加德满都的狗
Dogs in Katmandu

季羡林
Ji Xianlin

| 译文摘自张培基《英译中国散文选二》

我小时候住在农村里,终日与狗为伍,一点也没有感觉到狗这种东西有什么稀奇的地方。但是狗给我留下了极其深刻的印象。我母亲逝世以后,故乡的家中已经空无一人。她养的一条狗——连它的颜色我现在都回忆不清楚了——却仍然日日夜夜卧在我们门口,守着不走。
When I lived in the countryside as a small child, there were dogs all around, and so I got quite accustomed to them, never thinking of them as anything out of the common. Nevertheless, they have since left a most deep impression on me. After mother, the sole occupant of our country home, passed away, the dog she had raised—I’ve now even forgotten what color he was—continued to keep watch at the door, lying there day and night.

要点:
1,“终日与狗为伍”意即“每天都与狗在一起” ,实际上指“农村遍地所见都是狗” 现参照上下文把它译为there were dogs all around,这句话也可以直译,但意思比较牵强。
2,“一点也没有感觉到狗这种东西有什么稀奇的地方” 实际上是指,对农村里的狗已习以为常,不足为奇。译为and so I got quite accustomed to them, never thinking of them as anything out of the common. out of common 即“非同寻常”,表“习惯于”的词组还有get used to ,be adapted to, be adjust to
3,” 故乡的家中已经空无一人”并未直译,而是通过增译the sole occupant of our country home作为Mother 的同位语来表现
4,“连它的颜色我现在都回忆不清楚了“译者将”忆不清楚“译为forget,采取了”形式上肯定,内容上否定的手法“这点我们在《雨前》中也见到过,是翻译中常用的手法。
5,continue to这个词组中已经暗含 “不走”的意思了,因此可以略去不译

综述:
本文是一篇小品文,也是考试中常见的题材,语言自然生动,贴近生活,翻译时要注意那些偏口语的表达哦~

女主人已经离开人世,再没有人喂它了。它好像已经意识到这一点。但是它坚决宁愿忍饥挨饿,也绝不离开我们那破烂的家门口。黄昏时分,我形单影只从村内走回家来,屋子里摆着母亲的棺材,门口卧着这一只失去了主人的狗,泪眼汪汪地望着我这个失去了慈母的孩子,有气无力地摇摆着尾巴,嗅我的脚。茫茫宇宙,好像只剩下这只狗和我。
He must have been aware that nobody was going to feed him after the death of his mistress. But he would rather endure the torments of hunger than forsake his post outside our run-down home. At dusk, when I arrived alone from somewhere in the village at our house, in which lay mother’s coffin, the ownerless dog would fix his tearful eyes on me, the youngster bereaved of his loving mother, wag his tail feebly and sniff at my feet. It seemed as if he and I were left all alone in this vast universe.

要点:
1,“女主人已经离开人世,再没有人喂它了。它好像已经意识到这一点。”译为He must have been aware that nobody was going to feed him after the death of his mistress。如果你也想到了合译,快给自己32个赞~must have done 表示对过去事情的揣测
2,“但是它坚决宁愿忍饥挨饿,也绝不离开我们那破烂的家门口”采用我们熟悉的rather do than do 句型,译为But he would rather endure the torments of hunger than forsake his post outside our run-down home.其中”忍饥挨饿“即”忍受饥饿“译为endure the torments of hunger,torment是增益成分,原文无其词而有其意。
3,Post 意即”岗位“,译者此处将”不离开门口“转换为”不愿离开自己门外的‘岗位’“来译,凸显了狗的灵性,也增加了译文的文学性,
4,“我形单影只从村内走回家来“译为I arrived alone from somewhere in the village at our house,其中”从A回B“使用arrive from A at B的句型,这是之前很少见的表达,另外,”从村里“即”从村里的某个地方“不宜译为from the village 而要译为from somewhere in the village
5,the ownerless dog即“失去了主人的狗“较the dog that had lost his mistress 简洁哦

