|
?張明權(quán) |
本期點評專家:張明權(quán)
參考譯文:
Outbreak of city diseases pummels China
In such megapolises as Beijing, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Shenzhen in China, dwellers have been suffering from nagging issues of traffic jam, environmental pollution, kindergarten shortage, and insufficient medical services.
All these problems vie for a simple name called "city diseases", which embrace all social problems resulting from people pouring into large cities.
In the most prosperous and resourceful cities in China above mentioned, residents seem to be reduced to a life of lesser comfort. As their life quality is emaciated by urban diseases, some even infer that China has stepped into an epidemic period.
為了吸引眼球,新聞標(biāo)題中宜用隱喻,從認(rèn)知語言學(xué)的角度講,隱喻是人類的一種認(rèn)知方式,隱喻有“死的隱喻”和“活的隱喻”,那些語言使用者習(xí)以為常的死的隱喻并不能吸引讀者,只有創(chuàng)新的活的隱喻才能吸引讀者的眼球。在本譯題的標(biāo)題翻譯中,把“爆發(fā)”翻譯成outbreak或explosion使用了隱喻,但這些隱喻已不能給讀者“陌生感”,因此筆者綜合考慮,把標(biāo)題翻譯成了Outbreak of city diseases pummels China,pummel一詞的使用強調(diào)城市病的持續(xù)發(fā)酵?!俺鞘胁 北旧硪彩且粋€比喻,所以在結(jié)尾處,筆者用epidemic period來翻譯“爆發(fā)期”,對于同一個詞語的翻譯,標(biāo)題和內(nèi)文的處理不一樣也屬正常。本譯題中可以使用形象隱喻來翻譯的詞語還有“困擾”等,有網(wǎng)友選擇pester, nag等詞來對譯也較形象??紤]到對疾病隱喻的連續(xù)使用,筆者在翻譯時保留了suffer from這個短語的使用。
“入托難,就醫(yī)難”中的“難”字在翻譯時要注意避免重復(fù),重復(fù)不是不可以,主要是這里的四個問題,僅有兩個“難”字,尚不能構(gòu)成排比,也無法全部合并處理,所以筆者分別對待,翻譯成了kindergarten shortage, and insufficient medical services。有的網(wǎng)友翻譯的比較繁瑣,比如difficulties for children to go to nurseries, and difficulties for receiving medical treatment,這也觸及到了中國式英語的問題,在點評的末尾,會專門討論這個問題。
“不盡如人意的表現(xiàn)”是指上文提到的困擾城市居民的問題,這里漢語采取了避免重復(fù)的手段,但在漢譯英時,考慮到跨越了段落,按英語銜接的要求,使用problems來翻譯銜接會更加緊密?!安槐M如人意的表現(xiàn)”就是不好的表現(xiàn),直譯成英語可以是ill performance, under-performance,但給人的感覺總是和上文銜接不上。
第三段中的“原本”二字極易造成誤解,這些大城市原本是、現(xiàn)在依然是中國經(jīng)濟最發(fā)達(dá)、資源最集中的地方,那為什么要用“原本”呢?原來漢語這樣說是為了表示轉(zhuǎn)折,因此把“原本”翻譯成originally就錯了,正確的翻譯時舍棄這個詞,或者用讓步狀語從句來翻譯,為了避免繁復(fù),筆者選擇了介詞短語in the most prosperous and resourceful cities in China mentioned above。
參考譯文:
British press told of royal family's concern over another Diana tragedy
The world media is currently spotlighting on Prince William's engagement to girlfriend Kate Middleton. Inside dope reveals that since their engagement Kate has been worried that while she can not feel up to being a princess, Prince William might rekindle a flame for his ex, Jessica Craig, only to repeat the mistake of his father Charles. Members from BRF have expressing concern over Kate's potential depression—in the same way Princess Diana acted and wound up her marriage. On account of this, the royalty has entrusted a psychologist with counseling Kate.
“悲劇重演”是another Diana tragedy,不是another Diana's tragedy,差別在于前者表示戴安娜式的悲劇,后者容易誤解為戴安娜的悲劇,當(dāng)然這里主要反映了現(xiàn)代英語多用名詞定語的趨勢,另外具體問題具體分析,遵循習(xí)慣同樣重要。
“全球媒體關(guān)注的焦點”這里翻譯的時候,網(wǎng)友多用名詞,比如the focus of the world medias, the spotlight of global medias等,實際上用動詞可能更好的強調(diào)全球媒體爭相報道這一消息的情況。
“內(nèi)幕人士”可以是insider或informant,也可以用inside dope(內(nèi)幕消息)代指。 “無法勝任王妃這一重大職責(zé)”這句有網(wǎng)友翻譯時使用了feel up to這一非正式用語,很好的活躍了翻譯風(fēng)格,不過這里to是介詞,后接動名詞而不是不定式。
因為涉及王室的事情,“重蹈覆轍”這樣的話在翻譯時最好說得婉轉(zhuǎn)一點,因為英國人說話相對比較委婉,比如網(wǎng)友erinpark翻譯成William would eventually follow his father Prince Charles'(s) footstep and take a mistress,內(nèi)容交代的更清楚了,但估計會招致一部分英國讀者的反感。
“心理疏導(dǎo)”算專業(yè)術(shù)語了,通常翻譯成psychological counseling. 這里也可以變通處理,還是網(wǎng)友erinpark的翻譯,counseling for Kate to help her ease into her upcoming royal life,這里的解釋性翻譯很好。
譯題三:“給力”上臺面各方力挺 網(wǎng)絡(luò)語言能否“轉(zhuǎn)正”?
