Institute, Heilongjiang University 150080, China, Heilongjiang province, g. Harbin, ul. Xuefu, 74 ultraviu@mail.ru

IntroductionThe relevance of the research topic is due to the importance of translating the Beijing Opera as the quintessence of Chinese culture, which has absorbed the history of the country for five thousand years, as well as the best traditions of theatrical art ^[1].

At the same time, it is an important means of understanding Chinese culture by Russian-speaking recipients. The main purpose of translating the Beijing Opera into Russian is to convey traditional Chinese culture and promote interest in it. The main means of transmission is performances on stage, as well as written translations of scripts. Despite the fact that Peking Opera is considered one of the forms of theater, there are no direct analogues of it in the whole world. Western theaters differ greatly from it in their characteristics, content, etc. ^{[2, p.161]}. When translating the Beijing Opera, one may encounter many difficulties, including how to preserve Chinese culture in the translated text, how to find the appropriate language symbols, how to make the keywords of Chinese culture and the Russian language of the script of the performance understandable. Before translating the Peking Opera, it is necessary to investigate the peculiarities of the Peking Opera itself, since we cannot study individual words taken out of context in isolation and conduct translation studies on them. Only by understanding the peculiarities of the Beijing Opera, we can analyze the key words of culture more purposefully and put forward constructive opinions about their translation.

The main research methods are comparative, content analysis of scientific articles in Russian and Chinese devoted to the study of the Beijing Opera and its translation. Most of the literature examines the analysis of Chinese culture as such, because of its unusual nature, there are not many domestic works aimed at considering this form of theater. The research was made possible thanks to the theoretical basis presented by works devoted to the study of Peking Opera (K. A. Goluban, M. E. Kravtsov, N. A. Lukinsky, L. I. Sherstova, V. V. Malyavin, P. A. Fysina, etc.). It should be noted that there are no works in Russian aimed at studying the translation of Peking Opera, We use articles in Chinese (Hu Yanli, Tang Zhen, Zeng Wenchan, Zhao Hui, Zhu Fan, etc.).

Features of the Beijing Opera and translation featuresComplexity

From the history of the development of the Beijing Opera, one can see its obvious feature – the complexity, the totality of different arts.

Peking Opera was not formed from any particular type of drama, but is a combination of many art forms: Anhui Opera, Qin arias, Kunju, Hanju, etc. This is a synthetic art, it organically combines choreography, acting, vocals, acrobatics, stage speech, literature, plastics, painting, martial arts, etc. After a long period of unification, they became one, gradually achieved harmony and unity. This is truly a combination of the literary art of language with other forms of art ^[2-4].

The complex nature of the Beijing Opera also concerns the performance of actors who, at a very high performing level, master all the variety of expressive means, undergo long and strenuous training, hone martial arts skills, using which they create multifaceted images of characters ^{[5, p.37]}. Make-up and costumes mainly serve informational purposes, not aesthetic ones, in order to clearly express the character of the character, being both hyperbole and a symbol at the same time. Different forms of musical expression should correspond to different moods and emotions of the characters. In addition, the attractiveness of the language is also extremely important. There is even a saying: "" ^{[6, p. 168]}. "When you watch the Beijing Opera, literally everything is filled with the game, from the actors to the stage." For example, in the title of the following role "", we tried to convey all the characteristic characters of the character as much as possible with the help of a combination of transliteration and descriptive translation: "Tong Chui, a male character with black makeup on his face, depicting a righteous man," it became clear not only the name of the character, but also how it can be recognized, as well as the meaning of the makeup. Also, when translating, you can add more detailed information about gestures and movements: "The hero waves his banners in waves, meaning that everything around is flooded." Thus, readers will understand the meaning of the presented movements. If the opera is presented on stage, it is necessary to use brochures that can be read before or during the performance. Such a detailed analysis requires translators to study in-depth the culture of the Beijing Opera, a correct understanding of the cultural background. So, it is important for the translator to take into account the complexity, and not to omit, but to describe in detail these rich forms of artistic expression: language, makeup, clothes, dances, movements, etc. Due to the combination of many factors, the Beijing Opera is particularly attractive, makes a deep impression on the audience, overcomes all possible obstacles and shines on the international stage.

