當教師的快樂
Joys of the Teaching Career

冰心
Bing Xin

| 譯文摘自張培基《英譯中國散文選二》

我只當過十年的教師。那是一九二六年我從美國留學回來,在母校燕京大學國文系當了一名教師。那時系里的主任和教師大半是我的老師。校內(nèi)其他科、系里也有我的老師。總之,全校的教師都是我的師輩!因此在開教授會的時候,我總是挑個極邊極角的座位,惶恐地縮在一旁。大家都笑著稱我為Faulty Baby(教授會的嬰兒)。那一學期我還不滿二十六歲。
I was a teacher for only ten years. In 1926, on my return to China after finishing studies in the United States, I began to teach at my alma mater Yenching University, Peiping, as a lecturer in Chinese. The deans and teachers of the Department of Chinese then were mostly my former teachers. Other faculties and departments also had no lack of my former teachers. I may well say that practically all the teaching staff of the University were my seniors. Therefore, at a faculty meeting, I always chose a seat at an unobservable corner of the room. Everybody jokingly called me “faculty baby”. I was then on the right side of 26.

要點
1, 題目“當教師的快樂”譯為Joys of the Teaching Career,也可譯為I Enjoy My Teaching career, My joyous Days as a Teacher,或How I Enjoyed Teaching
只要突出“我當教師很快樂”即可
2,“燕京大學”譯為Yenching University屬固定譯法,國際通用
3,had no lack of即“無一例外,全都是”此處譯者用雙重否定表肯定,起到了加強語氣的作用~體現(xiàn)了原文的感嘆語氣“!”
4,“不滿26歲”譯為on the right side of 26,意思等于younger than 26

綜述
又是一篇語言質(zhì)樸的文章,重在細節(jié)處體現(xiàn)文采,注意本段的雙重否定的使用~

在學生群中就大不一樣了。他們是我的好朋友。我教一年級必修科的國文,用的是古文課本。大學一年級的男女學生很多,年紀又都不大,大概在十七到二十歲之間。國文課分成五個班,每班有三四十名,因為他們來自全國各地,閩粵的學生,聽不大懂馬鑒主任、周作人、沈尹默、顧隨、郭紹虞等幾位老先生的江南口音,于是教務處就把這一部分學生分到我的班上。從講臺上望去,一個個紅撲撲的稚氣未退的臉,嬉笑地好奇地望著我這個“小先生”——那時一般稱教師為“先生”。這些笑容對我并不陌生,和我的弟弟們和表妹們的笑容一模一樣。打開點名簿請他們自己報名,我又逐一糾正了他們的口音,笑語紛紜之中,我們一下子就很熟悉很親熱了!我給他們出的第一道作文題目,就是自傳,一來因為在這題目下人人都有話可寫,二來通過這篇自傳,我可以了解到每個學生的家庭背景、習慣、性情等等。我看完文卷,從來只打下分數(shù),不寫批語,而注重在和每個人做半小時以內(nèi)的課外談話上。這樣,他們可以告訴我:他們是怎么寫的,我也可告訴他們我對這篇文字的意見,思想溝通了,我們彼此也比較滿意。
It was, however, a different story when I was with my students. They and I were good friends. When I taught freshman Chinese as a required course, I used a textbook of classical prose. The freshmen were mostly young boys and girls aged between 17 and 20. Freshman Chinese was taught in five classes, each consisting of 30 to 40 students hailing from various places of China. Those from Fujian and Guangdong had difficulty in understanding the heavily accented speech of teachers like Ma Jian (Dean), Zhou Zuoren, Shen Yinmo, Gu Shui and Guo Shaoyu who all came from places south of the Yangtse River. Consequently, some of these students were transferred to my class through the arrangements of the Dean’s Office. Looking down from the rostrum, I was delighted by a multitude of rosy-faced na?ve young students smiling and staring curiously at me — the little teacher. Their smiles were by no means unfamiliar to me, being similar to those I often saw on the faces of my younger brothers and younger female cousins. Often, when I opened the roll-call book and asked them each to give their own names, I corrected their accents one by one. Thus, between laughter and chat, we came to know each other better and were soon on friendly terms. The first composition they did was “My Autobiography”. I let them write on this subject because, firstly, everybody always had got something to say on it and, secondly, it would afford me a good opportunity to understand each student’s family background, habit, disposition, etc. I only put marks but never gave comments on the papers after reading them. Instead I laid emphasis on holding outside-class individual talks with them lasting not more than 30 minutes. They would tell me how they had done the composition, and I would express my opinion on it. And we would both feel pleased with the frank exchange of views.

要點
1,“在學生群中就大不一樣了。”即“我跟學生相處時又是另一番情形了”譯為It was, however, a different story when I was with my students.
However等表示轉(zhuǎn)折,遞進,順承關系的詞,放在句中更顯文采哦~
2,“他們是我的好朋友。”這樣一句簡單的話,譯者也處理得跟我們平常譯得不一樣,譯為They and I were good friends.強調(diào)的是師生間的朋友關系~
3,“我教一年級必修科的國文,用的是古文課本”意即“我教一年級必修課時,用的是…”譯為When I taught freshman Chinese as a required course, I used a textbook of classical prose.這個句子隱含了”當...時“的意思,因此可用when
4,“笑語紛紜之中,我們一下子就很熟悉很親熱了”譯為Thus, between laughter and chat, we came to know each other better and were soon on friendly terms.,其中between 是“由于….與…的共同作用”=because of …and … combined
在《背影》中我們也見過between 的類似用法,如:“一半為了喪事,一半為了父親的賦閑“譯為” Between grandma’s funeral and father’s unemployment“,當時的between…and…意為“半因…,半因…”,其實用法和這里是一樣的
5,“思想溝通了,我們彼此也比較滿意”意即“我們都比較滿意這種直接的觀點上的交流”譯為And we would both feel pleased with the frank exchange of views.

