张培基英译散文赏析之《我坐了木船》(上)
我坐了木船I Took a Wooden Boat
叶圣陶Ye Shengtao
| 译文摘自张培基《英译中国散文选一》
木船危险,当然知道。一路上数不清的滩,礁石随处都是,要出事,随时可以出。还有盗匪——实在是最可怜的同胞,他们种地没得吃,有力气没处出卖,当了兵经常饿肚皮,无可奈何只好出此下策。——假如遇见了,把铺盖或者身上衣服带下去,也是异常难处的事儿。
Of course I know it is risky to travel by wooden boat. With countless shoals and reefs to negotiate, accidents may happen any time. To complicate matters, there are bandits lurking around-those pitiful fellow countrymen who, unable to ward off starvation by farming or soldiering or whatnot, have been reduced to the disreputable business as a last resort. I'll be in a real fix if they should rob me of, say, my bedding or clothes.
要点:
1,“一路上数不清的滩,礁石随处都是,要出事,随时可以出。”此句乍看没有主语,隐藏主语为“意外事件”,因此译为With countless shoals and reefs to negotiate, accidents may happen any time. with句交代背景~
2,“种地没得吃,有力气没处出卖,当了兵经常饿肚皮”是指这些人不管干什么都免不了挨饿,译为unable to ward off(避开,防止) starvation by farming or soldiering or whatnot(等等)
3,“无可奈何只好出此下策”译为have been reduced to the disreputable business as a last resort.其中,disreputable business(不体面的行为)指“下策”,reduced to意为“被逼从事…”(之前我们在《背影》中也见到过be in reduced circumstances这个表述,意为“光景惨淡”),as a last resort 意为“作为最后一招”。
4,be in a real fix 意为“陷入困境”或“尴尬”~多读大师的翻译我们可以发现,高境界的译文很大程度上是靠这些不常见的小词撑起来的~
综述:
本段乃至本篇文章的语言翻译起来都需要几经推敲,比如“无可奈何只好出此下策”=“被逼着从事不体面的勾当来维持生活”,就像之前说的要深挖它最本质的意思~
要点:
1,“回转来想”译为on reflection(反思,回想)
2,看到up and down许多童鞋会下意识地反应为“上上下下”,其实它也有“来来往往”之意
3,“在那里坐木船”译为中的“那里”一定要讲明是川江,即the Sichuan section(地区地段) of the Yangtze River,之前《背影》中的“那年冬天”也译为“In the winter of more than two years ago”,随时都要有身为一个译者的自觉~
4,statistic will invariably show=“据统计”,新说法~换掉你的according!
5,“(数量)比…多”=“(比率)比…高”,译为a higher percentage (of)…than…,又是一个新表述,如According to the table above , compared with volleyball, basketball has a higher percentage.
(与排球相比,篮球的比例更大)
综述:本段着重注意几个新表述,积累起来哦~
1,“人家可以坐,我就不能坐吗?”是一个反问句,根据意思译为Why shouldn't I do the same?
2,“轮船飞机就不危险吗?”是另一个反问句,译为is it less dangerous to travel by steamer or aircraft?它的意思等同于Isn’ it dangerous to travel by streamer or aircraft?
3,“要绝对避免危险就莫要做人”译为Enjoying absolute safety is humanly impossible. humanly意为“从做人的角度看”,我等平民一定会将这句话当做一个条件句来处理,然而译者转换说法,让这句话译得很妙,婶婶地感受到了自己和大师的差距~
综述:本段积累反问句的译法,反问句在翻译时有时译为一般疑问句,有时译为特殊疑问句,还有时译为陈述句。
要点:
1,“自然也有办法”译为it stands to reason that…(自然)
2,“请托,找关系”译为fish for help or personal connection,本文关于“请托”的表述很多,童鞋们注意积累
3,“且不谈付出超过定额的钱,力有不及,心有不甘。”根据意思翻为But I'll have to pay more than the regular price for a "black" ticket, which I can ill afford and which I disdain to do.意为“我不得不付超过定额的钱,这些钱我付不起也不愿意付”。这种将三个分句融进一个句子的手法值得学习。
4,Can ill afford 意为“难以提供”,如:I can ill afford it.
这我办不到。(又是一个can’t 的进阶版~
5,四字短语,一般是根据意思翻译的,文中“心有不甘”意即“不屑一顾”,译为disdain to do。Disdain意为“蔑视,( ̄_, ̄ )不屑”常和for搭配,如:I have nothing but disdain for such a person.
对这种人我只是蔑视。
6,“the very word "black" generates in me a feeling of repulsion”中generate in sb a feeling of有木有很熟悉,之前在《艰难的国运与雄健的国民》中这个表述也有出境哦~
7,very word 中的very 无实际意义,这哥们儿就是来加强加强语气的,有时可以译为“正是,恰恰”,如:Soft, is the very word for her eye.(柔媚正是描写她眼神的字眼。)
综述:本段译起来的确有些烧脑,原因就在于其语言的文学性高,译时要不断推敲~大家注意积累高级表达
要点:
1, signify=表明,说明;预示,表达~他的小伙伴还有: mean indicate show imply suggest denote(表示,偏重字面上) connote(意味着,暗示,偏重隐含义)
2, “无异同”=“无异于”译为as good as
3, “不能够做某事”=beyond one’s capacity to do, 此外还有“be in no position to do”等表述也可以表示“不能”,不要给我说can’t不要跟我说can’t~(还记得之前有个类似的can ill afford吗,把它叫出来我们谈谈 (~ o ~)~
4, single-handedly意为“单独地,单枪匹马地”
5, “风气”这个词在翻译时也很常见,可以根据语境译为ethos,fashion, climate等词,此处译者将其译为social evils,(社会弊病)
6, “书生之见”译为the pedantic view of bookish person,其中pedantic=impractical,作“不现实的”解
7, “通达”即“明事理的”,译作sensible
综述:
本段的重点依旧在理解和积累高级表达~
要点:
1,注意“请托关系”又粗现啦,这次译者用了soliciting help or speaking personal connections,其中solicit意为“征求,索求,请求…给与”如:We solicit a continuance of your confidence and support.
我们寻求你的持续信任和支持
2,“在传达室恭候,在会客室恭候”译为You may be kept cooling your heels in a janitor's office or a reception room before an interview is granted.其中cool your heels意为“长等,空等”。
3, sought-after意为“吃香的,紧俏的,广受欢迎的”如:There is no doubt that the Ford Mustang is one of the most highly sought after vehicles in automotive history.
毫无疑问,福特野马是其中最高度追捧的车辆在汽车的历史。
4,“爱理不理的”译为in a cold and different manner
综述:本段可以给“请托关系”的相关表述做个总结啦~
要点:
1,“跑了不知多少趟,总算有眉目了”译为After making you don't know how many visits, there eventually appear signs of positive outcome.
注意其中的you don’t know how是插入语,修饰many。
2,“眉目”即“积极的结果”=sign of positive outcome
2,“这一处签字,那一处盖章”=“跑东跑西地到处签字盖章”,译为go here and there to get a signature or a seal~
3,“为的是”译为all for the purpose of,其中for the purpose of意为“为了”,同义的还有with a view to, with the purpose of,关于目的的表述在翻译中十分常见,童鞋们要注意积累不同表述,避免翻译时千篇一律。
综述:注意本句没有主语哦,翻译时一定要寻找隐藏的主语~
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