第四章 模拟实践
4.1 汉译英模拟题
4.1.1 散文
模拟练习1
最令人怵目惊心的一件事,是看着钟表上的秒针一下一下地移动,每移动一下就是表示我们的寿命已经缩短了一部分。再看看墙上挂着的可以一张张撕下的日历,每天撕下一张就是表示我们的寿命又缩短了一天。因为时间即生命。没有人不爱惜他的生命,但很少有人珍视他的时间。如果想在有生之年做一点什么事,学一点什么学问,充实自己,帮助别人,使生命成为有意义,不虚此生,那么就不可浪费光阴。这道理人人都懂,可是很少有人真能积极不懈地善于利用他的时间。我自己就是浪费了很多时间的一个人。
难点注释:
原文节选自梁实秋的散文《时间即生命》第一段。作者从时间和生命的一去不回中联想到自己年轻时的虚度年华,并借此给予读者坚持运动、保持健康的忠告,言之殷殷、情之切切可见一斑。原文语言流畅平实,意义连贯自然,在翻译中应注意句式结构的调整和主干结构的选择,以及英文用词的地道贴切。
(1)第一段中“一下一下”的翻译应与“秒针”联系起来,并在时态的选用上突出时间的流动性。
(2)前两句的翻译可采用英语排比句传递其对称性,或利用likewise等表达法避免单调重复。
(3)“如果……”一句如照搬汉语结构则可能导致译文头重脚轻,应采用强调句结构做适当改变。
(4)“充实”、“不虚此生”等词可不拘汉语字面意义,避免直译硬译。
参考译文:
It is most startling to hear a watch or clock clicking away the seconds,each click indicating the shortening of one’s life by a little bit.Likewise,with each page torn off the wall calendar,one’s life is shortened by one day.Time,therefore,is life.Nevertheless,few people treasure their time as much as their life.Time must not be wasted if you want to do your bit in your remaining years or acquire some useful knowledge to improve yourself and help others,so that your life may turn out to be significant and fruitful.All that is foolproof,yet few people really strive to make the best use of their time.Personally,I am also a fritterer.
模拟练习2
到了更晚的时候,我走到坑边,抬头看到晴空一轮明月,清光四溢,与水里的那个月亮相映成趣。我当时虽然还不懂什么叫诗兴,但也顾而乐之,心中油然有什么东西在萌动。有时候在坑边玩很久,才回家睡觉。在梦中见到两个月亮叠在一起,清光更加晶莹澄澈。第二天一早起来,到坑边苇子丛里去捡鸭子下的蛋,白白地一闪光,手伸向水中,一摸就是一个蛋。此时更是乐不可支了。
难点注释:
原文节选自季羡林的散文《月是故乡明》。作者追忆孩提时代家乡的月色和童年的纯真欢乐,笔调纯朴真挚,流露出对故乡和童年的无限眷恋。原文句式松散自由,随兴而至,兴尽而止,用词恰如其分,乡土气息十足。翻译中应注意通过句式和结构的调整,既使译文符合英语的语法规则,又能传递原文的童蒙情感,在用词上应尽量贴近生活和口语。
(1)“清光”、“相映成趣”、“油然”等词在翻译中应以存意为重,无需过多藻饰,以免影响译文整体风格。
(2)究“萌动”之意,可兼有“萌发”、“不安”与“冲动”等若干层次,翻译时请注意选词。
(3)文中若干次出现“坑边”,应为山东当地对芦苇荡或池塘的别称,并非一般之“坑”。
(4)透过“乐不可支”一词,孩童之乐跃然纸上,应结合语境选择合适的英语表达。
参考译文:
Later in the evening,I would walk to a pond,where I looked up at the moon in the sky,bright and clear,and down at the moon reflected,just as bright and clear,on the surface of the pond.Too young to know what a poetic mood was like,I was nonetheless so impressed by what I had seen that there seemed to be something stirring in my heart.On some days,I would play by the pond late into the night and then go home to sleep.And in my dream,I would see two moons,one on the top of the other,shining all the more clearly and splendidly.Early in the next morning,I would go to the pond to look for duck eggs in the reeds.Glistening,they were there for me to pick up.I was happy beyond words.(钱炜、林珍珍译,略有改动)
模拟练习3
北京的冬季,地上还有积雪,灰黑色的秃树枝丫叉于晴朗的天空中,而远处有一二风筝浮动,在我是一种惊异和悲哀。
故乡的风筝时节,是春二月,倘听到沙沙的风轮声,仰头便能看见一个淡墨色的蟹风筝或嫩蓝色的蜈蚣风筝。还有寂寞的瓦片风筝,没有风轮,又放得很低,伶仃地显出憔悴可怜模样。但此时地上的杨柳已经发芽,早的山桃也多吐蕾,和孩子们的天上的点缀相照应,打成一片春日的温和。我现在在哪里呢?四面都还是严冬的肃杀,而久经诀别的故乡的久经逝去的春天,却就在这天空中荡漾了。
难点注释:
原文节选自鲁迅的散文《风筝》。作者年幼时逞威折毁弟弟心爱的风筝,成年后不禁追悔自己对于孩童玩耍天性的虐杀,曾试图补救而不可得,只留下心头无限悲哀与沉重。全篇弥漫着清冷的气氛,句式和用词均予人凝重凋零的印象,翻译时应特别注意选用稍长和稍正式的句式结构以形成舒缓沉重的节奏,并使用具有恰当联想意义的词汇来传达原文的意境。
(1)对第一段的景致描写的翻译应尽量简洁直接,以传递原文开篇的气氛。
(2)第一句的“在我……”结构并无英语对应句式,应设法意译之。
(3)“风轮”即风筝上被风驱动旋转的风车或类似物体,并非手持之线轴(reel)。
(4)散文中常见的无主语句在翻译中应注意添加主语。
(5)“孩子们在天上的点缀”若直译“点缀”一词可能事倍功半,不妨意译。
参考译文:
A Peking winter dismays and depresses me:the thick snow on the ground and the bare trees’ashen branches thrusting up towards the clear blue sky,while in the distance one or two kites are floating.
At home,the time for kites is early spring.When you hear the whirr of a wind-wheel,you raise your head to see a grey crab-kite or a soft blue centipede-kite.Or there may be a solitary tile-kite,without wind-wheel and flown too low,looking pathetically lonely and forlorn.By this time,though,the willows on the ground are putting out shoots,and the early mountain peaches have budded.Set off by the children’s fancy-work in the sky,together they make up the warmth of spring.Where am I now?All round me dread winter reigns,while the long-departed spring of my long-forgotten home is floating in this northern sky.(杨宪益、戴乃迭译)
模拟练习4
是的,北平是个都城,而能有好多自己产生的花、菜、水果,这就使人更接近了自然。从它里面说,它没有像伦敦的那些成天冒烟的工厂;从外面说,它紧连着园林、菜圃与农村。采菊东篱下,在这里,确是可以悠然见南山的;大概把“南”字变个“西”或“北”,也没有多少了不得的吧。
像我这样的一个贫寒的人,或者只有在北平能享受一点清福了。好,不再说了吧;要落泪了,真想念北平呀!
难点注释:
原文节选自老舍的散文《想北平》。作者通过平实质朴的语言袒露出对家乡的浓浓眷恋之情。文章句子结构简单随性,用词质朴却富有感染力,充满了清晰真切的意象和真挚的情感。翻译时应注意对原文句式结构进行适当的调整,在意象的排列、典故的翻译和生活化词汇的选择上也应多做推敲。
(1)“北平”为北京旧称,可译为“Peiping”。
(2)“从它里面说”对应下文的“从外面说”,翻译时应注意译文的对照。
(3)原文诗句的翻译应注意音节数量大致相等。
(4)注意原文各句在翻译时应添加主语。
参考译文:
The city of Peiping brings its residents into closer contact with nature by growing flowers,vegetables and fruit in large quantities.The city proper is not plagued by factory chimneys such as you find in London giving off volumes of smoke all day long.On the outskirts of the city lie numerous flower gardens,vegetable farms and villages.An ancient Chinese poet by the name of Tao Yuanming says aptly in one of his famous poems,“Plucking chrysanthemums under the eastern hedge,I calmly view the southern hills.”To adapt it to life in Peiping,I might as well substitute the word“western”or“northern”for the word“southern”in the line.Peiping is probably the only place for a man of limited means like me to live an easy and carefree life in.
Now let me leave off writing,for I am on the point of shedding tears.How I miss Peiping!(张培基译)
4.1.2 论说小品文
模拟练习1
所谓诚其意者,毋自欺也。如恶恶臭,如好好色,此之谓自谦。故君子必慎其独也。
小人闲居为不善,无所不至,见君子而后厌然,掩其不善,而著其善。人之视己,如见其肺肝然,则何益矣?此谓诚于中,形于外,故君子必慎其独也。
难点注释:
原文节选自孔子的《礼记·大学》。作者论述了做人应有的自谦、慎独、不自欺等必要品格,对比了小人和君子在这几个方面的不同。原文属文言文,翻译时应注意解读文意,在正确理解意义的基础上推敲实词的词性和虚词的关联作用,英译时应注意调整句式结构、增添主语和连接词。
(1)“诚”、第一个“恶”与“好”、“慎”等词实为动词。
(2)“好色”、“自谦”的意思均与现代意义不同,应为“美好(的事物)”和“心地坦荡,不亏心”,翻译时应特别注意。
(3)“君子”与“小人”是典籍中常见的二元化和标签式的人物形象,翻译时也应处理成相应的效果。
(4)理解“无所不至”时应联系上文的“为不善”这一行为,翻译时可以将“无所不至”处理成副词或其他修饰成分。
(5)“中”与“外”分别指“内心”和“外在表现”。
参考译文:
What is meant by“making the thoughts sincere”is the allowing no self-deception,as when we hate a bad smell,and as when we love what is beautiful.This is called self-enjoyment.Therefore,the superior man must be watchful over himself when he is alone.There is no evil to which the mean man,dwelling retired,will not proceed,but when he sees a superior man,he instantly tries to disguise himself,concealing his evil,and displaying what is good.The other beholds him,as if he saw his heart and reins;—of what use is his disguise?This is an instance of the saying:“What truly is within will be manifested without.”Therefore,the superior man must be watchful over himself when he is alone.(James Legge译)
模拟练习2
由小学到中学,所修习的无非是一些普通的基本知识。就是大学四年,所授课业也还是相当粗浅的学识。世人常称大学为“最高学府”,这名称易滋误解,好像过此以上即无学问可言。大学的研究所才是初步研究学问的所在,在这里做学问也只能算是粗涉藩篱,注重的是研究学问的方法与实习。学无止境,一生的时间都嫌太短,所以古人皓首穷经,头发白了还是在继续研究,不过在这样的研究中确是有浓厚的趣味。
难点注释:
原文节选自梁实秋的《学问与趣味》。作者从世人对于学术研究的误解谈起,既慨叹做学问不易,更流露出对学问的浓浓不舍之情。原文逻辑层层递进,意义连贯流畅,用词简洁恰当。翻译原文应注意适当添加连接词以保持译文逻辑的连贯,比较长的句子应使用从句或插入语来理清关系,并根据原文意思将长句适当分割。
(1)请注意“知识”、“学识”和“研究”的递进效果并在译文中体现出来。
(2)“学府”一词在英语中缺乏对应词,不可根据字面直译。
(3)“过此上”指的是在大学学习之后,并不是指方位或等级。
(4)“藩篱”指某一研究课题的外围领域或粗略知识。
(5)“皓首穷经”中的“首”实指“头发”,而“经”则是泛指学术研究。
参考译文:
Primary and secondary school will impart you only some rudiments of knowledge.Even what you learn during the four years of university will be something quite superficial too.A university has often been misleadingly referred to as“the highest seat of learning”,which sounds as if there were no more learning to speak of beyond it.The research institute of a university,however,is the place for preliminary scholarship.But even there you get only the first taste of learning and the emphasis is on research methodology and practice.Art is long,life is short.That’s why some of our ancients continued to study when they were hoary-headed.They were,of course,motivated by an enormous interest in their studies.(张培基译)
模拟练习3
没有一个人将小草叫做“大力士”,但是它的力量之大,的确是世界无比。这种力,是一般人看不见的生命力,只要生命存在,这种力就要显现,上面的石块,丝毫不足以阻挡,因为它是一种“长期抗战”的力,有弹性,能屈能伸的力,有韧性,不达目的不止的力。
种子不落在肥土而落在瓦砾中,有生命力的种子决不会悲观和叹气,因为有了阻力才有磨炼。生命开始的一瞬间就带了斗争来的草,才是坚韧的草,也只有这种草,才可为傲然地对那些玻璃棚中养育着的盆花哄笑。
难点注释:
原文节选自夏衍的《野草》,作者歌颂了平凡的野草所蕴含的蓬勃顽强的生命力和斗争精神。文章风格质朴直率,随处可见的短句迸发出刚强有力的节奏感,用词简练。翻译时应注意一方面保持原有的修辞手法和句子长度,以传递原文的节奏感和力度,另一方面推敲原文用词,使译文所用的词汇尤其是动词和形容词,在准确达意的同时更能产生相应的联想效果。
(1)“大力士”可采用西方神话典故中的人名直译,也可意译。
(2)“力”是贯穿全文的核心词,应在“strength”、“force”、“power”及其他词汇之间多比较琢磨。
(3)翻译第一段中的长句时应根据意思的层次对其进行裁剪。
(4)“长期抗战”体现了作者赋予“野草”形象的时代寓意,翻译时可适当保留。
参考译文:
Though the little grass has never been compared to a Hercules,the power it produces is matchless in the world.It is an invisible lifeforce.So long as there is life,the force will show itself.The rock on top of it is not heavy enough to stop it,because it is a force that remains active over a long period of time,because it is an elastic force that shrinks and expands,because it is a tenacious force that will not stop until it achieves its end.
