《紅樓夢》各具特色的“笑”如何翻譯
《紅樓夢》是一部古典文學(xué)名著，研讀《紅樓夢》英譯本，不但利于英文讀者了解中國傳統(tǒng)文化，也為中國的英語學(xué)習(xí)者和翻譯愛好者提供了不可多得的學(xué)習(xí)素材。一個小小的“笑”，便大有乾坤。
翻譯“笑”，能有幾種譯法？最為常見的為“l(fā)augh”或“smile”。但一個“笑”，單在中文里就有諸多衍生“大笑”、“偷笑”、“竊笑”、“咯咯笑”、“皮笑肉不笑”等等。英文同樣如此，常見的關(guān)于笑的單詞有：beam, chortle, chuckle, cackle, giggle, grin, laugh, smile, snigger, titter等。
例1、 賈母笑道：“你不認(rèn)得他，他是我們這里有名的一個潑皮破落戶兒，南省俗謂作辣子，你只叫他鳳辣子就是了?！?/p>
譯文：“You don’t know her yet. ” The Lady Dowager chuckled. “She’s the terror of this house. In the south they’d call her Hot Pepper. Just call her Fiery Phoenix.”
解析：chuckle：laugh quietly or inwardly，是有面部動作，低聲，開心地笑。這句是賈母向林黛玉介紹王熙鳳時的語言，當(dāng)時的心情是開心的。賈母形容王熙鳳看似貶低實則確實褒揚，也體現(xiàn)了賈母和王熙鳳之間比較親近的關(guān)系。
例2、寶玉笑道：“你倒比先越發(fā)出息了，倒象我的兒子?！辟Z璉笑道：“好不害臊！人家比你大四五歲呢，就替你作兒子了？”
譯文：“You’ve grown very handsome since I saw you last.”Pao-yu grinned. “You could almost be my son.” “For shame!” Chia Lien chortled. “ Your son? He’s four or five years older than you.”
解析：grin: smile broadly, especially in an unrestrained manner and with the mouth open, 是有面部表情，不發(fā)聲，露齒而笑。chortle：laugh in a breathy, gleeful way，是有面部表情，開懷大笑。原文賈蕓最伶俐乖覺，聽寶玉這樣說，便有心攀附,認(rèn)寶玉為父也無妨。寶玉笑道時，譯者選用“grin”表明寶玉只是開個小玩笑，不甚在意。而賈璉笑時，則選用“chortle”，賈璉何嘗不知道賈蕓的小心思，卻沒有點破，用玩笑的方式回應(yīng)。
例3、 劉姥姥也笑道：“我們莊稼人，不過是現(xiàn)成的本色，眾位別笑?！兵x鴦道：“中間‘三四’綠配紅?！眲⒗牙训溃骸按蠡餆嗣x。”眾人笑道：“這是有的，還說你的本色?！?/p>
譯文：“We country people can only talk about the things we know,” said Granny Liu, laughing herself. “You mustn’t make fun of me.” Yuan-yang continued, “‘Three and four,’ green and red, in the center.” “A big fire burns the hairy caterpillar.” The others chortled, “That’s right. Go on in your own way.”
解析：laugh: make the spontaneous sounds and movements of the face and body that are the instinctive expressions of lively amusement and sometimes also of contempt or derision, 有面部表情，有聲音地大笑。劉姥姥是鄉(xiāng)下人，言行舉止沒有那么多規(guī)矩，此處用“l(fā)augh”十分符合個人身份。而眾人笑道，選用“chortle”，是被劉姥姥惹笑了。
例4、 周瑞家的道：“我的娘，你見了他，怎么倒不會說了，開口就是你侄兒？我說句不怕你惱的話，便是親侄兒，也要說和軟些。那蓉大爺才是他的正緊侄兒呢，他怎么又跑出這么個侄兒來了？”劉姥姥笑道：“我的嫂子，我見了他，心眼兒愛還愛不過來，哪里還說的上話來了？”
譯文：“Gracious me!” exclaimed Mrs. Chou. “What possessed you when you saw her to keep on about ‘your nephew’? At the risk of offending you I must say this: Even if he were a real nephew you should have glossed it over. Master Jung, now, he’s her honest-to-goodness nephew – where would she get a nephew like Pan-erh?”
“My dear sister!” Granny Liu beamed. “I was struck all of a heap at sight of her and didn’t know what I was saying.”
解析：beam:smile radiantly, 有面部表情，卻沒有聲音地笑。此處劉姥姥因之前說了逾矩的話，所以笑聲減弱，但內(nèi)心仍然十分歡喜，所以此處使用“beam”十分恰當(dāng)。
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