林黛玉,是中國古典名著《紅樓夢》的女主角,金陵十二釵之首,因其孤高傲世的性格和與賈寶玉之間的愛情悲劇而被讀者熟知并喜愛。

母親早亡后,林黛玉被外祖母賈母接到身邊教養(yǎng),父親死后長住賈府。雖然深得疼愛,但無法改變她寄人籬下的現(xiàn)實(shí)。受盡“風(fēng)刀霜劍嚴(yán)相逼”之苦的她,“自矜自重,小心戒備”,語言比刀子還利害。

不了解她的人說她“刻薄、小心眼”,了解她的人說她“大情大性,個人魅力鮮明”。先看個視頻感受一下林妹妹的語言有多厲害。

對這幾個經(jīng)典片段,翻譯家們又是如何呈現(xiàn)的呢?

No.1

黛玉笑道:“都是老太太昨兒一句話,又叫他畫什么園子圖兒,惹得他樂得告假了。”探春笑道:“也別要怪老太太,都是劉姥姥一句話。”林黛玉忙笑道:“可是呢,都是他一句話。他是那一門子的姥姥,直叫他是個‘母蝗蟲’就是了?!闭f著大家都笑起來。

霍譯:'I don't think you should blame Grandmother,' said Tan-?chun.? 'It's what Grannie Liusaid that started it.'
'Grannie Liu, yes, that's right,'? Dai-yu hurriedly corrected herself. 'Whose 'grannie'is she anyway, I'd like to know? 'Old Mother Locust' we ought to call her, not 'GrannieLiu'.'
This set them all laughing.

楊戴:'You can't blame it on the old lady,' countered Tanchun. 'It was Granny Liu whostarted it.'
'That's right,'? rejoined Daiyu promptly. 'It's all owing to her. Whose granny is she anyway? Old Mother Locust would be a better name for her.'
Everybody laughed.

賞析

?

?

?

?

?

?

兩版譯文對“母蝗蟲”的翻譯很一致,都是Old Mother Locust。

不同點(diǎn)在于稱呼的翻譯:霍譯將老太太譯作Grandmother,其實(shí)是讀者友好型的翻譯方式,直接點(diǎn)明親屬關(guān)系,整段對話不會因?yàn)榉Q呼的變化而讓讀者困惑。楊譯的the old lady則需要結(jié)合上下文來理解。

另一個稱呼是劉姥姥的翻譯,霍譯選用了grannie,而楊譯選擇了granny。兩者都可以表示“奶奶,姥姥”,不過grannie多了幾層其他意思,比如“老婆婆,嘮嘮叨叨的人”等,也更偏口語化。從情感色彩上來說,grannie更契合。

?

?

?

?

?

?

No.2

一語未了,忽聽外面人說:“林姑娘來了?!痹挭q未了,林黛玉已搖搖的走了進(jìn)來,一見了寶玉,便笑道:“噯喲,我來的不巧了!"寶玉等忙起身笑讓坐,寶釵因笑道:“這話怎么說?"黛玉笑道:“早知他來,我就不來了?!?/p>

霍譯:Catching sight of Bao-yu she let out a wail of mock dismay.
'Oh dear! I have chosen a bad time to come!'
The others rose and invited her to be seated.
'Why did you say that?' Bao-chai asked her.
'If I had known he was coming, I shouldn't have come myself.'

楊戴:"Ah!" she exclaimed at sight of Baoyu. "I've chosen a bad time to come."
Baoyu rose with a smile to offer her a seat while Baochai asked cheerfully, "What do you mean?"
"If I'd known he was here, I wouldn't have come."

賞析:

這里英大想說兩句自己比較喜歡的翻譯:

一個是霍譯的Catching sight of Bao-yu she let out a wail of mock dismay,這里林黛玉發(fā)現(xiàn)寶玉來看寶釵,第一反應(yīng)是有些拈酸帶醋,霍譯增譯了mock dismay(偽裝的錯愕),點(diǎn)明了她話里的情緒。

另一句是楊譯的Baoyu rose with a smile to offer her a seat while Baochai asked cheerfully,這一句清楚地指出寶玉和寶釵看到黛玉來之后的不同動作,很有畫面感,這三個人之間的互動恰好映襯了他們之間的感情走向。

No.3

寶玉聽了,喜的拍膝畫圈,稱賞不已,又贊寶釵無書不知,林黛玉道:“安靜看戲罷,還沒唱《山門》,你倒《妝瘋》了。

霍譯:'Sh!'said Dai-yu, looking round crossly in Bao-yu's direction. 'Can't you be a bit quieter and attend to the play? This is Zhi-shen at the Monastery Gate we're supposed to be listening to, not Jing-de Acts.

楊戴:"Do be quiet and watch," said Daiyu. "Before we've seen The Drunken Monk you're playing The General Feigns Madness.

賞析

?

?

?

?

霍譯中黛玉的情緒體現(xiàn)比楊譯中要激烈,從“Sh!”和crossly等詞都可以看出。

這一段的翻譯難點(diǎn)在于《山門》和《妝瘋》。如何把原本的文化信息和雙關(guān)體現(xiàn)在譯文中是需要考慮的重點(diǎn),兩個譯文各有優(yōu)點(diǎn)也各有缺陷。

《山門》又叫《魯智深醉鬧山門》或《醉打山門》,是清初邱園所作《虎囊彈》傳奇中的一出,由《水滸傳》改編,說的是魯智深為金翠蓮打死鎮(zhèn)關(guān)西,避難五臺山,剃度為僧,后來破戒醉酒,大鬧寺院山門,下山歸了梁山泊。

《妝瘋》出于昆曲折子戲中的《綴白裘》,是北曲折子戲《詐瘋》。戲曲講述了唐朝大將尉遲敬德因功臣宴上觸犯李道宗遭貶,從而用裝瘋來拒絕領(lǐng)命出征的故事,俗名《裝瘋》。

從上文描述可以知道,霍譯比較大程度地保留了原文的文化信息,魯智深和尉遲敬德的名字都在譯文中體現(xiàn)了。而楊譯則剛好相反,省去了對外國讀者而言不是很重要的人名,強(qiáng)調(diào)了drunken和madness,側(cè)重體現(xiàn)了對寶玉夸贊寶釵的調(diào)侃和醋意。

不知曹雪芹寫紅樓時是否可以料到,林黛玉這人比桃花瘦的姑娘能吸引后世恁大的關(guān)注。“孤標(biāo)傲世偕誰隱,質(zhì)本潔來還潔去,強(qiáng)于污淖陷渠溝”,這樣的林姑娘,你喜歡嗎?

?

?

?