叶圣陶我坐了木船英译赏析

时间：2022-08-31 03:28:47 英语笔译我要投稿

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叶圣陶我坐了木船英译赏析

　　抱着书生之见，我决定坐木船。木船比不上轮船，更比不上飞机，千真万确。可是绝对不用找关系，也无所谓黑票。下面是小编分享的散文《我坐了木船》赏析，欢迎阅读!

　　我坐了木船

　　I Took a Wooden Boat

　　叶圣陶

　　Ye Shengtao

　　从重庆到汉口，我坐了木船。

　　木船危险，当然知道。一路上数不清的滩，礁石随处都是，要出事，随时可以出。还有盗匪——实在是最可怜的同胞，他们种地没得吃，有力气没处出卖，当了兵经常饿肚皮，无可奈何只好出此下策。——假如遇见了，把铺盖或者身上衣服带下去，也是异常难处的事儿。

　　I took a wooden boat from Chongqing to Hankou.

　　Of course I know it is risky to travel by wooden boat. With countless shoals and reefs to negotiate, accidents may happen any time. To complicate matters, there are bandits lurking around-those pitiful fellow countrymen who, unable to ward off starvation by farming or soldiering or whatnot, have been reduced to the disreputable business as a last resort. I'll be in a real fix if they should rob me of, say, my bedding or clothes.

　　要点：

　　1，“一路上数不清的滩，礁石随处都是，要出事，随时可以出。”此句乍看没有主语，隐藏主语为“意外事件”，因此译为With countless shoals and reefs to negotiate, accidents may happen any time. with句交代背景~

　　2，“种地没得吃，有力气没处出卖，当了兵经常饿肚皮”是指这些人不管干什么都免不了挨饿，译为unable to ward off(避开，防止) starvation by farming or soldiering or whatnot(等等)

　　3，“无可奈何只好出此下策”译为have been reduced to the disreputable business as a last resort.其中，disreputable business(不体面的行为)指“下策”，reduced to意为“被逼从事…”(之前我们在《背影》中也见到过be in reduced circumstances这个表述，意为“光景惨淡”),as a last resort 意为“作为最后一招”。

　　4，be in a real fix 意为“陷入困境”或“尴尬”~多读大师的翻译我们可以发现，高境界的译文很大程度上是靠这些不常见的小词撑起来的~

　　但是，回转来想，从前没有轮船，没有飞机，历来走川江的人都坐木船。就是如今，上上下下的还有许多人在那里坐木船，如果统计起来，人数该比坐轮船坐飞机的多。

　　Now, on reflection, I realize that in the days before steamers and aircraft came into use, people used to travel by wooden boat up and down the Sichuan section of the Yangtze River. Even today, many continue to do so, and statistic will invariably show a higher percentage of people travelling by wooden boat than by steamer or aircraft.

　　要点：

　　1，“回转来想”译为on reflection(反思，回想)

　　2,看到up and down许多童鞋会下意识地反应为“上上下下”，其实它也有“来来往往”之意

　　3，“在那里坐木船”译为中的“那里”一定要讲明是川江，即the Sichuan section(地区地段) of the Yangtze River，之前《背影》中的“那年冬天”也译为“In the winter of more than two years ago”，随时都要有身为一个译者的自觉~

　　4，statistic will invariably show=“据统计”，新说法~换掉你的according!

　　5,“(数量)比…多”=“(比率)比…高”，译为a higher percentage (of)…than…，又是一个新表述，如According to the table above , compared with volleyball, basketball has a higher percentage.

　　(与排球相比，篮球的比例更大)

　　人家可以坐，我就不能坐吗?我又不比人家高贵。至于危险，不考虑也罢。轮船飞机就不危险吗?安步当车似乎最稳妥了，可是人家屋檐边也可以掉下一张瓦片来。要绝对避免危险就莫要做人。

　　Why shouldn't I do the same? Why should I think it beneath myself to travel by wooden boat? As for safety, is it less dangerous to travel by steamer or aircraft? Going on foot seems to be the best choice, but a tile falling off the eaves of somebody's house might prove equally disastrous to foot passengers. Enjoying absolute safety is humanly impossible.

　　1，“人家可以坐，我就不能坐吗?”是一个反问句，根据意思译为Why shouldn't I do the same?