The seed does not fall on fertile land but in debris,instead.The seed with life is never pessimistic nor crestfallen,for,having overcome resistance and pressure,it is tempered.Only the grass that has been fighting its way out since its birth is strong and tenacious and,therefore,it can smile with pride at the potted plants in glassed green houses.(刘士聪译)
模拟练习4
我觉得读书好比串门儿——“隐身”的串门儿。要参见钦佩的老师或拜谒有名的学者,不必事前打招呼求见,也不怕搅扰主人。翻开书面就闯进大门,翻过几页就升堂入室;而且可以经常去,时刻去,如果不得要领,还可以不辞而别,或者另找高明,和他对质。不问我们要拜见的主人住在国内国外,不问他属于现代古代,不问他什么专业,不问他讲正经大道理或聊天说笑,都可以挨近前去听个足够。
难点注释:
原文节选自杨绛的《读书苦乐》。作者以轻松幽默的笔调抒发了阅读中的甘苦体会,用生活化的语言和类比将不同的阅读体验形象地讲述了出来。原文句式结构简单、用词平易,但意象丰富,文学味很浓,并不容易翻译。翻译中应注意对原文的无主句进行调整,并适当采用词性转换和反译的方法,使译文的句式结构更符合英语习惯。
(1)“串门儿”是汉语俗语,翻译中可意译,也可寻找英语俗语中相应的表达方式。
(2)“隐身”在文中并不能理解成“看不见”的意思,放在上下文中推敲,可知“隐身的串门”实际上便是汉语中的“神遇”或“神交”,即精神交流。
(3)“参见”和“拜谒”都是正式场合用词,翻译时应注意表现出这一层意思。
(4)“升堂入室”、“不辞而别”和“另找高明”在字面意思之外都有较深的联想和暗示意味,翻译时应当在达意的基础上兼顾这些意味。
(5)最后一句的句式如照搬进译文,势必导致译文头重脚轻,因此需要比较大的调整。
参考译文:
I would compare reading to visiting friends—in the spiritual rather than physical sense.Visiting a well-respected teacher or paying homage to a renowned scholar doesn’t necessarily require appointment in advance and we won’t feel as if we were disturbing him.Opening the book is like getting into the door uninvited;and turning a few pages,we may find ourselves in his study.Besides,we can go visit him as frequently as we want and at any time we wish.If we fail to get the pith of his argument,we can just leave without saying“good-bye”or turn to someone else for help,and come back to challenge him.We can get close to the host and listen to every word he has to say,no matter where he resides,at home or abroad,what a person he was or is,a contemporary or a man of the past,whatever field he specializes in,or whether he is talking about a serious subject of importance or simply chatting plus cracking jokes.(史志康译)
4.1.3 说明文
模拟练习1
历史证明,在科学发展的过程中,一些杰出人物个人的作用不可忽视。杰出的科学家既为人类物质文明作出贡献,也以自己高尚的道德情操,为人类的精神文明增添宝贵的财富。爱因斯坦在评价居里夫人时说过,第一流人物对于时代和历史进程的意义,尤其是在道德品质方面,也许比单纯的才智成就方面还要大。中国科学院院士是国家设立的科学技术方面的最高学术称号,具有崇高的荣誉和学术上的权威性。老一辈院士大多是我国现代科学技术的开拓者和新中国科技事业的奠基人。
难点注释:
原文节选自周光召的《院士风采——中国优秀科学家肖像、手迹集》序。作者以古往今来之历史为据,引用了科学巨擘的经世名言,肯定了科学家对人类文明和社会进步所做出的贡献,表达了对院士们的钦佩与崇敬。原文的风格和用词都比较正式,句式结构也相对复杂,翻译时应注意保持信息完整正确,句式结构平衡严谨,符合英文规范。
(1)“道德情操”即“道德修养”或“品格”,翻译时应以意译为主,可译为“integrity”。
(2)人名、机构名称等专有名词的翻译应采用公认和正式的译法,力求准确。
(3)“院士”一词与“学院(Academy)”相关,可译为“Academician”。
(4)“老一辈”应指资历和学问,而非年龄,因此翻译时不可简单套用为“older”。
参考译文:
History bears proof that the prominent role the outstanding figures play in the advance of science should not be ignored.Distinguished scientists not only make contributions to the accumulation of material wealth with their scientific achievements,but also leave behind them rich cultural heritages with their exemplary integrity.In his appreciation of Madam Marie Curie,Albert Einstein once remarked:“It is the moral qualities of its leading personalities that are perhaps of even greater significance for a generation and for the course of history than purely intellectual accomplishments.”The Academician of the Chinese Academy of Science(Academia Sinicia)is the nation’s highest academic title granted by the Government in the field of science and technology,a title of great honor and academic authority.Most Academicians of the elder generation are pioneers of modern science and technology in China and founders of the scientific and technological cause of New China.(郭建中译)
模拟练习2
但从80年代中期开始,随着韩国队的崛起,尤其是在女子项目上的一枝独秀,中国队只能是偶有佳绩,成绩起伏明显,与韩国队的差距不断加大。那么,韩国因何一枝独秀?韩国体育实行的也是“奥运战略”,射箭中的反曲弓(deflex bow)是奥运项目,所以大力推广;对于非奥运的复合弓(composite bow),则根本不开展。韩国的战略是把奥运项目都交给各个财团去发展,国家体育主管部门只负责制定各个运动项目的宏观发展战略。射箭运动就交给现代集团发展,该集团总裁郑梦久曾担当韩国射箭协会主席。这样无论是培养运动员还是组织比赛,都有强大的财力保障。
难点注释:
原文节选自2001年9月《北京日报》。作者分析了中韩在射箭项目上产生差距的历史因素。原文风格平实,句式结构相对简单,大多使用生活词汇,其间点缀一些专业术语和文学语言,翻译难度不大,练习时应注意长句的拆分和各句之间意义的连贯过渡。
(1)“一枝独秀”等成语在英译中应遵循意译为主的原则,在意义准确的基础上尽力保存其原有的文化内涵和形象特色。
(2)第一句较长,其中涉及两个主语,可拆分成两三个句子,或以复合句来翻译。
(3)第二句中的“韩国”实指“韩国队”,翻译时请注意。
(4)“现代集团”有正式英译名Hyundai,不可音译或直译,韩国人名在译入英语时,原则上也应尽量遵循其正式译名,如郑梦九(久)的正式译名应为“Chung Mong Koo)。
(5)最后一句中的“这样”一词指代上句内容,翻译时注意代词的选用。
参考译文:
From the mid 1980s,however,our Chinese team could only win one or two of the medals,lagging farther and farther behind,with the burgeoning of South Korean archery teams,especially that of the women.So what has enabled the South Korean team to stand out?South Korea has instituted the strategy of medal winning at the Olympic Games,according to which deflex bow,an item of the games,has been greatly popularized and composite bow,not such an item,has been totally ignored.They entrust various financial groups with the growth of every sports team,with the state sports bureau only in charge of the general strategy of all the items.Hyundai Group,for example,is responsible for the archery teams,and its president Chung Mong Koo once served as chairman of the National Archery Association.Backed up as such,they are financially guaranteed to train athletes and organize competitions.(李亚丹译,略有改动)
模拟练习3
“跳竹竿”原是黎族一种古老的祭祀方式。数百年前,当黎族人经过辛勤耕作,换得新谷归仓时,村里男女老少就会穿上节日盛装,家家户户炊制新米饭、酿造糯米酒,宰杀禽畜,祭祀祖宗和神灵。酒酣饭饱后,众人就会来到山坡上,点燃篝火,跳起竹竿舞。竹声叮咚,庆祝稻谷丰登,祝愿来年有更好的收成。“跳竹竿”每年从开春之日起,直至元宵,几乎夜夜篝火通明,欢跳不息,热烈气氛充溢着山坡村寨。
难点注释:
原文节选自“百度知道”,揭示了“跳竹竿”这一黎族民俗的来历,描绘了村寨节日社火的热烈欢快景象。文章风格轻快活泼,不长的句子成分之间基本靠意思联系起来,字数不多但意象丰富,信息量比较大。翻译这段话的时候应注意译文句子应在符合英语规范的基础上尽可能保存原文信息和意象,同时注意选词的准确。
(1)“祭祀”一词可译为“memorial service”,若译为“sacrifice”则偏重祭品,似不妥。
(2)“换”字是原文出彩处之一,翻译时可适当保留。
(3)“酒酣饭饱”一词为文学化语言,其中的“酒酣”与“饭饱”实为一义,翻译时可全部译出,也可做适当的简化,存其义即可。
(4)同上,“竹声叮咚”一词中“叮咚”是一种文学笔法,翻译该词时宜说明“竹声”,讲清楚声音的特点即可,不必过分追求完全再现拟声效果。
(5)“欢跳不息”中使用了汉语常见的夸张说法,社火必然有停息之时,翻译时突出“欢跳”即可。
参考译文:
This bamboo dance originates from Li people’s memorial services for their ancestors several hundred years ago.When they were rewarded with a bumper harvest after much toil,they used to have a grand celebration.They would dress themselves in bright-coloured clothes,cook newly collected rice,brew rice wine,and kill domestic fowl and animals as offerings for gods and their forefathers.After a big dinner,they would gather at mountain slopes for the bamboo dance.Around the bonfires and at the rhythmic and musical sound of the bamboo poles knocking,they danced merrily and anticipated another good harvest the following year.The game starting on the first day of spring would last fifteen days till the Lantern Festival.During the period the villages,lit up with bonfires every evening with people dancing and dancing,were immersed in a festival atmosphere.(李亚丹译,略有改动)
模拟练习4
仪门隔墙上,各有刻石一方。东侧是“关圣帝君像”,刻出关羽身跨赤兔马,手提青龙偃月刀的威猛雄姿,上有“岳飞之印”,相传是宋代抗金名将岳飞所作。西侧为“关帝诗竹”刻石,画面上劲竹随风摇曳,竹叶组成一首诗:“不谢东君意,丹青独立名,莫嫌孤叶淡,终久不凋零。”左上角有“汉寿亭侯印”。
难点注释:
原文节选自《印象洛阳》中的“关林”一章,介绍了关林庙之格局、历史和传说故事。节选部分采取移步换景的手法,从仪门而入,将视线聚焦在隔墙刻石上,将形象和神韵再现于读者眼前。文章结构清晰,文字精练,但包含大量典故和文学形象。要准确译入英语并不轻松。翻译时应注意尽可能保存原文信息和形象,同时提供西方读者不熟悉的典故的背景知识。
(1)翻译专有名词或原文抄录并加引号的内容时,应首先分析其所含的意义,然后尽可能保存其完整信息,如“关圣帝君像”中的三层含义“关羽”为名、“圣帝君”为尊号、“像”为物品名称。
(2)“赤兔马”和“青龙偃月刀”如为文章主要信息,则在翻译中可采取加注、括号、插入语等方式保存其典故信息,若其在句中属于附加成分,则一般采取意译的方法,避免译文过于复杂。
(3)“劲竹”中的“劲”并不是指力量强弱,而指精神或态度,同“疾风知劲草”中的“劲”字。
(4)说明文中诗歌的翻译可以达意为主,将诗情和信息传递出来即可,并在此基础上尽可能保存原诗形象和相似的韵律效果。
参考译文:
