從“和尚打傘,無(wú)法無(wú)天”說(shuō)起
[ 2007-04-12 17:00 ]

上世紀(jì)毛澤東同志在和美國(guó)記者埃德加·斯諾的一次談話中說(shuō)“我是和尚打傘,無(wú)法無(wú)天。”據(jù)在場(chǎng)同事回來(lái)說(shuō)譯文很長(zhǎng),雙方似乎都不滿意。“和尚打傘”是歇后語(yǔ),此句重點(diǎn)在“無(wú)法無(wú)天”,譯法很多,如”I’m above the law./The law doesn’t apply to me./I am law-defying./I take the law into my own hands.”我認(rèn)為“I take the law into my own hands.”更貼近原文。
幾年前布什總統(tǒng)訪問(wèn)清華大學(xué),江澤民主席在介紹詞中說(shuō)“一鍬挖不出一口井。”我記得當(dāng)時(shí)的譯文是“You cannot dig a well with one spade.”此譯文做口譯還過(guò)得去,但載入書面文字則不大妥當(dāng)。首先英文中并無(wú)“dig a well”這一說(shuō)法,正確的應(yīng)是“sink a well”;“ 一鍬挖不出”,那么“How many more spades do you need?”。正確的書面譯文應(yīng)是“You cannot sink a well at one digging.”即“一鍬挖下去出不來(lái)一口井”。
毛澤東在《為女民兵提照》中有一句“不愛紅裝愛武裝”,若直譯則必然是形義全失,因此必須找到漢英在表達(dá)同一事物是的共同切入點(diǎn)。比如powder可當(dāng)作“火藥,炸藥”講,也可當(dāng)作“往…上搽粉”講。Face用做動(dòng)詞是“面對(duì),正視”。因此上句可翻譯為“The Chinese woman militia would rather face the powder than their face.”面對(duì)炸藥毫不畏懼不正是愛武裝嗎,而不往臉上涂脂抹粉不正是不愛紅裝嗎?
文件中常有“從溫飽到小康”,“溫飽”只有兩個(gè)音節(jié),但英譯卻有十幾個(gè)音節(jié)“providing enough food and clothes for the people”這是paraphrasing 而不是翻譯。
魯迅名詩(shī)“橫眉冷對(duì)千夫指,俯首甘為孺子牛”的英譯真可稱得上翻譯中的精品,我憑記憶抄錄如下與大家分享。
Fierce-browsed, I defy the ten
Thousand pointing fingers;
Head bowed, I serve the children
Like a willing ox.
(南京師范大學(xué)通訊員朱宇清 英語(yǔ)點(diǎn)津姍姍編輯)
點(diǎn)擊查看更多翻譯經(jīng)驗(yàn)
|