吹牛的妙用
The Wonderful Use of Boasting

廬隱
Lu Yin

| 譯文摘自張培基《英譯中國(guó)散文選二》

吹牛是一種夸大狂，在道德家看來(lái)，也許認(rèn)為是缺點(diǎn)，可是在處事接物上卻是一種刮刮叫的妙用。假使你這一生缺少了吹牛的本領(lǐng)，別說(shuō)好飯碗找不到，便連黃包車(chē)夫也不放你在眼里的。
Boasting is a kind of megalomania. Though moralists may call it a human failing, it does, however, serve extremely useful purposes in social intercourse. Without the capacity for boasting, you will be looked down upon by even a rickshaw puller, to say nothing of finding a good job.

要點(diǎn)：

1，說(shuō)說(shuō)boast，基本意思有兩個(gè)“自夸“和”擁有“，這兩個(gè)意思都很常見(jiàn)，旅游類(lèi)文章經(jīng)常會(huì)用到boast of來(lái)替換possess，own, have等詞，如：
The town began to boast of mills, furnaces for smelting iron, and new apartment buildings.
這個(gè)鎮(zhèn)開(kāi)始擁有工廠，煉鐵爐和新公房。
順帶說(shuō)一下，這些表示“有…”的表達(dá)也是需要掌握滴~
2，“刮刮叫“即“呱呱叫，意為極好的，此處根據(jù)語(yǔ)境理解為”很有用的“譯為extremely useful
3，“假使你缺少…“意即”如果沒(méi)有”，用without簡(jiǎn)潔又貼切~
4，“別說(shuō)，更不用說(shuō)“此處譯為to say nothing of,之前我們還見(jiàn)過(guò)的”更不用說(shuō)“有“much/still less（見(jiàn)《我坐了木船》） 還有廣為人知滴,let alone，not to mention~如：
①Were Italy to be frozen out of the bond markets, let alone default, the effects would be enormous.
如果意大利被凍結(jié)在債券市場(chǎng)之外，影響將是巨大的，更不用說(shuō)違約。
②I did not even see him , still less talk with him.
我看也沒(méi)看見(jiàn)他，更不用說(shuō)跟他談過(guò)話了。

綜述：注意上述詞的用法即可~并且從開(kāi)頭我們就可以確定這篇文章的基本語(yǔ)氣，即諷刺

西洋人究竟近乎白癡，什么事都只講究腳踏實(shí)地去做，這樣費(fèi)力氣的勾當(dāng)，我們聰明的中國(guó)人，簡(jiǎn)直連牙齒都要笑掉了。西洋人什么事都講究按部就班的慢慢來(lái)，從來(lái)沒(méi)有平地登天的捷徑，而我們中國(guó)人專(zhuān)門(mén)走捷徑，而走捷徑的第一個(gè)法門(mén)，就是善吹牛。
Because of their earnest and down-to-earth approach to work, Westerners are, in the eyes of Chinese smarties，next door to idiot. They are being laughed at Chinese smarties for the tremendous amount of energy they put into their activities. While Westerners go about whatever work they do methodically and patiently, never dreaming of reaching great heights in one step, we Chinese are always given to seeking a shortcut and regard the ability to boast as the master key to it.