On the walls that separate the doors of the Ceremony Gate,there are two stone sculptures.On the east side is“the Sculpture of Guan Yu,the Saint Emperor”in which Guan Yu rides horseback,full armored and armed with the legendary saber.The impression of the seal at the end of the sculpture reads“the Seal of Yue Fei”which could,with some reason,attribute the sculpture to Yue Fei,the famous general in the Southern Song Dynasty.On the west side is another sculpture which depicts unyielding bamboos standing against the gust.The bamboo leaves form a poem which could roughly be understood as“Your favor and love I can take not,/As my draws tell what should be sought./The leaf may be lonely and poor,/But never will you make it fall.”At the upper-left corner of the sculpture lies an impression of the seal which reads“The Duke of Shou Ting”.(曾喆译)
4.1.4 记叙文
模拟练习1
楚庄王莅政三年,无令发,无政为也。右司马御座而与王隐曰:“有鸟止南方之阜,三年不翅,不飞不鸣,嘿然无声,此为何名?”王曰:“三年不翅,将以长羽翼;不飞不鸣,将以观民则。虽无飞,飞必冲天;虽无鸣,鸣必惊人。”处半年,乃自听政。所废者十,所起者九,诛大臣五,举处士六,而邦大治。
难点注释:
原文选自《韩非子·喻老》。作者讲述了楚庄王“不鸣则已,一鸣惊人”的典故,其间大臣设喻提问,君王作比而答,饶有趣味。与论说文模拟练习1相同,本文涉及对文言的正确解读和意义扩充。翻译方法上同样需要注意调整句式结构,增添主语和连接词。
(1)“莅政”与文末“听政”互为照应,翻译时注意区别。
(2)“南方之阜”即“南方的山上”。
(3)“翅”在文中为动词,意思是“伸展翅膀”。
(4)“废”对应“起”,均指政策的更替;“诛”对应“举”,均指政府人事的调整。
参考译文:
It had been three years since King Zhuang of Chu ascended to the throne,but he had neither issued a decree nor dealt with any state affairs.Furthermore,there were no deeds worth mentioning.All the civil and military officials of the court couldn’t understand what was the matter.One day,a military official quietly asked King of Chu in the carriage:“Your Majesty,I heard that in the south,there was a big bird dwelling in the hills.Three years passed,it neither flew nor cried.Could Your Majesty tell me the reason?”King Zhuang of Chu smiled and answered:“It didn’t spread its wings to fly for three years in order to let the feather on its wings grow fuller.It didn’t cry for three years in order to carefully observe the condition of the people in the world.This bird,once it flies,will soar high to the sky;once it cries,it will startle the world with a single cry.”Half a year passed before King Zhuang of Chu began to personally administer state affairs.He abolished ten outmoded rules and regulations,issued nine new policies,sentenced five ministers to death for their evil deeds and promoted six persons with real talents.From then on,the State of Chu became stronger and stronger.(唐敦燕、蔡文谦译)
模拟练习2
有一天,他忽然得了急病,赶快叫家人去请东街的汪医生。那家人急急忙忙地跑去,一时寻不着东街的汪大夫,却把西街牛医王大夫请来了。差不多先生病在床上,知道寻错了人;但病急了,身上痛苦,心里焦急,等不得了,心里想道:“好在王大夫同汪大夫也差不多,让他试试看罢。”于是这位牛医王大夫走近床前,用医牛的法子给差不多先生治病。不上一点钟,差不多先生就一命呜呼了。
差不多先生差不多要死的时候,一口气断断续续地说道:“活人同死人也……差……差不多,……凡事只要……差……差……不多……就……好了,……何……何……必……太……太认真呢?”他说完了这句格言,方才绝气了。难点注释:
原文节选自胡适的“差不多先生传”,讲述了一个杜撰出来的典型旧中国老百姓“差不多先生”令人啼笑皆非的一生。文章语言具有浓郁的近代中国的生活气息,句子间依靠意思相互联系,语意流畅自然,用词朴实无华。原文理解难度不大,也没有长句难句,因此应将注意力放在保存原文幽默效果上。
(1)“牛医”即兽医,翻译时可直译为“医牛的医生”,也可意译为“兽医”。
(2)“王大夫”与“汪大夫”的谐音效果是作者的安排,在音译中如无法体现,可考虑采用明晰化处理方法,在音译姓名后加上其职业的特点。
(3)“身上痛苦,心里焦急”是一组排比,在译文中也应该体现出这种并置效果。
(4)“一命呜呼”带有贬义和俚俗色彩,翻译时请注意词语的选用。
(5)文中之“格言”并非为世人所熟知的名言警句,作者用这个词是为突出这条人生准则的荒谬与讽刺性,因此翻译时可保留这一对比,采用极端正式的词汇以形成讽刺效果,或意译其“口头禅”的本义即可。
参考译文:
One day he suddenly fell ill and immediately told one of his family to fetch Dr.Wang of East Street.The latter went in a hurry,but couldn’t find the physician on East Street.So he fetched instead Veterinarian Wang of West Street.Mr.Cha Buduo,lying on his sickbed,knew that a wrong person had been brought home.But,with pain and worry,he could not afford to wait any longer.So he said to himself,“Luckily,Vet Wang is about the same as Dr.Wang.Why not let Vet Wang have a try?”Thereupon,the veterinarian walked up to his bed to work on him as if he were a cow.Consequently,Mr.Cha Buduo kicked the bucket before an hour was out.
When Mr.Cha Buduo was about to breathe his last,he uttered intermittently in one breath,“Live or die,it’s about...about...the same...Whatever we do...it’s OK...to be...just...just about right...Why...why...take it...so seriously?”As soon as he finished this pet phrase of his,he stopped breathing.(张培基译)
模拟练习3
那一年,是动乱的第二年吧,我被划进了浩浩荡荡的黑帮队伍里。那时的黑帮是多,可以整班整排地编制起来。我在那长长的队伍里倒不害怕,觉得不孤单。怕的就是游斗汽车开到自己家门口,这一招太损了。嘿,越害怕还越有鬼,有一次汽车就真的开到了家门口。那八旬的老母亲看见了汽车上的我,嘴抖了几抖,闭上眼睛,扶着墙,身子像泥一样瘫了下去。妻子竟忘了去扶持母亲,站在那儿,眼睛都直了,跟个傻子一般。
难点注释:
原文节选自张林的《大钱饺子》。作者讲述了动乱年代在家门口挨批斗的苦涩往事,文章以自述和回忆为主,点缀了对母亲和妻子的描写,语言风格朴实无华,对人物的刻画细腻生动,用词贴近生活。翻译时应注意一方面保持原文口语化、生活化的语言风格,另一方面注意对原文的句式结构进行符合英语表达规范和习惯的再处理。
(1)“黑帮”并非现代意义之“黑社会”,不可直译为“Mafia”,而应放在语境和历史中,理解为“反动派”或“坏分子”等。
(2)“整班整排”体现了典型的口头语特点,可适当保留其“班、排”意象,也可以仅保留其“编制”的主要意义。
(3)“损”是典型的汉语口语,表示“不光明正大,不公平”之意,翻译时应注意推敲。
(4)“像泥一样”中的比喻效果应当在译文中尽量保存下来。
(5)“眼睛都直了”在英语中并无现成的完全对应的词,因此需要一定的意译。
参考译文:
In the second of those tumultuous years,I was labeled one of the “reactionary gang”.What I feared most was not being forced to queue up among this gang of so many,but the vicious practice of being publicly denounced on a truck in front of my own house.Well,fear or no fear,the lot fell on me soon enough.When the truck drove to the gate of my house,my mother,who was already in her eighties,spotted me on the truck.With lips trembling and eyes shut,she first leaned against the wall,then collapses,weak and limp,like soft mud on the ground.Meanwhile,my wife just stood there dumbfounded like a blockhead,forgetting even to help my mother up.(夏乙琥译)
模拟练习4
学院请来一位洋教师,长得挺怪,红脸,金发,连鬓大胡须,有几根胡子一直逾过面颊,挨近鼻子;他个子足有二米,每进屋门必须低头,才能躲过门框子的拦击,叫人误以为他进门先鞠躬,这不太讲究礼貌了吗?顶怪的是,他每每与中国学生聊天,聊到可笑之处时,他不笑,脸上也没表情,好像他不喜欢玩笑;可是有时毫不可笑的事,他会冷不防放声大笑,笑得翻江倒海,仰面朝天,几乎连人带椅子要翻过去,喉结在脖子上乱跳,满脸胡子直抖。常使中国学生面面相觑,不知这位洋教师的神经是不是有点问题?
难点注释:
原文节选自冯骥才的《西式幽默》。作者描述了中国学生初见洋教师后心中留下的古怪印象,通篇笔调轻松跳跃,人物刻画细致入微,用词准确地道,产生了浓郁的喜剧效果。
(1)“连鬓大胡须”非寻常胡须,不可直译为“beard”。
(2)翻译身高时,可直接用公制,也可遵循英语国家习惯,改以英制。
(3)“不喜欢玩笑”的意思是指“无幽默感”。
(4)“翻江倒海”指欢笑之状,与“江海”无涉,因此翻译时应注意剔除不必要的信息。
参考译文:
Our institute employed an English teacher.He looked very strange—red-faced,golden-haired,with a thick growth of whiskers that reached all the way to the nose.He was really tall—no less than six-foot-five.When he came in through the door,he had to lower his head to avoid banging against the door frame.It looked as though he always bowed to you at the door and that was much too polite.What was more,he never laughed when he chatted with his Chinese students on amusing stories,nor did his face show any expression as if he knew no sense of humour.However,when it came to topics of the most dull nature,he would burst into uncontrollable laughter,roaring while rocking in his chair,almost falling flat on his back,his Adam’s apple dancing up and down in his throat and his whiskers fluttering all over his face.The students would then look at each other,wondering if he was in his right mind.(刘士聪译)
4.2 英译汉模拟题
4.2.1 散文
模拟练习1
The most important thing I did in Paris happened at that moment.I knew that if I didn’t go out,right then,and find a place to have dinner,I would hide in this cubicle my entire time in Paris.My dream would be foregone,and I might never learn to enjoy the world as a single individual.So I pulled myself together and went out.Evening in Paris was light and balmy.When I reached the Tuileries,I strolled along a winding path,listening to birds sing,watching children float toy sailboats in a huge fountain.No one seemed to be in a hurry.Paris was beautiful.And I was here alone but suddenly not lonely.My sense of accomplishment at overcoming my fear and vulnerability had left me feeling free,not abandoned.
