|
张明权 |
译题一:上海世博会“东热西冷”
参考译文:
The World Expo: Half Fire, Half Ice
Since its inauguration, Shanghai Expo has been “half fire, half ice”. In Pudong, the visitors are “mad” on the pavilions of Saudi Arabia, Japan and Germany so that they may line up more than 4 hours for a visit. In contrast, the visitors are less enthusiastic about the Best Urban Practice Area (BUPA) in Puxi. Although the organizers have recently released a package that says “if you collect 16 stamps from BUPA, you will gain access into hot pavilions”, little effect is produced. In order to “cool down” the heat of Pudong Garden, some performances scheduled on European Square have been moved to Youth Square in Puxi, Hu Jingjun, the vice director of Shanghai Expo Bureau, said on May 23.
本译题开始就遇到一个难题,“东热西冷”该怎么翻译?按照解释性翻译原则,可以如不少网友译成an imbalance of visitors between its Pudong and Puxi sites,或者more welcome in the east section than the west(语法瑕疵未及细究),但这样翻译总感觉形象性不够,所以笔者尝试译成 half fire, half ice,带有一定的创造性叛逆。接下来“追捧”一词,也有一定难度,大多数网友对其处理的力度不够,译出的意思大致等于“受欢迎”,笔者觉得 “mad” about可以更好的揭示这些展馆受欢迎的程度。下一个难点是“城市最佳实践区”,作为专业术语,由于媒体的报道和实际命名的情况,一般译成Best Urban Practice Area(BUPA),虽曰不好,但已经约定俗成了。至于后面出现的‘“捆绑”措施’一词,则是一种package plan,多位网友译成binding measure 或policy,因为binding可以做形容词,表示“有约束力的”意思,所以这样翻译不可取。最后是“散热”一词,网友选择cool down来对译应该没有问题,主要是汉英语在这里的比喻隐含是相似的,完全可以借用。
译题二:你会接受情侣分床睡吗?
参考译文:
Are you willing to sleep in separate beds?
The era of sleeping in separate beds has crept in. More couples in China are taking action to subvert the traditional concept. The act of sleeping alone is not the beginning of marriage crisis, but to offer each other a private space, a perfect sleep, and turn the bedroom into a lounge to breathe freely. The loving couple is one but free and independent of each other. Since love is keen on novelty, there will be no love without fresh ideas to season the insipid life.
本译题讨论的分床睡问题,在西方是比较多的一种现象,在国内引起如此大的关注,或者上升到如此高度来讨论,是与彼此不同的文化传统有关的。所以在翻译时,toning down(把话说得和缓点)是必要的。下面谈一些具体的词语翻译。首先,“分居”不是living apart或separate without a legal divorce,而是sleep in separate beds的意思,不少网友把“新分居时代”直译成new separation era是不可取的。下面是“颠覆”一词,用topple或subvert都可以。“(夫妻)既是相爱的,又是自由的,既是合二为一的,又是独立的”,这个句子应该在一起考虑翻译,笔者译成了the loving couple is one but free and independent of each other,正是呼应了开头说得toning down的要求,有网友译成they are one’s heart’s desire but not to be locked in the marriage cage, they are soul mates as well as independent souls,似乎发挥的太多,调子也太高了点。“爱情是个爱新鲜的家伙”一句也有点纠结,有不少网友翻译成love is a guy who loves something new或者类似的说法,总觉得有点不妥,把“爱情”比作“爱新鲜的男人”,可能是受了时下电视剧的影响吧。有一个网友翻译成了love is always inviting freshness挺好的,比笔者的love is keen on novelty读起来更舒服点。最后一句也要综合考虑,笔者把“在平淡的日子里支撑起彼此的爱意”翻译成了to season the insipid life,对于season一次的选择,也是颇费心思的。
译题三:你爱插嘴说话吗?
参考译文:
Are you prone to cutting in words?
In daily life, you may often meet people who are constantly scrambling for the right to say. They are anxious to voice their opinions by cutting in words. There are others who will never stop once they start to talk. How boring they are! Superficially, these people are “fond of showing off”, but beyond what you see are usually deep-rooted psychological causes. In both cases of cutting in words and speaking incessantly, what hits the point is too much egocentrism, according to some experts.
在本译题的翻译上,Wiseme06, leo2010都提供了很好的译文,特别是在“还有些人一开口就像滔滔江水,绵绵不绝,让人烦不甚烦”上,二位网友分别译成了Some others like holding forth in the most boring way和Or some people could talk the hind leg off a donkey so that it will get on your nerves,对英语习语的使用非常到位。有趣的是两位网友都使用了习语,但前者用的是hold forth,后者用的是talk the hind leg off a donkey来对译汉语的“一开口就像滔滔江水,绵绵不绝”,其他网友使用的成语还包括dash along, talk a mile a minute等,笔者这里的译文不再使用习语,上述几个习语都挺好的,只是“像滔滔江水,绵绵不绝”这个比喻,还真没办法从字面上对等起来。
这篇短文的其他值得注意的词语包括:“爱表现(showy)”、“爱插嘴(striking in, interception addicts)”、“刹不住车(talkative, gush out)”,括号里的英文是从网友的翻译中选出来的,这段文字的翻译佳译颇多,除了上述提到的外,还有不少佳句佳译。不过最后想说一点语法问题,“不管…还是…”不能译成no matter…or…,一方面英语中没有这个句型,另一方面这里逻辑上是“合取”而非“析取”关系。
英译汉 真的译成汉语了吗?
翻译中的增词与减词
翻译中的勘误与隐喻“取舍”
英译汉时不要掉入理解的陷阱
翻译语言同样可以生动形象
翻译中对网络资源利用
专家简介:
张明权,安徽省固镇县人,江苏大学外国语学院副教授,英语语言文学硕士,上外博士课程班进修。主要从事英语语言学和翻译学研究,在国内外学术期刊发表论文10余篇,出版译著两部,发表其他文章20余篇,有大量翻译实践经验,翻译总字数接近200万。Email: mqzhang@ujs.edu.cn。
(中国日报网英语点津 编辑:蔡姗姗)