综述:
除了上述几点,注意译者对“黄昏时分…”这句的处理,分别运用了从句,倒装,和同位语来整合句子,值得好好借鉴~

此情此景,我连泪都流不出来了,我流的是血,而这血还是流向我自己的心中。我本来应该同这只狗相依为命,互相安慰。但是,我必须离开故乡,我又无法把它带走。离别时,我流着泪紧紧地搂住了它,我遗弃了它,真正受到良心的谴责。几十年来,我经常想到这一只狗,直到今天,我一想到它,还会不自主地流下眼泪。我相信,我离开家以后,它也绝不会离开我们的门口。它的结局我简直不忍想下去了。母亲有灵,会从这一只狗身上得到我这个儿子无法给她的慰藉吧。
In face of the sad and dreary scene, I could shed no tears. What I shed was blood which flowed right into my innermost heart. I could have stayed with him to live in mutual dependence and comfort each other in distress, but I had to quit my native place, unable to take him along with me. At the time of parting, I hugged him tightly with tears in my eyes. I felt terribly bad about having to desert him. He has since been in my mind for decades. Even today, I cannot restrain my tears whenever I think of him. I am certain he would never stop standing guard at our door even after I left. I cannot bear to imagine what fate befell him in the bed. May mother’s soul receive from this faithful dog the consolation that I, as her son, have not been able to offer her!

要点:
1,“此情此景”即“面对悲惨凄凉的情景”,译为In face of the sad and dreary scene,采取加字译法
2,“相依为命,互相安慰”译为live in mutual dependence and comfort each other in distress,
3,“真正受到良心的谴责”译为felt terribly bad about having to desert him,feel terribly bad about 意为“甚感歉疚”,此句还可译作feel conscience-stricken about
4,” 母亲有灵,会从这一只狗身上得到我这个儿子无法给她的慰藉吧。”中“母亲有灵”即“希望母亲的灵魂…”,本句译为May mother’s soul receive from this faithful dog the consolation that I, as her son, have not been able to offer her!其中faithful也是增益的哦~

综述:本段中有n个“我”,基于忠实传达原文情感的原则,译者大部分采取的是直接译出的方法~

从此,我爱天下一切狗。
Since then, I have been fond of all dogs in the world.

但是我迁居大城市以后,看到了狗渐渐少起来了。最近多少年以来,北京根本不许养狗,狗简直成了稀有动物,只有到动物园里才能欣赏了。
But I’ve seen a steady dwindling of the canine population ever since I became a city dweller. In recent years, it has been strictly banned in Beijing to raise dogs. Dogs have become a rare animal to be seen only in a zoo.

要点:
“狗渐渐少起来了”,译为a steady dwindling of the canine population,其中canine population即“狗的总数”,dwindle 表数量减少的表达,在之前的《中年人的寂寞》中也有哦,“可是这些旧友一年比一年减少了”译为But old friends are dwindling away year by year.

我万万没有想到,我到了加德满都以后,一下飞机,在机场受到热情友好的接待,汽车一驶离机场,驶入市内,在不算太宽敞的马路两旁就看到了大狗、小狗、黑狗、黄狗,在一群衣履比较随便的小孩子们中间,摇尾乞食,低头觅食。
At Katmandu, the moment I was driven into town after meeting with a warm and friendly reception at the airport, I was greatly surprised to see dogs, big and small, black and yellow, in the midst of casually-dressed children on both sides of a relatively narrow street, wagging their tails or nosing around for food.

要点:
1,“我到了加德满都以后,一下飞机,在机场受到热情友好的接待,汽车一驶离机场,驶入市内,”整合意思为“到了加德满都,在机场受到热情友好的接待后,我就被带到了市里”译为At Katmandu, the moment I was driven into town after meeting with a warm and friendly reception at the airport, the moment 来表示”一..。就“的意思,放在最前面,使整个句子降为时间状语从句
2,根据上下文,“我万万没有想到”是主要动词,其内容应该是“见到狗”这件事,因此作者调整语序,译为I was greatly surprised to see dogs…(为了句式顺畅,译者反话正译,将“没想到”译为“惊讶于”)
3,“大狗、小狗、黑狗、黄狗”在原文中作“看到”的宾语,翻译时先译表示共性的词,即“狗”,之后的颜色以后置的方式列出。这也是翻译表示列举的句子时的常用方法
4,“在不算太宽敞的马路两旁”和“在一群衣履比较随便的小孩子们中间,”一起翻译,与“摇尾乞食,低头觅食。”一同后置,译为in the midst of casually-dressed children on both sides of a relatively narrow street, wagging their tails or nosing around for food.注意介词的使用