I wore out two pairs of shoes during my week’s stay in Paris.I did everything there was to do,and it was the greatest week of my European vacation.I returned home a believer in the healing power of solitary travel.Years later,I still urge divorcing or widowed friends to take their solo flight in the form of travel plans.
难点注释:
这是一篇讲述旅行对心灵慰藉作用的散文。作者独自来到巴黎寻求精神的解脱,希望借此走出失败的婚姻和孤独的生活。虽然这段孤独的旅行并非一帆风顺,但她最后领略到了独处的乐趣和旅行的快乐,完成了一段同样美妙的心路历程。翻译时应注意原文平实的用词和流畅的语言风格,注意上下文的连贯。
(1)第一段中的the most important thing,文中并未提供明确指代,因此需要推敲该段大意之后再行翻译。
(2)cubicle在文中意为“房间”,而非“立方体”。
(3)solo flight本为飞行员培训用语,意为“无教练陪同的第一次单独驾机上天”,请结合其本意和文章大意进行翻译。
(4)请注意文中出现的若干地名的正式译名。
参考译文:
我人生的最大转变就发生在那时的巴黎。我知道如果我当时关在屋里不出去走走,找个吃晚饭的地方坐坐,那么我在巴黎的全部时间就只会躲在这个小屋里,我的梦想就会像先前那样破灭,而我也永远不会作为一个单身的人去享受人生。于是我振作起来走出房间。巴黎的夜晚灯光辉煌,温馨无限。我来到杜伊勒利宫,沿着蜿蜒的小路散步,倾听着鸟鸣,注视着孩子们在一个大喷泉里漂放着玩具帆船……人人似乎都很悠闲自在。巴黎真美。此时的我虽然独自一人,猛然间我却并不感到孤独。战胜恐惧和脆弱的成就感让我感到从未有过的舒畅,也不再有被抛弃的感觉。
在巴黎的一周里,我竟然穿坏了两双鞋。能玩到的地方我都去了,那是我欧洲之旅最令我开心的一个星期。旅游归来,我已对独自出游所带来的治愈力量深信不疑。数年后,我还去督促那些离婚或孤寡的朋友以独自旅游的方式战胜孤独。
模拟练习2
We drove from house to house,knocking on doors,ready to begin our mission.I was filled with trepidation.Would families who had been devastated by floodwater want an Easter basket?The gesture was beginning to seem useless.“Hello,I’m Susan Moore,and this is my friend,Allison.My sixth-graders at Pennyroyal Elementary made Easter baskets for you when they heard about the flooding because they wanted to help.”
Their faces lit up as they opened their gifts.As we entered one home,a husband and wife were crouched over their floor with hammer and nails.When he opened the box,he began to cry.“I can’t believe those kids did this.Let me give you some money for their school.”As I glanced at what was left of his home,I could not believe his generous spirit.He eventually conceded to write a thankyou note instead.One woman ran out to find us after opening her box,tears rolling down her face.“I collected bunny rabbits,and I lost them all in the flood.There was a small pink rabbit in my box.I can start my collection again.Thank you.”The burly man standing next to her also had tears in his eyes.
My heart was warmed as I played the small role of messenger in this tribute to the good in the human spirit.So often we hear of the shortcomings of our youth,but these youngsters answered a cry for help and gave proof that generosity and love prevail.
难点注释:
这是一篇讲述人间温情的散文。水灾过后,杰克逊小镇上的人们战胜绝望,在复活节这天互相赠送礼物和祝福,为彼此带来温暖和希望。文章的用词不难,但描写细致入微,语言流畅生动,翻译时请注意用词不宜过于正式,并注意文中口语内容的翻译。
(1)trepidation意为“紧张,不安”。
(2)第一段中的gesture本意为“姿态”,但翻译中应注意这是一个特指词,请在上下文中体会它的指代意义,尽可能准确地找到对应的译法。
(3)messenger意为“信使”,文中译法可稍作变异。
(4)prevail是一个英汉翻译中常见但难以与中文一一对应的词汇,翻译时应注意多推敲文意。
参考译文:
我们驱车挨门逐户拜访,一家一家地敲门,准备开始我们的任务。我心中有些忧虑。这些被洪水毁坏了的家庭会接收复活节礼筐吗?这些举措显得有些苍白无力了。“你好,我是苏珊·摩尔,这是我的朋友艾利逊。我们潘尼罗耶小学六年级的学生听说这儿发了洪水,特意为您制作了复活节礼筐,因为他们想提供帮助。”
人们打开礼物时都露出欣喜之情。我们走入一户人家,丈夫和妻子正蹲伏在地上,手里拿着锤子和钉子。丈夫打开盒子后,哭了起来。“我真不敢相信这些孩子会这样做。让我拿些钱带给他们学校。”我往里看了看,大水过后,家中财产所省无几,他的慷慨之举,令人难以置信。经我们劝说,他最终同意不再捐钱,只写了一封感谢信表达他的谢意。一位妇女在打开盒子后连忙追了出来,脸上流着泪:“我收集了许多小兔子,但在洪水中全丢了。你们送我的盒子里有一只小粉兔,我又可以重新开始收集了。谢谢你们!”站在她身边那个魁伟的男人眼里也含着泪。
此次,我不过是尽人性之善的使者,微不足道,但能尽微薄之力倍感温謦。经常听到人们指责我们这代年轻人的缺点,但正是这些年轻人在天灾之后,回应了人们的求助,证实了人世间充满了慷慨和爱心。
模拟练习3
Tucked away in our subconscious is an idyllic vision.We see ourselves on a long trip that spans the continent.We are traveling by train.Out the windows,we drink in the passing scene of cars on nearby highways,of children waving at a crossing,of cattle grazing on a distant hillside,of smoke pouring from a power plant,of row upon row of corn and wheat,of flatlands and valleys,of mountains and rolling hillsides,of city skylines and village halls.
But uppermost in our minds is the final destination.On a certain day at a certain hour,we will pull into the station.Bands will be playing and flags waving.Once we get there,so many wonderful dreams will come true and the pieces of our lives will fit together like a completed jigsaw puzzle.How restlessly we pace the aisles,damning the minutes for loitering—waiting,waiting,waiting for the station.
...
Sooner or later,we must realize there is no station,no one place to arrive at once and for all.The true joy of life is the trip.The station is only a dream.It constantly outdistances us.
“Relish the moment”is a good motto,especially when coupled with Psalm 118:24:“This is the day which the Lord hath made;we will rejoice and be glad in it.”It isn’t the burdens of today that drive men mad.It is the regrets over yesterday and the fear of tomorrow.Regret and fear are twin thieves who rob us of today.
难点注释:
节选的文本来自一篇思考人生目标和过程之不同意义的散文,作者承认人生有目标是一件好事,但更希望读者能珍惜手边的一切和当下的生活,体会生命过程中的意义。原文语言优美流畅,意象丰富鲜明,文字简洁有力。翻译时应当注意传达原文娓娓道来的节奏感,还原文字的质朴风格。
(1)第一段idyllic意为“田园牧歌般的”。
(2)第一段结尾长句中填充了丰富的意象,翻译时应注意在不打断语流的前提下以名词短语的格式将这些意象重现出来。
(3)jigsaw puzzle意为“拼图游戏”
(4)outdistance在文中是一个动词,应推敲上下文找出最恰当的中文来传达它的意思。
(5)Psalm为《圣经·诗篇》,翻译时应注意书名的格式写法,并说清楚后面数字所表达的意思。
参考译文:
我们的潜意识里藏着一派田园诗般的风光。我们仿佛身处一次横贯大陆的漫漫旅程之中。乘着火车,我们领略着窗外流动的景色:附近高速公路上奔驰的汽车、十字路口处招手的孩童、远山上吃草的牛群、源源不断地从电厂排放出的烟尘、一片片的玉米和小麦、平原与山谷、群山与绵延的丘陵、天空映衬下城市的轮廓,以及乡间的庄园宅第。
然而我们心里想得最多的却是最终的目的地。在某一天的某一时刻,我们将会抵达进站。迎接我们的将是乐队和飘舞的彩旗。一旦到了那儿,多少美梦将成为现实,我们的生活也将变得完整,如同一块理好了的拼图。可是我们现在在过道里不耐烦地踱来踱去,咒骂火车的拖拖拉拉。我们期待着,期待着,期待着火车进站的那一刻。
可是我们终究会认识到人生的旅途中并没有车站。也没有能够“一到永逸”的地方。生活的真正乐趣在于旅行的过程,而车站不过是个梦,它始终遥遥领先于我们。
“享受现在”这句箴言说得不错,尤其是当它与《圣经·诗篇》中第118页24行的一段话相映衬的时候:“今日乃主所创造;生活在今日我们将欢欣、高兴。”真正令人发疯的不是今日的负担,而是对昨日的悔恨及对明日的恐惧。悔恨与恐惧是一对孪生窃贼,将今天从你我身边偷走。
模拟练习4
There is a wholeness about the person who has come to terms with his limitations,who has been brave enough to let go of his unrealistic dreams and not feel like a failure for doing so.There is a wholeness about the man or woman who has learned that he or she is strong enough to go through a tragedy and survive,she can lose someone and still feel like a complete person.
Life is not a trap set for us by God so that he can condemn us for failing.Life is not a spelling bee,where no matter how many words you’ve gotten right,you’re disqualified if you make one mistake.Life is more like a baseball season,where even the best team loses one third of its games and even the worst team has its days of brilliance.Our goal is to win more games than we lose.
When we accept that imperfection is part of being human,and when we can continue rolling through life and appreciate it,we will have achieved a wholeness that others can only aspire to.That,I believe,is what God asks of us—not“Be perfect”,not“Don’t even make a mistake”,but“Be whole.”
难点注释:
原文节选自一篇讲述如何面对人生中的缺陷与失意的美文。作者不认为人生是完美的,更不认为人生的意义在于追求完美,为此他提出了wholeness这个概念,这也是全篇妙处与翻译的关键所在。原文语言风格含蓄优美,句式结构平实流畅,用词上透出浓浓的生活气息,翻译时应注意保存以上三个方面的风味,并在琢磨全文意义之后替wholeness一词找到贴切恰当的汉语表达。
(1)wholeness为全文翻译之关键,文首文末均有照应,应在通读并理解全文之后翻译。
(2)第一段末尾a complete person不能简单对应汉语中的“完人”概念。
(3)第二段第一句请注意句式结构的调整。
(4)spelling bee与汉语“蜜蜂”并无联系,而是一种西方人生活中的常见活动,此处应联系后半句理解。
(5)games在比赛中并非一场场的“赛事”,而是一场赛事中的若干“局”。
(6)最后一段中rolling与aspire to是该句关键,请仔细推敲。
参考译文:
人生的完整性在于知道如何面对缺陷,如何勇敢地摒弃不现实的幻想而又不以此为缺憾。人生的完整性还在于学会勇敢面对人生悲剧而继续生存,能够在失去亲人后依然表现出完整的个人风范。
人生不是上帝为谴责我们的缺陷而给我们布下的陷阱。人生也不是一场拼字游戏比赛,不管你拼出多少单词,一旦出现了一个错误,你便前功尽弃。人生更像是一场棒球赛,即使最好的球队也难免输掉1/3的局点,而最差的球队也有春风得意的日子。我们的目标就是多赢球,少输球。
当我们接受不完整性是人类本性的一部分,当我们在人生中不断向前并能领略其间之美,我们就会获得其他人仅能渴望的完整人生。我相信这就是上帝对我们的要求:不求“完美”,也不求“永不犯错误”,而是求得人生的“完整”。
4.2.2 论说文
模拟练习1
If you don’t tell him,then he could be heading into a financial nightmare.If you do tell,you obviously break confidence with your company.Word may spread,panicking enough employees that you end up with a stampede to the exit door.The problem deepens if yours is a public company implementing layoffs because of a pending merger or acquisition that has yet to be announced.If the employee you tell gets wind of this news and acts on the information or passes it on to others who do,you might find yourself in a legal imbroglio because of violated securities regulations.
