【翻譯筆記】《圍城》英譯選句 - “逢場(chǎng)作戲”
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原文:“方先生人聰明,一切逢場(chǎng)作戲,可是我們這種笨蛋,把你開的玩笑都得認(rèn)真——”唐小姐聽方鴻漸嗓子哽了,心軟下來(lái),可是她這時(shí)候愈是心疼,愈心恨,愈要責(zé)罰他個(gè)痛快——(錢鐘書 - 圍城 )
翻譯關(guān)鍵詞:逢場(chǎng)作戲,哽(咽),愈……愈……
譯文:“You're an intelligent person. You have a little fun now and then, but dunces like us take all your jokes seriously.” When Miss T'ang heard Fang Hung-chien choke back a sob, her heart softened. But at that moment the greater the pity she felt in her heart, the more resentful she became and the more she felt like really attacking him. (美 Jeanne Kelly, Nathan K.Mao <譯> –Fortress Besieged)
翻譯筆記:
逢場(chǎng)作戲
印象最深刻的是在課堂上,每當(dāng)遇到成語(yǔ)或俗語(yǔ)的時(shí)候,老師通常不會(huì)立即翻譯,而是先問(wèn)我們:“這是什么意思?”你還別說(shuō),我們通常被問(wèn)倒一大片。這些個(gè)詞平日里常用,但要確實(shí)的解釋,就突然不知如何開口了。而我們要實(shí)現(xiàn)的譯文也不是一個(gè)字一個(gè)字的譯出來(lái),理解才是最重要的,只有在充分理解原文的基礎(chǔ)上,才能譯出精彩的譯文。所以我們先來(lái)理解“逢場(chǎng)作戲”的中文釋義:原指賣藝人遇到合適的演出場(chǎng)地,就開場(chǎng)表演。后用作隨俗應(yīng)酬,湊熱鬧的意思。于是就有了譯文中的a little fun now and then。成語(yǔ)或四字結(jié)構(gòu)短語(yǔ)的漢譯英其實(shí)也是口筆譯很??嫉膬?nèi)容,遇上此類情況,我們不必拘泥于原文,只要用英文中的形容詞、名詞或一些特殊結(jié)構(gòu)處理即可。再來(lái)看看“逢場(chǎng)作戲”的其他常用譯法:join in the fun on occasion; act according to circumstances(又“隨機(jī)應(yīng)變”); take part in merely accidental amusement等,又如:
他抽煙只是逢場(chǎng)作戲。
He smokes occasionally, and just for fun.
咱們搞這一行的只不過(guò)是逢場(chǎng)作戲嘛。
We of this trade know too well that we are only playing a game.
哽(咽)
“哽”亦有兩層含義,1. 聲氣阻塞:哽咽;哽塞。2. 食物阻塞在喉不能下咽:哽阻;哽噎。這兩種表達(dá)方法均可以用choke來(lái)表達(dá)。如:
他心里一酸,喉嚨哽得說(shuō)不出話來(lái)。
He felt a pang of sadness, and got so choked up he couldn’t speak.
吃飯哽著了? be choked by food
詞組choke sth. back或choke back sth.則指“強(qiáng)忍?。☉嵟⒈瘋龋┎蛔屪约罕憩F(xiàn)出來(lái)”。如:
He choked back tears as he described what had happened.
She choked back a sob.
I choked back my anger.
注意:a sob是“一個(gè)嗚咽的動(dòng)作”或“一聲嗚咽”,a sobbing是“一陣嗚咽”。
愈……愈……
這次我們借原文的“愈是心疼,愈心恨,愈要責(zé)罰他個(gè)痛快”來(lái)說(shuō)說(shuō)the做關(guān)系副詞(“到某個(gè)程度地”)和指示副詞(“到那個(gè)程度地”)的用法。我們先看譯文:the greater the pity she felt in her heart, the more resentful she became and the more she felt like really attacking him。
下面幾點(diǎn)該注意:
(1)?? ?一般說(shuō)來(lái),句子里有了關(guān)系副詞the (greater),必須也有指示副詞the (more)。
(2)通常關(guān)系副詞the在前,指示副詞the在后。偶爾指示副詞the在前,關(guān)系副詞the在后,如:
She sang the worse, the more she practiced.
她練習(xí)得越多,唱得越不好。
(3)關(guān)系副詞the用在從句的開首,不可用在從句的主語(yǔ)的后面,如上面這句話不可說(shuō)成:
She sang the worse, she practiced the more.
在看以下幾個(gè)例句鞏固記憶吧:
The sooner the better.
愈早愈好。
The more learned a man is, the more modest he is (或is he).
一個(gè)人學(xué)問(wèn)越好,越是謙虛。
The more he tried to sleep, the more he could not.
他越想要睡著,越睡不著。
(本文由滬江原創(chuàng),轉(zhuǎn)載請(qǐng)注明出處)
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