　　2，“轮船飞机就不危险吗?”是另一个反问句，译为is it less dangerous to travel by steamer or aircraft?它的意思等同于Isn’ it dangerous to travel by streamer or aircraft?

　　3，“要绝对避免危险就莫要做人”译为Enjoying absolute safety is humanly impossible. humanly意为“从做人的角度看”，我等平民一定会将这句话当做一个条件句来处理，然而译者转换说法，让这句话译得很妙，婶婶地感受到了自己和大师的差距~

　　要坐轮船坐飞机，自然也有办法。只要往各方去请托，找关系，或者干脆买张黑票。先说黑票，且不谈付出超过定额的钱，力有不及，心有不甘，单单一个“黑”字，就叫你不愿领教。

　　It stands to reason that I can go by steamer or aircraft if I care to. I can simply go around fishing for help or personal connections, or just buy a "black" ticket. But I'll have to pay more than the regular price for a "black" ticket, which I can ill afford and which I disdain to do. And the very word "black" generates in me a feeling of repulsion.

　　要点：

　　1，“自然也有办法”译为it stands to reason that…(自然)

　　2，“请托，找关系”译为fish for help or personal connection,本文关于“请托”的表述很多，童鞋们注意积累

　　3，“且不谈付出超过定额的钱，力有不及，心有不甘。”根据意思翻为But I'll have to pay more than the regular price for a "black" ticket, which I can ill afford and which I disdain to do.意为“我不得不付超过定额的钱，这些钱我付不起也不愿意付”。这种将三个分句融进一个句子的手法值得学习。

　　4，Can ill afford 意为“难以提供”，如：I can ill afford it.

　　这我办不到。(又是一个can’t 的进阶版~

　　5，四字短语，一般是根据意思翻译的，文中“心有不甘”意即“不屑一顾”，译为disdain to do。Disdain意为“蔑视，(￣_,￣ )不屑”常和for搭配，如：I have nothing but disdain for such a person.

　　对这种人我只是蔑视。

　　6，“the very word "black" generates in me a feeling of repulsion”中generate in sb a feeling of有木有很熟悉，之前在《艰难的国运与雄健的国民》中这个表述也有出境哦~

　　7，very word 中的very 无实际意义，这哥们儿就是来加强加强语气的，有时可以译为“正是，恰恰”，如：Soft, is the very word for her eye.(柔媚正是描写她眼神的字眼。)

　　“黑”字表示作弊，表示越出常轨。你买黑票，无异同作弊，赞助越出常轨。一个人既不能独立转移风气，也该在消极方面有所自守，邦同作弊，赞助越出常轨的事儿，总可以免了吧，——这自然是书生之见，不免通达的人一笑。

　　"Black" signified fraud or illegal practice. Buying a "black" ticket is as good as getting involved in a fraud or an illegal practice. If it is beyond one's capacity to single-handedly stem the prevailing social evils, one should at least be self-disciplined so as not to make matters worse. All this is undoubtedly the pedantic view of bookish person—a view which must sound ridiculous to all sensible gentlemen.

　　要点：

　　1， signify=表明，说明;预示，表达~他的小伙伴还有： mean indicate show imply suggest denote(表示，偏重字面上) connote(意味着，暗示，偏重隐含义)

　　2， “无异同”=“无异于”译为as good as

　　3， “不能够做某事”=beyond one’s capacity to do, 此外还有“be in no position to do”等表述也可以表示“不能”，不要给我说can’t不要跟我说can’t~(还记得之前有个类似的can ill afford吗,把它叫出来我们谈谈 (～ o ～)~

　　4， single-handedly意为“单独地，单枪匹马地”

　　5， “风气”这个词在翻译时也很常见，可以根据语境译为ethos，fashion, climate等词，此处译者将其译为social evils,(社会弊病)

　　6， “书生之见”译为the pedantic view of bookish person，其中pedantic=impractical,作“不现实的”解

　　7， “通达”即“明事理的”，译作sensible

　　再说请托找关系，听人家说他们的经验，简直与谋差使一样的麻烦。在传达室恭候，在会客室恭候，幸而见了那要见的人，他听说你要设法买船票，或是飞机票，爱理不理的答复你说，“困难呢……下个星期再来打听吧……”于是你觉得好像有一线希望，又好像毫无把握，只得挨到下星期再去。

　　Some people have told me from their own experience that soliciting help or speaking personal connections is something as difficult as hunting for a job. You may be kept cooling your heels in a janitor's office or a reception room before an interview is granted. Hearing that you are trying to get a steamer or air ticket, the much sought-after interview may reply in a cold and indifferent manner, "Ah, that's difficult...Come see me next week..." Thereupon you seem to see a ray of hope, and you may also feel totally uncertain of success. All you can do is wait until then.