It’s important to keep in mind that you’re unlikely to find a perfect fix for everyone.But you can manage the situation so that potential damage is minimized without having to break confidentiality or lie.The solution may be as simple as telling the employee that he should wait a couple of weeks and come back to talk to you then.If his follow-up question is whether a layoff is on the horizon,then it’s fair enough to tell him you can’t say one way or the other.The employee still may buy the house.And he may be furious with you.But doing the ethical thing is often difficult precisely for this reason:Rather than being able to please everyone,you’re trying to find a solution that’s fairest to all involved,including yourself.
难点注释:
这是来自《财富》杂志2001年的一篇短小精悍的论说文,与该杂志一贯谈论的经济类专门话题不同,该文着眼于为处于两难境地的企业中下层管理者提出人事管理的一条基本原则——公平原则。因此本文对处理日常的人际交往问题也不无借鉴。翻译时应注意用词正式程度的变化和统一、语言的流畅和意义的连贯。
(1)第一段中confidence意为“保密”,而非“信心”。
(2)stampede to the exit door借用了野生动物的行为模式作喻,翻译时可适当注意保留。
(3)legal imbroglio意为“法律上的纠纷或混乱”。
(4)第二段中的buy the house即文章开头提到的“购房首付款”,请注意上下文的联系。
(5)结尾句为本文主旨,翻译时应注意译文的力度和简洁。
参考译文:
如果你不告诉他真情,他就会陷入经济困境之中。如果你告诉他,显然你对公司就不忠诚。消息一传开,会惊动许多雇员,导致人人自危的恐慌结局。如果你的公司是一家上市公司,面临合并或收购,并且即将实施裁员,而这些消息尚未公布,问题就更严重。如果你告诉的这个雇员听到了风声,采取相应行动或者透露给他人,他人也采取行动的话,你可能会因此违反安全制度而陷入法律纠葛。
请牢牢记住,你不可能为每一个人找到完美的解决办法。但你能够处理这种情况,既不违背对公司的忠诚又不撒谎,使损害程度减至最小。方法很简单,就是让这个雇员等几个星期,然后回来和你谈这个问题。如果他再问是否很快就要裁员,那么你就可以坦然告诉他,你自己也说不准。他也许还会买房子,也许对你耿耿于怀。这也就是为什么做好人不容易的原因了:你要努力找到一个对所有相关的人(包括你自己)都公平的方法,而不是去取悦每一个人。
模拟练习2
Promises are scary things.To keep them means relinquishing some of our freedom;to break them means losing some of our integrity.Though we have to make them today,promises are all about tomorrow—and the only thing we know for sure about tomorrow is that we don’t know anything for sure!And it’s not just the outer world that changes in unforeseeable ways;it’s you yourself.Every new experience—new responsibilities,new contacts—changes your perspective.
There’s something that makes promises between two people still riskier:Your partner keeps changing too.In a long-ago letter to my grandmother I wrote,“On the ship today I met an Army veteran who’s on his way to the University of Geneva,just like me!”The veteran,of course,was Papa John,and through the years I’ve kept on meeting him.Different ages,different stages—he’s always someone new.Your grandfather has written about his struggle with alcohol,so you know how difficult those times were for us.And I’m sure he never expected to be nurse,housekeeper and sole functioning parent to three small children when I went into a clinical depression.
Yet out of both those traumas,tremendous growth and joy eventually came.And the reason,I think,lies in the power of promise.
难点注释:
文字节选自一封祖母写给即将年满20岁的孙女的信。祖母在信中告诉孙女自己对婚姻的看法和婚姻誓言在人生中所发挥的巨大能量,以极富亲情和生活气息的方式将婚姻和承诺这些人生重大问题轻轻拈来,化入读者心灵。原文以第二人称为主,恰似与读者面对面交流,翻译时应当注意保存这些流畅平实的对话特点。
(1)relinquish本意为法律意义上的“让与,放弃”,与下文的integrity一样放在这里都是意在强调承诺具有庄严的性质和深远的后果,促人深思。
(2)第一段语气有渐强的趋势,在翻译中请注意体现。
(3)he’s always someone new应放在上下文中理解,而非简单的“年轻,崭新”。
(4)struggle with alcohol在翻译中应结合语境,找出恰当的中文表达法。
(5)clinical depression意为“经确诊的抑郁症”。
(6)trauma本意为医学上的“外伤,损伤”,翻译中应更强调其心理层面的含义。
参考译文:
誓言令人生畏。恪守誓言意味着我们要放弃某些自由,违反誓言则意味着丧失某种品格。虽然我们做出誓言是在今天,但是誓言的意义却是在于明天——而对明天的不确定性是我们对明天的惟一了解。不仅外部世界会发生不可预见的变化,你自身也会发生变化。每种新的体验——新的责任,新的交往——都会使你的想法改变。
你的另一半也在不停地改变,这也会给两人之间的誓言带来风险。很久以前,我在一封给我奶奶的信中写道:“今天我在轮船上遇见了一位陆军老兵,他也去日内瓦大学,跟我同路!”那位老兵当然就是你爷爷约翰,在接下来的岁月里,我总能与不一样的他相遇。在不同的年龄和阶段,你爷爷总是各不相同。他曾经写下他与酗酒做斗争的过程,所以你现在知道我们那时过得多苦。我敢断言,在此之前他绝对没有想过,在我患抑郁症时,他既要当护士,又要当管家,还要成为一个单独照料三个孩子的父亲。
然而我俩都走出了阴霾,盼来了好日子和幸福生活。我想,一切原因就在于誓言的力量。
模拟练习3
Business,by its very nature,is a multidisciplinary affair,and so most courses will have at least an element of what can be regarded as the key business functions such as finance,marketing and human resource management.Some will also have functions such as operations management,supply chain management,production management,all of which are vital in modern global business but are not always on every programme.Business graduates must also be numerate,because most degrees will have courses in quantitative methods and statistics.One final area that should appear in business programmes is a core course in business policy or business strategy.This takes a strategic view of business and develops the ability to take a multidisciplinary approach to managing a business and resolving problems and issues.
Whilst business degrees need to have some economics input into their programmes,you have to strike the right balance.If you want to do a business programme with a significant element of economics,you might prefer to consider courses like business economics which still retain a business focus,but from the perspective of economics.
What you must do is consider where your strengths and weaknesses lie.If you are not very strong in mathematics,don’t choose a course that is too quantitative.If you like working with people,look for a course with human resource management options.If you expect to work in manufacturing,look for a production and operations option,and so on.
难点注释:
原文节选自Educational Courses in Britain and America,是一篇介绍英国大学商学院课程设置特点的论说文。作者既从较为专业的角度提供了课程的信息,也以面对面交流的口吻向留学生提出了一些选择专业的建议。文章用词较为专业,力求论述精确恰当,翻译中应当特别注意选择适当的中文词汇,避免意义的偏差,同时在末两段还应注意语气和句子长度的变化,以免译文听起来过于单一生硬。
(1)business在本文中并非“生意”,而是一个专门的学科名称,即“商业(学),商学”或“商科”。
(2)numerate在文中为形容词,意为“精于数学计算的”。
(3)第二段最后一句结构稍微复杂,翻译中请适当进行主干分析,并理清几个重点专有名词各自的意义和关系。
(4)perspective意为“视角”。
(5)quantitative本意为“定量的”,是与定性研究方法相对立的一种研究模式,本文并未涉及具体的研究方法,因此应当结合上半句进行理解,另寻合适的中文表达。
(6)最后两句均出现的option在上下文中并无明确指代,需结合全文意义确定其中文译法,不能简单直译。
参考译文:
商科就其本质而言,是一个横跨多学科的专业。所以大多数商科课程都至少含有一种被视作重要商业职能的要素,譬如金融、市场营销和人力资源管理。有些课程还会涉及运行管理、货源连锁管理、生产管理等其他职能,它们都是现代全球化商业的要素,但并非每一商科专业都能全部涉及。商科的毕业生也必须具备良好的数学能力,因为大部分学位都与定量研究法和统计学领域的课程相关。商科课程的体系里最后还应包括一门有关商业政策或谋略的核心课程。它会教你用战略性的思考研究商业,培养运用跨学科的方法来管理工商企业的能力和解决问题的能力。
虽然商科学位需要包含一些经济学课程,但你必须在二者之间找出平衡点。如果你想学习带有重要经济学内容的商科课程,你可能优先考虑选择商业经济学,它们仍然以商业知识为核心,只是从经济学的视角来观察和研究问题。
你所必须做的是考虑你的强项和弱点分别在哪里。如果你的数学不是很有实力,那就不要选择与数量有关的课程。如果你喜欢与人打交道,就去寻找与人力资源管理有关的课程。如果你希望在生产领域工作,就去寻找生产管理、运行管理或其他相关的课程。
模拟练习4
When a husband or wife is“stolen”by another person,that husband or wife was already ripe for the stealing,was already predisposed toward a new partner.The“love bandit”was only taking what was waiting to be taken,what wanted to be taken.
Most of us,when young,had the experience of a sweet-heart being taken from us by somebody more attractive and more appealing.At the time,we may have resented this intruder—but as we grew older,we recognized that the swee-heart had never been ours to begin with.It was not the intruder that“caused”the break,but the lack of a real relationship.
On the surface,many marriages seem to break up because of a “third party”.This is,however,apsychological illusion.The other woman or the other man merely serves as a pretext for dissolving a marriage that had already lost its essential integrity.
Nothing is more futile and more self-defeating than the bitterness of spurned love,the vengeful feeling that someone else has“come between”oneself and a beloved.This is always a distortion of reality, for people are not the captives or victims of others—they are free agents,working out their own destinies for good or for ill.
