(单词翻译:单击)
英文原文:
It doth not become green heads to advise grey hairs.
错误译文:
新手不能向老人提出忠告。
正确译文:
年轻人忠告老年人是不合适的。
翻译加油站:
这是18世纪英国作家Henry Fielding说的一句话。(doth是does的古时用法)原译者知道grey hair 指“老人”,但他把green heads 译作“新手”却错了,“新手”应该是green hand(s)。其实,略微思考一下就应该能想到,句中的green heads是和 gray hair相对的,不可能扯到“新手”上去。
这一句的关键在become一词。通常become是一个系动词,意思是“成为”。也许原译者觉得“成为”之意在本句里说不通,于是干脆忽略不译。这是翻译的一大忌讳。Become一词还有一个用法,即作为及物动词,意思为“适合”、“同……相称”,如:
He said no more than what became him as master of the house. 他只说了些符合主人身份的话。
正确译法:年轻人忠告老年人是不合适的。(从内容上说这句话并不正确,不过很长时期人们都这么说。)类似句子为:
It would not become me to criticize you, gentlemen, who are really all my elders-and my superiors, in this thing. 诸位先生,你们几乎都是我的前辈——在这个问题上都是我的师长——我是不配向你们提出任何批评的。
英语里还有一个利用become构成的双关谜语:
When will a dress turn into a human being?
When it becomes her?
由become的这个意思还产生了形容词becoming和副词becomingly:
The light on her face was very becoming. 她脸上的光泽非常柔和。
He seemed quite at a loss for words to express his admiration becomingly. 看上去他完全不知道如何恰到好处地表达他的爱慕之情。