世界各民族的文學都有自己的民族特點，在翻譯藝術中，我們主張保持文學作品的民族性，或者說“民族外衣”（普希金語）。
文學作品的民族性首先就在于一個民族的共同心理。一個作家可以取材于其它民族的生活，但總是要表現(xiàn)出本民族的心理。取材于本民族生活的文學作品，更是如此。民族心理并不是抽象的東西，而是一定的歷史時代的反映。在翻譯藝術中，我們主張保持這種民族心理。
例如，中國人不喜歡感情外露，在文學中，就非常講究含蓄，在詩歌中尤其注重弦外之音，味外之味。
劉方平《春怨》：“紗窗日落漸黃昏，金屋無人見淚痕。寂寞空庭春欲晚，梨花滿地不開門。” Giles譯為：
Dim twilight throws a deeper shade across the window screen;
Alone within a gilded hall her tear-drops flow unseen.
No sound the lonely court-yard stirs; the spring is all but through;
Around the pear-blooms fade and fall...and no one comes to woo.
譯詩最后一后行半句and no one comes to woo不含蓄，不合乎中國人的心理。我們再看Bynner的譯文：
With twilight passing her silken window,
She weeps alone in her chamber of gold;
For spring is departing from a desolate garden,
And a drift of pear-petals is closing a door.
Bynner的譯文比Giles的譯文含蓄多了，但第三行增加“for”一詞，仍不及原詩含蓄。
文學作品的民族性還在于生活畫面的民族特點。我們主張保持這種生活畫面的民族特點，尤其不主張在譯文中使用反映譯者本民族事物和概念的詞匯。
李白《憶東山》：“不向東山久，薔薇幾度花！白云還自散，明月落誰家？”Fletcher譯為：
To Tung Shan Cave so long I have not been!
How often have its roses filled with bloom!
Its silver clouds all pass away unseen.
Descends Diana there? …… To visit whom?
Diana（羅馬神話中的月亮和狩獵女神，通常譯為狄安娜）出現(xiàn)在李白詩中，是不合適的。文學作品的民族性還在于那個民族的傳統(tǒng)的文學手法和文學體裝。我們主張在可能范圍內(nèi)盡量保持這種手法和體裁。
中國民歌中還有排比的文學手法。如《木蘭詞》中的“爺娘聞女來，出郭相扶將；阿姊聞妹來，當戶理紅妝；小弟聞姊來，磨刀霍霍向豬羊。” Waley把這種文學手法加以移植，譯為：
When her father and mother heard that she had come,
They went out to the wall and led her back to the house.
When her little sister heard that she had come,
She went to the door and roughed her face afresh.
When her little brother heard that his sister had come,
He sharpened his knife and darted like a flash toward the pigs and sheep.
又如中國古代詩人很講究“空靈”。所謂“空靈”，其實就是一種文學手法——詩人的天真。如李清照名句“只恐雙溪舴艋舟，載不動許多愁，” Candlin譯為：
Ah, but I fear
On River Shuang
The boats are frail.
They cannot bear
My weight of care.
詩人明知“愁”無所謂載動載不動，而故作此說，這就是“空靈”。
王安石詩句“春色惱人眠不得，月移花影上欄桿，” Giles譯為：
Yet I am kept from slumber by the beauty of the spring.
Sweet shapes of flowers across the blind the quivering moonbeams fling!
“惱”字未譯出，不及原詩空靈。試比較Smith和Kotewell的譯文：
Spring's hues tease me, and I cannot sleep,
While the moon moves the shadows of the flowers up the balustrade.
以Spring's hues譯“春色”尚可商榷，但“惱”字譯出，自較空靈。
傳統(tǒng)的民族文學手法中，也有一些不能移植，而必須服從另一條客觀規(guī)律——文學譯品的語言自然性。典故就是難以移植的手法之一。
《西廂記》中張生自述：“暗想小生螢窗雪案，刮垢磨光，學成滿腹文章，尚在湖海飄零，何日得就大志呵！”熊式一先生譯為：
I thought to myself that though I had studied by light of the fire-fly and reflection of the snow in order to acquire a deep knowledge of literature, I am still a wanderer by lake and do not yet know when I shall be able to fulfil my great ambition.
(The Western Chamber)
“螢窗雪案”照字面直譯反失其真。因為這里不過是用兩個典故來說明張生十年寒窗之苦，“螢窗雪案”于張生未必實有其事。
一個民族的俗語、諺語、成語之類往往反映出這個民族的文化傳統(tǒng)和文學傳統(tǒng)。在翻譯中，應該根據(jù)語言上的考慮和藝術上的考慮，在可能范圍內(nèi)加以移植，以保持作品的民族性。如果語言上或藝術上不許可，讀者又不能接受，就不要勉強移植。
1. An' after all her bringin'-up an' what I tol' her an' talked wid her, she goes teh d'bad, like a duck teh water.
[譯文] 我生她養(yǎng)她，叮嚀來囑咐去，她還是去干那種丑事，跟鴨子下水一樣上了癮。（孫致禮同志譯文，略有改動)
2. Men sent flowers, love notes, offers of fortune. And still her dreams ran riot. The one hundred and fifty! The one bundred and fifty! what a door to an Aladdin's cave it seemed to be.
(Sister Carrie)
[譯文] 男人給她送花，送情書，送時運?？墒撬€幻夢無邊。這一百五十塊錢！這一百五十塊錢！真象藏神燈的山洞給阿拉丁打開了大門。（裘柱常和石靈同志譯文）
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