英语翻译方法技巧汇篇         ★★★ 【字体:
英语翻译方法技巧汇篇
作者:佚名    文章来源:转载    点击数:    更新时间:2007-1-1    
◆三个月讲一口流利英语,100%保证!

◆30位专家让你说一口流利英语,100%保证!

海通以还,西人渐窥中国文学之盛,多有转译,诗歌尤甚;以英文言,其著者亦十有余家。居蜀数载,教授翻译,颇取为检讨论说之资,辄于一诗而重译者择优比而录之,上起风雅,下及唐季,得诗五十九首,英译二百有七首。①客中得书不易,取资既隘,挂漏实多,然即此区区,中土名篇,彼邦佳译,大抵已在。研究译事者足资比较;欣赏艺文者亦得玩索而吟咏焉。将以付之剞劂,辄取昔日讲说之言弁之卷首;所引诸例,杂出各家,不尽在所录之内也。②一

以原则言,从事翻译者于原文不容有一词一语之误解。然而谈何容易?以中国文字之艰深,诗词铸语之凝炼,译人之误会在所难免。前期诸家多尚“达旨”,有所不解,易为闪避;后期译人渐崇信实,诠解讹误,昭然易晓。如韩愈山石诗,“僧言古壁佛画好,以火来照所见稀,”Bynner(p.29)译为
And he brought a light and showed me,and I called them wonderful.
以“稀少”为“希奇”,此为最简单的误解字义之例。
又如古诗为焦仲卿妻作,“妾不堪驱使,徒留无所施”,Waley (Temple,P.114)译为
I said to myself,“I will not be driven away.”
Yet if I stay,what use will it be?
以“驱使”为“驱逐”,因而语意不接,遂误以上句为自思自语,则又因字义之误而滋生句读之误。
其次,词性之误解,亦为致误之因。如杜诗闻官军收河南河北,“却看妻子愁何在?漫卷诗书喜欲狂”句,Bynner(P.154)误以“愁”为动词,译为
Where is my wife? Where are my sons?
Yet crazily sure of finding them,I pack my books and Poems.
读之解颐。杜公虽“欲狂”,何至愁及妻子之下落?且“却看”之谓何?
中文动词之特殊意蕴,往往非西人所能识别,如杜诗“感时花溅泪,恨别鸟惊心”,泪为诗人之泪,心亦诗人之心,“溅”与“惊”皆致动词也,而Bynner(p.141)译为
…Where petals have been shed like tears
And lonely birds have sung their grief.
顿成肤浅。

然一种文字之最足以困惑外人者,往往不在其单个之实字,而在其虚字与熟语,盖虚字多歧义,而熟语不易于表面索解也。此亦可于诸家译诗见之。Waley在诸译人中最为翔实,然如所译《焦仲卿妻》中,以“四角龙子幡”为
At its four corners a dragon-child flag (Temple,P.121),
“子”字实解;又译“著我绣裌裙,事事四五通”为
…Takes what she needs, four or five things (ibid,P.116),
以“通”为“件”,皆因虚字而误。
余人译诗中亦多此例。如Fletcher(More Gems,P.12)译太白月下独酌“月既不解饮”作
The moon then drinks without a pause,
由于不明“解”字作“能”讲;译“行乐须及春”作
Rejoice until the Spring comes in,

由于不明“及”字作“乘”讲。又如Giles(Verse,p.99)译杜诗“今春看又过,何日是归年?”作
Alas! I see another spring has died…
因不明“看”字之等于后世之“看看”或“眼见得”,遂误以“将过”为“已过”,虽小小出入,殊失原诗低回往复之意也。
以言熟语,有极浅显,不应误而误者。如年月序次只以基数为之,不加“第”字,凡稍习中文者不应不解,而Fletcher(Gems,p.8)译太白长干行“五月不可触”句为
For five months with you I cannot meet.
亦有较为生僻,其误可原者。如同篇“早晚下三巴”句不独Fletcher(ibid. P.9)误为
Early and late I to gorges go.
Lowell(P.29)亦误为
From early morning until late in the evening,you descend the three Serpent River,
惟小畑(P.152)作
Some day when you return down the river,
为得其真象。