要點(diǎn)：
1，“西洋人究竟近乎白癡，什么事都只講究腳踏實(shí)地去做，這樣費(fèi)力氣的勾當(dāng)，我們聰明的中國(guó)人，簡(jiǎn)直連牙齒都要笑掉了?！弊g為Because of their earnest and down-to-earth approach to work, Westerners are, in the eyes of Chinese smarties，next door to idiot.本句隱含著因果關(guān)系，“因?yàn)槲鞣饺恕虼宋覀冇X(jué)得他們近乎白癡”。
2，“連牙齒都要笑掉了“不宜直譯，容易造成外國(guó)讀者的困惑，譯為laugh at即可~
3，“近乎“譯為next door to…(在…的隔壁)，”意同bordering on或almost the same as
4,“按部就班“譯為methodically,”不要忘了之前在《學(xué)問(wèn)與趣味》中譯為advance step by step的表達(dá)~而平地登天“譯為reach great heights in one step
5，“西洋人什么事都講究按部就班的慢慢來(lái)，從來(lái)沒(méi)有平地登天的捷徑，而我們中國(guó)人專(zhuān)門(mén)走捷徑，而走捷徑的第一個(gè)法門(mén)，就是善吹?！白g為While Westerners go about whatever work they do methodically and patiently, never dreaming of reaching great heights in one step, we Chinese are always given to seeking a shortcut and regard the ability to boast as the master key to it.
①”而我們中國(guó)人專(zhuān)門(mén)走捷徑，而走捷徑的第一個(gè)法門(mén)，就是善吹?！叭齻€(gè)分句的主語(yǔ)不一致，統(tǒng)一主語(yǔ)為”中國(guó)人“使句式流暢也突出了”中國(guó)人“和”西洋人“的對(duì)比
②“專(zhuān)門(mén)“此處意即”傾向于，慣于“譯為be given to,這是個(gè)新表述哦~
③“而走捷徑的第一個(gè)法門(mén)，就是善吹?！奔础按蹬５哪芰κ顷P(guān)鍵”~
④從以上我們譯文中可以看出, 英語(yǔ)長(zhǎng)句疊床架屋的結(jié)構(gòu)尤其明顯。它分別借用連詞while, and和非謂語(yǔ)動(dòng)詞等語(yǔ)法銜接手段, 形成了一個(gè)完整的結(jié)構(gòu),從而整合了原文的信息。

綜述：注意本段各種明顯口語(yǔ)化的詞的譯法，以及譯者將聰明人“譯為smarty,(自以為是的人)，起到了諷刺的作用，并很好地貼合了原文幽默的語(yǔ)言風(fēng)格

吹牛是一件不可輕看的藝術(shù)，就如《修辭學(xué)》上不可缺少“張喻”—類(lèi)的東西一樣，像李白什么“黃河之水天上來(lái)”，又是什么“白發(fā)三千丈”，這在《修辭學(xué)》上就叫作“張喻”，而在不懂《修辭學(xué)》的人看來(lái)，就覺(jué)得李太白在吹牛了。
Boasting is an essential art of life just as hyperbole is an indispensable rhetorical figure. The Tang poet Li Bai’s famous lines “The Yellow River comes from the sky” and “My white hair of thirty thousand feet” are examples of hyperbole, which, to those who know little about the art of rhetoric, may sound like a gross exaggeration on the part of the poet.

要點(diǎn)：
1，“李白什么的”譯為T(mén)he Tang poet Li Bai’s famous lines，其中The Tang poet和famous lines，都是譯者加進(jìn)來(lái)幫助外國(guó)讀者的理解的，我們?cè)诜g涉及中國(guó)傳統(tǒng)文化內(nèi)容的時(shí)候也要有這種意識(shí)（說(shuō)了好多遍了哦~~
famous lines”等非原文字面所有的注釋。這種文內(nèi)加注的方式使原文的文化意義明確,有助于目的語(yǔ)讀者的理解和接受，更好地順應(yīng)了交際語(yǔ)境。

