Voici mon secret. Il est très simple, Comparing Chinese versions |
Voici mon secret. Il est très simple -- 'And now here is my secret, a very simple secret'. This is how the fox starts telling his secret. Despite the utter simplicity of the French, there's amazing variety in the Chinese translations.
The two sentences convey two messages:
| 1. The fox announces that he is about to reveal his promised secret. (Voici mon secret.) |
| 2. The fox comments on the simple nature of the secret. (Il est très simple.) |
In 41 Chinese translations, the message is divided into two distinct parts, just as in the French. In the remaining seven, the two are fused together. The principal reason is quite clearly Katherine Woods' English translation, which transforms the two French sentences into one: "Now here is my secret, a very simple secret."
1. FIRST SENTENCE: ANNOUNCING THE SECRET
Chinese doesn't have an exact equivalent of voici or 'here is'. Translators come up with a total of five different ways of conveying the meaning.
1) 'This is my secret'
About half of all translators (25) use straightforward expressions meaning 'This is my secret'. In most cases this is 这就是我的秘密 Zhè jiù shì wǒ de mìmì. The word 就 jiù adds emphasis and certainty. It means 'precisely, none other than!', as if the fox were declaring: 'This is my secret'. At least that's what it's supposed to do. In fact, 就是 jiù shì is used so commonly that it's lost much of its original bite.
'THIS IS MY SECRET' |
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voici 'here is' |
mon secret 'my secret' |
|
这 zhè 'this' |
就是 jiù shì 'is' |
我的秘密 wǒ de mìmì 'my secret' |
There is a certain amount of (mostly minor) variation on this sentence. More
2) 'My secret is like this'
Three translators use the very similar: 'My secret is like this' (我的秘密是这样 Wǒ de mìmì shì zhèyàng), a common speech pattern in Chinese.
'MY SECRET IS LIKE THIS' |
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mon secret 'my secret' |
voici 'here is' |
|
我的秘密 wǒ de mìmì 'my secret' |
是 shì 'is' |
这样 zhèyàng 'like this' |
There is also some variation on this sentence. More
3) 'I'll tell you my secret'
Eleven have the fox announce: 'I'll tell you my secret' (我告诉你我的秘密 Wǒ gàosu nǐ wǒ de mìmì). Although there are quite a few variations on this pattern, all share the common thread of announcing the intention to 'tell the secret'.
'I'LL TELL YOU MY SECRET' |
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voici 'here is' |
mon secret 'my secret' |
||
我 wǒ 'I' |
告诉 gàosu 'tell' |
你 nǐ 'you' |
我的秘密 wǒ de mìmì 'my secret' |
There are many variations on this format. More
4) 'Come and see my secret'
One translator uses a sentence meaning 'Come and see my secret'.
'COME AND SEE MY SECRET' |
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voici 'here is' |
mon secret 'my secret' |
-- |
|
来 lái 'come' |
看 kàn 'see' |
我的秘密 wǒ de mìmì 'my secret' |
吧 ba (exhortation) |
5) 'My secret--'
One translator uses a sentence fragment: 'My secret--'. Voici is not explicitly expressed. By suddenly raising the topic of the secret, the fox is harking back to his earlier promise.
'MY SECRET --' |
|
voici 'here is' |
mon secret 'my secret' |
| x | 我的秘密 wǒ de mìmì 'my secret' |
This sentence pattern is actually almost identical to the amalgamated sentence that we see below.
The English translation begins with the word 'now', as a means of indicating that the fox is about to say something of significance. Several translations use words with a similar function, although not all are translations from the English. More 
2. SECOND SENTENCE: NOTING THE SIMPLICITY OF THE SECRET
Only three sentence patterns are used in calling attention to the simplicity of the secret.
1) '(It's) very simple'
28 translators use a straightforward statement that the secret 'is simple', either 它很简单 tā hěn jiǎndān or 很简单 hěn jiǎndān. Chinese doesn't use a verb like être 'to be' with a predicative adjective. The adjective can stand as a predicate by itself.
'(IT'S) VERY SIMPLE' |
||
(il est) ('it is') |
très 'very' |
simple 'simple' |
(它) (tā) ('it') |
很 hěn 'very' |
简单 jiǎndān 'simple' |
There is some variation in this pattern, particularly in the use of 它 tā. More
2) 'A very simple secret' (in apposition)
Nine translators use a noun phrase in apposition (我的秘密，一个很简单的秘密 wǒ de mìmì, yīge hěn jiǎndān de mìmì). This follows the translation of Katherine Woods. All translators who do so appear to be translating from the English.
The attributive adjective is mostly (but not always -- this is one of the finer points of Chinese grammar) followed by the particle 的 de in Chinese. Thus 简单的 jiǎndān de 'simple'.