Exemplary

The preservation of the canons of performance serves as the main goal of traditional Chinese theater. Peking Opera has its own complete set of relatively fixed forms of expression, namely a sample, a canon. Actors perform roles on stage within a strictly defined framework. Chinese viewers are brought up on the conventions associated with the Confucian worldview, so they perceive everything differently than Western viewers. They enjoy acting, and not the play itself, the plot of which is familiar to them from childhood, the quality of the performance of the scene by the actors is of interest, therefore strict observance of traditions and rules of performance is most appreciated ^{[5, 7, 8]}. But the exemplary nature of the Beijing Opera does not mean that it is boring and ossified, it is very plastic. Although the actor must blindly follow a certain pattern of performance, he must also be flexible according to the image of the character and the development of the plot ^[6]. So, the process of the character's fall will be depicted differently depending on the specific play and scene. For example, in the play "" "The Story of a Broken Arm" Wang Zuo fell due to severe pain in his broken arm, in the play "" "Si Lan visits his mother" Si Lan fell from a horse ^[9]. These situations are different, so the translator needs to convey most accurately why and how the hero fell, in specific scenes the strength, amplitude and rhythm of movements of a certain character are also different.

In addition, different roles have different ways of expressing a performance pattern. Each actor understands them differently, so the result of mastering will also be different. Sometimes, although the actor plays the same role, at different times the psychological state of the character changes, as a result of which the performance pattern will be different. In the play "The House of the Sun", Gao Deng gets on a horse three times, however, since the emotional state is different each time, the actor naturally cannot use the same method of performance. The translator needs to take into account how the emotions of the hero change, react flexibly and show in translation all the changes in the saddling process so that the viewer feels all the subtleties of the changes.

All gestures and movements carry a certain meaning, the spiritual image of the characters is fully manifested in them and all the talent of the actors' representation is concentrated, for example, a wave of long sleeves, a light gait, going on stage, etc., therefore it is very important to convey to the Russian-speaking recipient the meaning of the movements. For example, to convey the meaning of gestures, we suggest using combinations of translation techniques with descriptive translation. The gesture "", in the Russian version, we presented using a combination of calculus and descriptive translation: "The fingers of an orchid - the thumb and middle fingers touch each other, the rest are raised up, a symbol of purity, tenderness and harmony." Thus, the name of the gesture, its description and meaning are presented.

Thus, translators need to pay attention to the fact that although each role is exemplary, but the ways of expressing the sample are infinitely variable, and take this into account during translation, flexibly use combinations of techniques, necessarily with the use of descriptive translation in order to explain to readers and viewers a certain performance pattern. It is also recommended to pay attention to the context in order to accurately convey a sample of the execution of a certain action.

Virtuality, conventionalityBeijing Opera is a virtual form of representation, an expression of the psychology and aesthetic taste of the Chinese nation.

A lot of things are not shown directly on the stage, thereby opening up space for the viewer's imagination. Due to the historical features of the development of the Beijing Opera, among them the nomadic lifestyle of the troupe, the scenery and props can be almost not used, they are reduced to the necessary minimum, but through the play of actors who are fluent in plasticity and gestures, the atmosphere and the development of the plot are shown. So in translation it is necessary to express everything that the character represents, for example, if an actor describes a circle on the stage, the translator must understand that this is not an arbitrary action and add an explanation: "The hero overcame the path through "a thousand mountains and ten thousand rivers", so it will be clear that this is not just an arbitrary the action of the actor. Such a technique — not to resort to visualization allows you to depict absolutely everything, without adjusting the plot of the play to the technical capabilities of the stage ^{[8, p.207]}. Of course, such artistic imagination is based on the wealth of social practice, real life experience, and did not arise from scratch or arbitrarily fictitious. As noted in the Great Soviet Encyclopedia, "a characteristic feature of the actor's art is playing with imaginary things, allegorically–figurative use of props" ^[1]. For example, a chair may well mean a mountain, and actors lined up in a row – a fortress wall. In the Peking Opera, everything is conditional – pantomime, costumes, makeup, scenery and singing, as well as stage movements: to saddle a horse or dismount, get into a boat or swim down the river, climb up or go down, etc. For example, in the play "" "Jasper Bracelet" there is a scene in which two girls are represented, one of whom is engaged in needlework, the other feeds chickens. Before performing, the actors need to carefully observe how women feed chickens in real life. It is also important for them to understand the difference between feeding chickens and feeding chickens, whether there are differences in the gestures used ^[5-7]. And translators, in turn, need to know the difference in movements for accurate transmission to the Russian-speaking recipient. So that the performances of the Beijing Opera can be the embodiment of reality on stage, every detail is important. This kind of virtuality of the image can enrich the images of the characters of the performances of the Beijing Opera, and sometimes help the props hide subtle psychological changes of the performers.