參考譯文:
"Geili" certified by mainstream, shall cyber language be used "regularly"?
Both newbies and net potatoes in China are intoxicated by adoption of the cyber word "geili (pinyin of two Chinese characters in which gei means "to give" and li "support", "power" or "force", translated by China's internet users into English as "gelivable")" in the news that makes headlines of People's Daily. It is celebrated in the cyber world as a biggie that symbolizes the approval of cyber language by print press. Some netizens wonder if the "given force" from newspapers will bring more cyber words into "formal" use.
It is jested that "ungelivable" has become by far the fastest spread English word. "Geili", which originally means "very good" or "wonderful", is likely derived from Cantonese or Minnan Dialect in China. Now the word is used to say "cool", "inspiring" or "forceful".
“給力”這個漢語詞匯已經(jīng)被網(wǎng)友“翻譯”成了gelivable,但標(biāo)題的翻譯中最好使用拼音,因為這里講的主要是中國主流媒體對“給力”一詞的接受,盡管后面也提到了它的英譯問題,標(biāo)題中只給出拼音,而補注可以留待下文處理,對于借入英語的漢語詞匯,除非已經(jīng)得到正式認(rèn)可的以外,附加解釋是必要的,通常的方式是給出漢語拼音、單個漢字的意思以及詞語的整體意思?!癎elivable”在英語中,還不能算一個嚴(yán)格意義上的漢語借詞,因為這種混雜了兩種語言成分的構(gòu)詞要真正得到英語母語使用者的接受,還是需要時間的。另外“轉(zhuǎn)正”一詞筆者在標(biāo)題和文內(nèi)分別翻譯成be used “regularly”和bring cyber words into "formal" usage,一方面翻譯要靈活把握,另一方面就是避免重復(fù)。
“‘給力’一詞登上《人民日報》頭版頭條”這里不能直接翻譯成the word "geili" makes the headlines of The People's Daily,因為這里說的不是“給力”成為頭版頭條新聞的內(nèi)容,而是這個詞碰巧用在了頭版頭條的新聞中,翻譯時一定要交代清楚這一點。
“無論是剛剛走入網(wǎng)絡(luò)江湖的菜鳥,還是已經(jīng)在網(wǎng)絡(luò)上混跡多年的網(wǎng)蟲”可以采取省譯的方式,因為英語newbies and net potatoes這樣的詞語形象豐富,本身已經(jīng)包含足夠多的信息,我們看一個直接譯出的例子:No matter the newbie who just enters the internet world or the net potato who muddle there for many years,給人的感覺太羅嗦。
“夠勁”的意思比較難譯,從目前的使用來看,大致相當(dāng)于英語的cool或high,在雅虎問答中,網(wǎng)友的回答使用了cool這個詞。
最后談一談“中國英語”問題,實際上我們平時提到的“中國英語”包含多種含義,但主要區(qū)別為“中國英語”和“中國式英語”,前者一般是被英語語言接受的一種變體,而后者則往往是需要糾正的語言錯誤,而ungelivable這個詞,雖然在中國的網(wǎng)絡(luò)流行開來,但由于采用英漢夾雜的構(gòu)詞方式,要進入英語主流媒體尚待時日。在urbandictionary網(wǎng)站,有幾個實際應(yīng)用的例子,例如:WTF? Chinese soccer team lost again? against Japan? 0:8? That's too ungelivable!!!
借此機會,筆者想指出一些受漢語影響的翻譯錯誤(均選自第3篇譯文),比如:inquired that the newspaper's forcefulness to surge the use of web terms officially,從句中缺少謂語動詞,surge做及物動詞使用;netters who are living on the net many years,誰人可以真的生活在網(wǎng)上呢?a question that whether "gelivable" in the newspaper can become an engine to make internet slang regular,復(fù)用that和whether做引導(dǎo)詞;might has its origin,筆誤?exceptional excited about the word "gelivable",詞性錯誤。點評欄目開辦快有一年時間了,各位網(wǎng)友積極參與,筆者孜孜以求給出正確的譯文和到位的評價,但此前對錯誤的指正往往不夠,此次指出這些錯誤的目的是想說一個道理,翻譯實踐中對錯誤的容忍度是很低的,不要說出版社編輯的火眼金睛,就連翻譯公司對自由譯者的要求也很苛刻,一份稿件要做好,首先不能犯低級錯誤,中國英語正是這些不高不低的錯誤的根源之一,希望各位有錯誤的譯者下次翻譯時引以為戒。
本文僅代表作者本人觀點,與本網(wǎng)立場無關(guān)。歡迎大家討論學(xué)術(shù)問題,尊重他人,禁止人身攻擊和發(fā)布一切違反國家現(xiàn)行法律法規(guī)的內(nèi)容。
更多文章
專家簡介:
張明權(quán),安徽省固鎮(zhèn)縣人,江蘇大學(xué)外國語學(xué)院副教授,英語語言文學(xué)碩士,上外博士課程班進修。主要從事英語語言學(xué)和翻譯學(xué)研究,在國內(nèi)外學(xué)術(shù)期刊發(fā)表論文10余篇,出版譯著兩部,發(fā)表其他文章20余篇,有大量翻譯實踐經(jīng)驗,翻譯總字?jǐn)?shù)接近200萬。Email: mqzhang@ujs.edu.cn。
(作者:張明權(quán) 中國日報網(wǎng)英語點津 編輯:Julie)