我坐了木船I Took a Wooden Boat

葉圣陶Ye Shengtao

| 譯文摘自張培基《英譯中國散文選一》

票子到手,身分可以改變了,什么機關的部屬,什么長的秘書,什么人的本人或是父親,或者姓名仍舊,或者必須改名換姓,總之要與你自己暫時脫離關系。
Once with a ticket in hand, your status automatically changes. You can now call yourself the employee of certain government office or certain official's secretary. You can call yourself so-and-so or so-and-so's father. You can either keep your original name or have it changed. In short, you must temporarily break off relations with your old self.

要點:
1, so-and-so=(指叫不上名字的人、物,或泛指)某某人(或事物)
2, “或者姓名仍舊,或者必須改名換姓”,這兩個分句中“姓名”是共同的部分,可以以此來將兩個分句串成一個句子,譯為You can either keep your original name or have it changed.
3, Break off多指斷絕關系
4, old self意為“舊我”,很文藝的說法~

綜述:本段漢語分句較多,英譯時要根據(jù)意思進行斷句~

最有味的是冒充什么部的士兵,非但改名換姓,還得穿上灰布棉軍服,腰間束條皮帶。
The funniest thing is when you try to pass for a soldier of a certain army unit, you must not only have your name changed, but also wear a grey-cloth cotton-padded army uniform with a leather belt around your waist.

要點:
1,“最有味的是冒充什么部的士兵”譯為The funniest thing is when you try to pass for a soldier of a certain army unit,其中to pass for作“冒充”的意思,如:The copy he made of the painting can pass for an authentic one.
他臨摹的畫足以亂真。
2,“穿上灰布棉軍服,腰間束條皮帶”譯作wear a grey-cloth cotton-padded army uniform with a leather belt around your waist.多動詞時,將主要動詞譯為謂語,非主要動詞譯為從句,非謂語,介詞結構~說三遍啊說三遍

綜述:之所以把這句單獨列出,是想讓小伙伴們再回想一下多動詞句的譯法~不要再摳著腳想“束根皮帶”怎么譯了…

我聽了這些,就死了請托找關系的念頭。即使餓得要死,也不定要去奉承顏色謀差使,為了一張票子去求教人家,不說我自己犯不著,人家也太費心。
All that kills my idea of soliciting help or seeking personal connections. I disdain to go humbly begging for a job even when I am starving, let alone to go asking for other people's help in getting me a mere ticket. Neither is it necessary for me to go to all that trouble, nor should I bother other people for that matter.

要點:
1,“我聽了這些,就死了請托找關系的念頭”這里譯者轉換主語,巧妙地將“死了找關系的念頭”譯了出來,如果是以“我”做主語,“死了念頭”勢必要轉換說法,譯文傳情達意的效果必然會減少~
2,go begging for=go asking for意為請求,尋求
3,“不說我自己犯不著,人家也太費心。”譯為Neither is it necessary for me to go to all that trouble, nor should I bother other people for that matter.這里表示“既不…也不…”的倒裝句式neither… nor…需要積累起來哦~如三筆教材中有一句:中國不同任何大國或國家集團結盟,不搞軍事集團,不參加軍備競賽,不進行軍備擴張。譯為China does not form an alliance with any big power or group of big powers. Nor does China establish military blocs with other countries, or engage in arm race and military expansion. 可見,多個“不”連用時,第一個用否定詞,其后用nor ,or連接~以后我們還會遇到其他形式哦~

綜述:本句主要分析了表示多個否定時我們常用的句型~

重慶的路又那么難走,公共汽車站排隊往往等上一個半鐘頭,天天為了票子去跑,實在吃不消。再說與自己暫時脫離關系,換上他人的身分,雖然人家不大愛惜名氣,我可不愿濫用那些名氣。我不是部屬,不是秘書,不是某人,不是某人的父親,我是我。我毫無成就,樣樣不長進,我可不愿與任何人易地而處,無論長期的或是暫時的。為了走一趟路,必須易地而處,在我總覺著像被剝奪了什么似的。
Going around is hard in the city of Chongqing. You have to queue up for at least 30 minutes or more to get on a bus. It would really be too much for me to go about for the ticket every day. As to the temporary divorce from my old self and the concealing of my identity, I hate to usurp all those designations though other people may think otherwise. I'm neither a government employee, nor a secretary, nor so-and-so, nor so-and-so's father. I am myself. I am just an ordinary man with no urge to do better, so I hate to change places with anybody else, whether for a while or for good. To change places just for the sake of a trip would make me feel like being deprived.

