【2002年8级测试英译汉】

  The word “winner” and “loser” have many meanings1. When we refer to a person as a winner, we do not mean one who makes someone else lose. To us, a winner is one who responds authentically by being credible, trustworthy, responsive, and genuine, both as an individual and as a member of a society2.

  Winners do not dedicate their lives to a concept of what they imagine they should be; rather, they are themselves and as such do not use their energy putting on a performance, maintaining pretence, and manipulating others3. They are aware that there is a difference between being loving and acting loving, between being stupid and acting stupid, between being knowledgeable and acting knowledgeable4. Winners do not need to hide behind a mask.

  Winners are not afraid to do their own thinking and to use their own knowledge5. They can separate facts from opinions and don’t pretend to have all the answers6. They listen to others, evaluate what they say, but come to their own conclusions. Although winners can admire and respect other people, they are not totally defined, demolished, bound, or awed by them7.

Winners do not play“helpless”, nor do they play the blaming game8. Instead, they assume responsibility for their own lives.

【概述】

  这是一篇议论文,议题讨论人生的核心问题——成功与失败。虽然涉及的题目人人皆知,但对其真实内涵却仁者见仁,智者见智。该文语言精炼,讲究修辞,采用对比、排比等手法加强语气。翻译时应注意上下文的逻辑关系,注意修辞格的翻译技巧。

【翻译要点评析】

  1. “winner”和“loser”这两个词是该文的关键词,一开头能否正确选择好词义将影响到整篇文章的翻译。一般情况下,译为“赢家”和“输家”,或“胜者”和“败者”。但本文第一句就说,这两个词have many meanings。这就意味着本文所讨论的winner并不是传统意义上的“赢家”或“胜者”,下文对winner的定义就说明了本文的winner与传统定义不同。鉴于此,我们可以将winner译为“成功者”或“智者”。

  2. authentically: 自然地;没有假装地;由衷地。此句的关键是译好4个形容词,这是对成功者品质下的定义。credible: 有诚信的;trustworthy: 可依靠的;可信赖的;responsive: 反应敏捷的;敏感的;genuine: 诚实的;不虚伪的。此句可译为“成功者的一切反应均由衷而发,富有诚信,值得信赖,反应敏捷,从不虚伪”,句子读起来非常有节奏感。

  3.they imagine 是插入成分。What they imagine they should be 直译过来就是“他们自己认为该成为的样子”,也可以说“他们的自我臆想”。rather: 相反。they are themselves: “他们保持其本色”,用中国的一句古语就是“我仍故我”。as such 的本意是“诸如此类的人或物”,此处可以顺接上句译成“正因如此”。putting on a performance: 做作;作秀;装腔作势。maintaining pretence: 自命不凡。manipulate 原意为“巧妙的操纵别人”,这里可译成“对别人指手画脚”。

  4.此句中 “being…“ 是“真的在做……”, “acting…”是 “假装在做……”,这是译好句中三个排比句式的关键。being loving and acting loving可译为“真爱和装爱”;being stupid and acting stupid可译为 “真傻和装傻”;being knowledgeable and acting knowledgeable可译为“博学和卖弄”。

  5. “are not afraid to do…”: 无畏于……; 从不怯于……; “to do their own thinking”: 独立思考;用自己的知识独立判断;独当一面。

  6. 此句中,facts与opinions两者是互为矛盾的,facts指“事实”,opinions不是传统意义上的“意见”或“观点”,而是“议论”或“传闻”,因此才有句子They can separate facts from opinions; “成功者能够区分事实与传闻“。

  7. 此句中有4个排比式的过去分词,译起来比较困难,因为它们的词义差别很微妙。be defined by them原意是“由他人来界定,来规定”,此句则理解为“受制于他人”。be demolished by them 可译为“被他们所摧垮”。be bound by them b可译为“被他们所束缚”。be awed by them 可译为“被他们所吓倒”。

