雜感集(節(jié)錄)
Random Thoughts

黃藥眠
Huang Yaomian

| 譯文摘自張培基《英譯中國(guó)散文選二》

佛曉前的燈光,盡管明亮,但怎能同剛出來(lái)的磅礴的晨曦爭(zhēng)勝呢?
Predawn lamplight, bright as it is, can never outshine the majestic rising sun.

要點(diǎn)
1,這是一個(gè)反問(wèn)句,之前講過(guò)三種譯法:否定句,一般疑問(wèn)句,特殊疑問(wèn)句,此處的反問(wèn)句意在表達(dá)否定的觀點(diǎn),因此譯為否定句
2,“爭(zhēng)勝”此處譯為outshine,他除了有“勝過(guò)”的意思外,還具有“比…閃亮”的含義,較outdo更適合

綜述
注意常見(jiàn)的反問(wèn)句譯法

金剛石雖然能發(fā)出閃灼的亮光,可是沒(méi)有熱。
Diamond glitters but gives off no heat.

要點(diǎn):“沒(méi)有熱”即“不會(huì)發(fā)出熱量”譯為give off no heat,其中g(shù)ive off意為“發(fā)出放出”時(shí),主要指熱量

愛(ài)夸耀過(guò)去成績(jī)的人,大概對(duì)于未來(lái)已沒(méi)有多大的興趣了吧!
He who is given to bragging about his past achievements must have lost interest in his own future.

要點(diǎn)
1,be given to意為“愛(ài)好”“有…的習(xí)慣”
2,常用來(lái)表示夸耀的詞還有boast,crow,gloat,shuck swagger,vaunt

綜述:本句就是一個(gè)基礎(chǔ)的定語(yǔ)從句,注意積累同義詞就好

燃燒著的木柴是決不懊悔它自己之成為灰燼的。
Firewood, while burning, never regrets having itself reduced to ashes.

要點(diǎn):have reduced to=be reduced to,意為使陷入(更壞的)境地;使淪落;使陷入窘境,這個(gè)見(jiàn)過(guò)多次了。從第一冊(cè)的《我坐了木船》《背影》就開(kāi)始出現(xiàn),一定要引起重視。

更多的事前考慮,就可以有更少的事后追悔。
More thinking beforehand, less after-the-event remorse.

要點(diǎn):after-the-event意為“事后”,如be wise after the event意即“事后聰明;馬后炮”,注意本句“事前”“事后”的譯法

讓偏見(jiàn)守著心靈,那么真理的聲音就難于流進(jìn)他的耳朵里了。
A prejudiced mind keeps the voice of truth from entering the ear.

要點(diǎn):格言的一大特色便是簡(jiǎn)潔,因此譯者翻譯時(shí)整合意思,譯為一句即“懷有偏見(jiàn)的心靈聽(tīng)不到真理之音”。

謙虛的工作者常易取得熱情的支持,浮夸的工作者則常受到冷淡的對(duì)待。
Modesty will win warm support; boastfulness will be cold shouldered.

要點(diǎn):關(guān)于cold shoulder,我們最常見(jiàn)的就是give sb a cold shoulder,但此be cold shouldered意為“遭受冷遇”cold-shoulder單獨(dú)使用意為“不搭理,看不上,對(duì)…冷淡”,如:She cold - shouldered her ex - fiance. (她看不上她從前的未婚夫.)

陀螺盡管轉(zhuǎn)得勤,但就是沒(méi)有前進(jìn)!
A top makes no headway no matter how hard it spins.

要點(diǎn):將兩句用no matter how連接,不僅精簡(jiǎn)了句子,還凸顯了兩句的邏輯關(guān)系。

你出生入死得來(lái)的榮譽(yù),也許會(huì)在衣香鬢影的歡樂(lè)的華筵中歡笑掉。
The honor you have gained by going through fire and water may be lost amidst gay laughter at a joyous grand banquet graced by gorgeously dressed women.

要點(diǎn)
1,“出生入死”譯為going through fire and water,此外going through fire and water也常做“赴湯蹈火”講。
2,“衣香鬢影的歡樂(lè)的華筵”中的“衣香鬢影”可理解為“衣著華麗的美女云集”,“華筵”即“華麗的筵席”,因此這個(gè)短語(yǔ)譯為a joyous grand banquet graced by gorgeously dressed women.其中 to grace意為“使增色”屬增益成分

歡笑掉的東西,難道能用眼淚哭得回來(lái)么?
Can that which is lost in the midst of the gay laughter be regained by tears of regret?

要點(diǎn)
1,“歡笑掉的”即“迷失在歡樂(lè)中的”,譯為is lost in the midst of the gay laughter
2,tears of regret意為“悔恨的淚水”,of regret為增益成分,起到補(bǔ)充說(shuō)明的作用

綜述:注意以上兩句的增譯。

寧可預(yù)告少而貢獻(xiàn)多,切勿先作許多諾言,而最后只能拿出半杯涼水。
Few promises and more contributions, rather than more promises and few contributions.

要點(diǎn):“最后只能拿出半杯涼水”意即“貢獻(xiàn)很少”,意譯為few contributions

你單純,因?yàn)槟愠藶闊o(wú)產(chǎn)階級(jí)和勞動(dòng)人民而奮斗終身以外,便沒(méi)有任何別的要求和欲望。你復(fù)雜,因?yàn)槟銓?duì)于敵人的陰謀詭計(jì)、威脅恫嚇、利誘和美人計(jì),都能一一予以識(shí)破,加以反擊,獲得勝利。
You are simple because you have no wants apart from dedicating your life to the welfare of the proletariat and the working people. You are complicated because you can defeat your enemy by seeing through one by one his plots, threats, lures and sex-traps.

1,“要求和欲望”譯為wants,干凈利落
2,“一一予以識(shí)破,加以反擊,獲得勝利”本句話有三個(gè)動(dòng)詞,主要?jiǎng)釉~為“反擊”譯為defeat(既有“反擊”又有“戰(zhàn)勝”之意),而“識(shí)破”是“反擊并取得勝利”的方式,譯為by引導(dǎo)的方式狀語(yǔ)即可

逃跑必然會(huì)引起追擊,讓子彈從背后射進(jìn)去是可恥的。
Running away will inevitably result in the pursuit and attack of the enemy; it is disgraceful to be hit in the back by a bullet.

嫉妒別人的才能,也許正好說(shuō)明自己的無(wú)能。
Showing jealously of other people’s abilities is clear proof of your own incompetence.

要點(diǎn):“說(shuō)明”譯為be clear proof of,是個(gè)比較新穎的譯法,除了記住這個(gè)表述以外,我們要學(xué)會(huì)這種以be+名詞的結(jié)構(gòu)代替動(dòng)詞的譯法,以增強(qiáng)句子的靈活性。

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