　　要点：

　　1，注意“请托关系”又粗现啦，这次译者用了soliciting help or speaking personal connections，其中solicit意为“征求，索求，请求…给与”如：We solicit a continuance of your confidence and support.

　　我们寻求你的持续信任和支持

　　2，“在传达室恭候，在会客室恭候”译为You may be kept cooling your heels in a janitor's office or a reception room before an interview is granted.其中cool your heels意为“长等，空等”。

　　3, sought-after意为“吃香的，紧俏的，广受欢迎的”如：There is no doubt that the Ford Mustang is one of the most highly sought after vehicles in automotive history.

　　毫无疑问，福特野马是其中最高度追捧的车辆在汽车的历史。

　　4，“爱理不理的”译为in a cold and different manner

　　跑了不知多少趟，总算有眉目了，又得往这一处签字，那一处盖章，看种种的脸色，候种种的传唤，为的是得一份充分的证据，可以去换张票子。

　　After making you don't know how many visits, there eventually appear signs of positive outcome. Then you have to go here and there to get a signature or a seal, meet with all sorts of cold reception and wait for all sorts of summonses—all for the purpose of obtaining a useful certificate to buy a ticket with.

　　要点：

　　1，“跑了不知多少趟，总算有眉目了”译为After making you don't know how many visits, there eventually appear signs of positive outcome.

　　注意其中的you don’t know how是插入语，修饰many。

　　2，“眉目”即“积极的结果”=sign of positive outcome

　　2,“这一处签字，那一处盖章”=“跑东跑西地到处签字盖章”，译为go here and there to get a signature or a seal~

　　3，“为的是”译为all for the purpose of，其中for the purpose of意为“为了”，同义的还有with a view to, with the purpose of,关于目的的表述在翻译中十分常见，童鞋们要注意积累不同表述，避免翻译时千篇一律。

　　票子到手，身分可以改变了，什么机关的部属，什么长的秘书，什么人的本人或是父亲，或者姓名仍旧，或者必须改名换姓，总之要与你自己暂时脱离关系。

　　Once with a ticket in hand, your status automatically changes. You can now call yourself the employee of certain government office or certain official's secretary. You can call yourself so-and-so or so-and-so's father. You can either keep your original name or have it changed. In short, you must temporarily break off relations with your old self.

　　要点：

　　1， so-and-so=(指叫不上名字的人、物，或泛指)某某人(或事物)

　　2， “或者姓名仍旧，或者必须改名换姓”，这两个分句中“姓名”是共同的部分，可以以此来将两个分句串成一个句子，译为You can either keep your original name or have it changed.

　　3， Break off多指断绝关系

　　4， old self意为“旧我”，很文艺的说法~

　　最有味的是冒充什么部的士兵，非但改名换姓，还得穿上灰布棉军服，腰间束条皮带。

　　The funniest thing is when you try to pass for a soldier of a certain army unit, you must not only have your name changed, but also wear a grey-cloth cotton-padded army uniform with a leather belt around your waist.

　　要点：

　　1，“最有味的是冒充什么部的士兵”译为The funniest thing is when you try to pass for a soldier of a certain army unit，其中to pass for作“冒充”的意思，如：The copy he made of the painting can pass for an authentic one.

　　他临摹的画足以乱真。

　　2，“穿上灰布棉军服，腰间束条皮带”译作wear a grey-cloth cotton-padded army uniform with a leather belt around your waist.多动词时，将主要动词译为谓语，非主要动词译为从句，非谓语，介词结构~说三遍啊说三遍

　　我听了这些，就死了请托找关系的念头。即使饿得要死，也不定要去奉承颜色谋差使，为了一张票子去求教人家，不说我自己犯不着，人家也太费心。

　　All that kills my idea of soliciting help or seeking personal connections. I disdain to go humbly begging for a job even when I am starving, let alone to go asking for other people's help in getting me a mere ticket. Neither is it necessary for me to go to all that trouble, nor should I bother other people for that matter.

