曹雪芹生于南京江寧織造府，自小耳濡目染，對織造、服飾等有諸多了解，因此《紅樓夢》中才得以呈現(xiàn)精美絕倫的服飾描寫。小說中的服飾，不僅是文學(xué)的需要，還是歷史的寫照，同時體現(xiàn)了任人物的內(nèi)心情感、社會地位、性格特征等諸多方面。但多樣復(fù)雜的描寫也加大了翻譯的難度，本文將比較楊憲益和霍克斯版本關(guān)于王熙鳳服飾的描寫，以小窺大。

例子： 這個人打扮與眾姊妹不同，彩繡輝煌，恍如神妃仙子。頭上帶著金絲八寶攢珠簪，綰著朝陽五鳳掛珠釵，項上戴著赤金盤螭瓔珞圈，裙邊系著豆綠宮絳雙衡比目玫瑰佩，身上穿著縷金百蝶穿花大紅洋緞窄褃襖，外罩五彩緙絲石青銀鼠褂，下著翡翠撒花洋縐裙。

楊譯：Unlike the girls, she was richly dressed and resplendent as a fairy.

Her gold-filigree tiara was set with jewels and pearls. Her hair-clasps, in the form of five phoenixes facing the sun, had pendants of pearls. Her necklet, of red gold, was in the form of a coiled dragon studded with gems. She had double red jade pendants with pea-green tassels attached to her skirt.

Her close-fitting red satin?jacket was embroidered with gold butterflies and flowers. Her turquoise cape, lined with white squirrel, was inset with designs in coloured silk. Herskirt of kingfisher-blue crepe was patterned with flowers.

霍譯：She was dressed quite differently from the others present, gleaming like some fairy princess with sparkling jewels and gay embroideries.

Her chignon was enclosed in a circlet of gold filigree and clustered pearls. It was fastened with a pin embellished with flying phoenixes, from whose beaks pearls were suspended on tiny chains.

Her necklet was of red gold in the form of a coiling dragon.

Her dress had a fitted bodice and was made of dark red silk damask with a pattern of flowers and butterflies in raised gold thread.

Herjacket was lined with ermine. It was of a slate-blue stuff with woven insets in coloured silks.

Her under-skirt was of a turquoise-coloured imported silk crepe embroidered with flowers.

解析：1）此段以林黛玉的視角描寫王熙鳳在書中的第一次出場。穿衣飾品都極盡奢華，表明王熙鳳在賈府與眾不同的身份地位，同時也顯現(xiàn)了她的個性張揚。

2）“金絲八寶攢珠髻”是一種特殊的發(fā)髻，用金絲穿繞珍珠和鑲嵌八寶支撐的珠花發(fā)髻。“八寶”又稱“八吉祥”，是輪、螺、馓、蓋、花、罐、魚、腸八種實物的佩飾。楊譯為“Her gold-filigreetiara was set with jewels and pearls”，其中的“tiara”為女士冕狀頭飾置于頭頂，但實際上這一發(fā)髻應(yīng)該是盤在腦后的。因此霍譯“Her chignon was enclosed in a circlet of gold filigree and clustered pearls”更為貼切。

2）“豆綠宮絳雙衡比目玫瑰佩”，“宮絳”是一種系在腰間的懸掛飾物?！昂狻睘榕逵裆喜康男M杠，用以系飾物。“比目玫瑰佩”是一種用玫瑰色的玉片雕琢成的雙魚形的玉佩。楊譯大部分翻譯正確，但缺失了“比目”，“魚”的意象。這句霍克斯直接刪去不譯，對于不熟悉中國古代服飾的譯文讀者而言，霍譯更流暢，容易理解，但對于專門研究中國歷史或傳統(tǒng)服飾的讀者而言，文化價值有所缺失。

3）“窄褃襖”為緊身的襖子；“五彩緙絲石青銀鼠褂”中的“緙絲”，又稱“刻絲”，是一種經(jīng)彩緯顯現(xiàn)花紋，形成花紋邊界，具有如猶如雕琢縷刻的效果，且富雙面立體感的絲織工藝品，宋元以來一直是皇家御用織物之一，常有“一寸緙絲一寸金”和“織中之圣”的盛名。兩位譯者對于“襖”、“褂”的處理值得商榷，比如原文“褂”指的是婦女在棉襖和裙子外穿的一種長至膝蓋下方的寬大的長外衣，楊譯為“cape”指”斗篷、披肩”，雖有些類似但仍然相差甚遠。而霍譯的“jacket”指“短外衣”同樣不合適。

4）兩位譯者在著力再現(xiàn)服飾特點的同時，也注重原作的語言特色。曹雪芹對王熙鳳的初次登場的描寫，用詞十分講究，多用排比，句子對仗工整，讀起來朗朗上口。而兩位譯者也注重保留排比句式，如楊譯“Her gold-filigree tiara……”, “Her hair clasps……”, “Her necklet……”等，和霍譯 “Her chignon……”, “Her necklet……”, “Her dress……”等。