请教英译高手！关键词的翻译

海棠依旧

最近在翻译中遇到一个问题，向各位大侠请教。
mentifact一词，不知该如何翻译？该词在中山大学1990年出版的利奇的《文化与交流》一书中译的是“大脑的产物”，但是笔者以为这样译有些生硬，英文全名为“The artifacts,mentifacts,and sociofacts of folklore are all products of ideation.”

大漠孤烟

精神产品？

nanwan

The anthropologist Leslie White (1900-1975) suggested that for analytical purposes, a culture could be viewed as a three-part structure composed of subsystems that he termed ideological, technological, and sociological. In a similar classification, the biologist Julian Huxley (1887-1975) identified three components of culture: mentifacts, artifacts, and sociofacts. Together, according to these interpretations, the subsystems-identified by their separate components-comprise the system of culture as a whole. But they are integrated; each reacts on the others and is affected by them in turn.

Mentifacts: The ideological subsystem consists of ideas, beliefs, and knowledge of a culture and of the ways in which these things are expressed in speech or other forms of communication. Mythologies and theologies, legend, literature, philosophy, and folk wisdom make up this category. Passed on from generation to generation, these abstract belief systems, or mentifacts, tell us what we ought to believe, what we should value, and how we ought to act. Beliefs form the basis of the socialization process . Often we know-or think we know-what the beliefs of a group are from their oral or written statements. Sometimes, however, we must depend on the actions or objectives of a group to tell us what its true ideas and values are. "Actions speak louder than words" and "Do as I say not as I do" are commonplace recognitions of the fact that actions, values, and words do not always coincide. . .

Artifacts: The technological subsystem is composed of the material objects, together with the techniques of their use, by means of which people are able to live. Such objects are the tools and other instruments that enable us to feed, clothe, house, defend, transport, and amuse ourselves. We must have food, we must be protected from the elements, and we must be able to defend ourselves. Huxley termed the material objects we use to fill these basic needs artifacts. . .

Sociofacts: The sociological subsystem of a culture is the sum of the expected and accepted patterns of interpersonal relations that find their outlet in economic, political, military, religious, kinship: and other associations. These sociofacts define the social organization of a culture. They regulate how the individual functions relative to the group, whether it be family, church, or state. There are no "givens" as far as the patterns of interaction in any of these associations are concerned, except that most cultures possess a variety of formal and informal ways of structuring behavior. Differing patterns of behavior are learned and transmitted from one generation to the next.

From Fellmann, J., et al., Human Geography: Landscapes of Human Activities New York: William C. Brown Publishers 1990
[ 本帖由 nanwan 于 2006-4-18 19:29 最后编辑 ]

nanwan

楼主在找“高手”，所以大家都不敢吱声了：谁也不敢自称“高手”。小可更不是什么“高手”，但这个贴子的讨论，确实牵出一个如何翻译的好话题来。

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这个“术语”的翻译，确实比较棘手，实在想不出一个贴切的汉译词汇来对应。

没辙儿只好上网去查了。发现台湾的网站上有一些对应的信息（大多来自文化地理学），不妨参考：

赫胥黎模式：人与环境互动而产生文化。对文化内涵的阐释，一般以英国生物学家赫胥黎模式最为贴切，可分成三个层面，即1.物质层面（工艺事物Artifact)、2.社会层面(社会事物Socifact)及3.精神层面(精神事物Mentifact)。

出处：《世界文化》（地理篇上）：台湾，三民书局，2002。

此外，相同的“划分法”，还有不同的表述：

一般认为文化有三个层次：第一，物质方面的层次，即物质文化，指的是人类的一切物质产品；第二，心理方面的层次，即精神文化，指的是人的思想，意识形态和传统；第三，上述二层次的统一，即物化了的心理和意识化了的物质，称之为制度文化或行为文化，指的是理论、制度和行为，在制度方面有政治制度、经济制度、法律制度以及教育制度等。这三个层次并不是孤立的、彼此毫无关系的。精神文化是行为文化的内化产物，它反过来又指导、支配、发展和制约人类行为。物质文化是行为文化的外化产物，它反过来又要求行为文化与其相适应。这三种文化的相互影响与制约形成文化发展的内在机制。
参见王恩涌：《文化地理学》，江苏教育出版社1995年第一版。

后者大抵也来自“赫胥黎模式”，即 three components of culture: mentifacts, artifacts, and sociofacts。

台湾那本书实际上包括了直译和意译：
直译为“…事物”，似不妥，比如将“mentifacts”译为“精神事物”，“精神”本身是指观念或意识形态（无形的），“事物”却多少是一种实际存在（有形的），放在一起有点不对劲？与其这样，不如用“精神产物”。

或许“绕开”英文的“-facts”，不从字面上去直译也是一种办法。既然赫胥黎是为了说明three components of culture，这样或许也可采纳“…层面”：精神（观念）层面？因为“components”一词，是指（构成）成份、要素等，可以理解为-“facts”的同义语。

所以，“精神产物”直译，精神层面（或观念层面）意译，可能都要比“大脑的产物”好一些？

还有，翻译中也要一并考虑artifacts和sociofacts这两个词该怎么译吧？artifacts (technological), mentifacts (ideological), sociofacts (sociological)，大家也可以继续讨论。

仅供参考。


[ 本帖由 nanwan 于 2006-4-20 15:50 最后编辑 ]

nanwan

赫胥黎模式：文化的三个层面（图示）
出处：《世界文化》（地理篇上）：台湾，三民书局，2002。
[ 本帖由 nanwan 于 2006-4-20 16:00 最后编辑 ]

海棠依旧

太感谢楼上的了！小可前一段时间在农村，一直没有能上网，所以……………
窃以为精神产物可能较合适。可是这样译来，前面和后面的那两词不太好一致啊？

李丽丹

《在承启关系中探求民俗的定义》(美)丹本一阿默思(Dan Ben - Amos)著，张举文译，《民俗研究》1998年第4期
有这样的译法：民俗形式—--如智力创造物(mentifacts)和人工创造物(artifacts )—--是超有机体(superorganic) ,

nanwan

李丽丹 于 2006-4-28 15:50 写道：
《在承启关系中探求民俗的定义》(美)丹本一阿默思(Dan Ben - Amos)著，张举文译，《民俗研究》1998年第4期......

Ben-Amos, Dan. Toward a Definition of Folklore in Context. Journal of American Folklore,(84); 1971. pp3～25.