  8. 此句中,不要将两个play 译成“玩”或“耍”。Play在这里是生动的比喻词。可译为:成功者不故意“示弱”,也从不怨天尤人”。

【参考译文】

  “成功者”和“失败者”这两个词含义很多。当我们将某人称作成功者时,我们并非指他是一个让别人失败的人。对我们来说,成功者乃是这样一个人,无论作为一个个人抑或作为社会的一分子,他的一切反应均由衷而发,富有诚信,值得信赖,反应敏捷,从不虚伪。

  成功者不会穷其毕生之精力,执着于自我之臆想。相反,他们会保持自己的本色。正因如此,他们不装腔作势,不自命不凡,不对别人指手画脚。他们知道,真爱不同于装爱,真傻有异于装傻、博学有别于卖弄。成功者无需面具来伪装。

  成功者无畏于独立思考,无畏于独立判断、独当一面。他们能够在事实与传闻之间明辨是非,不会假称自己无所不晓。他们倾听别人意见,择善从之,最终得出自己的结论。成功者敬仰尊重别人,但他不会受制于人、不会被他们所摧垮、不被他们所束缚、不会被他们所吓倒。

  成功者不故意“示弱”,也从不怨天尤人。他们会毅然肩负起人生的责任。

【2002年8级测试汉译英】

  大自然对人的恩赐,无论贫富,一律平等1。所以人们对于大自然,全都一致并深深的依赖着2。尤其在乡间,上千年以来人们一直以不变的方式生活着。种植庄稼和葡萄3,酿酒和饮酒4,喂牛和挤奶5,锄草和栽花6;在周末去教堂祈祷和做礼拜7,在节日到广场拉琴、跳舞、和唱歌8;往日的田园依旧是今日的温馨家园9。这样,每个地方都有自己的传说,风俗也就衍传了下来10。

【概述】

  本文的理解基本上不构成问题。表达时,要注意恰当的断句、恰当的使用关联词,以及恰当的使用平行结构。比如第一句和第二句是因果关系,应该合二为一。第三句有7个分句,原样照译会造成相当大的困难,容易失误,并且毫无必要,可以按照其内在逻辑和表达需要分为三句来译。同时,在众多同义词、近义词中选择恰当的词汇仍然是一大考察重点,请注意琢磨下面评析要点。

【翻译要点评析】

  “恩赐”即恩惠,一般可用“favor; kindness; grace; bounty”来表达,其中“favor”指“仁慈的、恩惠的行为”;“kindness”指“仁慈的行动;友好的行为”;“grace”指“怜悯、仁慈、无义务而给予的恩典,常是自上至下的”,用在此处都不妥当。只有“bounty”指“liberality in giving,慷慨好施”或者“施与物”,可用。“无论贫富”可用“poor or rich”;“whether they are poor or rich”或者“no matter they are poor or rich”,后两者都不够简洁,选“poor or rich”。

  “全都一致”为同义反复,这是汉语为了加强语气而采取的一种同义词叠加使用的情况,相比之下这种同义反复的搭配在英语中是不能被接受的。切忌翻译为“People all unanimously…”;“All the people unanimously… ”;或“Everybody unanimously…”。“依赖”一般理解为依靠,“rely on; depend on; lean on”,此处也可用。不过此处“依赖”的深层意思是“附着、从属”,如翻译为“attach to”更佳。

  “种植庄稼和葡萄,酿酒和饮酒,喂牛和挤奶,锄草和栽花”这几个短语基本呈平行结构,无主次之分,其隐含主语一致,都是人们(他们),除第一个短语为带双宾语的动宾短语外,其他三个都是由两个动宾短语构成的联合短语。翻译时要从整体把握,用平行结构,如一致用动宾结构:“They plant crops and grapevines, brew and drink wine, feed and milk cows, weed the gardens and grow flowers”,或者用“ They plant crops and grapevines, brew wine to drink, feed cows to milk, and weed the gardens to grow flowers”,因为后三个短语中的前后俩个短语之间有一种目的关系。此处的“葡萄”也不应该是水果“grape”,而应是果树“grapevine”。

