快樂的死亡Happy Death

陸文夫Lu Wenfu

| 譯文摘自張培基《英譯中國散文選一》

作家有三種死法。一曰自然的死，二曰痛苦的死，三曰快樂的死。
A writer can die three kinds of death: natural death, painful death, happy death.

要點:
原文中的“曰”是不是有股濃濃的學(xué)術(shù)味道？而同位語常見于學(xué)術(shù)和新聞翻譯中，此處使用同位語，也是充分展現(xiàn)了原文的語言風(fēng)格~

自然的死屬于心臟停止跳動，是一種普遍的死亡形式，沒有特色，可以略而不議?？鞓返乃篮屯纯嗟乃啦粚儆谛呐K停止跳動，是人還活著，作品已經(jīng)、或幾乎是沒有了！
Natural death, caused by the discontinuation of heartbeat, is a common form of death with no characteristics of its own, and therefore may as well be left out without any comment. In the case of happy death and painful death, which are not caused by the discontinuation of heartbeat, the writer, alive as he is, has stopped or almost stopped writing!

要點：
1，“自然的死屬于心臟停止跳動“看到”屬于“，我們心里的belong to就蠢蠢欲動啦~但是譯者用了caused by，更加靈活，值得我們借鑒
2，“略去不譯“= be left out without any comment
3，”快樂的死和痛苦的死不屬于心臟停止跳動，是人還活著，作品已經(jīng)、或幾乎是沒有了！“譯為In the case of happy death and painful death, which are not caused by the discontinuation of heartbeat, the writer, alive as he is, has stopped or almost stopped writing!這句話在翻譯時我們必須要清楚作者要強調(diào)是的后半句“人還活著，作品已經(jīng)、或幾乎是沒有了”，所以將前半句話“快樂的死和痛苦的死不屬于心臟停止跳動”降級為介詞短語
4，“是人還活著，作品已經(jīng)、或幾乎是沒有了”第一分句的主語是“人”，第二分句的主語是“作品”，可以考慮轉(zhuǎn)換說法，“沒有作品“即”停止寫作“譯為stop writing

綜述：轉(zhuǎn)換說法在本文中很常見，尤其是分句主語不一致時~

作家沒有了作品，可以看作是個人藝術(shù)生命的死亡、職業(yè)的停頓。其中有些人是因為年事已高，力不從心。這不是藝術(shù)的死亡，而是藝術(shù)的離休，他自己無可自責(zé)，社會也會尊重他在藝術(shù)上曾經(jīng)作出的貢獻。
When a writer no longer produces any works, it is tantamount to the death of his artistic life or the end of his career. Some writers lay down their pens because they are too old to be equal to the task. We call it retirement from art rather than death of art. They have nothing to blame themselves for. And society at large will pay tribute to the contributions they have already made to art.

要點：
1，“看作是“譯為tantamount to ，童鞋們也可以頭腦風(fēng)暴一下，看看自己能想出多少表述哦~
2，“其中有些人是因為年事已高，力不從心“意即”太老而不能勝任工作“譯為too old to be equal to the task，equal+sth 可以表”勝任“，這個用法很常見。此外，”力不從心“已經(jīng)是第二次見了，上一次是在《時間即生命》中，譯為fail to do what I had wished
3，pay tribute to=表示敬意，稱贊，致敬，在講話中經(jīng)常見到，如：On Veterans Day, we pay tribute to our veterans, to the fallen, and to their families.
值此退伍軍人日，我們向我國退伍軍人、捐軀將士和他們的家人致敬。

綜述：掌握tantamount to，pay tribute to的意思及用法~

痛苦的死亡卻不然，即當(dāng)一個作家的體力和腦力還能勝任創(chuàng)作的時候，作品已經(jīng)沒有了，其原因主要是由于各種苦難和折磨（包括自我折磨）所造成。折磨毀了他的才華，苦難消沉了意志，作為人來說他還活著，作為作家來說卻正在或已死去。這種死亡他自己感到很痛苦，別人看了心里也很難受。
Painful death is quiet another matter. It occurs when a writer abandons writing even though he is still sound in mind and body. It results mainly from various kinds of sufferings and torments (including self-inflicted torments). Torments ruin his talent while sufferings demoralize him. Though still alive as a man, he is dying or already dead as a writer. This kind of death causes not only much pain to the writer himself, but much sadness to other people as well.