　　要点：

　　1，“我听了这些，就死了请托找关系的念头”这里译者转换主语，巧妙地将“死了找关系的念头”译了出来，如果是以“我”做主语，“死了念头”势必要转换说法，译文传情达意的效果必然会减少~

　　2，go begging for=go asking for意为请求，寻求

　　3，“不说我自己犯不着，人家也太费心。”译为Neither is it necessary for me to go to all that trouble, nor should I bother other people for that matter.这里表示“既不…也不…”的倒装句式neither… nor…需要积累起来哦~如三笔教材中有一句：中国不同任何大国或国家集团结盟，不搞军事集团，不参加军备竞赛，不进行军备扩张。译为China does not form an alliance with any big power or group of big powers. Nor does China establish military blocs with other countries, or engage in arm race and military expansion. 可见，多个“不”连用时，第一个用否定词，其后用nor ,or连接~以后我们还会遇到其他形式哦~

　　重庆的路又那么难走，公共汽车站排队往往等上一个半钟头，天天为了票子去跑，实在吃不消。再说与自己暂时脱离关系，换上他人的身分，虽然人家不大爱惜名气，我可不愿滥用那些名气。我不是部属，不是秘书，不是某人，不是某人的父亲，我是我。我毫无成就，样样不长进，我可不愿与任何人易地而处，无论长期的或是暂时的。为了走一趟路，必须易地而处，在我总觉着像被剥夺了什么似的。

　　Going around is hard in the city of Chongqing. You have to queue up for at least 30 minutes or more to get on a bus. It would really be too much for me to go about for the ticket every day. As to the temporary divorce from my old self and the concealing of my identity, I hate to usurp all those designations though other people may think otherwise. I'm neither a government employee, nor a secretary, nor so-and-so, nor so-and-so's father. I am myself. I am just an ordinary man with no urge to do better, so I hate to change places with anybody else, whether for a while or for good. To change places just for the sake of a trip would make me feel like being deprived.

　　要点：

　　1，“重庆的路又那么难走”译为Going around is hard in the city of Chongqing.此处译者在翻译时再次转换说法，这种手法在本文着实常见啊常见，童鞋们要多体会这种方法带来的好处~

　　2，“实在吃不消”=too much,又是反话正译~

　　3，queue up=line up意为“排队”，还有几个比较生动的表达，如：wait/stand in line, wait your turn等~

　　4，or more意为“或…以上”，还有一个长得和它差不多的or so意为“大约，左右;与其说…不如说…”

　　5，“我不是部属，不是秘书，不是某人，不是某人的父亲”当当当当~多个否定又来了，译法参见上面\(^o^)/~

　　5，with no urge to do better字面上意思是“没有座的更好的欲望”，其实就是没有上进心嘛~大师把这么堕落的一件事说得如此文雅我也是醉了+_+

　　6，for the sake of意为“为了”，还记得在《中年人的寂寞》里的那个“无所为”是怎么译的吗~~是for its own sake,当时还举了其他的一些栗子，不记得的快去面壁╮(╯_╰)╭

　　至于穿灰布棉衣更为难了，为了走一趟路才穿上那套衣服，岂不亵渎了那套衣服?亵渎的人固然不少，我可总不忍——这一套又是书生之见。

　　Wouldn't it be sinful for me to wear the grey-cloth cotton-padded army uniform for nothing more than making a single trip? Though many other people violate the taboo, I for my part cannot bear to do the same. This again is the impractical view of a bookish person.

　　要点：

　　1，“岂不…”=“难道不”又是反问句，此处译为一般疑问句=Wouldn't it…?此外有时可根据语境译为isn’t/aren’t/don’t…?如：Don't you know Jim works as a dish washer at a restaurant around the corner?

　　你难道不知道Jim在拐角处的一个饭店做刷盘子的工作吗?

　　此外，“岂不”也可直接译为陈述句，如：以随身之物作赌注岂不更合适。

　　It would be fitting to bet something personal.

　　2，“亵渎”即“轻慢，冒失”，用在此处略带讽刺口气，，译为“做了不该做的事”，故译为sinful

　　抱着书生之见，我决定坐木船。木船比不上轮船，更比不上飞机，千真万确。可是绝对不用找关系，也无所谓黑票。

　　It was with this impractical view that I decided to take a wooden boat. It is absolutely true that a wooden boat cannot compare with a steamer, much less an airplane. But there is no need for soliciting help or seeking personal connections, nor the need for the so-called "black" ticket.