难点注释:
原文节选自Sydney J.Harris的作品“Love Is Not Merchandise”。作者从人们常有的“爱情被人偷走”的谬见出发,探讨了生活中常见的感情失败问题,揭示了感情的危机根源不在旁人,而在相爱之人对于爱情缺乏信心和执着。文章语言流畅优美,用词生活气息浓郁,翻译时应当注意保持原文流畅灵活的句式结构和语言风格。
(1)ripe本意为“成熟”,但在文中应进行适当的意译,以保持上下文的连贯性。
(2)love bandit属作者自创词汇,翻译时应适当变通,在汉语中寻找或创造相应表达。
(3)pretext意为“借口,托词”。
(4)integrity是一个常见的、但无法简单地在汉语中找到对等词的英语词汇,因此在翻译中需要结合全句大意进行适当的意译。
(5)注意最后一段中的强调句结构,英语、汉语表示强调的结构不同,请仔细推敲。
参考译文:
当丈夫或妻子被另一个人“偷走”时,那个丈夫或妻子就已经具备了被偷走的条件,事先已经准备接受新的伴侣了。这位“爱匪”不过是取走等人取走、盼人取走的东西。
我们多数人年轻时都有过恋人被某个更有魅力、更迷人的人夺去的经历。在当时,我们兴许怨恨这位不速之客——但是后来长大了,也就认识到了心上人本来就不属于我们。并不是不速之客“导致了”决裂,而是缺乏真正的感情。
从表面上看,许多婚姻似乎是因为有了“第三者”才破裂的。然而这是一种心理上的错觉。另外那个女人,或者另外那个男人,无非是作为借口,用来解除早就不是完好无损的婚姻罢了。
因失恋而痛苦,因别人“插足”于自己与心上人之间而图报复,是最徒劳、最自我折磨的了。这种事总是歪曲了事实真相,因为谁都不是别人的俘虏或牺牲品——人都是自由行事的,不论命运是好是坏,都由自己来做主。
4.2.3 评论
模拟练习1
Buffett’s view of inherited money also departs from the norm.Critical of the self-indulgence of the super-rich,Buffett thinks of inheritances as“privately funded food stamps”that keep children of the rich from leading normal,independent lives.With his own three kids,he gave them each$10,000ayear—the tax-deductible limit—at Christmas.When he gave them a loan,they had to sign a written agreement.When his daughter,also named Susie like her mother,needed$20to park at the airport,he made her write him a check for it.
As for charity,Buffett’s strict standards have made it difficult for him to give much away.He evaluates charities the same way he looks for stocks:value for money,return on invested capital.He has established the Buffett Foundation,designed to accumulate money and give it away after his and his wife’s deaths—though the foundation has given millions to organizations involved with population control,family planning,abortion,and birth control.The argument goes that Buffett can actually give away agreater sum in the end by growing his money while he’s still alive.
One thing’s for sure about Buffett:He’s happy doing what he’s doing.“I get to do what I like to do every single day of the year,”he says.“I get to do it with people I like,and I don’t have to associate with anybody who causes my stomach to churn.I tap dance to work,and when I get there I think I’m supposed to lie on my back and paint the ceiling.It’s tremendous fun.”It’s fun to watch the master at work,too.
难点注释:
原文节选自一篇关于投资大师巴菲特的人物评论。作者从巴菲特成长经历入手,结合他的性格特点,向读者揭示了主人公的平凡与不平凡之处。原文叙述风格灵活风趣,有叙有议,结合了鲜活的事例和口语,在翻译中应当注意保留。
(1)在翻译第一段的privately funded food stamps时,应注意food stamps的译法,使之符合主人公的口吻和思维习惯。
(2)tax-deductible limit即“免税的最高赠予额度”。
(3)第二段value for money一句体现的是巴菲特本人在股票投资方面的准则,翻译时请注意意义的准确和简洁有力。
(4)churn意为“搅拌,剧烈晃动”,翻译时应结合上下文进行理解。
参考译文:
巴菲特对待遗产的态度也与众不同。他对“超级富人”自我放纵的生活方式非常反感,他把遗产看作是“私人买单的白吃证”,有了它有钱人家的孩子们就无法过上正常而独立的生活。对自己的三个孩子,巴菲特在每年圣诞节时给他们每人一万美元作为一年的花销,这是免征所得税收的最低限度。若是给他们借钱,则需签订书面协议。有一次他的女儿苏茜——与她妈妈同名——在机场需要20美元的停车费,巴菲特虽然把钱给了她,但却要求女儿给他写一张支票还钱。
巴菲特严格的处事标准使他即使是面对慈善事业也很难慷慨解囊。他打量慈善事业的态度犹如对待股票:这个价格值不值,投的钱能否回本。他建立了巴菲特基金会,意在积累资金,在自己和妻子死后发放。不过巴菲特基金会至今已为许多组织捐资数百万美元,资助的项目包括人口控制、计划生育、堕胎和避孕等。有人认为巴菲特在有生之年打理这些家产增值,到最后还能增加不少用于慈善事业。
对于巴菲特来说,有一点可以肯定:他非常热爱自己的工作。“一年中的每一天我都在做自己喜欢做的事,我与自己喜欢的人一起工作。我用不着与自己讨厌的人打交道。我欣欣然扑向工作,到了公司我会觉得工作就好像是让自己仰面躺下,用手中的笔绘制天花板一般轻松。工作让我乐趣无穷。”巴菲特说。当然看一位大师级人物工作也同样是乐趣无穷。
模拟练习2
His father,he has said,not without admiration,believed that instilling insecurity in his son would help him to achieve.All in all,Turner seems to have been a well-qualified candidate for total psychic collapse.“But when everything goes wrong,”he says today,“you can either give up or you can try to fight.I tried to fight.”
After a brief spell in the armed forces,he ploughed his energies into his father’s billboard business,purchasing a radio station and using empty billboards to advertise it.His radio empire grew,and expanded to local television.By 1980,he was launching CNN,although it was not until the Gulf War that the often-derided channel came into its own.He created the Cartoon Network,and bought hundreds of old MGM films,which he recycled on another lucrative channel,Turner Classic Movies.His firm eventually merged with Time Warner.But then came AOL,and Gerald Levin,the chief executive of the new giant,decided he didn’t need Turner or perhaps couldn’t tolerate his unpredictability.
难点注释:
原文选自2002年6月18日的英国《卫报》,介绍了美国有线电视新闻网CNN创始人特德·特纳(Ted Turner)的创业历程,并对他独特的经营理念进行了评论。文章笔调含蓄平实,结构相对简单,用词上结合了专业词汇和日常表达法。翻译中应注意尽可能保持原文信息和译名的准确性。
(1)candidate本意为“候选人”,翻译中请结合上下文在词意上略作调整。
(2)spell在文中为名词,意为“轮班”。
(3)plough into为经济类常用术语,意为“注入,投入”。
(4)often-derided是作者自创词汇,请注意利用上下文寻找恰当的中文表达。
(5)recycle本意为“循环使用,废物利用”,翻译中请注意其在整句中的意思。
参考译文:
特纳不无钦佩地说,他的父亲认为,让儿子有不安全感有助其成功。从各方面说,特纳都似乎成了一个十分典型的精神全面崩溃的病例。“当一切都出了问题时,你要么放弃,要么努力抗争。我努力抗争,”特纳说。
在军队中短暂地待了一段时间后,特纳把精力投入到父亲的广告牌业务中。他购买了一家广播电台,然后利用空闲的广告牌为电台做宣传。特纳的广播王国发展壮大,后来扩展到当地的电视业。到1980年,特纳创办CNN,不过这个经常受到嘲笑的频道在海湾战争后才进入全盛时期。特纳创立了动画片频道,还购买了米高梅电影公司的数百部旧影片,在另一个赢利的频道——特纳经典影片回顾重复播放。他的公司最终与时代华纳公司合并。但是随后美国在线又加入了,而这个新巨头的总裁杰拉尔德·莱文认为自己不需要特纳——也可能是他无法容忍特纳的变幻莫测。
模拟练习3
China has taken a step toward loosening state control over its television production industry,for the first time approving a batch of eight private companies that can make TV series without being shadowed by a state-run corporation.
The approval from the State Administration of Radio,Film and Television(SARFT),the industry regulator,illustrates a wider push by the administration of Hu Jintao,China’s president,to introduce commercial reforms to its bloated state media machine.The move also appears consistent with attempts to level the playing field between China’s cossetted but inefficient state industries and a disadvantaged but dynamic private sector.
The main result of SARFT’s approval will be to create competition for the 155provincial and national state-run television companies that currently have a monopoly on the production of TV series.Cost savings for private and foreign TV production operations in China are also expected to result.
难点注释:
原文节选自Financial Times上一篇关于中国出台新媒体政策的报道。原文一方面提供了该政策的具体内容,另一方面提出了外媒关于该政策的理解并预测了该政策可能带来的后果。原文体现了鲜明的新闻语体风格,句式结构相对复杂平衡,信息量大,涉及专业性较强的经济和政治词汇,翻译时应力求译文风格简洁,信息完整准确。
(1)原文首段即由一个复合句组成,请注意理清主干、先行词和从句谓语之间的关系,使译文清楚流畅。
(2)请注意SARFT作为国家机构的标准译名,及其同位语的位置。
(3)请注意评论性文本特有词汇如illustrate,appear,expect等的翻译。
(4)level在文中作动词用,意为“平衡、平抑”
(5)cosset本意为“纵容,宠爱”,请结合上下文推敲适当的中文表达。
参考译文:
中国政府已采取措施,逐步放宽国家对电视制作业的管制,首次批准一批私营公司(8家)制作电视连续剧,而不再受制于国营公司。
媒体监管机构国家广播电影电视总局(SARFT)批准了上述措施,从而表明以国家主席胡锦涛为首的中国政府进一步加大了改革力度,对臃肿的国家媒体机构推行商业改革。中国的国有行业备受庇护且效率低下,而处于不利地位的私营企业却富有活力。上述举措似乎也说明政府试图为国有行业和私营企业创造平等的竞争环境。
广电总局的批准带来的主要结果将会是:155家省级和国家级国营电视公司将面临竞争,目前这些公司垄断了电视连续剧的制作。另外,这一举措还有望为私营的和在华经营的外国电视制作公司节省成本。
模拟练习4
Though Starbucks is still hardly known in China,with 69 stores,it’s taking a big bet.The Seattle-based company announced recently that it would increase its stake in its Shanghai and Taiwan joint venture with President Coffee from 5%to 50%.Elsewhere,Starbucks opens stores in Guangzhou,its third mainland Chinese city,this year,and aims to open hundreds more in the coming two years.
Starbucks China doesn’t plan any advertising,promotions,or other marketing strategies,aside from sponsoring an online coffee club and the occasional office-tower coffee tasting.Instead,the company is counting on selecting such high-visibility,high-traffic cafe locations that they market themselves.Its main advertising medium is the store itself.
But in fast-changing Chinese cities,finding locations that will embody the right lifestyle is more akin to gambling than science.The computerized mapping databases that the company uses to test a potential street corner in the United States would be little help in Chinese cities.In the U.S.,if you see a mall,it will probably still be there in two years.While a year passes by in a Chinese location,and you almost won’t know your way around there any more.
难点注释:
原文摘自Far Eastern Economic Review上一篇评论。作者除介绍星巴克公司在中国的未来战略之外还对星巴克的营销理念、中国城市的发展特点发表了看法。文章风格较为平实,用词比较生活化,难度不高。翻译时请注意译文的句式结构是否符合汉语规范,在准确保存原文信息的基础上是否做到行文流畅。
(1)文中Seattle-based、office-tower等常见合成词,翻译时应注意利用其各部分本意和语境意义选择汉语表达。
(2)promotion一词在商业应用中意为“推广,促销”,不能简单直译为“提升”。
(3)embody在文中意为“体现,展现”。
(4)be akin to在文中意为“类似于”。
(5)gambling和science为对比,即“运气,意外”与“规律,规划”。
参考译文:
星巴克在中国只开设了69家咖啡店,很少有人知其名,但它决心大干一番。最近,以西雅图为总部的星巴克公司宣布要把其上海和台湾分公司与总统咖啡联合企业的投资股份从5%加大到50%。另外,星巴克今年在中国大陆的第三大城市广州开店,在未来两年内要开数百家店。
除了在网上主办咖啡俱乐部及偶尔在写字楼提供咖啡品尝活动外,中国星巴克不打算进行任何广告宣传、促销活动,也不打算实施其他的营销策略。相反,星巴克公司依靠选择那种显眼的、交通发达的咖啡店店址来做自我宣传。星巴克最主要的宣传媒介是咖啡店本身。
要在变化飞快的中国大城市中找到能体现适当的生活方式的地方,这更多要依赖运气而不是计划。在美国,星巴克能利用经计算机处理的地图数据库探寻具有开店潜质的街角,但这种做法在中国城市却没有多大用处。在美国,你看到某个商场,两年后它可能还在那里;但在中国,一年后你几乎都不认得周围的路了。
4.2.4 演讲
模拟练习1
I was never the likeliest candidate for this office.We didn’t start with much money or many endorsements.Our campaign was not hatched in the halls of Washington.It began in the backyards of Des Moines and the living rooms of Concord and the front porches of Charleston.It was built by working men and women who dug into what little savings they had to give$5and$10and$20to the cause.