要點：
1，“不然”意即“是另外一回事”譯為“be another matter”
2，“體力和腦力”譯為in mind and body,也可譯為mentally and physically~這個表達我們也很常見咯~
3，” 作品已經(jīng)沒有了”=abandon writing,和之前stop writing,一樣屬于轉(zhuǎn)換說法
4，“這種死亡他自己感到很痛苦，別人看了心里也很難受?！耙饧础边@種死亡，不僅使他痛苦，也使別人感到傷感“，故譯為This kind of death causes not only much pain to the writer himself, but much sadness to other people as well.

綜述：注意第四點所體現(xiàn)的思想，轉(zhuǎn)換說法，譯為一句話~

快樂的死亡卻很快樂，不僅他自己感到快樂，別人看來也很快樂。昨天看見他大會上做報告，下面掌聲如雷；今天又看見他參加宴會，為這為那地頻頻舉杯。昨天聽見他在高朋中大發(fā)議論，語驚四座，今天又聽見他在那些開不完的座談會上重復(fù)昨天的意見。昨天看見他在北京的街頭，今天又看見他飛到了廣州……只是看不到或很少看到他的作品發(fā)表哪里。
Happy death is a joyful thing, bring happiness to both the writer himself and other people. Yesterday we saw him addressing a big meeting amidst thunderous applause, and today we saw him attending a banquet, drinking nonstop to this and that. Yesterday we heard him talking volubly to a gathering of distinguished guests, capturing the attention of all present, and today we heard him repeating himself at one of those endless forums. Yesterday we met him on a Beijing street, and today we saw him flying to Guangzhou… But never or every seldom do we find his new works seeing the light of today.

要點：
1，“快樂的死亡卻很快樂，.”譯為Happy death is a joyful thing,.顯然” 快樂的死亡卻很快樂“譯為happy death is happy是有問題的(這樣譯，跟沒說一樣~)，因此需要轉(zhuǎn)換說法，譯為”快樂的死亡是一件快樂的事“
2，“不僅他自己感到快樂，別人看來也很快樂“譯為bring happiness to both the writer himself and other people.譯者認為兩句有相同結(jié)構(gòu)”感到快樂“，因此用both and串句，手法同“這種死亡…”一句~
3,“昨天看見他大會上做報告…”譯為Yesterday we saw him…增譯主語~
4, “為這為那地頻頻舉杯”譯為drinking nonstop to this and that，也可譯為proposing repeated toasts to this and that.其中nonstop意為again and again,不過其語氣略帶諷刺~
5，“只是看不到或很少看到他的作品發(fā)表哪里”譯為But never or every seldom do we find his new works seeing the light of today.首先注意時間狀語位于句首句子的倒裝，其次see the light本意為“見光”此處引申為“發(fā)表”,相較于較publish更符合原文調(diào)侃的筆調(diào)~

綜述：本段很繞，需要耐下心來，把不統(tǒng)一的句式變?yōu)榻y(tǒng)一，

我不害怕自然的死，因為害怕也沒用，人人不可避免。我也不太害怕痛苦的死，因為那時代已經(jīng)過去。我最害怕的就是那快樂的死，毫無痛苦，十分熱鬧，甚至還有點轟轟烈烈。自己很難控制，即很難控制在一定的范圍之內(nèi)。
I do not fear natural death for nobody can avoid it, hence no use fearing. Nor do I fear painful death for it is something belonging to a bygone age. What I fear most is happy death, which is absolutely painless and full of bustle, excitement and even dramatic spectacle. It is difficult to exercise self-control, that is, difficult to keep within limits.