　　要点：

　　1，“比不上…更比不上…”=cannot compare with …,much less…其中much less=still less,意为“更不用说，更少，何况”如《中年人的寂寞》中“至于三十岁四十岁以后的朋友中间，颜色分子愈多，友谊分子不免也就愈少了”=And friendship among those aged over 30 becomes correspondingly still less pure as it gets even more coloured.

　　2，“千真万确”属于表态度，评论性的词，汉语中习惯后置，而英语中习惯前置，此句就是一个很好的栗子~

　　3， “不用找关系，也无所谓黑票”，多个否定，小伙伴nor又出现了，第三次了哦，说明它是重要的事情(⊙v⊙)嗯

　　你要船，找运输行，或者自己到码头上去找，找着了，言明价钱，多少钱坐到汉口，每块钱花得明明白白。在这一点上，我觉得木船好极了，我可以不说一句讨情的话，不看一副难看的嘴脸，堂堂正正的凭我的身分东西归。这是大多数坐轮船坐飞机的朋友办不到的，我可有这种骄傲。

　　All you need to do is contact the transport company, or go direct to the wharf to look for a wooden boat. Once you have located it, you will know what the fare is from Chongqing to Hankou, and every dollar will be paid for what it is worth, no more, no less. I find the wooden boat super in this respect. I am saved the humiliation of begging for help or the need of confronting the nasty look on somebody's face. I can travel with my true identity. This is something quite beyond the majority of those travelling by steamer or aircraft. I am proud of it.

　　要点：

　　1“每块钱花得明明白白”=“每块钱花得都值得”译为every dollar will be paid for what it is worth，

　　2，super=“顶好的，极好的”(没错，就是小主说的那个~

　　3，saved the humiliation of=使免于遭受…的耻辱

　　5， be beyond sb=非某人所能及，之前我们还说了一个beyond one’s capacity to do,这两个表述有时可互换

　　决定了之后，有两位朋友特来劝阻，一位从李家沱，一位从柏滨，不怕水程跋涉，为的是关爱我，瞧得起我。他们说了种种理由，预想了种种可能的障害，结末说，还是再考虑一下的好。

　　After I had made up my mind, two friends of mine, in spite of the difficult boat journey all the way from Li Jia Tuo and Bai Bin respectively, came to dissuade me from taking the wooden boat out of concern and respect for me. They enumerated various reasons against my decision as well as various possible mishaps, advising me in the end to re-consider the matter.

　　要点：

　　1， all the way=从远处，从老远，特地

　　2， “决定了之后，有两位朋友特来劝阻，一位从李家沱，一位从柏滨，不怕水程跋涉，为的是关爱我，瞧得起我。”此句分句众多，要先抽出主要部分即“我的两位好友劝我不要坐木船”。译者巧妙地将“一位从李家沱，一位从柏滨，不怕水程跋涉”译为“in spite of the difficult boat journey all the way from Li Jia Tuo and Bai Bin respectively”，合并成了一句，避免了行文冗长杂乱。

　　3，根据上下文推断，此处的“为的是”表的是原因，因此译为out of，

　　要不说中文博大精深呢，同一个词在不同语境可以表达不同意思~

　　我真感谢他们，当然不敢说不必再行考虑，只好带玩笑的说，“吉人天相，”安慰他们激动的心情。现在，他们接到我平安到达的消息了，他们也真的安慰了。

　　I felt very grateful to them, and of course refrained from showing any reluctance to re-consider the matter. By way of allaying their anxiety, I said jokingly, "A good guy always enjoys Heaven's protection." Now, the subsequence news of my safe arrival in Hankou must have set their mind at rest.

　　要点：

　　1， “当然不敢说不必再考虑”=“当然我也不能说我不想再考虑了”，译为of course refrained from showing any reluctance to re-consider the matter.

　　2， By way of =by means of,表示“以/通过…的方式”

　　3， “他们接到我平安到达的消息”译为the subsequence news of my safe arrival in Hankou，又出现了the news of，上次我们见到这哥们是在《中年人》那篇文章中，“我每当听到一个旧友死去的消息…”译为the news of…可见the news of 可以表示“听到/接到…消息”等与“消息”有关的动词表述~

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