  “酿酒和饮酒”中的“酒”在英语中可以有很多选择:alcohol, wine, liquor, spirits, beer, whisky等,其中“alcohol; liquor; spirits”都指烈酒,“beer”指啤酒,“whisky”是威士忌,都不可用,只能用泛指的“wine”。另外,此处酿酒是为了饮酒,用词应该一致,不能为了避免重复而换词。可以使用及物动词,但统一宾语,比如:brew and drink wine;或者使用不及物动词:brew and drink。为与邻近的结构取得平行效果,可选择“brew and drink wine”或者“brew wine to drink”。

  “喂牛和挤奶”中的“牛”在英语中有以下一些选择:cattle(牛的总称),bull(公牛),cow(母牛),calf(牛犊),ox(牛的统称或公牛、阉牛),bullock(阉牛), buffalo(水牛)。从上下文看,此处的牛应该是母牛“cow”,切忌混淆概念,贻笑大方。正确的译法是使用及物动词:feed cattle and milk cows, feed cows and milk them, feed and milk cows, feed cows for milk;或者使用不及物动词译“挤奶”:feed cattle and milk。为与邻近的结构取得平行效果,可选择“feed and milk cows”或者“feed cows for milk”。

  “草”一般译为“grass”,但“锄草和栽花”中的“草”却指的是“杂草,野草”,即“weed”。“锄草”有多种译法:按字面直译:eradicate /remove, uproot/hoe up weed; 意译:hoe the garden, weed the graden, weed。为与邻近的结构取得平行效果,可选择weed (the garden) and plant flowers, weed (the garden)to plant flowers等。

  “去教堂祈祷和做礼拜”,有三种译法“go to church”;“go to the church to pray and worship”;或“pray and worship in the church”。因为go/attend to church本身就是“去(教堂)做礼拜、祈祷”的意思,所以如果照字面直译为“go to church to pray and worship”就造成了不必要的重复, 另外两种译法可用,其中又以“go to church”最为简洁明了。

  “拉琴”中的“琴”既然在广场上拉就有可能是轻巧的violin(小提琴)或者accordion(手风琴),不大可能是笨重的piano(钢琴)或organ(风琴)。就搭配来说,英语中“演奏乐器”在“乐器”前要加定冠词“the”,千万不能漏掉。 “到广场拉琴、跳舞和唱歌”,就可翻译为“they meet in the square on holidays, singing and dancing”。

  “往日的”一般译为介词短语“in former days; in bygone days; in the past”,是“过去的”意思。此处不宜使用。此处“往日”与“今日”构成对照,其意即为“这片古老的土地现在仍旧是”,翻译为“The age-old land remains the same as”。“温馨的家园”中的“温馨”不能译成warm and fragrant(home),应改为warm and comfortable, 或者用warm一词即可。使用cozy也可以,cozy包括了comfortable and warm。其实英语中有一个词能表达“温馨的家园”,那就是hearth,它本指壁炉前的地面,但后来引申指家庭生活、家,侧重家的温暖舒适。

  “传说”一般翻译为“legend; saga; tale; story”,其中“story”是个泛指词,可用。“legend”一般指古代流传下来的未经证实的故事;“saga”指中世纪北欧传说或英雄传奇;“tale”指对真实的或想象中的事件的讲述、故事,都不太恰当。此处的传说指的应该是民间传说,即“folktale”或者“folklore”。“衍传”即“流传下来”。“spread; circulate”都有流传的意思,可是只有“hand down;go down”才有流传下来的意思,可在两者中酌情选一。

【参考译文】

   The bounty of nature is equal to everyone, rich or poor, and therefore all men are strongly attached to her. This is particularly true in the rural areas, where people have kept the same lifestyle for a millennium or so. They plant crops and grapevines, brew wine to drink, feed cows to milk, and weed the gardens to grow flowers. They go to church at weekends, and they meet in the square on holidays, singing and dancing. The age-old land remains the same as their family hearth. Each place boasts its folklore and thereby social customs go on.