要點：
1，“我不害怕自然的死，因為害怕也沒用，人人不可避免”譯為I do not fear natural death for nobody can avoid it, hence no use fearing.譯者巧妙地處理了后兩句的原因，將因果關(guān)系重新調(diào)整，增譯hence，使得行文更加連貫
2，“因為那時代已經(jīng)過去”意即“那已經(jīng)是過去的事情”，故譯為for it is something belonging to a bygone age.其中bygone age指的是建國后的一段極左時期，包括文革時期
3，“轟轟烈烈”形容氣勢浩大而壯烈，譯為dramatic spectacle
4，“即”通常用mean,namely，that is表示~

綜述：注意第一句中因果關(guān)系的重新調(diào)整~

因為我覺得喝酒不一定完全是壞事，少喝一點可以舒筋活血，據(jù)說對心血管也是有幫助的。作家不能當(dāng)隱士，適當(dāng)?shù)纳鐣顒雍臀膶W(xué)活動可以開闊眼界，活躍思想，對創(chuàng)作也是有幫助的?？墒窃趺床拍懿恍锞啤⒉蛔骶乒?，這有益的定量究竟是多少呢？怕就怕三杯下肚，豪情大發(fā)，嘟嘟嘟，來個瓶底朝天，而且一頓喝不上便情緒不高，頗有怨言，甚至?xí)教幦フ揖坪?。嗚呼，快樂地死去?/strong>
Drinking is, to my mind, not always bad because a few spots may help blood circulation and is, as they say, good for the heart and blood vessels. Being no hermit, a writer stands to benefit in writing as long as he gets properly involved with social and literary activities to widen his field of vision and stimulate his thinking. But how can he avoid excessive drinking or becoming of drunkard? What is the safety limit in this respect? The trouble is after three cups of alcohol he will get wild and unrestrained and end in gulping down a whole bottle. One meal without liquor will upset him and set him complaining and searching around for drink. Alas, just to end up dying happily!

要點：

1，a few spots本意為“幾滴”，此處代指“小酌幾杯”，此外take a sip也可表示此含義~
2，“作家不能當(dāng)隱士，適當(dāng)?shù)纳鐣顒雍臀膶W(xué)活動可以開闊眼界，活躍思想，對創(chuàng)作也是有幫助的?！北揪涞谝环志渲髡Z為“作家“，第二句主語為”活動“，“作家”與“活動”的關(guān)系是”’作家‘參加’活動‘“，因此原句在翻譯時可以轉(zhuǎn)換為”作家可以持續(xù)在寫作上受益，只要他適當(dāng)參加活動去開拓他的眼界，活躍他的思維“，故譯為Being no hermit（第一分句譯為非謂語）, a writer stands to benefit in writing as long as he gets properly involved with social and literary activities to widen his field of vision and stimulate his thinking.合譯最主要的就是找關(guān)系，這句關(guān)系并不好找~
3，“對創(chuàng)作也是有幫助的”譯為stands to benefit in writing，其中stands作“出于某種狀態(tài)”解~,
4，“可是怎么才能不酗酒、不作酒鬼，這有益的定量究竟是多少呢？”注意這句話其實兩個問句哦，第一個是“如何不酗酒”，第二個是“定量是多少”，故拆譯為But how can he avoid excessive drinking or becoming of drunkard? What is the safety limit in this respect?
5，“怕就怕”是比較口語的說法，翻譯時譯為“The trouble is…”
6, “豪情大發(fā)”= get wild and unrestrained；此處擬聲詞”嘟嘟嘟”譯出來會顯得啰嗦，因此略去不譯，“瓶底朝天“= gulping down a whole bottle（囫圇喝下整瓶）

綜述：注意口語化說法的翻譯，以及本段第二句的翻譯~

聲明：本雙語文章的中文評析系滬江英語原創(chuàng)內(nèi)容，轉(zhuǎn)載請注明出處。中文評析僅代表作者個人觀點，僅供參考。如有不妥之處，歡迎指正。