It grew strength from the young people who rejected the myth of their generation’s apathy;who left their homes and their families for jobs that offered little pay and less sleep.
It drew strength from the not-so-young people who braved the bitter cold and scorching heat to knock on the doors of perfect strangers,and from the millions of Americans who volunteered and organized and proved that more than two centuries later a government of the people,by the people,and for the people has not perished from the Earth.
This is your victory.
There will be setbacks and false starts.There are many who won’t agree with every decision or policy I make as president.And we know the government can’t solve every problem.But I will always be honest with you about the challenges we face.I will listen to you,especially when we disagree.And,above all,I will ask you to join in the work of remaking this nation,the only way it’s been done in America for 221years—block by block,brick by brick,calloused hand by calloused hand.
难点注释:
这段材料来自于美国总统奥巴马在2008年竞选之夜得知胜选之后发表的演讲。奥巴马在演讲中热情地感谢了忠实的选民、为竞选奔走的选举团队、无私支持他的家人、友人并向自己的竞选对手致敬。翻译时应注意避免书面腔和翻译腔,使译文保持原演讲的语言风格。
(1)第一段内endorsement意为“担保,联署,背书”,请注意选择恰当的意义并根据中文演讲的习惯进行适当的调整。
(2)第一段内出现若干美国国内地名,请注意它们的正式译法。
(3)第三段中的braved为动词,意为“勇于面对”或“敢于承受”。
(4)请注意第三段末尾“of the people,by the people,and for the people”表达有正式译法,翻译时应尽量参照。
参考译文:
我从来都不是最有可能的总统人选。刚开始时我们没有很多经费,也没有很多要人的支持。我们的竞选不是孵化自华盛顿的会议大厅,而是始于得梅因(美国衣阿华州的首府)的后院、康科德市普通人家的客厅,以及查尔斯顿的某个前廊。这一胜利来自于工薪阶层的普通人,他们从微薄的积蓄中拿出五元、十元、二十元来支持我们的理念。
我们的胜利来自于年轻人——那些远离家人、承担辛苦但收入微薄的竞选工作的年轻人。他们反驳了他们是冷漠一代的谬论。
我们的胜利也来自于那些已不再年轻的人们,他们在严寒或酷暑中走街串巷向完全陌生的选民进行宣传。我们的胜利来自数以百万计的美国人民,他们的志愿参与和组织证明了两个多世纪之后,那个民有、民治、民享的政府仍然存在。
这个胜利属于你们!
前面会有挫折和弯路。很多人不会完全同意我作为总统做出的政策和决定。而且我们知道政府不会解决所有问题。但关于面对的挑战,我会始终对你们坦诚相告。我会倾听你们的声音——特别是当我们意见相左时。而最重要的是,我请你们加入到家园的重建中来,用221年以来我们唯一的方法,美国的方法——一砖一瓦,水滴石穿。
模拟练习2
Now,another major vision that Microsoft has is that writing the programs,writing the applications for these machines needs to get very easy and we need to be able to do it,so we can write programs that run across the entire Internet which is millions of machines.So this is a new approach to programming that draws on what was done previously.DNS says that developers should be able to focus on their particular task and not have to learn a lot about management of the machine resources.
Great chips and systems developed by our partners who are here with us sponsoring this event,make this all possible.And there’s an incredible opportunity for developers.The applications that are written today will sell to an even larger base of machines out in the market.There is a lot that we’re doing to increase the work of developers—make sure they understand where the PC is going and how tools can help them and we’re even helping them now,with more and more marketing type of activities making sure they get out in with the customers.
难点注释:
原文节选自比尔·盖茨在北京的一次商业性演讲,其目的主要是为微软作宣传,推广DNS系统这一理念。须知商业演讲少有复杂、深奥的词汇,而是要把问题讲清楚,以打动潜在顾客或合作伙伴。演讲风格平实,翻译时应注意保存原文信息,并传递其诚恳热情的风味。
(1)vision在商业演讲中多译为“愿景,构想”。
(2)draw on在文中意为“利用,采用”。
(3)chip在计算机硬件行业中意为“芯片,处理器”。
(4)sponsor在涉及具体某一活动时不能直译为“资助”。
(5)application written应放在全文语境和演讲人身份背景下理解。
参考译文:
微软的另一个主要设想是把编写应用程序这项工作变得很容易,我们必须做到这一点,这样程序就可以在连接数以百万计计算机的互联网上运行。和以前的编程不同,这是一个新的做法,借鉴了已有的成果。有了DNS,开发人员可以集中精力从事其特定的任务,不需要学习很多机器资源管理的知识。
这一活动的主办者之一是我们的合作伙伴,他们开发的系统再加上优异的芯片使所有这一切成为可能。这是开发人员一次极好的机会。今天编写的应用程序将卖给市场上更多的计算机使用者。我们正在做许多事情以增加开发人员的工作,确保他们理解个人计算机的走向,让他们知道目前的工具能为他们提供什么样的帮助,以及让他们参加越来越多的营销类型的活动,使他们与顾客保持良好的关系。
模拟练习3
They had hoped that I would take a vocational degree;I wanted to study English Literature.A compromise was reached that in retrospect satisfied nobody,and I went up to study Modern Languages.Hardly had my parents’car rounded the corner at the end of the road than I ditched German and scuttled off down the Classics corridor.
I cannot remember telling my parents that I was studying Classics;they might well have found out for the first time on graduation day.Of all subjects on this planet,I think they would have been hard put to name one less useful than Greek mythology when it came to securing the keys to an executive bathroom.
I would like to make it clear,in parenthesis,that I do not blame my parents for their point of view....I cannot criticise my parents for hoping that I would never experience poverty.They had been poor themselves,and I have since been poor,and I quite agree with them that it is not an ennobling experience.Poverty entails fear,and stress,and sometimes depression;it means a thousand petty humiliations and hardships.Climbing out of poverty by your own efforts,that is indeed something on which to pride yourself,but poverty itself is romanticised only by fools.
难点注释:
原文节选自J·K·罗琳在哈佛大学2008年毕业典礼上的演讲,题为《失败的好处和想象力的重要性》(The Fringe Benefits of Failure,and the Importance of Imagination)。她回顾了自己走出校门后所经历的苦难以及挫折所带来的收获,并呼吁毕业生们不惧失败、关注自身的责任并回报社会。原文节选自演讲的前半部,此时演讲者尚沉浸在对往事的回忆之中,句式结构平实朴素,第一人称居多,长短交错,用词含蓄贴切,多有修辞。翻译中请注意保持原文的情绪基调和语气。
(1)vocational指“专业学位”,即与实际工作相关的技术性或技能型课程学位,毕业后获得从业资格或技能认证。
(2)in retrospect意为“回顾”,翻译时应注意句式结构的调整,保持译文流畅。
(3)请注意第一段末尾句中夸张和比喻等修辞手法。
(4)第二段末尾句语言非常形象,翻译中请特别注意。
(5)executive bathroom中executive为形容词,指“宽敞的,高级的”,如航班机舱等级中的“executive seat”(现译为“公务舱”)。
(6)parenthesis在文中不能简单直译为“括号”。
参考译文:
他们希望我去读个专业学位,而我想去攻读英国文学。最后达成了一个现在看来双方都不甚满意的妥协:我改学现代语言。可是父母的车刚刚拐过街角,一走开,我立刻把学德语的事情扔到一边,快步走回了古典文学的殿堂。
我不记得将这事告诉了父母。他们可能是在毕业典礼那一天才发现的。我想,在全世界所有的专业中,他们也许认为,不会有比研究希腊神话更没用的专业了,根本无法换来一间独立的宽敞卫生间。
我要申明,我并不责怪父母。……他们只是希望我不要过穷日子,我不能批评他们。他们自己很穷,我后来一度也很穷,所以我很理解他们,贫穷是一种悲惨的经历。它带来恐惧、压力,有时还有抑郁。它意味着许许多多的小羞辱和艰辛。靠自己的努力摆脱贫穷,确实让人自豪,但是只有傻瓜才会将贫穷本身浪漫化。
模拟练习4
And because of all the neglect,too many of our kids have,essentially,to raise themselves.They are growing more distant from their parents,grandparents and other family members,as all around us the indestructible bond that once glued together the generations,unravels.
This violation has bred a new generation,Generation O let us call it,that has now picked up the torch from Generation X.The O stands for a generation that has everything on the outside—wealth,success,fancy clothing and fancy cars,but an aching emptiness on the inside.That cavity in our chests,that barrenness at our core,that void in our centre is the place where the heart once beat and which love once occupied.
And it’s not just the kids who are suffering.It’s the parents as well.For the more we cultivate little-adults in kids’bodies,the more removed we ourselves become from our own childlike qualities,and there is so much about being a child that is worth retaining in adult life.
Love,ladies and gentlemen,is the human family’s most precious legacy,its richest bequest,its golden inheritance.And it is a treasure that is handed down from one generation to another.
难点注释:
原文节选自迈克尔·杰克逊2001年3月在牛津大学所作的题为Heal The Kids的讲演。在讲演中,杰克逊认为现代社会中的年轻一代在成长中承受了社会与生活带来的诸如空虚、疏离、彷徨等种种痛苦,而家人和成人却未能奉献足够的爱和关心。节选部分显示了良好的语言素养,句式平衡流畅,用词准确之余不失形象,感情强烈真切。翻译中应注意保持原文的风格特点,同时注意译文应读来流畅,符合汉语演讲的特点。
(1)bond在文中可理解为“纽带”或“联系”。
(2)generation O和generation X均为演讲者使用的类比,O即目前的孩童一代,其特点可在下文中看到。X则是父母一代,他们对于社会、家庭的态度也可以从X这个字母的形体特点上体会出来。
(3)cavity在文中意为抽象比喻意义上的“空洞”,而非实体的“岩洞”或“凹陷”。
(4)little-adult和kids’bodies为对应的两个概念,翻译中请特别注意。
(5)翻译时请特别注意末段legacy,bequest,inheritance三个同义词的所带来的修辞效果。
参考译文:
因为被忽视,很多孩子实际上是一个人孤独地长大。他们渐渐疏远自己的父母亲、祖父母以及其他的家庭成员,我们身边那种曾经团结过一代人的不灭的凝集力就这样散开了。
这种违背常理的行为造就了一代新人,姑且叫做O代人吧,他们已经渐渐接下了上一辈人传下来的火炬,他们拥有所有外在的东西——财富、成功、奢华的时装和跑车——但他们的内心却痛苦和空虚。胸中茫然若失,心灵一片荒芜,那些空白的地方曾经搏动着我们的心脏,曾经充溢着爱情。
其实,不仅孩子们痛苦,父母亲也同样受煎熬。我们越是让孩子们早熟,我们就越来越远离了童真,而这种童真就算成年人也值得拥有。
爱,女士们先生们,爱是人类家庭最珍贵的遗产,是最贵重的馈赠,是最无价的传统,是我们应该代代相传的财富。
4.2.5 小品文
模拟练习1
So I’m happy when those occasions arise when I can offer the benefits of my education.Of course,it annoys the hell out of my boss how rarely my skill set actually helps us out.And it amazes him how I’m forever dawdling with my coffee and misplacing it at job sites.Or how I’m morbidly preoccupied with safety—like the time,fearing electrocution,when I refused to hold up a low-hanging cable wire to allow our tall truck to pass beneath.(“It carries a signal,not a current!”He hollered,grabbing it for dramatic effect.)