而且實(shí)際上說(shuō)來(lái)，吹牛對(duì)于一個(gè)人的確有極大的妙用。人類(lèi)這個(gè)東西，就有這么奇怪，無(wú)論什么事，你若老老實(shí)實(shí)的把實(shí)話告訴他，不但不能激起他共鳴的情緒，而且還要輕蔑你冷笑你，假使你見(jiàn)了那摸不清你根底的人，你不管你家里早飯的米是當(dāng)了被褥換來(lái)的，你只要大言不慚的說(shuō)“某部長(zhǎng)是我父親的好朋友，某政客是我拜把子的叔公，我認(rèn)得某某巨商，我的太太同某軍閥的第五位太太是干姐妹”吹起這一套法螺來(lái)，那摸不清你的人，便帖帖服服的向你合十頂禮，說(shuō)不定碰得巧還恭而且敬的請(qǐng)你大吃一頓燕菜席呢！
That boasting is of extremely great use to one is beyond doubt. Man is a queer animal. Suppose you tell someone the plain truth about a certain matter without holding anything back, he will probably laugh at you scornfully instead of returning a congenial response. On the other hand, suppose, penniless as you are, you brag unabashedly to somebody who knows little about you, “Minister So-and-So is a good friend of my father’s,” “Politician So-and-So is my grandpa’s sworn brother,” “ I know a certain business tycoon very well,” or “ My wife is a nominally adoptive sister of a certain warlord’s fifth concubine.” The listener will adore you like a deity or may even, at an opportunity moment, respectfully treat you to a big dinner featuring edible bird’s nest!

要點(diǎn)：

1，“不但不能激起他共鳴的情緒，而且還要輕蔑你冷笑你”譯為he will probably laugh at you scornfully instead of returning a congenial response.注意本句中的“不但不…而且…”的譯法，和“不但…而且”是不一樣滴哦~
2，“你不管你家里早飯的米是當(dāng)了被褥換來(lái)的”意即“盡管你窮得叮當(dāng)響”，譯為penniless as you are,
3，“吹起這一套法螺來(lái)，那摸不清你的人，便貼貼服服的向你合十頂禮，說(shuō)不定碰得巧還恭而且敬的請(qǐng)你大吃一頓燕菜席呢！”譯為T(mén)he listener will adore you like a deity or may even, at an opportune moment, respectfully treat you to a big dinner featuring edible bird’s nest!譯文中沒(méi)有將“吹起這一套法螺來(lái)，那摸不清你的人”“貼貼服服”這幾個(gè)成分翻出來(lái), 但已經(jīng)將原文中所要傳達(dá)的信息完整連貫地表現(xiàn)出來(lái)。
4，at an opportune moment意為“適宜的時(shí)候”，表達(dá)”碰得巧”~
5, “大吃一頓燕菜席”意即‘吃一頓以燕窩為特色的大餐“，譯為a big dinner featuring edible bird’s nest

綜述：注意“吹起這一套法螺來(lái)…“句的翻譯，因?yàn)闈h語(yǔ)中為了照應(yīng)上文，有時(shí)會(huì)再重復(fù)上文的內(nèi)容，翻譯時(shí)應(yīng)做出適當(dāng)?shù)氖∽g，避免畫(huà)蛇添足之嫌

吹牛有了如許的好處，于是無(wú)論那一類(lèi)的人，都各盡其力的大吹其牛了。但是且慢！吹牛也要認(rèn)清對(duì)手方面的。不然的話必難打動(dòng)他或她的心弦，那么就失掉吹牛的功效了。比如說(shuō)你見(jiàn)了一個(gè)仰慕文人的無(wú)名作家或?qū)W生時(shí)，而你自己要自充老前輩時(shí)，你不用說(shuō)別的，只要說(shuō)胡適是我極熟的朋友，郁達(dá)夫是我最好的知己，最妙你再轉(zhuǎn)彎抹角的去探聽(tīng)一些關(guān)于胡適郁達(dá)夫瑣碎的軼事．比如說(shuō)胡適最喜聽(tīng)什么，郁達(dá)夫最討厭什么，于是便可以親親切切的叫著“適之怎樣怎樣，達(dá)夫怎樣怎樣”，這樣一來(lái)，你便也就成了胡適、郁達(dá)夫同等的人物，而被人所尊敬了。
People of every description, being aware of the usefulness of boasting, are doing all they can to put it into practice. But wait a minute! You’ve got to know enough about the person you are boasting to. Otherwise, you’ll make a bungle of it and fail to touch a chord in his or her heart. Suppose you meet an unknown writer or a young student who worships men of letters and you want to pretend to be a senior, all you have to say is that Hu Shih is a close friend of yours or that Yu Dafu is your second self. And, what is better, you can try to find out by a roundabout way some trifling personal anecdotes about the two celebrities, such as what Hu Shih best likes to know and what Yu Dafu strongly dislikes, so that you can refer to them affectionately by their first names. Consequently, you’ll end up becoming a personage on a par with both of them, and enjoying the respect of all.

