One Saucer More ——Jin Shenghua🔥背景知识：金圣华，著名翻译家、散文家，原籍浙江省上虞县，美国华盛顿大学硕士及法国巴黎大学博士。现任香港中文大学翻译系讲座教授，中文大学校董，中国翻译协会理事，著作和译作甚丰。《多一只碟子》选自她1995年出版的杂文集《桥畔闲眺》。文章流畅自如，遣词简明，深入浅出，劝导人们「凡事从好处想」，以达观的态度化解生活中可能遇到的烦恼。从朋友口中，听到一则轶事。I’ve been told the following anecdote by a friend of mine:🎈「（听到）一则轶事」译作the following anecdote，following一词与下文很好地衔接了起来，引出了这则轶事的具体内容。电子学教授陈之藩当年自美国来香港中文大学履新，临行之前，与夫人在家中整理行装。When Chen Chih-fan, professor of electronics, was about to leave the U.S. for Hong Kong to take up his new post at the Chinese University of Hong Kong, he did packing at home with his wife.🎈Chen Chih-fan：威妥玛式拼音法（Wade-Giles romanization）又称威妥玛－翟理斯式拼音，简称威氏拼音法 。这个方案被普遍用来拼写中国的人名、地名等，一般称为威妥玛式拼音。威妥玛式拼音，虽然保持了接近英文拼法的一些特点，但是并不完全迁就英文的拼写习惯。清华大学 Tsinghua University苏州大学 Soochow University蒋介石 Chiang Kai-shek🎈履新：表示一种状态，意思是过年或者就任新职。现译为take up his new post（接受新任职）。陈教授夫妇有一套精美的茶具，收拾装箱时，一不小心，打破了一只茶杯。They owned a beautiful tea set, but while packing up, they had one of the cups broken through carelessness.🎈「一不小心，打破了一只茶杯」译作had one of the cups broken through carelessness，其中had one of the cups broken是have…done结构，through carelessness可理解为方式状语或原因状语。一般人的反应，一定是感到十分心疼，好端端的成套茶具，打破一只杯，如何去配？Ordinary people would have got very upset over it, as it was always troublesome to replace the broken cup to complete the set.🎈「一般人的反应，一定是感到十分心疼」中的「十分心疼」可按「十分心烦」之意译为very upset或much distressed等。全句可译为Ordinary people would have got very upset about it，其中would have got是虚拟式。此句也可译为To ordinary people, this would have been a matter of much regret。🎈「好端端的成套茶具，打破一只杯，如何去配？」英译时可按如下肯定句「不易更新茶杯，以便为茶具配套」处理：always troublesome to replace the broken cup to complete the set。谁知陈教授的反应却不然，他莞尔一笑，坦然说道：“真不错，又多了一只碟子！”Professor Chen, however, reacted to it differently. He said calmly with a smile, “Wow! Now we’ve got one saucer more!”🎈「反应却不然」即有不同的反应，现译作reacted to it differently。🎈此处「坦然」作「心里平静」解，译作calmly。凡事从好处想，这种能耐，在现实生活中，确能使人受益无穷。The attitude of always looking on the bright side of things will definitely be of inestimable benefit to us in our real life.🎈「能耐」本应按「本领」之意译为ability等，但此处最好按「态度」之意译为 attitude。见原句英译：The attitude of always looking on the bright side of things will definitely be of inestimable benefit to us in our real life。🎈be of inestimable benefit to us等于be inestimably beneficial to us。陈之藩教授不但是位杰出的科学家，也是位了不起的散文家，Professor Chen has distinguished himself both as a scientist and an essayist.🎈大部分人会译作is…and…，欣赏此处has distinguished himself both as…and…的新颖表达，让人眼前一亮。其中，distinguish是动词，distinguish oneself as…表示「以…（身份）出名、受青睐等」他的一些散文集，清新隽永，当年曾使我折服不已。如今回想起来，令我惊叹的，不仅仅是他那优美的文笔，而是字里行间流露出来的睿智与巧思。His prose writings, which have been published in several collections, are known for their fresh and expressive style. I was struck with admiration when I first read them, and I remember how I marvelled then at the keen insight and wisdom displayed between the lines as well as his beautiful language.🎈「当年曾使我折服不已」中的「当年」该如何译，颇费思索，现按「从前阅读时」译为 when I first read them。