'A VERY SIMPLE SECRET' |
|||
un 'a' |
très 'very' |
simple 'simple' |
secret 'secret' |
一个 yīge 'a' |
很 hěn 'very' |
简单的 jiǎndān de 'simple (attributive)' |
秘密 mìmì 'secret' |
'A' in English becomes 一个 yīge in Chinese. 个 ge is a general classifier or measure word.
3) 'This is a very simple secret'
Two translators modify this pattern to: 'This is a very simple secret' (这是一个很简单的秘密 Zhè shì yīge hěn jiǎndān de mìmì).
'THIS IS A VERY SIMPLE SECRET' |
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ce 'this' |
est 'is' |
un 'a' |
très 'very' |
simple 'simple' |
secret 'secret' |
这 zhè 'this' |
是 shì 'is' |
一个 yīge 'a' |
很 hěn 'very' |
简单的 jiǎndān de 'simple (attributive)' |
秘密 mìmì 'secret' |
3. THIRD OPTION: AMALGAMATE THE TWO SENTENCES INTO ONE
Seven translations amalgamate the two sentences into one simple pattern. This pattern dispenses with preliminaries or introductions to merely state: "The secret is very simple". Given that the fox has already announced that he will divulge a secret upon parting, this approach certainly doesn't lose any important content and has the advantage of being very succinct.
'MY SECRET IS VERY SIMPLE' |
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Voici mon secret 'Here is my secret' |
Il est très simple 'It is very simple' |
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这是 zhè shì 'this is' |
我的秘密 wǒ de mìmì 'my secret' |
它 tā 'it (is)' |
很 hěn 'very' |
简单 jiǎndān 'simple' |
|
v |
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Mon secret est très simple 'My secret is very simple' |
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我的秘密 Wǒ de mìmì 'my secret' |
很 hěn 'very' |
简单 jiǎndān 'simple' |
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One translator, in addition to this sentence, goes on to add 那就是 nà jiù shì 'that is'.
我的祕密很簡單，那就是：
Wǒ de mìmì hěn jiǎndān, nà jiù shì:
My secret is very simple, it is:'
4. HOW THE PATTERNS ARE COMBINED
The above sets of sentence patterns are combined together in different ways. The first two combinations (below) account for the lion's share of the French-based translations and account for about half the total. Translations based on Katherine Woods' English show much more variation.
HOW TRANSLATIONS COMBINE THE TWO SENTENCES |
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Sentence 1 |
Sentence 2 |
F |
E |
? | Total |
这就是我的秘密。 Zhè jiù shì wǒ de mìmì. 'This is my secret'. |
(它)很简单。 (Tā) hěn jiǎndān. '(It) is very simple' |
15 |
4 |
0 |
19 |
我的秘密很简单。 Wǒ de mìmì hěn jiǎndān. 'My secret is very simple'. |
5 |
1 |
1 |
7 |
|
我告诉你我的秘密。 Wǒ gàosu nǐ wǒ de mìmì. 'I'll tell you my secret'. |
(它)很简单。 (Tā) hěn jiǎndān. '(It) is very simple' |
2 |
4 |
0 |
6 |
这就是我的秘密， Zhè jiù shì wǒ de mìmì, 'This is my secret', |
一个很简单的秘密。 yīge hěn jiǎndān de mìmì. 'a very simple secret'. |
0 |
6 |
0 |
6 |
我告诉你我的秘密， Wǒ gàosu nǐ wǒ de mìmì, 'I'll tell you my secret', |
一个很简单的秘密。 yīge hěn jiǎndān de mìmì. 'a very simple secret'. |
0 |
4 |
0 |
4 |
我的秘密是这样。 Wǒ de mìmì shì zhèyàng. 'My secret is like this'. |
(它)很简单。 (Tā) hěn jiǎndān. '(It) is very simple' |
1 |
2 |
0 |
3 |
我的秘密- Wǒ de mìmì- 'My secret - ' |
它很简单。 Tā hěn jiǎndān. 'It is very simple' |
1 |
0 |
0 |
1 |
我告诉你我的秘密。 Wǒ gàosu nǐ wǒ de mìmì. 'I'll tell you my secret'. |
这是一个很简单的秘密。 Zhè shì yīge hěn jiǎndān de mìmì. 'This is a very simple secret'. |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
来看我的秘密吧。 Lái kàn wǒ de mìmì ba. 'Come and see my secret'. |
这是一个很简单的秘密。 Zhè shì yīge hěn jiǎndān de mìmì. 'This is a very simple secret'. |
0 |
1 |
0 |
1 |
| Total | 24 |
23 |
1 |
48 |
|
Mon secret
Mon:
As we noted in analysing the meaning of mon secret in French, the meaning of mon can be paraphrased as 'that particular secret -- the one that I mentioned earlier -- that belongs to me'. In translating this, three-quarters of Chinese translators use the direct version 我的秘密 wǒ de mìmì 'my secret'.