熟语之极致为“典故”,此则不仅不得其解者无从下手,即得其真解亦不易达其义蕴。如小杜金谷园结句“落花犹似坠楼人,”Giles(Verse,P.175)译作
Petals,like nymphs from balconies,come tumbling to the ground,
诚为不当,即Bynner(P.178)译为
Petals are falling like a girl’s robe long ago.
若非加注(p.292)亦不明也。又如权德舆玉台体一绝之“昨夜裙带解,今朝蟢子飞”,Giles(Verse,p.135)译为
Last eve thou wert a bride,
This morn thy dream is o’er…
固是荒谬;而Bynner(P.25)译为
Last night my girdle came undone,
And this morning a luck beetle flew over my bed.
仍不得不乞灵于附注(P.244),且亦仅注出一“蟢子”,于“裙带”仍不得其解也。(王建宫词“忽地下阶裙带解,非时应得见君王。”)
Bynner所译诗中亦时有类此之错误,如译孟浩然秦中寄远上人诗,“黄金燃桂尽,壮志逐年衰”作
Like ashes of gold in a cinnamon-flame
My youthful desires have been burnt with the years (P.111).
亦复不知所云也。

若干历史的或地理的词语亦具有熟语之性质,常为译家之陷阱。如香山赠梦得诗(长庆集卷六六),“寻花借马烦川守,弄水偷船恼令公”,Waley(More Translations,p.90)译为
When,seeking flowers,we borrowed his horse,the river-keeper was vexed;
When,to play on the water,we stole his boat the Duke Ling was sore.
以“川守”为“river-keeper”固以己意为之,以“令公”为“Duke Ling”尤可见其疏于考索。时裴度以中书令晋国公为东都留守,史称其与刘白过从甚密,长庆集同卷颇多题咏赠和之作,只应曰Duke P’ei或Duke of Chin,不得以“令”为专名也。
又如“山东”一名,古今异指,而Fletcher(Gems,P.70)译杜诗兵车行,“君不闻汉家山东二百州,千村万落生荆杞”,作Shantung;“河汉”指天河,而Waley(Poems,p.44)译古诗十九首之十,“迢迢牵牛星,皎皎河汉女”,作Han River。皆易滋误会,显为违失。
至如Giles(History,P.170)译长恨歌“渔阳鼙鼓动地来”作
But suddenly comes the roll of the fish-skin war-drums,
误以地名为非地名;Lowell(P.98)译太白闻王昌龄左迁龙标遥寄,“杨花落尽子规啼”作
In Yang-chou.the blossoms are dropping,
又误以非地名为地名:与“山东”、“河汉”相较,虽事类相同,而难易有别。“渔阳”安得谓为“鱼皮”,“杨”、“扬”更字形悬异,其为谬误尤难宥恕也。



中文常不举主语,韵语尤甚,西文则标举分明,诗作亦然。译中诗者遇此等处,不得不一一为之补出。如司空曙贼平后送人北归,云:“世乱同南去,时清独北还。他乡生白发,旧国见青山”,Bynner(P.133)译为
In dangerous times we two came south;
Now you go north in safety,without me.
But remember my head growing white among strangers,
When you look on the blue of the mountains of home.
四句皆补出主语,除第三句容有可商外(亦可指友或兼指二人),余均无误。
然亦往往缘此致误,如上引诗更下一联云“晓月过残垒,繁星宿故关”,“过”与“宿”之主语仍为you,而Bynner译为
The moon goes down behind a ruined fort,
Leaving star-clusters above an old gate.
误以“晓月”与“繁星”当之,不知此二语之作用如副词也。
又如古诗十九首之十二,“燕赵多佳人……当户理清曲”继之以“驰情整巾带,沈吟聊踯躅”,乃诗人自谓闻曲而有感也,Waley(Poems,P.45)误以蒙上佳人,译为
To ease their minds they arrange their shawls and belts;
Lowering their song,a little while they pause,
索然寡味矣。

