張培基英譯散文賞析之《無題》

無題
No Title
夏衍
Xia Yan
| 譯文摘自張培基《英譯中國散文選二》

靜下來想想，我這樣一個出身貧寒，經歷坎坷的人，居然能活到92歲，實在有點奇怪。 過了80歲，經常有人問我，有什麼養生之道。我不僅不懂得養生，而且還有一些不好的習慣。
Often, in my calm moment of contemplation, I find it amazing that a man like me who was born of a poor family and has suffered a lifetime of frustrations should have lived to the age of 92. When I was in my eighties, people often asked me for advice on how to keep in good health. But the fact is, instead of a recipe for healthy living, I have some very bad habits.
要點：
1，“靜下來想想”可以直譯爲when I calm down and think,現譯爲often,in my calm moment of contemplation,用“in one’s contemplation”代替動詞 think,這種以介詞譯動詞的形式值得注意。Often 是增益成分，表示作者的思想活動是經常性的
2，本段出現了2次兩次“養生（之道）“，譯者分別採取了不同的表述，分別譯爲” how to keep in good health“和” a recipe for healthy living“二者都表示養生的方法，這兩種譯法可以推及到翻譯各種有關”方法“的表述~
3，“我不僅不懂得養生…“譯爲But the fact is, instead of a recipe for healthy living…,the fact is 是增益成分，用以加強語氣

綜述：
夏老的文字樸實平易，不落俗套，之前分析過他的《野草》，這篇小品文也是亮點頗多，不僅是翻譯手法還是文章述說的道理，都耐人尋味~

我性急圖快，走路快，下筆快，吃飯更快，簡直是狼吞虎嚥，因此，得了胃病、十二指腸潰瘍。醫生治好了我的病，但沒有治好我的習慣。
I’m impetuous and tend to rush all things. I walk quickly, I write quickly, I eat even more quickly or, so to speak, just wolf down my food. As a result I became ill with duodenitis. The doctor at last cured me of my stomach trouble, but not of my bad habit of eating quickly.
要點：
1，“性急圖快“採用拆分譯法譯爲impetuous and tend to rush all things
2，“簡直是狼吞虎嚥“譯爲or, so to speak, just wolf down my food，其中wolf down 意爲”狼吞虎嚥地吃“，同義詞還有gobble,gorge.
3，so to speak (可以這麼說)意同”簡直是“此外還有nothing less than,no less than 也可表示此意

我偏食。“史無前例”的那十年之前，我不吃瓜，很少吃蔬菜和水果。70年代進了秦城監獄，天天窩窩頭，頓頓蘿蔔白菜，這樣才勉強改造過來，但一旦出獄，依舊我行我素，少吃蘋果如故。
I’m a picky eater. Prior to the outbreak of the 10-year domestic political turmoil in 1966, I refused to eat melon, and seldom took vegetables and fruit. During the seventies, when I was confined in jail in Qincheng, my daily three meals consisted of nothing but corn buns plus turnip and Chinese cabbage. That, however, cured me of my being choosy about food. But, once out of prison, I slipped back to my old self, taking little vegetable and fruit.
要點：
1，“我偏食“是一個主謂結構，譯者將動詞部分譯爲帶er的名詞形式，即 I’m a picky eater.在《古城》中也有類似結構，即“那是一隻灰色的鐵鳥。對這古城，它不是完全陌生的。“譯爲That was a grey iron bird by no means a stranger to ancient city. stranger 很好地體現了原文的修辭手法，兩句合譯也使得譯文緊湊連貫
2，“‘史無前例‘的那十年之前“即”文化大革命“那十年之前”譯爲Prior to the outbreak of the 10-year domestic political turmoil in 1966,（即1966年開始的國內政治動亂之前），譯者採用了意譯法，並沒有按“文化大革命”直接譯，而是對其進行解釋說明，便於國外讀者理解
3，“天天窩窩頭，頓頓蘿蔔白菜”按意思合譯爲my daily three meals consisted of nothing but corn buns plus turnip and Chinese cabbage.(我的三餐只有…)既簡潔又體現了翻譯的靈活性
4，cured me of my being choosy about food即“矯正過來”，注意翻譯時要指明是把什麼矯正過來，另外在選詞方面，choosy的選擇也與前文picky相照應
5，“依舊我行我素”，譯者靈活處理爲I slipped back to my old self（故態復萌），其中slip back into經常用作形容“故態復萌”“或重蹈覆轍”~