綜述:注意本處第二次出現(xiàn)的between 的用法,只要出現(xiàn)過兩次,說明它還是比較常用的~

我還開了一班習作的課,是為一年級以上的學生選修的。我要學生們練習寫各種文學形式的文字,如小說、詩、書信,有時也有翻譯——我發(fā)現(xiàn)漢文基礎好的學生,譯文也會更通順——期末考試是讓他們每人交一本刊物,什么種類的都行,如美術、體育等等。但必須有封面圖案、本刊宗旨、文章、相片等等,同班同學之間可以互相組稿。也可以向班外的同學索稿或相片。學生們都覺得這很新鮮有趣,他們期末交來的“刊物”,內(nèi)容和刊名都很一致,又很活潑可喜。
I also offered a course on advanced writing, which was an elective for students above the freshman level. It gave them trailing in different genres of literary writing, such as fiction, poetry, correspondence and sometimes translations. For the end-of-term examination, I had them each hand in a self-edited magazine specializing in any subjects, such as fine arts, sports, etc. and complete with well designed from cover, aim of its publication, photos, etc. Students of the same class could solicit contributions or photos from each other, or from students of other classes. They called it an interesting try. The magazines they handed it by the end of the term were very lively and encouraging, each having its content quite in line with its title.

要點
1,“開課”即offer a course
2,” 讓他們每人交一本刊物”意即“讓每人交一本自編的刊物”,譯為I had them each hand in a self-edited magazine,“讓某人做某事”即have sb done, self-edited譯為“自編的”屬增益成分
3“學生們都覺得這很新鮮有趣”可按“他們都對這嘗試感到有趣”譯為They called it an interesting try,
4,“但必須有封面圖案、本刊宗旨、文章、相片等等”意即“完成品必須有設計良好的封面圖案、本刊宗旨、文章、相片等等”譯為and complete with well designed from cover, aim of its publication, photos, etc
5,” 活潑可喜”譯為lively and encouraging,其中“可喜的”意即“值得高興的,振奮人心的”譯為encouraging

綜述
注意本段的一些特定表述即可

回憶起那幾年的教學生涯,最使我眷戀的是:學生們和我成了知心朋友。那時教師和男女學生都住在校內(nèi),課外的接觸十分頻繁。我們常常在未名湖上劃船,在水中央的島邊石舫上開種種的討論會,或者作個別談話。這種個別談話就更深入了!有個人的擇業(yè)與擇婚問題等等!這時我眼前忽然涌現(xiàn)出好幾對美滿的夫妻,如鄭林莊和吳瑞梧,林耀華和饒毓蘇,等等。有的是我以大媒的身份去參加他們的完婚儀式,有的是由我出面宴請雙方的家長,為他們撮合。說起來是半個世紀以前的事了。他們中有過半數(shù)的人已先我而進入另一個世界,寫到這里,我心里有說不出的一種滋味!
In recalling my past career as a teacher, I always think fondly of the intimate friendship between the students and me. In those days, teachers and students all lived on campus, which greatly facilitated our after-school contact. We often went boating on the Weiming Lake, or had discussions about various things on the marble boat by the island in the middle of the Lake, or had heart-to-heart private talks about, for instance, job selections or marriage. At this moment the images of quite a few couples, such as Zheng Linzhuang and Wu Ruiwu, Lin Yaohua and Rao Yusu, etc. suddenly appear in my mind’s eye. I attended some of their wedding ceremonies in my capacity as a go-between. Sometimes, preparatory to making a match, I had the parents of both parties meet each other at a dinner I gave. All that took place over half a century ago, and now, alas, more than half of them have gone to another world before me. I feel very had about it indeed.

我應該停筆了,我說的既不是“尊師”也不是“愛生”,我只覺得“師”和“生”應當是互相尊重互相親愛的朋友。
It’s time for me to stop writing now. I’ve not been talking solely about “students respecting teachers” or “teachers cherishing students” because, to my mind, teachers and students should be friends with mutual respect and love.

要點
1,”回憶起那幾年的教學生涯“中的“回憶”又使用了recall這個詞,迄今為止,我們見過的表“回顧,回憶,回想”的詞,已經(jīng)可以總結(jié)成一個系列了有l(wèi)ook back on,in retrospection,還有這次的in recalling sth
2,“課外的接觸十分頻繁“即“便于我們的課外接觸”譯為which greatly facilitated our after-school contact.
3,“有的是由我出面宴請雙方的家長,為他們撮合“,中的“撮合”即“配對”譯為make a match ,整句話譯作Sometimes, preparatory to making a match, I had the parents of both parties meet each other at a dinner I gave
4,“他們中有過半數(shù)的人已先我而進入另一個世界”譯為and now, alas, more than half of them have gone to another world before me.其中alas意為“哎呀”表示一種悲傷或遺憾的語氣,是譯者后來加的
5,“我心里有說不出的一種滋味”,此句是作者表達“無奈,失落,悲傷“的常用句,我們要根據(jù)語境將他們所要表達的感情譯出,此處作者的感情應是悲傷的,故譯作I feel very had about it indeed.

綜述:本篇文章句式相對簡單,重點把握一些表述,最好自己先譯一遍,在與本譯文對照,看看張爺爺是如何將這寫看似簡單的句子譯出“文學”的味道的~

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