林黛玉,是中国古典名著《红楼梦》的女主角,金陵十二钗之首,因其孤高傲世的性格和与贾宝玉之间的爱情悲剧而被读者熟知并喜爱。

母亲早亡后,林黛玉被外祖母贾母接到身边教养,父亲死后长住贾府。虽然深得疼爱,但无法改变她寄人篱下的现实。受尽“风刀霜剑严相逼”之苦的她,“自矜自重,小心戒备”,语言比刀子还利害。

不了解她的人说她“刻薄、小心眼”,了解她的人说她“大情大性,个人魅力鲜明”。先看个视频感受一下林妹妹的语言有多厉害。

对这几个经典片段,翻译家们又是如何呈现的呢?

No.1

黛玉笑道:“都是老太太昨儿一句话,又叫他画什么园子图儿,惹得他乐得告假了。”探春笑道:“也别要怪老太太,都是刘姥姥一句话。”林黛玉忙笑道:“可是呢,都是他一句话。他是那一门子的姥姥,直叫他是个‘母蝗虫’就是了。”说着大家都笑起来。

霍译:'I don't think you should blame Grandmother,' said Tan-¬chun.  'It's what Grannie Liusaid that started it.'
'Grannie Liu, yes, that's right,'  Dai-yu hurriedly corrected herself. 'Whose 'grannie'is she anyway, I'd like to know? 'Old Mother Locust' we ought to call her, not 'GrannieLiu'.'
This set them all laughing.

杨戴:'You can't blame it on the old lady,' countered Tanchun. 'It was Granny Liu whostarted it.'
'That's right,'  rejoined Daiyu promptly. 'It's all owing to her. Whose granny is she anyway? Old Mother Locust would be a better name for her.'
Everybody laughed.

赏析

 

 

 

 

 

 

两版译文对“母蝗虫”的翻译很一致,都是Old Mother Locust。

不同点在于称呼的翻译:霍译将老太太译作Grandmother,其实是读者友好型的翻译方式,直接点明亲属关系,整段对话不会因为称呼的变化而让读者困惑。杨译的the old lady则需要结合上下文来理解。

另一个称呼是刘姥姥的翻译,霍译选用了grannie,而杨译选择了granny。两者都可以表示“奶奶,姥姥”,不过grannie多了几层其他意思,比如“老婆婆,唠唠叨叨的人”等,也更偏口语化。从情感色彩上来说,grannie更契合。

 

 

 

 

 

 

No.2

一语未了,忽听外面人说:“林姑娘来了。”话犹未了,林黛玉已摇摇的走了进来,一见了宝玉,便笑道:“嗳哟,我来的不巧了!"宝玉等忙起身笑让坐,宝钗因笑道:“这话怎么说?"黛玉笑道:“早知他来,我就不来了。”

霍译:Catching sight of Bao-yu she let out a wail of mock dismay.
'Oh dear! I have chosen a bad time to come!'
The others rose and invited her to be seated.
'Why did you say that?' Bao-chai asked her.
'If I had known he was coming, I shouldn't have come myself.'

杨戴:"Ah!" she exclaimed at sight of Baoyu. "I've chosen a bad time to come."
Baoyu rose with a smile to offer her a seat while Baochai asked cheerfully, "What do you mean?"
"If I'd known he was here, I wouldn't have come."

赏析:

这里英大想说两句自己比较喜欢的翻译:

一个是霍译的Catching sight of Bao-yu she let out a wail of mock dismay,这里林黛玉发现宝玉来看宝钗,第一反应是有些拈酸带醋,霍译增译了mock dismay(伪装的错愕),点明了她话里的情绪。

另一句是杨译的Baoyu rose with a smile to offer her a seat while Baochai asked cheerfully,这一句清楚地指出宝玉和宝钗看到黛玉来之后的不同动作,很有画面感,这三个人之间的互动恰好映衬了他们之间的感情走向。

No.3

宝玉听了,喜的拍膝画圈,称赏不已,又赞宝钗无书不知,林黛玉道:“安静看戏罢,还没唱《山门》,你倒《妆疯》了。

霍译:'Sh!'said Dai-yu, looking round crossly in Bao-yu's direction. 'Can't you be a bit quieter and attend to the play? This is Zhi-shen at the Monastery Gate we're supposed to be listening to, not Jing-de Acts.

杨戴:"Do be quiet and watch," said Daiyu. "Before we've seen The Drunken Monk you're playing The General Feigns Madness.

赏析

 

 

 

 

霍译中黛玉的情绪体现比杨译中要激烈,从“Sh!”和crossly等词都可以看出。

这一段的翻译难点在于《山门》和《妆疯》。如何把原本的文化信息和双关体现在译文中是需要考虑的重点,两个译文各有优点也各有缺陷。

《山门》又叫《鲁智深醉闹山门》或《醉打山门》,是清初邱园所作《虎囊弹》传奇中的一出,由《水浒传》改编,说的是鲁智深为金翠莲打死镇关西,避难五台山,剃度为僧,后来破戒醉酒,大闹寺院山门,下山归了梁山泊。

《妆疯》出于昆曲折子戏中的《缀白裘》,是北曲折子戏《诈疯》。戏曲讲述了唐朝大将尉迟敬德因功臣宴上触犯李道宗遭贬,从而用装疯来拒绝领命出征的故事,俗名《装疯》。

从上文描述可以知道,霍译比较大程度地保留了原文的文化信息,鲁智深和尉迟敬德的名字都在译文中体现了。而杨译则刚好相反,省去了对外国读者而言不是很重要的人名,强调了drunken和madness,侧重体现了对宝玉夸赞宝钗的调侃和醋意。

不知曹雪芹写红楼时是否可以料到,林黛玉这人比桃花瘦的姑娘能吸引后世恁大的关注。“孤标傲世偕谁隐,质本洁来还洁去,强于污淖陷渠沟”,这样的林姑娘,你喜欢吗?