要點:
1,“重慶的路又那么難走”譯為Going around is hard in the city of Chongqing.此處譯者在翻譯時再次轉換說法,這種手法在本文著實常見啊常見,童鞋們要多體會這種方法帶來的好處~
2,“實在吃不消”=too much,又是反話正譯~
3,queue up=line up意為“排隊”,還有幾個比較生動的表達,如:wait/stand in line, wait your turn等~
4,or more意為“或…以上”,還有一個長得和它差不多的or so意為“大約,左右;與其說…不如說…”
5,“我不是部屬,不是秘書,不是某人,不是某人的父親”當當當當~多個否定又來了,譯法參見上面\(^o^)/~
5,with no urge to do better字面上意思是“沒有座的更好的欲望”,其實就是沒有上進心嘛~大師把這么墮落的一件事說得如此文雅我也是醉了+_+
6,for the sake of意為“為了”,還記得在《中年人的寂寞》里的那個“無所為”是怎么譯的嗎~~是for its own sake,當時還舉了其他的一些栗子,不記得的快去面壁╮(╯_╰)╭

綜述:本段有很多對于之前知識點的回顧,童鞋們要注意聯(lián)系總結,記住,只有你總結出來的東西才是自己的~

至于穿灰布棉衣更為難了,為了走一趟路才穿上那套衣服,豈不褻瀆了那套衣服?褻瀆的人固然不少,我可總不忍——這一套又是書生之見。
Wouldn't it be sinful for me to wear the grey-cloth cotton-padded army uniform for nothing more than making a single trip? Though many other people violate the taboo, I for my part cannot bear to do the same. This again is the impractical view of a bookish person.

要點:
1,“豈不…”=“難道不”又是反問句,此處譯為一般疑問句=Wouldn't it…?此外有時可根據(jù)語境譯為isn’t/aren’t/don’t…?如:Don't you know Jim works as a dish washer at a restaurant around the corner?
你難道不知道Jim在拐角處的一個飯店做刷盤子的工作嗎?
此外,“豈不”也可直接譯為陳述句,如:以隨身之物作賭注豈不更合適。
It would be fitting to bet something personal.
2,“褻瀆”即“輕慢,冒失”,用在此處略帶諷刺口氣,,譯為“做了不該做的事”,故譯為sinful

綜述:本段重點是反問句的譯法~在英譯漢時也是一個難點

抱著書生之見,我決定坐木船。木船比不上輪船,更比不上飛機,千真萬確??墒墙^對不用找關系,也無所謂黑票。
It was with this impractical view that I decided to take a wooden boat. It is absolutely true that a wooden boat cannot compare with a steamer, much less an airplane. But there is no need for soliciting help or seeking personal connections, nor the need for the so-called "black" ticket.

要點:
1,“比不上…更比不上…”=cannot compare with …,much less…其中much less=still less,意為“更不用說,更少,何況”如《中年人的寂寞》中“至于三十歲四十歲以后的朋友中間,顏色分子愈多,友誼分子不免也就愈少了”=And friendship among those aged over 30 becomes correspondingly still less pure as it gets even more coloured.
2,“千真萬確”屬于表態(tài)度,評論性的詞,漢語中習慣后置,而英語中習慣前置,此句就是一個很好的栗子~
3, “不用找關系,也無所謂黑票”,多個否定,小伙伴nor又出現(xiàn)了,第三次了哦,說明它是重要的事情(⊙v⊙)嗯