綜述：
本段的譯文，充分體現了的文學翻譯在選詞造句上的靈活性

我不喝酒，但從30歲那年開始抽菸，先是偶爾爲之，後來上了癮。在文化部工作那十年，每天兩包（40支），連手指也薰黃了，到晚上脣乾舌燥，也毫無戒意。當然，這中間也有曲折，進秦城之後，被強制戒了，但回家後，第一件事就是向家人要煙。爲了檢驗自己的意志力，主動戒了幾個月，沒有事，又抽上了。有人在報刊上寫文章講吸菸有害，我認爲，這是危言聳聽，有逆反心理。歪道理的理由是，我煙齡幾十年還活到這把年紀。奇怪的是，兩年前的一個早上，點上第一支菸，覺得不是滋味，掐滅了，從此，不戒自戒。在我的吸菸史上畫了一個句號。
I’m a teetotaler, but I began to smoke at the age of 30. At first I did it only occasionally, but later I became addicted to it. During the ten years when I was with the Ministry of Culture, I used to consume two packs a day, containing 40 cigarettes, till my fingers were yellowed and my lips and tongue parched. But I still couldn’t get out of the tobacco habit. Smoking was banned in prison, but as soon as I was released the first thing I did was to ask my folks for a cigarette. Once, by way of testing my willpower, I stopped smoking for several months, but only to end up in a relapse. Some people dwelled on the harmfulness of smoking in articles published in newspaper or magazines. To me, however, they were exaggerating things just to scare people and sort of manifesting a rebellious mentality. I reasoned lamely that decades of heavy smoking hadn’t shortened my life at all. Strange to say, early on a certain morning two years ago, my first cigarette of the day happened to be so sickening that I stubbed it out immediately and from then on smoked no more. That marked the beginning of my clean break with cigarettes.
要點：
1，“我不喝酒”譯爲I’m a teetotaler，其中teetotaler意爲“絕對禁酒者，滴酒不沾的人“，上穩重”我不吃瓜“譯爲I refuse to eat melon.兩個”我不…“句型均未採用I don’t 句式，體現翻譯靈活性
2，“連手指也薰黃了，到晚上脣乾舌燥“注意這兩句要保持主語一致纔好看，因此譯爲till my fingers were yellowed and my lips and tongue parched
3，“又抽上了“譯爲end up in relapse，relapse也是常用來形容故態復萌，復發的詞
4，“這是危言聳聽，有逆反心理“譯爲they were exaggerating things just to scare people and sort of manifesting a rebellious mentality. 其中”有逆反心理“說的是”某些人的言論“
5，“不是滋味“即”覺得厭惡“故譯to be sickening
6, “在我的吸菸史上畫了一個句號”意即“從此我和捲菸徹底斷絕關係“譯爲That marked the beginning of my clean break with cigarettes.