又如Fletcher(More Gems,P.9)译李白长干行,“早晚下三巴,预将书报家”,作
Early and late,I to gorges go.
Waiting for news that of thy coming told.
不明“早晚”之为询问,遂以“下”为“我下”,不知自长干至三巴不得云“下”,两地之相去亦非朝暮可往来者。
又如刘长卿逢雪宿芙蓉山,“柴门闻犬吠,风雪夜归人”,闻者诗人自闻也,Fletcher(Gems,P.184)译为
The house dog's sudden barking,which hears the wicket go,
Greets us at night returning through driving gale and snow.
误为犬闻门响而吠,不知中文不容有“宾——动——主”之词序,杜诗“香稻啄余鹦鹉粒”之得失至今犹聚讼纷纭也。
此等错误往往因涉上下文主语而来,如上举“驰情整冠带”误承“当户理清曲”,“早晚下三巴”则其上既有“坐愁红颜老”,其下复有“相迎不道远”,不谙中文之常常更易主语而又从略者自易致误。如杜诗兵车行,“况复秦兵耐苦战,被驱不异犬与鸡”,即此土不学之人亦难免误解,Bynner(p.169)译为
Men of China are able to face the stiffest battle,
But their officers drive them like chickens and dogs.

其情可原。然“役夫”来自“山东”,与“秦兵”正为敌对,上下文足以确定被驱者非秦兵,B.氏有江亢虎氏为助,不容并此而不达。
又因主语之省略而误解动词之意义者。如Waley译焦仲卿妻“谓言无罪过,供养卒大恩”(Temple,P.116)作
Never in spoken word did I transgress or fail…
又“十七遣汝嫁,谓言无誓违”(P.118)作
…and hears you promise forever to be true,
此两“谓言”同于后世之“只道”、“只说是”,宜作I thought解,Waley不了此义,殆由未举主语。
又如古诗十九首之十九,“客行虽云乐,不如早旋归”,Waley(Poems,P.48)译作
My absent love says that he is happy,
But I would rather he said he was coming back,
又古诗上山采蘼芜,“新人虽言好,不及古人姝”(p.35)译作
Although her talk is clever...
其实此处“云”、“言”皆无主动词,it is said之义,仍实字之近于虚字者,缀于“虽”字之后,作用类似衬字,今语亦有“虽说是”,可为比较;Waley视为寻常动词,遂有“言谈”之解。
与主语省略相似者又有宾语之省略,亦为译家致误之由。如元稹遣悲怀,“尚想旧情怜婢仆,也曾因梦送钱财”,Bynner(P.216)译为
…Sometimes,in a dream,I bring you gifts.
谓梦中送钱财于亡妻,无乃费解?此则远不及Fletcher(More Gems,P.191)所译
The slaves’ and servants’ love moves me to love,
And presents I gave them,when I dreamed of you.
之信达而兼雅也。

又有因连词之省略而致误者。如渊明责子诗,“雍端年十三,不识六与七”,Budd(p.150)误于前,
Yong-tuan is thirteen now.
Waley(Poems,P.76)误于后,
Yung-tuan is thirteen.
皆昧于中文平联词语常不用连词之惯例,遂以“雍”与“端”为一人也

文章来源网站:转载(soenglish.com.cn),该站的Alexa排名:

文章录入:engfan    责任编辑:engfan 
  • 上一篇文章:

  • 下一篇文章:
  • 发表评论】【加入收藏】【告诉好友】【打印此文】【关闭窗口
      关于版权解释:

      搜英语网站内容由网友自行上传,取自网络或者是作者原创,我站要求所用用户上传资源时,必须声明转载(自何处,并一定是允许转载之资源),或者是原创(并未发布在任何平面媒体,或其他有“版权所有”申明的网络媒体),请恕我站不能尽查所有资源正确来源,其版权问题由上传者确定,我站不承担连带责任,如果有资源(内容)侵犯您的版权(无论是个人、网络媒体、平面媒体),请立即通知我站(联系方式),我们在核实之后,将立即删除侵权资源和关闭侵权用户,并将在我站公布处理结果和公开致歉。

      搜英语网站欢迎各种媒体转载我站之资源,但请明显注明转载自搜英语网站。

      搜英语网站更欢迎媒体与我站签订(专有)网络资源转载(发布)协议,洽谈联系方法(电话:010-6396.7098,134.3656.1969,电子邮件:dengh#soenglish.com.cn)。

      搜英语网站法律顾问:盛邦(中国)法津顾问有限公司。

    最新热点 最新推荐 相关文章
    没有相关文章
      网友评论:(只显示最新10条。评论内容只代表网友观点,与本站立场无关!)
    搜英语(soenglish.com.cn)版权所有,客服:客服1 客服2 站长 技术支持
    本站全程法津支持:盛邦(中国)法津顾问有限公司  备案序号:京ICP备06065096号