In some ways,ours is a clash of cultures.On days off,the boss changes the oil in his pickup,retiles his kitchen floor or does brickwork;I take my car through the automatic wash,go bird watching or read“Nicholas Nickleby.”This last tickles him—so mighty are my struggles reading maps.
But I’m just as strong as he is,and can match him bale for bale,hoisting the 50-pound sacks of seed we fill the truck with.So there is the basis for a bit of grudging respect.And for all of my drawbacks,I am at least reliable—a vestige,perhaps,of the grim“show up at your desk at all costs(if only to sit there)”ethic.
But still it caught me off guard when,with the air now cold and the hydro seeding season over,the boss inquired recently:“Can you drive a snowplow?”(注解:Nicholas Nickleby为狄更斯的小说《尼克拉斯·尼科比》)
难点注释:
本文选自2002年2月号的Newsweek。作者本是金融白领,但经济危机之后被裁员,文章讲述了他转而从事蓝领工作中遭遇的趣事和尴尬经历。这篇小品文语言诙谐风趣,用词较为平实,翻译时应注意在保持文章流畅通顺的同时尽可能传达原文的幽默。
(1)skill set意为“技能库”或“技能储备”。
(2)be preoccupied with意为“关注,强调”。
(3)signal和current在文中均为名词,请结合上下文确定其词义。
(4)翻译时请注意第二段末尾的幽默。
(5)bale意为“大捆的布匹或毛料”,请结合上下文推敲bale for bale的正确译法。
(6)最后一段的hydro seeding意为“采用水浆混合物喷洒的方式进行播种”,此处译为“播种”即可。
参考译文:
所以,碰到能显示我所受的教育优势时,我就显得格外地高兴。当然,我的技能能够派上用场的时候太少了,这常常把我老板气得够呛。看着我慢吞吞地喝咖啡,还把杯子在工地随便乱放,他惊讶之余也无可奈何。此外还有当我过分强调安全的时候,就像有一次,我害怕触电,不愿伸手举起一根垂得太低的电缆线以让我们的卡车通过。(他大喊起来:“那里面只有信号,没有电流。”说罢夸张地一把夺了过去。)
从某种意义上来说,我们的冲突是不同文化间的冲突。在休息日里,老板会给他的小货车换油,或是重铺厨房地板,或做瓦工活;我则开车去自动洗车场,出去观鸟,或是读《尼克拉斯·尼科比》(狄更斯小说)。这最后一项使他感到很好笑,毕竟我连看个地图都要费半天功夫。
但是我跟他一样地强壮,在把每包重50磅的种子装车时,他扛一包,我也能扛一包。所以在这点上,即使不情愿,他也不能不对我有所敬重。尽管我有许多弱点,但我至少是可靠的——也许是我的脑子里还留着旧的道德铁律“不论付出什么代价也要准点上班(哪怕只是坐在那里)”。
最近天气转冷,育种的季节已过,可当老板问我“你会不会开扫雪机?”的时候,我还是一下子感到措手不及。
模拟练习2
American managers have in-depth knowledge of the business they run and baseball,but know little about the rest of the world.They think that everyone who is not American wishes he was.Americans are always the best.The quarterly dividend is their cardinal goal,and quick fixes are the means to accomplish it.They organize their companies in many-layered hierarchies of order givers and order takers.Employees do not question instructions(at least openly).They lose their jobs if they do.Americans talk fast and loud.After a meeting,the Americans bring in hordes of lawyers and accountants to prepare contracts ten times longer than those used elsewhere.
British managers became managers by studying English literature and Egyptology at Oxford and by going through the Old Boy Network.They have a broad,but not always thorough,knowledge of their company’s operations.They are insular—and proud of it.Class spite and social angst riddle British corporate cultures.Despite much lip service to the contrary,decision making remains the prerogative of top managers.Ideas about decentralized management clash with a basic lack of faith in the abilities of the subordinates.British managers invariably are polite,and they spice their conversations with humorous little anecdotes that executives of other nationalities usually fail to appreciate.Meetings are not supposed to decide anything.The British use them to explore the terrain and to check out the broad perimeters,parameters and all that.If they promise you something to avoid offending you,it may take a long time before they deliver.In fact,they may not deliver at all.
难点注释:
原文来自Manager杂志,节选自一篇对各国职业经理人进行漫画式描述的小品文。这篇文章笔调轻松诙谐,对各国经理人的性格特点描述得相当生动。在翻译原文时,应注意一方面要通过对句式和代词的调整,保持原文轻松流畅的风格,另一方面注意辨别原文中一些较为正式的专业词汇究竟目的是在于提供信息还是营造讽刺幽默效果,从而对这些词汇采取不同的翻译方法。
(1)quarterly dividend意为“季度分红”。
(2)注意第一段中的合成词,翻译时应尽量避免简单生硬的直译。
(3)Old Boy Network并非英美独有现象,应结合语境,寻找合适的中文表达。
(4)Class spite中的class一词应作为“阶级”或“等级”来理解。
(5)to the contrary的翻译必须结合后半句来进行,译文应力求明确清楚。
(6)注意最后一段中的terrain,broad perimeters,parameters and all that一句的翻译,请推敲其中的比喻意义之后再着手翻译。
参考译文:
美国经理人对他们管理的公司和棒球运动有深刻的了解,可是对其他事情所知甚少。他们认为世界上其他国家的人都希望自己是美国人。美国人总是最棒的。每个季度的分红是他们的主要目标,只要能最快地实现这个目标任何手段都成。公司组织结构层次多,等级森严。雇员对上峰的指令不能置疑(至少在公开场合不能)。要是这样做,就会丢饭碗。美国人说话快,嗓门大。商务洽谈之后,美国人弄来一群群的律师和财务人员,起草的合同比世界上其他任何地方的都要长十倍。
英国的经理人通过在牛津大学学习英国文学和古埃及学以及凭借老同学的关系网而成为经理。对于公司的运作,他们具有广博但不总是透彻的知识。他们保守,并对此感到自豪。阶层间的敌视和对社会的焦虑充斥于英国的企业文化。尽管口头上宣扬的是另外一套,决策依然是最高层经理的特权。分权化管理的理念与对下属们的能力缺乏基本信任的现实发生冲撞。英国经理人都彬彬有礼,谈话中掺杂着幽默典故,令其他国家的执行官们大惑不解。开会不会做出任何决定。英国人开会只是用来摸摸底,熟悉一下基本情况而已。要是他们为避免惹恼你而做出某种承诺,可能很久之后才会践诺。事实上,他们或许根本不会履行诺言。
模拟练习3
A full awareness of this will point out to you that the most important thing in your existence is your distinctive individuality or something special of yours.What really counts is not your worldly success but your peculiar insight into the meaning of life and your commitment to it,which add luster to your personality.
It is not easy to be what one really is.There is many aperson in the world who can be identified as anything—either his job,his status or his social role—that shows no trace about his individuality.It does do him justice to say that he has no identity of his own,if he doesn’t know his own mind and all his things are either arranged by others or done on others’suggestions;if his life,always occupied by external things,is completely void of an inner world.You won’t be able to find anything whatever,from head to heart,that truly belongs to him.He is,indeed,no more than a shadow cast by somebody else or a machine capable of doing business.
难点注释:
原文节选自一篇关于个性在人生中的价值以及如何追求个性的小品文。本文句子结构并不复杂,主要采取第二人称和第三人称,语言风格平实流畅,用词也较为贴近日常生活。翻译中应当注意对原文的复合句结构和插入语结构进行重新调整以符合汉语习惯,同时注意译文用词不应过于正式,避免出现翻译腔。
(1)原文第一句中主语为上一句的论点,英语中以物做主语显得比较自然,但在翻译中应当对这一句式进行符合汉语习惯的调整。
(2)worldly success中的worldly为形容词,应结合下文中的对应概念,即insight一词来确定其准确意义。
(3)commitment本意为“承诺”,置入语境中进行翻译时应当稍加变化。
(4)第二段中do him justice的翻译应当跳出justice这个词的译法,以上下文为背景,理解意义之后再寻找合适的中文表达。
参考译文:
如果你真正意识到了这一点,你就会明白,活在世上,最重要的就是活出你自己的特色和滋味来。你的人生是否有意义,衡量的标准不是外在的成功,而是你对人生意义的独特领悟和坚守,从而使你的自我闪放出个性的光华。
表现真正的自我不是一件容易的事。世上有许多人,你说他是什么都行,例如是一种职业,一个身份,一个社会角色,惟独不是他自己。如果一个人总是按别人的安排和意见生活,没有自己的独立思索;总是为外在事务忙碌,没有自己的内心生活,那么,说他没有个性就一点儿也没有冤枉他。因为确确实实,从他的头脑到他的心灵,你在其中已经找不到丝毫真正属于他自己的东西了,他只是别人的一个影子和做事务的一架机器罢了。
模拟练习4
It is a fact that young men are more romantic than young women.Young men fall in love at the drop of a hat.Young women,on the other hand,are much more pragmatic when it comes to choosing marriage partners.Men consider that being with their partners is sufficient to express their love.Whereas women consider a man romantic only if the word love is always on his lips.
Men attach more importance to marriage than women do,and there are fewer male celibates.Moreover,men find more satisfaction in marriage.A survey found that 87%of the men questioned said that if they married again they would choose the same partners,whereas 76%of the women questioned said the same.
Men feel pain,but they handle it in a different way from women.It is true that after divorce they will not lose control of themselves by crying bitterly,but they suffer more from stomach disorders,plunge into alcoholism and cause traffic accidents.Another survey found that divorced men can only overcome their emotional pain by means of physical exercise.
难点注释:
原文节选自一篇分析男性心理行为特点的文章。作者既从性别差异的角度分析了男性心理的特点,又揭示了人们对于男性心理行为的一些误解。文章语言风格简洁明快,句子较短,结构相对简单,用词较为生活化。翻译时应注意在准确传达原文信息的基础上更注意保持其语言风格。
(1)at the drop of a hat是一种习惯表达,其本意与帽子无关,翻译时达意即可,也可以保留原文意象。
(2)第一段末尾两句的内容和结构均体现了男女在感情表达方式上的不同,翻译中应尽量体现之。
(3)celibate意为“独身主义者”。
(4)partner在文中多次出现,翻译时应当具体问题具体分析,不可一概直译。
(5)stomach disorder意为“消化不良”或“肠胃功能紊乱”。
参考译文:
实际上年轻的男人比年轻的女人更浪漫,他们可以轻易地坠入爱河。相反,年轻的女性却很善于从务实的角度选择婚姻伴侣。男人们认为只要和自己的配偶呆在一起就已经表现出自己对她的情感了,而女性认为男人只有把爱情挂在嘴边才是浪漫的。
男人们更重视结婚。男性独身主义者比女性独身主义者少。甚至他们结婚后,男人们也更容易对自己的婚姻感到满足。一项调查表明,87%的男人都认为,如果再结婚的话仍找自己现在的妻子,而持相同观点的女人只占76%。
男人们也会感到痛苦,只是对付痛苦的方式与女人们不同。他们倒是不会在离异后痛哭失态,但他们更容易患肠胃功能紊乱,也容易酗酒和发生交通事故。还有一项调查表明,男人在离异后往往只能用体育活动来排解痛苦的心情。
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