綜述：口語化的表達，注意轉換~

話說回來，一個人的健康，要從生理、心理、適應能力這三方面來決定。我能活到現在，大概是總結了過去幾十年的經驗教訓，卸下了思想包袱，不生氣、不悲觀。我這個人還有一個好處，就是求知慾強，趣味廣泛。上至天下大事，小至草木魚蟲，我都有興趣愛好。我養過鳥，養過狗，現在還養貓；集郵、蒐集書畫我都着過迷；看電視、聽廣播，除新聞之外，主要是看球，特別是足球。意大利甲級聯賽的錄像，我每場必看，只是我好勝心強，中國隊在國際比賽中受挫，我就生氣。
Three things, however, have much to do with one’s health, namely, physiology, psychology and adaptability. That I’ve lived to this age is probably due to my effort to sum up my personal experience of the past decades and draw a lesson from it. I’ve never been weighed down by cares. I never get angry or become pessimistic. Another strong point of mine is that I’m always thirsting for knowledge and have many-sided interests. My interests range over a wide field, from major events at home and abroad to plants and trees, and fish and worms. I used to raise birds and dogs, and now I keep cats. I was once crazy about philately and collecting books and paintings. I watch TV or listen in to the radio, not only for news but mainly for ball games, soccer in particular. I watch each and every Italian Serie A Match without fail. Only, due to my eagerness for national honor, it always makes me mad to see the Chinese Team lose out in international matches.
要點：
1，“活到…歲“譯爲live to the age of
2,” 總結了過去幾十年的經驗教訓”即“總結教訓“和”吸取經驗“，注意詞語搭配的一致性，譯爲sum up my personal experience of the past decades and draw a lesson from it
3，“上至天下大事，小至草木魚蟲，我都有興趣愛好“譯爲My interests range over a wide field, from major events at home and abroad to plants and trees, and fish and worms.一般這種”上至…，下至…”或者“小至…,大至”都可以用range from to來表示
4，“中國隊在國際比賽中受挫，我就生氣。”意即“看到中國隊輸掉比賽，我就生氣”譯爲it always makes me mad to see the Chinese Team lose out in international out即“輸掉”

綜述：
本段繼續句式靈活的原則，注意譯者在描述作者愛好時所用的靈活表達~本段表達興趣的句式有thirsting for ,crazy about,或直接用my interests…

近年來，朋友寫信和來訪總要說“祝你健康長壽”。我說：壽不能太長，有生有死，這是常道，人人長壽，生而不死，試想，孔老夫子、秦始皇、袁世凱、蔣介石都還活着，這將是怎樣一個世界！ 人世間，萬物萬事，都有一定的規律，掌握了這個規律，才能夠改革和創造。我認爲，習慣不屬於意識形態範圍，它有一種“慣性”。所以，古人說：習之難改也甚矣。當然，這是說難改，不是說不能改。只要下了決心，持之以恆，習慣也還是可以改。
In recent years, when friends write or call on me, they have often greeted me by saying, “May you have good health and a long life!” Well, I think life shouldn’t be excessively long. Some come into this world while some depart from it, that’s the way of all flesh. What if everybody should live an undying life? What would become of this world if Confucius, Qinshihuang, Yuan Shikai and Chiang Kai-shek were still alive today! In this human world, things all go by certain rules. Only by grasping these rules can we make reforms and create. I think habits do not come under the category of ideology, but have something to do with inertia. That’s why the ancients say, “Old habits die hard.” Nevertheless, it doesn’t mean that habits are impossible of being broken. With strong resolution and perseverance, we can certainly break ourselves of old habits.
要點：
1，“朋友寫信和來訪總要說…”這是典型的中式口語的表達，譯爲when friends write or call on me, they have often greeted me by saying。“總要說”意即“總要祝賀我，說…”譯爲greet me by 比 譯成said 更加貼切
2，“有生有死“即”有人生，有人死“譯爲Some come into this world while some depart from it
3，“這是常道“即”這是衆生之道“，譯爲that’s the way of all flesh，其中all flesh 意即”所有人類“
4，“人世間，萬物萬事，都有一定的規律“即”萬物都是遵循一定的規律來發展的”譯爲In this human world, things all go by certain rules.
5，“習之難改也甚矣“可譯爲It’s hard to get rid of the old habits.或Old habits are not easily changed.現借用英語中的同義諺語譯爲Old habits die hard.(積習難改)
這也是我們翻譯帶有中國特色的詞彙的方法之一

綜述：本文看似簡單，實則“暗藏玄機”，其中的很多表達都灰常有新意，注意理解和積累