要點(diǎn)：

1, “吹牛有了如許的好處，于是無(wú)論那一類(lèi)的人，都各盡其力的大吹其牛了”譯為People of every description, being aware of the usefulness of boasting, are doing all they can to put it into practice.翻譯時(shí)譯者將其主語(yǔ)定為人，保證合譯時(shí)句子的流暢性
2，”轉(zhuǎn)彎抹角滴“譯為 by a roundabout way
3，“于是便可以親親切切的叫著“適之怎樣怎樣，達(dá)夫怎樣怎樣”意譯為so that you can refer to them affectionately by their first names，”通常我們將first name（given name）“譯為“名”而family name (last name ,surname)意為“姓” ~
　4, on a par with意即“與…持平，與…相等”，又是個(gè)關(guān)于“相等”的新表述哦~

綜述：注意上述表述~

如果你遇見(jiàn)一個(gè)好虛榮的女子呢，你就可以說(shuō)你周游過(guò)列國(guó)，到過(guò)士耳其南非洲！并且還是自費(fèi)去的，這樣一來(lái)就可以證明你不但學(xué)識(shí)閱歷豐富，而且還是個(gè)資產(chǎn)階級(jí)。于是乎你的戀愛(ài)便立刻成功了。
When you meet a girl who is vain, just tell her that you have toured to various countries, such as Turkey and South Africa,… and at your own expense into the bargain! That suffices to prove you are not only a man of much learning and experience but also well-to-do. And you will thereby win her heart instantly.

要點(diǎn)：

1，“并且還是自費(fèi)去的”譯為and at your own expense into the bargain，其中into the bargain作“而且，另外還“之意，如It was a very cold night and then, into the bargain, it began to rain.
那是個(gè)寒冷的夜晚，此外，還下起了小雨。
2，“你不但學(xué)識(shí)閱歷豐富，而且還是個(gè)資產(chǎn)階級(jí)“，其中”資產(chǎn)階級(jí)“不譯為“bourgeois”，而是譯為“well to do”，在此作“富裕的”解，將原文所要表達(dá)的本質(zhì)意思翻了出來(lái)。
3，“于是乎你的戀愛(ài)便立刻成功了?！白g為And you will thereby win her heart instantly.這句話適合意譯，比直譯更能體現(xiàn)原文語(yǔ)體風(fēng)格~

綜述：注意本段對(duì)于“資產(chǎn)階級(jí)“”戀愛(ài)成功“等詞的譯法，恰到好處地再現(xiàn)了原文詼諧風(fēng)趣的風(fēng)格，從而順應(yīng)原文的語(yǔ)體。

你如遇見(jiàn)商賈、官僚、政客、軍閥，都不妨察言觀色，投其所好，大吹而特吹之?？偠灾?，好色者以色吹之，好利者以利吹之，好名者以名吹之，好權(quán)勢(shì)者以權(quán)勢(shì)吹之，此所謂以毒攻毒之法，無(wú)往而不利。
When you meet a businessman, bureaucrat, politician or warlord, you can, after gathering each and every mood of them, start boasting wildly to cater to their likes. To sum up, you should brag about women to those who are fond of women, about money to those who are money-mad, about fame to those who are desirous of personal fame, and about power to those who hanker after a position of great influence. Like combating poison with poison, this trick will always work wonders.

