翻译技巧:名句翻译及赏析之单句篇(3)
日期:2011-06-30 10:43

(单词翻译:单击)

译事三难:信、达、雅。求其信,已大难矣!故信矣,不达,虽译,犹不译也,则达上焉。...易曰:“修辞立诚。”子曰:“辞达而已!”又曰:“言而无文,行之不远。”三者乃文章正轨,亦即为译事楷模。故信、达而外,求其尔雅...——严复《天演论.译立言》

  1.原文:Paula didn’t need any lessons when it comes to office politics.

  译文说到办公室里明争暗斗那一套,保拉可算是无师自通

  赏析:坊间可见的翻译教程在论及词的翻译时,大多谈到了词义的引申,学习翻译的朋友对这一技巧也烂熟于心,但如何引申却是个大学问。"office politics"引申译为“办公室里明争暗斗”,不能不让人佩服:没有对"office politics"词义的深刻理解,是断然不敢这么大胆的;"didn’t need any lessons"译为“可算是无师自通”。也颇值得称道;再加上句子结构的适当调整,佳译便诞生了。

  2.原文:...while his father and mother had written a rather sad letter,deploring his precipitancy in rushing into marriage,but making the best of the matter by saying that,though a dairywoman was the last daughter-in-law they could have expected,their son had arrived at an age at which he might be supposed to be the best judge.(Thomas Hardy:Tess of the d’Urbervilles)

  译文父母倒是有信,不过信上写的,未免叫人听着不受用,只埋怨他,说他不该这样急不能待地就结婚;但是事情既是没法更改了,他们又说,虽然万没有想到,会娶一个挤牛奶的女孩做儿媳妇,但是儿子已经长大了,也许自己明白是非好歹了,当爹妈的也就不用跟着瞎操心了,用此自遣。(张谷若译)

  赏析:“万没有想到”、“没法儿”、“明白是非好歹了”、“用不着跟着瞎操心了”等,都是明白如话的语言,也许同原文比较正式的文体不是很吻合,但考虑到父母给子女的信所用的就应是谈家常的语言,译文反而较原文更合情理,况且上下文所用的也都是这种明白如话的语言句(可惜此处无法抄录),放在这样的上下文中也显得很自然。

  3.原文:The result of this was that believers still believed and doubters remained doubtful.

  译文此事的结果是信者自信之,疑者自疑之。

  赏析:"信者自信之,疑者自疑之",是何等地道的汉语,何等贴切的表达。

  4.原文:He had left a note of welcome for me,as sunny as his face.

  译文他留下一封信,对我表示欢迎;那信写得热情洋溢,一如其人。(黄邦杰:《译艺谈》)

  赏析:原句看来简单,也很好理解,但就是不好译,关键在于"sunny"一词,既同前面的"note"呼应,又照后面的"his face",译成“热情洋溢”就解决了这个问题。"as his face"译为“一如其人”,也颇具匠心。

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