“网络时髦热词”看起来简单精炼,但是实际翻译起来却着实让人头疼。本次公开课旨在引导大家关注这些词语、词组的翻译,并且讲解一些有关的翻译方法和技巧。这个英译中范例中有许多这类热词,如:“谈节色变”、“80后”、“压力山大”、“拜年费”、“节奴”、“酷抠族”、“人情族”和“恼火族”以及“伤不起”等。希望大家能够通过这次公开课有所领悟,掌握翻译这些热词的技巧。

名师档案:

阎成席:从事英语教学和翻译工作长达20多年,语言功力深厚,教学效果良好。现已出版了几本英语学习指导书籍,今年11月份金盾出版社将出版和发行本人编写的《英语实用案例写作语料库》。近几年来,大量翻译了国内著名财经专栏学者的时评文章,如:傅蔚冈、聂日明、周子衡和王闻等。

阎成席 的部落主页>>

春节账单悄然来袭 内地青年“谈节色变”
Most young people are jittery about the looming festival bills

悄然:unexpected

jitter本是名词:nervous、worried about sth.

“餐费、旅费、礼品、压岁钱等月消费2.3万元人民币。”节后上班首日,“80后”李铭面对“节日清单”苦笑道。
Li Ming, a young man “born in the 80s”, shook his head and smiled bitterly on the first day after the long spring festival holiday: “Table fees, travels fees, gifts and festival lucky money, etc., cost me an arm and a leg, to be specific, totally 23,000 yuan in this very month.”

压岁钱:lucky money

80后:born in the (late) 80s

cost sb. an arm and a leg:花某人一大笔钱

in this very month:very加强语气

需要调整句子的顺序,以符合英文习惯

中国内地,随着社会发展及消费观念的转变,为重大节日消费、交际而饱受压力的人,在市俗与功利的心态影响下沦为“节奴”。
In Mainland China, with the fast social development and the changing consumption attitude, more and more Chinese people, painfully distressed by the festival shopping spree and social intercourses, are currently under the dreadful pressure and find themselves reluctantly reduced to “festival slaves” at the mercy of the folk culture and the utilitarian mentality.

需要分清主次,非重要部分作为修饰。

饱受压力:painfully distressed,使用非谓语形式

spree:狂欢、无节制的狂热行为

woeful、dreadful:形容程度之深

at the mercy of sth.:受制于某物

节奴:"festival slave"

【点评】

句子的处理不能拘泥于形式,而是要采用灵活的方式:“为重大节日消费、交际而饱受压力的人”(more and more Chinese people, painfully distressed by the festival shopping spree and social intercourses),这里的“人”则处理为“more and more Chinese people”,而“饱受压力的”则处理为“(who are) distressed by the festival shopping spree and social intercourses”,“重大节日消费、交际”则被翻译成“festival shopping spree and social intercourses”。

另外,“在市俗与功利的心态影响下沦为‘节奴’。”里面的信息比较多,需要仔细处理。“在市俗与功利的心态影响下”则翻译为“at the mercy of the folk culture and the utilitarian mentality”,而“节奴”就直接用“festival slaves”。

供职西安高新区某外企的张雅楠自嘲为“纯粹的节奴”,虽贵为“白领”,但节日里,她依然感到“压力山大”。“给小辈们压岁钱近五位数,加之给父母‘拜年费’,过节的开销让钱包伤不起。”张雅楠如是说。
Zhang Yanan, a white collar serving a foreign invested company, located in Xi’an New and Hi-tech Development Zone, deprecatedor mocked herself as “a total festival slave” as she really felt greatly stressed or “Under Tremendous Pressure”. She continued, “The festival lucky money unwillingly given to juniors has amounted to something like 10,000 yuan” coupled with “parent honorarium”, which almost sent me on the edge of a total breakdown.”

白领:white collar

deprecated、mock:嘲弄,挖苦

纯粹:完全的,百分之百的,total

压力山大:Under Tremendous Pressure(全部采用大写以表示特殊语义)

continued:可改为grumbled,抱怨

unwillingly given:使用非谓语形式

晚辈:juniors(长辈:seniors)

honorarium:礼金、谢礼

伤不起:send sb. on the edge of a total breakdown

【点评】

这里有几个热词,需要特别留意:“压力山大(Under Tremendous Pressure)”、“压岁钱(festival lucky money)”、“小辈们(juniors)”、“拜年费(parent honorarium)”和“伤不起(sent me on the edge of a total breakdown)”。

整个句子在翻译时按照逻辑语序分层次进行了处理。

互联网上,“节奴”现象引发热议,网友按节日期间开支范围归纳出节奴的族群,消费1000元以下为“酷抠族”;1000至5000元属于“人情族”;5000至10000元为“恼火族”。
“Festival Slavery” has sparked a heated debate on line. Netizens classify themselves into three different groups according to the average festival expenses, respectively “cool carls” for having spent less than 1000 yuan, “gift followers” for 1000-5000 yuan and “regrettable peacocks” for 5000-50,000 yuan.

引发热议:spark a heated debate

族:一群人,group

酷抠族:cool carl

carl:乡巴佬、农人

人情族:(跟风,follower)gift follower

恼火族:regrettable peacock(peacock,喜欢炫耀的人)

【点评】

这个句子中热词很多:“酷抠族(cool carls)”、“人情族(gift followers)”和“恼火组(regrettable peacocks)”。说实话,这些热词不太好处理,需要按照语义进行逻辑思考,确定合理的表达方式。

另一网友表示,为了不当“酷抠族”,非理性的大手笔花钱送礼,成为保全“面子”的唯一出路,礼尚往来固然重要,但过节送礼却成为负担。
Another Netizen put it this way, he has generously sent out gifts on impulse for the sake of not being nicknamed as “a cool carl”, which turns out to be the only way out to “save face”. As we all know, one good turn deserves another, yet nowadays, festival gifts have become a heavy burden on most people.

为了:for the sake of

大手笔:generouslly

送礼:send out gifts

do sth. on impulse:心血来潮、冒失、不理性

礼尚往来:one good turn deserves another