綜述:注意much less的用法和第二點中的“事實評論的關系”~

你要船,找運輸行,或者自己到碼頭上去找,找著了,言明價錢,多少錢坐到漢口,每塊錢花得明明白白。在這一點上,我覺得木船好極了,我可以不說一句討情的話,不看一副難看的嘴臉,堂堂正正的憑我的身分東西歸。這是大多數(shù)坐輪船坐飛機的朋友辦不到的,我可有這種驕傲。
All you need to do is contact the transport company, or go direct to the wharf to look for a wooden boat. Once you have located it, you will know what the fare is from Chongqing to Hankou, and every dollar will be paid for what it is worth, no more, no less. I find the wooden boat super in this respect. I am saved the humiliation of begging for help or the need of confronting the nasty look on somebody's face. I can travel with my true identity. This is something quite beyond the majority of those travelling by steamer or aircraft. I am proud of it.

要點:
1“每塊錢花得明明白白”=“每塊錢花得都值得”譯為every dollar will be paid for what it is worth,
2,super=“頂好的,極好的”(沒錯,就是小主說的那個~
3,saved the humiliation of=使免于遭受…的恥辱
5, be beyond sb=非某人所能及,之前我們還說了一個beyond one’s capacity to do,這兩個表述有時可互換

綜述:句首的“你要船”譯者在此略去未譯,因為其意思已經(jīng)融合在上下文中了

決定了之后,有兩位朋友特來勸阻,一位從李家沱,一位從柏濱,不怕水程跋涉,為的是關愛我,瞧得起我。他們說了種種理由,預想了種種可能的障害,結末說,還是再考慮一下的好。
After I had made up my mind, two friends of mine, in spite of the difficult boat journey all the way from Li Jia Tuo and Bai Bin respectively, came to dissuade me from taking the wooden boat out of concern and respect for me. They enumerated various reasons against my decision as well as various possible mishaps, advising me in the end to re-consider the matter.

要點:
1, all the way=從遠處,從老遠,特地
2, “決定了之后,有兩位朋友特來勸阻,一位從李家沱,一位從柏濱,不怕水程跋涉,為的是關愛我,瞧得起我?!贝司浞志浔姸?,要先抽出主要部分即“我的兩位好友勸我不要坐木船”。譯者巧妙地將“一位從李家沱,一位從柏濱,不怕水程跋涉”譯為“in spite of the difficult boat journey all the way from Li Jia Tuo and Bai Bin respectively”,合并成了一句,避免了行文冗長雜亂。
3, 根據(jù)上下文推斷,此處的“為的是”表的是原因,因此譯為out of,
要不說中文博大精深呢,同一個詞在不同語境可以表達不同意思~

綜述:注意譯者翻譯此句的多個分句時所用的調整語序技巧~

我真感謝他們,當然不敢說不必再行考慮,只好帶玩笑的說,“吉人天相,”安慰他們激動的心情。現(xiàn)在,他們接到我平安到達的消息了,他們也真的安慰了。
I felt very grateful to them, and of course refrained from showing any reluctance to re-consider the matter. By way of allaying their anxiety, I said jokingly, "A good guy always enjoys Heaven's protection." Now, the subsequence news of my safe arrival in Hankou must have set their mind at rest.

要點:
1, “當然不敢說不必再考慮”=“當然我也不能說我不想再考慮了”,譯為of course refrained from showing any reluctance to re-consider the matter.
2, By way of =by means of,表示“以/通過…的方式”
3, “他們接到我平安到達的消息”譯為the subsequence news of my safe arrival in Hankou,又出現(xiàn)了the news of,上次我們見到這哥們是在《中年人》那篇文章中,“我每當聽到一個舊友死去的消息…”譯為the news of…可見the news of 可以表示“聽到/接到…消息”等與“消息”有關的動詞表述~

綜述:此外,本段中的有兩個“安慰”大家可以按同義詞一起來記~

聲明:本雙語文章的中文評析系滬江英語原創(chuàng)內容,轉載請注明出處。中文評析僅代表作者個人觀點,僅供參考。如有不妥之處,歡迎指正。