Of course, there is a difference between this virtual nature performed by the Beijing Opera and reality in everyday life. After all, Peking Opera is an art that, although it came from real life, is still different from it. The virtual nature of the Beijing Opera should correspond to three principles ^{[6, p.169]}:

1. The described must exist in real life, cannot be fictional, be reasonable and reasonable.

2. Free changes of actions in space and time ^{[3, p.25]}, which have no boundaries ^{[8, p.209]}, but performance on stage is subject to rules.

3. It cannot be a copy of real life, but it can be a reworked reality, all movements are distinguished by exemplary performance, rhythm, melody, etc.

Thus, in each action of the actor, a certain action from real life is veiled, which must be described to the translator, for this it is recommended to use a descriptive translation, add explanations.

Prevalence, accessibility The canons of the Beijing Opera go back to the Confucian ideology, which strictly regulated human behavior in the family and society.

Most of the themes of the Beijing Opera are borrowed from folklore: to punish evil and preach good, loyalty, respect for parents and patriotism, the desire for love and freedom, etc. Conventionality and symbolism have been formed for thousands of years, as a result of which they have become natural and understandable for the Chinese viewer who "conjectures" situations. Certain scenes set the emotions that he should experience ^{[5, p.41]}. The most interesting thing is that the audience's reaction to the actors' performance should be uniform, discrepancies are unacceptable. Thus, the Beijing Opera is in many ways a reflection of public consciousness. The Chinese viewer clearly understands the meaning of the flag behind the commander's back, and for the Russian-speaking reader it is necessary to explain this. So we propose to add footnotes with an explanation to the translation, for example, "The flag on the belt behind the commander's back means the ten thousandth army standing behind him."

AestheticsThe Beijing Opera pays great attention to the beauty of melody and rhythm, and the script of the Beijing Opera as a "kind of literature" has a deep aesthetic connotation.

Therefore, when translating into Russian, attention should be paid to the preservation of rhyme, it is possible to translate in verse form, for example, in the play "" "Hong Luanxi" a dialogue is presented:

Are you full?

I'm full.

Has the body warmed up?

Warmed up.

Then I would like to see you soon.

Did you not understand what you wanted?

Get out.

In this passage, an attempt has been made to translate and leave a rhyme, it is noteworthy that the same lines rhyme in the original and the translation. In the third line, the proverb "" is used - "Two mountains support each other", the meaning of which is: "Get out", in order for the Russian-speaking viewer to understand the nested meaning, we used a descriptive translation, replaced the proverb with the following sentence: "Then I'd like to see you soon."

Scenic, audiovisual

When translating, the scenic nature should be taken into account in the case when the Beijing Opera is presented to the audience on stage ^[10]. Peking Opera as a kind of stage art includes "Singing, recitation, movements, martial art", which reflect the comprehensive characteristics of Peking Opera. The audience can both see the performance on stage and hear the actor's voice, but unlike film and television dramas, there are some limitations: the back scenery and props are not movable, so you listen to the play more than you watch. This is also the reason why foreign audiences like to watch martial arts, there is no language barrier, you can enjoy the acting program, colorful costumes, stage music, etc. ^{[4, p.61]}. The "singing" and "recitation" of the Beijing Opera can be viewed only once, you cannot pause or rewind, so you should take into account the importance of language and culture and at the same time use a concise and understandable language to translate the theatrical dialogue, use a descriptive translation so that the audience understands at first glance, can respond to the actions of the characters of the play.

For example, in the play "The Fisherman's Revenge", the sentence "The Eight Immortals are crossing the sea - everyone demonstrates their abilities", in order for the translation to be acceptable to the Russian-speaking viewer, we use a descriptive translation of this phrase: "Let's show everything we can do." When performing on stage, due to the instantaneous nature of what is happening, the translation should be understandable to the viewer, and if a more complex translation is used, but with the preservation of cultural components, this will only make the text incomprehensible and naturally reduce the interest of the audience.

No notesSince it is impossible to add notes to the translation text during the play, the translation puts forward higher requirements for translators.

