原文:

他是赵辛楣的来头,辛楣最初不肯来,介绍了他,说他是留学德国的博士,真糊涂透顶!他自己开来的学历,并没有学位,只是个各国游荡的“游学生”,并且并非学政治的,聘他当教授太冤枉了!(钱钟书 - 围城 )

 

翻译关键词: 留学生&游学生,真糊涂透顶,冤枉

译文

Not wanting to come himself, Hsin-mei had at first recommended Fang, saying Fang was a returned student with a doctorate from Germany. What absolute nonsense that was! According to the resume sent by Fang himself, Fang had no degree at all and was nothing but a student drifter who had led a life of dissipation one country after another. Furthermore, Fang had never even studied political science. To hire Fang as a professor would be an injustice!(美 Jeanne Kelly, Nathan K.Mao <译> –Fortress Besieged)

翻译笔记:
留学生&游学生

“游学”旧时指到外地或外国求学,与“留学”是同一意义,但是这里的“游学”相比“留学”,实则有点贬低方鸿渐,严肃的学习意味则有所减淡。原文也说得很清楚,方鸿渐并没有取得学位。由此,“留学生”与“游学生”在这里的表达当然也要是不一样的。要将两者区分开来时,“留学生”通常译为student studying abroad, returned student,“游学生”则可如译文中的a student drifter。再来熟悉两个常见词:
公费(自费)留学生  government funded (self-supporting) student
外国留学生  foreign student (studying in China) 

真糊涂透顶!

What absolute nonsense that was! 需要注意的是:nonsense是抽象名词,前面不可加a,也没有复数形式nonsenses。如:
That’s all nonsense. 
那全是糊说。
There is no nonsense about him.
对于他不可轻举妄动。/他是严肃的,别人决不可对他乱说乱动。

冤枉

汉译英时,“冤枉”常有三种释义:
1. 没有事实根据,给人加上恶名,如:
洗清冤枉 right one’s wrong
2. 无辜的人被诬指为有罪,无过错的人受到指责,如:
我是被冤枉的。
I was wrongly accused.
3. 不值得;吃亏。(正是本文的意义所在)再如:
受冤枉气  suffer injustice (or mistreatment); become the target of unfair criticism
走冤枉路  take a roundabout way; go the long way round
在这件小事上花那么多时间,真冤枉。
It wasn’t worthwhile to spend so much time on such a trifle.
(本文由沪江原创,转载请注明出处)

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