综述:
译者采用将这一长句译为另一长句的~虽然并不推荐翻译时使用过长的句子,但分析长句是有助于我们整体水平提高的。

这是一件小事,却使我喜出望外:久未晤面的亲爱的狗竟在万里之外的异域会面了。
Small as the incident was, I was immensely overjoyed to meet out of the blue in a remote foreign land dear dogs that I had not seen for ages.

要点:
1,“久未谋面的亲爱的狗竟在万里之外的异域会面“ 译为to meet out of the blue in a remote foreign land dear dogs that I had not seen for ages. 其中out of the blue 作”出乎意料”解~这是本文第二个out of 的短语了~
Out of+名词通常可以表示“不…;无…:非…”

狗们大概完全不理解我的心情,它们大概连辨别本国人和外国人的本领还没有学到。我这里一往情深,它们却漠然无动于衷,只是在那里摇尾低头,到处嗅着,想找到点什么东西吃吃。
Presumably these dogs were entirely ignorant of my state of mind and perhaps even incapable of telling a foreigner from a native. They appeared totally apathetic towards me in spite of my partiality for them and kept wagging their tails with lowered heads and nosing around for food.

要点:
1,”辨别“可译为tell A from B, distinguish between A and B
2,“不能做某事“=be incapable of doing
3,” 我这里一往情深, 它们却漠然无动于衷”即“他们对我的一往情深完全无感“,译为They appeared totally apathetic towards me in spite of my partiality for them。其中”一往情深“译为partiality即”偏爱,偏袒“

综述:注意本段be ignorant of,和be apathetic towards的使用

晚上,我们从中国大使馆回旅馆的时候,天已经完全黑了。加德满都的大街上,电灯不算太多,霓虹灯的数目更少一些。我在阴影中又隐隐约约地看到了大狗、小狗、黑狗、黄狗,在那里到处嗅着。回到旅馆,在沐浴后上床的时候,从远处的黑暗中传来了阵阵的犬吠声。古人说,深夜犬吠若豹。我现在听到的不是吠声若豹,而是吠声若犬。这事当然并不稀奇,可这并不稀奇的若犬的犬吠声却给我带来了无尽的甜蜜的回忆。这甜蜜的犬吠声一直把我送入我在加德满都过的第一夜的梦中。
In the evening, it was already dark when we were on our way to the hotel from the Chinese Embassy. The streets of Katmandu were illuminated by only a few electric lamps, and still fewer neon lights. In the dim light I vaguely saw again dogs, big and small, black and yellow, nosing around here and there. Back in the hotel, when I was getting into bed after a bath, I heard dogs barking again and again in the distant darkness. It remained me of the old saying, “A dog’s bark at dead of night resembles that of a leopard.” To me, however, what I heard was dogs’ barking, pure and simple, having nothing whatever in common with that of leopards. The barking was nothing out of the ordinary, yet it brought back to me one sweet memory after another. The sweet barking sent the me straight into the dreams I had on my first night at Katmandu.

要点:
1,“古人说,深夜犬吠若豹“中的”古人说“用It remained me of the old saying,用It remained me of sth 表示承上启下,是文学翻译常用的手段,常见的还有 as the says going。。。
2,pure and simple 意为 “完全的,十足的,不折不扣的“用以加强语气
3,“并不稀奇”译为 nothing out of the ordinary ,out of 第三次出现了~与nothing 搭配,以加强语气

综述:
本段基本可以顺译下来•,注意译者用以加强语气的词汇,比如however,whatever,都对传达原文作者的情感,起到了一定的辅助作用

声明:本双语文章的中文评析系沪江英语原创内容,转载请注明出处。中文评析仅代表作者个人观点,仅供参考。如有不妥之处,欢迎指正。