張培基英譯散文賞析之《多一只碟子》

多一只碟子

One Saucer More

金圣華

Jin Shenghua

| 譯文摘自張培基《英譯中國散文選二》

從朋友口中，聽到一則軼事。

I’ve been told the following anecdote by a friend of mine:

要點：首先增主語“我”，在表示“別人告訴我”時，通常用被動I’ve been told…/I was told…簡潔明了，不拖泥帶水

電子學教授陳之藩當年自美國來香港中文大學履新，臨行之前，與夫人在家中整理行裝。陳教授夫婦有一套精美的茶具，收拾裝箱時，一不小心，打破了一只茶杯。

When Chen Chih-fan, professor of electronics, was about to leave the U.S. for Hong Kong to take up his new post at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, he did packing at home with his wife. They owned a beautiful tea set, but while packing up, they had one of the cups broken through carelessness.

要點：

1，“履新”即“就任新職”，譯為take up his new post

2, “電子學教授陳之藩當年自美國來香港中文大學履新，臨行之前，與夫人在家中整理行裝。”合譯時，將前兩個分句看做時間狀語，即“在…將要去就任新職前，與夫人在家中整理行裝”，譯為When Chen Chih-fan, professor of electronics, was about to leave the U.S. for Hong Kong to take up his new post at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, he did packing at home with his wife.

一般人的反應，一定是感到十分心疼，好端端的成套茶具，打破一只杯，如何去配?

Ordinary people would have got very upset over it, as it was always troublesome to replace the broken cup to complete the set.

誰知陳教授的反應卻不然，他莞爾一笑，坦然說道：“真不錯，又多了一只碟子!”

Professor Chen, however, reacted to it differently. He said calmly with a smile, “Wow! Now we’ve got one saucer more!”

要點：

1，“一般人的反應，一定是感到十分心疼”即“一般人一定會很心疼”，其中“十分心疼”即“十分心煩”，譯為 very upset,或much distressed,全句譯為Ordinary people would have got very upset over it，注意虛擬語氣的使用~

2，“好端端的“根據上下文可以理解為”完整的”或“原本成套的”

3,” 如何去配”即“如何來找另一只來代替”，用replace, “好端端的成套茶具，打破一只杯，如何去配?”整句可理解為“換一只茶杯，和茶具配套是很麻煩的”

4,,“莞爾一笑”意為“美好地笑“此處譯為smile即可

綜述：注意以上的合譯，虛擬語氣~

凡事從好處想，這種能耐，在現實生活中，確能使人受益無窮。

The attitude of always looking on the bright side of things will definitely be of inestimable benefit to us in our real life.

要點：

1，“能耐“本意為”本領，能力“現按”態(tài)度“理解，譯為attitude

2,”使人受益無窮“= be of inestimable benefit to us

陳之藩教授不但是位杰出的科學家，也是位了不起的散文家，他的一些散文集，清新雋永，當年曾使我折服不已。如今回想起來，令我驚嘆的，不僅僅是他那優(yōu)美的文筆，而是字里行間流露出來的睿智與巧思。

Professor Chen has distinguished himself both as a scientist and an essayist. His prose writings, which have been published in several collections, are known for their fresh and expressive style. I was struck with admiration when I first read them, and I remember how I marvelled then at the keen insight and wisdom displayed between the lines as well as his beautiful language.

要點：

1，此處的“不但…也”表“既…又”，因此譯為both and

2，“清新雋永”即一般指文章很清雅,耐人尋味，譯為fresh and expressive

3，“使我折服不已”意為I was struck with admiration，其中struck(strike)意為“給(某人以…)印象;讓(某人)覺得” 形象地表現出了“不已”的意思

4，A as well as B,翻譯時先翻后面的內容，即“B與/及A,”或“不但B而且A”

人生不如意事常八九，這是一句老話，老得幾乎令人不想再重復，可是生命的旅程，行行復行行，在漫長的旅途上，的確會遇上一重又一重的挫折。

Things seldom go one’s way. That’s a popular saying too old to warrant re-quoting. But, one will certainly meet with one setback after another on his life’s long journey.

要點：

1，“人生不如意事常八九“即” 很少有事情如人所愿“譯為Things seldom go one’s way.

2，“老得幾乎令人不想再重復“譯為That’s a popular saying too old to warrant re-quoting，其中warrant意為”需要“

每當失意時，人總覺得別人為什么比自己幸運?別人生意興隆、仕途平坦、財源廣進、名成利就;自己為什么如老牛破車，踽踽獨行在暮色四合的郊道上?果真如此嗎?杯中只有一半水，有人喜孜孜說：“好呀! 還有半杯”， 有人愁眉苦臉：“哎呀!只剩下半杯了”，分別就在這里。

When frustrated, one is apt to wonder why the more fortunate can fare so well either in business or officialdom, making a pile or enjoying both fame and wealth, while he himself, like an old ox pulling a rickety cart, has to trudge all by himself on a country road thick with dusk.Is that true? Now take for example a cup half filled with water. Some, in the face of it, may exclaim with delight, “Great, the cup is half full!” Some may grumble gloomily, “Too bad, the cup is half empty!” You see how the two kinds of people differ.

要點：

1，“生意興隆、仕途平坦“= fare so well either in business or officialdom，四字詞堆疊時只譯本意

2，“財源廣進、名成利就“= making a pile or enjoying both fame and wealth,其中making a pile意為”發(fā)財“，也可譯作amass a fortune

3,” 老牛破車”即“老牛拉破車“譯為, like an old ox pulling a rickety cart

4，“好呀! 還有半杯”， “哎呀!只剩下半杯了”譯者采取了相對口語化的譯法，并沒有直譯為we still have a cup,或there is only half a cup left

綜述：

文采斐然的作品必然夾帶著許多的四字詞和多動詞句，我們要不斷加強自己的雙語駕馭能力，才能讓自己的譯文更加不斷進步