翻译中涉及到的文化差异问题不仅具有共时性而且还有历时性。今天中国年轻读者对《红楼梦》的理解也不同与曹雪芹时代的读者，因此翻译文学作品时，译者首先要找出语言的文化特质现象，然后再设法将其再现在译文中。而在人物描写上，曹雪芹不过分依赖华丽的词汇而着眼于人物相貌、服饰的静态描写，相反，他经常采用普通的词汇，通过动静结合的 手法描绘人物瞬息万变的神情，以此赋予角色生命，揭示人物个性。

而在“文学翻译的过程”一文中，孙艺风指出“没有哪类翻译像文学翻译那样包含如此丰富的文化信息和注重修辞效果。新批评家和形式主义论者早就对文学和其他语言形式进行了经验上的区分，主要体现在风格与效果方面。文学翻译的挑战就在于此”。

 

因此我们在翻译贾政面部表情瞬间变化的文学描写时，万万不可提笔就译。翻译前我们首先应该反复阅读原文，从宏观上发现原文描写所具有的那种层层递进的独幕话剧的戏剧特征，翻译时层层铺垫，译出高潮，译出气氛，译出原著的艺术效果。下面我们先来欣赏两种对贾政神态变化描述的翻译。

 

原文：

1.贾政又惊又气……

2.贾政气的目瞪口歪……

3.贾政气的面如金纸……

4.贾政眼都红紫了……

5.贾政咬着牙……

6.贾政更如火上洗油一般……

7.贾政冷笑道……

8.贾政不觉长叹一声，向椅上坐下，泪如雨下……

9.贾政那泪珠更似滚瓜一般滚了下来……

译文a：

1.Alarmed and scandalized，...

2.Jia Zheng’s eyes were nearly bursting from his head with rage.

3.Jia Zheng was livid with fury.

4.Jia Zheng’s eyes blazed at the sight of him.

5.With clenched teeth,...

6.His wife’s arrival roused Jia Zheng to still greater fury,

7.Jia Zheng gave a scornful laugh.

8.Jia Zheng heaved a long sign and sat down, his tears falling like rain.

9.And the lamentation made Jia Zheng weep more bitterly himself.

译文b：

1.Surprised and angered ...

2.Jia Zheng，his eyes glaring and his mouth contorted with rage，...

3.Jia Zheng，whose face had now turned to a ghastly gold-leaf colour,...

4.Jia Zheng turned a pair of wild and bloodshot eyes on him.

5.Gritting his teeth,...

6.Her entry provoked Jia Zheng to fresh transports of fury.

7.Said Jia Zheng bitterly ...

8.Jia Zheng, who had heard her with a sigh, sank into a chair and himself broke down in a fit of weeping.

9.Jia Zheng himself was deeply affected, and tears as round as pumpkins rolled down both his cheeks.