要點(diǎn)：
1，“察言觀色“意譯為after gathering each and every mood of them，其中g(shù)athering意為”推測(cè)“”通過(guò)觀察而理解“，比直譯為watch ,observe更加貼切
2，”投其所好”譯為cater to their likes
3,” 以毒攻毒”= combating poison with poison
“無(wú)往不利“=always work wonders

綜述：除了上述四字詞之外，本段對(duì)于“好…者”采用了多種不同的譯法，十分值得我們積累，學(xué)習(xí)和借鑒

或曰吹牛妙用雖大，但也要善吹，否則揭穿西洋鏡，便沒(méi)有戲可唱了。這當(dāng)然是實(shí)話，并且吹牛也要有相當(dāng)?shù)挠?xùn)練，第一要不紅臉，你雖從來(lái)沒(méi)有著過(guò)一本半本的書(shū)，但不妨咬緊牙根說(shuō)：“我的著作等身，只可恨被一把野火燒掉了！”你家里因?yàn)橐?qǐng)幾個(gè)漂亮的客人吃飯，現(xiàn)買(mǎi)了一副碗碟，你便可以說(shuō)：“這些東西十年前就有了”，以表示你并不因?yàn)檎?qǐng)客受窘。假如你荷包里只剩下一塊大洋，朋友要邀你坐下來(lái)八圈，你就可以說(shuō)：“我的錢(qián)都放在銀行里，今天竟勻不出工夫去?。　奔偃缒奶炷愕奶杏X(jué)你沒(méi)多大出息時(shí)，你就可以說(shuō)張家大小姐說(shuō)我的詩(shī)作的好，王家少奶奶說(shuō)我臉子漂亮而有丈夫氣，這樣一來(lái)太太便立刻加倍的愛(ài)你了。這一些吹牛經(jīng)，說(shuō)不勝說(shuō)。
Yes, bragging is of great use, but you need to be very skillful in the performance of it, otherwise you’ll give away the show and end up in a complete fiasco.And to be good at bragging, you also need a considerable amount of training. You should first of all be thick-skinned. For instance, although you have never authored a single book, you can nevertheless brazenly declare, “I’ve published a great many books, but unfortunately they’ve all been destroyed by a big fire!” When you are entertaining some stylish guests at dinner, you can, for appearances’ sake, refer to the table set you have just bought for the occasion by saying, “we’ve been using it for as long as ten years.” When your friends invite you to join them in a mahjong game, you, though worth only one silver dollar in your pocket, can tell them, “All my money is in a bank. I’ve no time today to go there to draw money.” If your wife happens to complain you’re sort of good for nothing, you can tell her that the eldest daughter of a certain Zhang family has been admiring you for the excellent poems you write and the daughter-in-law of a certain Wang family has been admiring you for being handsome and manly. That will make your wife instantly redouble her love for you.I could thus go on and on enumerating various manifestations of self-praise.

要點(diǎn)：
1，“否則揭穿西洋鏡，便沒(méi)有戲可唱了”譯為otherwise you’ll give away the show and end up in a complete fiasco.這句話直譯必然會(huì)造成困惑，因此本句采用了意譯，方便目的語(yǔ)讀者理解~
2，“要不紅臉”即“要厚起臉皮”，譯為thick-skinned；“咬緊牙根”即“厚著臉皮”譯為brazenly~
3，”以表示你并不因?yàn)檎?qǐng)客受窘“不宜直譯，可按”為了裝點(diǎn)門(mén)面“理解，譯為for appearances’ sake.
4, “假如你荷包里只剩下一塊大洋”譯為you, though worth only one silver dollar in your pocket，其中worth 意為“擁有…的財(cái)產(chǎn)“譯者用此詞代替having等詞，可略帶俏皮
5，”數(shù)不勝數(shù)“可譯為countless, beyond count,此處譯為I could thus go on and on enumerating various manifestations…更貼合本文口語(yǔ)化的特征~

綜述：注意本段“不紅臉”和“咬緊牙根”都作“厚著臉皮”解，譯文分別將其譯為“thick-skinned”和“brazenly”，使譯文具備最佳關(guān)聯(lián)性，使譯文更加連貫。

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)，僅供參考。如有不妥之處，歡迎指正。