They should flexibly use the target language to search for cultural equivalence in translation, carry out equivalent translation, taking into account the cultural factor.

In the play "" "Ray dog uncle's" offer "" literally translates as "Look, let's not waste time, we gotta go, need to keep sesame biscuits firmly in hand, and not give his hawk with a mangy tail". Such a translation will not be clear to the Russian-speaking viewer, so we have replaced the end of the sentence with the equivalent known to every Russian: "it is better to have a tit in your hands than a crane in the sky." We used descriptive translation, picked up a popular proverb in Russian to make the speech colloquial, easy to understand, and close to every Russian-speaking viewer.

Acceptability of translationDespite the fact that the number of Chinese language learners is increasing, it has not yet spread to such a level as to become universal.

Chinese is a very complex language, so the process of mastering takes quite a long time. It should be noted that his ignorance makes it difficult to spread the Beijing Opera around the world. Therefore, for foreign viewers or readers, we highlight the following feature that a translation of the Beijing Opera should have: acceptability. The success of the Beijing Opera performance depends on the degree of understanding by the public ^[11]. The folk language is rich in exaggerations, wordplay, proverbs and even understatements and colloquialisms are widely used. The researcher In carries out an authentic translation, in which he uses commonly used words to make the language easy to understand, colloquial and at the same time distinctive ^{[4, 12]}. The performance time on stage is limited, the audience and the reader are not very familiar with the plots and other cultural factors of the Beijing Opera, so the translation of the script should be easy for the audience or the reader to understand, everyone should fully understand the meaning of what is happening. It should be noted that if the sentence or some part of it is not clear when translating the dialogue, and the time of the presentation of the Beijing Opera is limited, you can convey its main meaning.

In the play "" "The Phoenix returns to the nest", the sentence "," literally translates into Russian as "In the implementation of a skillful plan to follow Lu Xun, drop the brush and learn from Ban Chao." The names of the generals "Lu Xun" and "Ban Chao" are household names in China, but they do not mean anything to the ordinary Russian viewer. If you translate this sentence literally, then you need to add an explanation. Therefore, in order for the translation to be acceptable for viewing by the Russian viewer, it is necessary to use more understandable and familiar expressions for him with the help of descriptive translation, for example: "Now that I've become a strategist, I've put my brush aside."

Conclusion

Thus, our article identifies the main features of the Beijing Opera that affect the features of its translation: complexity, virtuality, exemplary, accessibility, aesthetics, scenic and audiovisual, lack of notes. The translation of the Beijing Opera should have the following feature: acceptability for a foreign audience. In order for the translation to be as acceptable as possible, it is necessary, focusing on the features of the opera, to use descriptive translation, as well as combinations of translation techniques, such as calculus or transliteration with descriptive translation. When the Beijing Opera is presented in the form of performances, it is necessary to take into account the scenic character and the absence of notes, strive for an acceptable perception of its recipients, we offer the use of brochures with descriptions that the audience can familiarize themselves with. When an opera is presented in a written text, it is necessary to take into account all the features of the opera too, to reproduce them as much as possible in translation, using a descriptive translation, and not to omit them, considering them unimportant. We come to the conclusion that the highlighted features determine the uniqueness of the Beijing Opera, including from a translation point of view, a detailed study is required. When translators translate or research the Russian translation of the Beijing Opera or cultural keywords, it is necessary to take into account the peculiarities of the Beijing Opera in order to improve the quality of translation so that recipients in the target language and recipients in the original language can have the same sympathy for the characters of the Beijing Opera and an understanding of traditional Chinese culture.

How to preserve the cultural features of the Beijing Opera in the process of translation into Russian, how to find the appropriate language symbol, make the translation of the script of the performance clear and understandable at first glance are indisputable difficulties of translation. In addition, the librettos of the Beijing opera are mostly poetic rhymes. The translator's accurate interpretation of the performance and the dramatic effect of the Beijing Opera, the improvement of the translator's skill in the field of Chinese poetry, as well as mastering the principles of translating Chinese poetry into Russian are important factors determining the quality of translation. We hope that our research will help to cope with the difficulties that arise when translating the Beijing Opera or even anticipate them.

We see prospects for further research of the problem in a more detailed study of the features of the Beijing Opera, which should be taken into account when translating the Beijing Opera, as well as the perception and understanding of it by foreign viewers and readers.