However, one-quarter use other expressions, including 那个秘密 nàge mìmì 'that secret', 这个秘密 zhège mìmì, and expressions meaning 'the secret I want to tell you'. More
Secret:
The word secret ('secret') itself is translated by the same word in almost every Chinese translation. The word is 秘密 mìmì. A 秘密 is confidential knowledge or information -- information that only one person knows and another person is dying to find out (or the secret-keeper is dying to tell, depending on your view of secrets). This is pretty much the standard, kneejerk translation of the word 'secret'. It corresponds exactly to the first sense of secret in French and 'secret' in English.
But as luck would have it, one Taiwanese translator manages to come up with a different interpretation. This translator uses the word 祕訣 mìjué (simplified form: 秘诀), which is secret knowledge of how to do something. This is very close to the second French definition (moyen de réussir - means of succeeding), or the English meaning 'something taken to be a key to a desired end'. Given that the fox's secret is a secret for understanding the meaning of relationships, commitments, and life (not to mention how to figure out his rose), this interpretation is absolutely fine. But it certainly puts a rather concrete spin on the fox's secret.
Simple
Dictionaries give a lot of meanings for the French and English word simple / 'simple'. The central meaning in this context is: 'not complex or complicated or involved', with the additional implication of 'not difficult, easy to understand'.
Given the disagreement over other points of translation, it's nothing short of miraculous that all but one of the 48 Chinese translators unerringly translate simple as 簡單 / 简单 jiǎndān ('simple, uncomplicated')! Presumably 簡單 / 简单 jiǎndān is such a perfect match with simple in French and 'simple' in English that no one bothered to try and find any others.
The exception, a rather interesting exception, is the translator who renders 'simple' as 平凡 píngfán 'ordinary, common'. This is something of a departure from the sense of 'not complicated', 'easy to comprehend', or 'clear-cut'. The meaning veers in the direction of 'unremarkable' or 'not special'. Needless to say, however, the implication is not that the secret is unworthy of mention or of little merit. The point is that there is nothing complicated or high-falutin' about the secret. The translator is implying that people tend to overlook the secret because of its simplicity.
Nine of the translators slip in the word 其实 qíshí meaning 'actually'. This adds a softer, more reassuring tone: the secret is not as difficult as might have been expected. It also serves to play the secret down somewhat by adopting a modest, less forbidding tone. It's interesting that so many translators felt obliged to add 其实 qíshí here.
6. GENERAL
Level of formality
In the Chinese versions, many translators follow the French original almost literally, word for word, as 这(就)是我的秘密，(它)很简单。Zhè (jiù) shì wǒ de mìmì, (tā) hěn jiǎndān. These are the translators who believe in keeping the tone of the original exactly as it is.
But there are plenty of translators who felt impelled to add something in the interest of naturalness:
- As we see here, three translators add the rather quaint interjection 喏 nuò at the start. Since this is northern dialect, it gives a certain folksy character to the fox's speech.
- Eight translators add 其实 qíshí 'actually' to the fox's explanation. This makes the tone more conversational and friendly.
- One translator feels obliged to jazz up Woods' words 'a very simple secret' into the much more impressive 再简单不过的秘密 zài jiǎndān búguò de mìmì.
In all these cases, the very spare language of the original -- especially the original French -- is modified in ways that bring the translation closer to the rhythms of natural speech, or give the fox's speech more 'character'.
Altogether now...
So now we've been right through the translation, phrase by phrase. What have we learnt?
First, no matter how simple the original may be, different translators will find different ways of translating it. What is more, this can give rise to significantly different nuances, as in the variant translation of the word 'secret' or the variant translation of the word 'simple'.
Secondly, an awful lot of translators are suckers for literal translation. Examples of this are the literal translation of English 'now' as 现在 xiànzài and the direct translation of il as 它 tā.
Third, translating second hand (from a translation that is subtly different from the original) can give rise to changes in expression (as examples again, the mistranslation of English 'now' and the reproduction of Woods' noun phrase in apposition structure).
Finally, translation of speech in particular needs to make concessions to the speech patterns and rhythms of the target language. Insertion of 其实 qíshí 'actually' is a case in point. The implications and usage of this adverb are worthy of further study as they interact very closely with the meaning of the word 'simple'. The French simple carries a number of nuances -- lack of complication, ease of comprehension, clear-cutness, clarity. Inserting 其实 qíshí 'actually' adds a deprecating nuance to the fox's statement, that the secret is not so forbidding after all. Whether this nuance is justified or not, it is extremely natural in Chinese speech to use this adverb in explaining matters to people, and it is understandable why some translators have felt impelled to add it. However, they push the meaning of 简单 jiǎndān in the direction of 'it's really nothing difficult or special; it's really nothing at all'.
