《在德國——自己的花是讓別人看的》 ??季羨林?
Growing Flowers for the Benefit of All ? ??Ji Xianlin

| 譯文摘自張培基《英譯中國散文選二》

愛美大概也算是人的天性吧。宇宙間美的東西很多，花在其中占重要的地位。愛花的民族也很多，德國在其中占重要的地位。
It is perhaps human nature to love things beautiful.The universe abounds in things of beauty, flowers being the most prominent among them. Many peoples, especially the Germans, love flowers.

要點(diǎn)：
1，“愛花的民族也很多”譯為Many peoples… love flowers.此處的peoples 意為“民族”。
2，the Germans 作“德國人”解。

四五十年以前我在德國留學(xué)的時(shí)候，我曾多次對德國人愛花之真切感到吃驚。家家戶戶都在養(yǎng)花。他們的花不像在中國那樣，養(yǎng)在屋子里，他們是把花都栽種在臨街窗戶的外面?；ǘ涠汲忾_，在屋子里只能看到花的脊梁。我曾問過我的女房東：你這樣養(yǎng)花是給別人看的吧?她莞爾一笑說道：“正是這樣!”
Upwards of 40 years ago, when I was a student studying in Germany, I was often deeply impressed by the genuine love shown by Germans for flowers. All German families raised flowers. Unlike people in China who kept pot flowers indoors, Germans had their flowers planted outside their windows fronting the street. With the opening flowerers exposing their front to the street, residents could only see their back. Once I said to my landlady, "You must be growing your flowers for all to enjoy!"“Exactly!”she replied with a sweet smile.

要點(diǎn)：
1，“四五十年以前我在德國留學(xué)的時(shí)候”又是兩個(gè)時(shí)間狀語疊加，其中一個(gè)用when引導(dǎo)。
2，“對…感到吃驚”很多時(shí)候都會譯為“…給我留下深刻印象”，如本段的“多次對德國人愛花之真切感到吃驚”就譯為了I was often deeply impressed by the genuine love shown by Germans for flowers。
3，“他們的花不像在中國那樣…”即“他們養(yǎng)花不像中國人一樣…”譯為Unlike people in China who kept pot flowers indoors, Germans…
4,“臨街窗戶”即“面對著大街的窗戶”譯為windows fronting the street。
5，“朝外開”翻譯時(shí)不容易找到對應(yīng)詞匯，此時(shí)我們可以想象一下花朵那種姿態(tài)，“朝外開”即“把正面展現(xiàn)給外面（此處是大街）”，因此譯為exposing their front to the street。

綜述：
注意“臨街窗戶”“朝外開”這類沒有確切的英文對應(yīng)的詞的譯法。

正是這樣，也確實(shí)不錯(cuò)。走過任何一條街，抬頭向上看，家家的窗子前都是花團(tuán)錦簇，姹紫嫣紅。許多窗子連接在一起，匯成了一個(gè)花的海洋，讓我們看的人如入山陰道上，應(yīng)接不暇。每一家都是這樣，在屋子里的時(shí)候，自己的花是讓別人看的。走在街上的時(shí)候，自己又看別人的花。人人為我，我為人人。我覺得這一種境界是頗 耐人尋味的。
Yes, exactly. Wherever I went in town, I would raise my head only to see all residents' windows ablaze with flowers. And all windows joined together one after another to form a sea of flowers. So visitors seemed to find themselves in a land of so many lovely scenes that they were kept busy feasting their eyes all the time. As was the case with every family in the country, Germans, while at home, were happy to find their flowers pleasing the public eyes, but when they were out in the street, they enjoyed the sight of other people's flowers. All for one and one for all. Their noble qualities, I think, provide much food for thought.

要點(diǎn)：
1，“家家的窗子前都是花團(tuán)錦簇，姹紫嫣紅”譯為all residents' windows ablaze with flowers，其中ablaze with 意為bright and full of colour,常表示“閃耀，絢爛”，如： In spring, the valleys are ablaze with colour. （春天，山谷里春色絢爛。）
2,“讓我們看的人如入山陰道上，應(yīng)接不暇”中的“山陰道”意指“江南美景”，譯為a land of so many lovely scenes，“應(yīng)接不暇”即“眼睛忙于看美景”譯為kept busy feasting their eyes all the time。
3，“每一家都是這樣”譯為As was the case with every family in the country。
4，“我覺得這一種境界是頗 耐人尋味的”譯為Their noble qualities, I think, provide much food for thought.此處的“境界”做“氣質(zhì)，品質(zhì)”解，譯為quality, noble是增益的詞，更明確地體現(xiàn)了作者的觀點(diǎn)。

綜述：雖然是小小的一段，其中有用的表達(dá)還是不少，每一條都可以作為普遍譯法來應(yīng)用。

今天我又到了德國，剛一下火車，迎接我們的主人問我：“你離開德國這樣久，有什么變化沒有?”我說：“變化是有的，但是美麗并沒有改變?！蔽艺f“美麗”指的東西很多，其中也包含著美麗的花。我走在街上，抬頭一看，又是家家戶戶的窗口上都堵滿了鮮花。多么奇麗的景色!多么奇特的民 族!我仿佛又回到了四五十年前去，我做了一個(gè)花的夢，做了一個(gè)思鄉(xiāng)的夢。
Now, I am in Germany again. The German host welcoming me at the railway station asked, "It's a long time since you were here last. Do you see any changes?" "Yes, I do," said I. "But beauty remains unchanged." I explained that beauty, as I had mentioned, referred to many things, including beautiful flowers. Out on the street, I would look up and see the windows of all homes blocked up with flowers. What a scene of enchanting beauty! What an unusual nation! I seemed to have returned to the days of more than 40 years before. I had dreamed a dream of flowers, a nostalgic dream!

要點(diǎn)：
1，“你離開德國這樣久”即“自從你上次來這里已經(jīng)很久了”譯為It's a long time since you were here last。
2，be blocked up with意為“塞住，封?。?、洞）”，如：The street was blocked up with crowds.
街道為群眾所堵塞.

綜述：本篇文章是季老在德國寫的一篇小品文，雖然短小，但有些句子還是很考驗(yàn)雙語轉(zhuǎn)換功底的，也是考試?？嫉?。

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(gè)人觀點(diǎn)，如有不妥之處，歡迎指正。