张培基英译散文赏析之《多一只碟子》

多一只碟子

One Saucer More

金圣华

Jin Shenghua

| 译文摘自张培基《英译中国散文选二》

从朋友口中，听到一则轶事。

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

要点：首先增主语“我”，在表示“别人告诉我”时，通常用被动I’ve been told…/I was told…简洁明了，不拖泥带水

电子学教授陈之藩当年自美国来香港中文大学履新，临行之前，与夫人在家中整理行装。陈教授夫妇有一套精美的茶具，收拾装箱时，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.

要点：

1，“履新”即“就任新职”，译为take up his new post

2, “电子学教授陈之藩当年自美国来香港中文大学履新，临行之前，与夫人在家中整理行装。”合译时，将前两个分句看做时间状语，即“在…将要去就任新职前，与夫人在家中整理行装”，译为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.

一般人的反应，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.

谁知陈教授的反应却不然，他莞尔一笑，坦然说道：“真不错，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!”

要点：

1，“一般人的反应，一定是感到十分心疼”即“一般人一定会很心疼”，其中“十分心疼”即“十分心烦”，译为 very upset,或much distressed,全句译为Ordinary people would have got very upset over it，注意虚拟语气的使用~

2，“好端端的“根据上下文可以理解为”完整的”或“原本成套的”

3,” 如何去配”即“如何来找另一只来代替”，用replace, “好端端的成套茶具，打破一只杯，如何去配?”整句可理解为“换一只茶杯，和茶具配套是很麻烦的”

4,,“莞尔一笑”意为“美好地笑“此处译为smile即可

综述：注意以上的合译，虚拟语气~

凡事从好处想，这种能耐，在现实生活中，确能使人受益无穷。

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

要点：

1，“能耐“本意为”本领，能力“现按”态度“理解，译为attitude

2,”使人受益无穷“= be of inestimable benefit to us

陈之藩教授不但是位杰出的科学家，也是位了不起的散文家，他的一些散文集，清新隽永，当年曾使我折服不已。如今回想起来，令我惊叹的，不仅仅是他那优美的文笔，而是字里行间流露出来的睿智与巧思。

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.

要点：

1，此处的“不但…也”表“既…又”，因此译为both and

2，“清新隽永”即一般指文章很清雅,耐人寻味，译为fresh and expressive

3，“使我折服不已”意为I was struck with admiration，其中struck（strike）意为“给（某人以…）印象；让（某人）觉得” 形象地表现出了“不已”的意思

4，A as well as B,翻译时先翻后面的内容，即“B与/及A,”或“不但B而且A”

人生不如意事常八九，这是一句老话，老得几乎令人不想再重复，可是生命的旅程，行行复行行，在漫长的旅途上，的确会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.

要点：

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

2，“老得几乎令人不想再重复“译为That’s a popular saying too old to warrant re-quoting，其中warrant意为”需要“

每当失意时，人总觉得别人为什么比自己幸运？别人生意兴隆、仕途平坦、财源广进、名成利就；自己为什么如老牛破车，踽踽独行在暮色四合的郊道上？果真如此吗？杯中只有一半水，有人喜孜孜说：“好呀！ 还有半杯”， 有人愁眉苦脸：“哎呀！只剩下半杯了”，分别就在这里。

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.

要点：

1，“生意兴隆、仕途平坦“= fare so well either in business or officialdom，四字词堆叠时只译本意

2，“财源广进、名成利就“= making a pile or enjoying both fame and wealth,其中making a pile意为”发财“，也可译作amass a fortune

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

4，“好呀！ 还有半杯”， “哎呀！只剩下半杯了”译者采取了相对口语化的译法，并没有直译为we still have a cup,或there is only half a cup left

综述：

文采斐然的作品必然夹带着许多的四字词和多动词句，我们要不断加强自己的双语驾驭能力，才能让自己的译文更加不断进步