【翻譯筆記】《圍城》英譯選句 :早知今日 何必當(dāng)初
作者:sally
來源:滬江英語
2011-09-26 06:00
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原文:
只懊悔留學(xué)外國,沒混個專家的頭銜回來,可以聲威顯赫,把藏有洋老師演講全部筆記的課程,開它幾門,不必像現(xiàn)在幫閑打雜,承辦人家剩下來的科目。(錢鐘書 - 圍城 )
翻譯關(guān)鍵詞:?混頭銜,聲威顯赫,開課,幫閑打雜
譯文
He regretted not having picked up an expert’s title while studying abroad. Then when he came back, he could awe everyone with his authority, giving a few courses from his collection of notes taken in all his foreign professors’ classes. He wouldn’t have to hang around doing odd jobs the way he was now, taking charge of the leftover subjects.?(美 Jeanne Kelly, Nathan K.Mao <譯> –Fortress Besieged)
翻譯筆記:
混頭銜
將文中“混個專家的頭銜”譯為picked up an expert’s title,把一種“胡混而隨意獲取”的感覺譯了出來,正如現(xiàn)如今我們大學(xué)里有些童鞋也是為了畢業(yè)而畢業(yè)混文憑那樣有木有?pick up是個很好的詞,除了我們已經(jīng)熟悉得不得了的“撿起、載人等”外,在表達(dá)“(尤指偶然地、無意地、容易地)獲得;找到;學(xué)會;買得”這類意思時也很常見,如:
得到很多信息 ?pick up a lot of information
得到不少小費 ?pick up a fair amount in tips
聲威顯赫
這里也沒有采取have a powerful influence之類的直譯,而是譯為awe everyone with his authority,“讓每個人都對他的權(quán)威感到敬畏”,這更符合英語的行文習(xí)慣。awe表達(dá)“對……敬畏;對……望而生畏”時,常見的表達(dá)法還有作名詞時的be/stand in awe of sb./sth.,如:
黛安娜敬畏她的祖父,但敬佩她的祖母。
While Diana was in awe of her grandfather, she adored her grandmother.
同學(xué)們對教授有些敬畏。
The students are a little in awe of their professor.
開課
“開課”通常有兩種釋義。(1)學(xué)校開始上課;(2)設(shè)置課程,[主要指高等學(xué)校的教師]擔(dān)任某一課程的教學(xué)。很顯然,文中表達(dá)的自然是“設(shè)置課程”。我們將兩種用法分開舉例說明如下:
(1)學(xué)校開始上課begin school; begin classes:
學(xué)校九月一日開課。
School will begin on September 1st.?
(2)設(shè)置課程,[主要指高等學(xué)校的教師]擔(dān)任某一課程的教學(xué)(chiefly in college) give a course; teach a subject:
你下學(xué)期開什么課?
Which subjects are you going to teach next term??
or ?What courses are you offering next term?
朱教授這學(xué)期給研究生開課。
Prof. Zhou will teach graduate students this term.
幫閑打雜
hang around doing odd jobs,把方鴻漸對“整天轉(zhuǎn)來轉(zhuǎn)去的忙些零碎活”的滿腹牢騷和郁悶表達(dá)得淋漓盡致。Hang around(或about)在表達(dá)“(在某處)閑蕩,閑呆著”時很常用,如:
在校園里蕩來蕩去 ?hang around the campus
他不再東蕩西逛,而是做了些有益的工作。
He stopped hanging around and did something useful.
(本文由滬江原創(chuàng),轉(zhuǎn)載請注明出處)