全句的译文是：I was struck with admiration when I first read them。🎈此句介绍（他的）散文集的特色，和「我」对「散文集」的惊叹。译文先是对散文集特色进行总说His prose writings…are known for their fresh and expressive style，然后在此另起一句交代「我」对其的惊叹这一部分内容。人生不如意事常八九，这是一句老话，老得几乎令人不想再重复，Things seldom go one’s way. That’s a popular saying too old to warrant re-quoting.🎈「人生不如意事常八九」译为Things seldom go one’s way。也可译为Things often do not turn out as one wishes或Ten to one, things do not go the way as one wishes。🎈「老得几乎令人不想再重复」可直译成so trite that people no longer feel like quoting it。现译为too old to warrant re-quoting，其中warrant一词意为「需要」(to call for)。可是生命的旅程，行行复行行，在漫长的旅途上，的确会遇上一重又一重的挫折。But, one will certainly meet with one setback after another on his life’s long journey.🎈行行复行行：即行了又行，走个不停。生命之旅本就向前不止，故省译「行行复行行」每当失意时，人总觉得别人为什么比自己幸运？别人生意兴隆、仕途平坦、财源广进、名成利就；自己为什么如老牛破车，踽踽独行在暮色四合的郊道上？When frustrated, one is apt to wonder why the more fortunate can fare so well either in business or officialdom, making a pile or enjoying both fame and wealth, while he himself, like an old ox pulling a rickety carts, has to trudge all by himself on a country road thick with dusk.🎈When frustrated：主从句主语一致，省略when从句中的主语和be。🎈「人总觉得别人为什么比自己幸运？」译作one is apt to wonder why the more fortunate can fare so well either in…，其中，译文使用in…介词短语与后面的句子进行衔接；one泛指人；the more fortunate为the+adj结构，指一类人，此处指「更幸运的人」；fare为熟词僻义，作「进行、进展」解。又，倾向于、（更）容易…、（更）爱… be apt to…例句Now we are apt to treat it as an art.如今我们更爱把它看成一门艺术。🎈「财源广进」可按「发财」之意译为making a pile或amassing a fortune 等。果真如此吗？杯中只有一半水，Is that true? Now take for example a cup half filled with water.🎈（举个例子）take for example…为增译成分，原文虽无其词而有其意。例句Take for example public colleges and universities.以公立学院和大学为例。🎈half filled with water是cup的后置定语。有人喜孜孜说：“好呀！还有半杯”，有人愁眉苦脸：“哎呀！只剩下半杯了”， Some, in the face of it, may exclaim with delight, “Great, the cup is half full!” Some may grumble gloomily, “Too bad, the cup is half empty!”🎈「好呀！还有半杯」和「哎呀！只剩下半杯了」可分别直译成Great, we still have half a cup!和Too bad, only half a cup left!。但均不如分别作以下处理可取：Great, the cup is half full!和 Too bad, the cup is half empty!其优点是简洁、俏皮。分别就在这里。You see how the two kinds of people differ.🎈（作解释时说）你看，你知道，要知道You see🎈因个人理解差异，此句亦可用You see it’s the difference.🔥必背词汇anecdote n.轶事，趣闻英义An anecdote is a short, amusing account of something that has happened. 例句Pete was telling them an anecdote about their mother.皮特正在给他们讲一件他们母亲的趣闻。set n.一套，一组，一系列英义A set of things is a number of things that belong together or that are thought of as a group. 例句There must be one set of laws for the whole of the country.整个国家必须要有一套统一的法律。saucer n.茶碟，茶托英义A saucer is a small curved plate on which you stand a cup.例句cups and saucers茶杯和茶碟inestimable adj.难以计算的，无法估计的英义‘If you describe the value, benefit, or importance of something as inestimable, you mean that it is extremely great and cannot be calculated.例句Human life is of inestimable value.人的生命无价。🔥重点表达履新take up his new post一套精美的茶具a beautiful tea set一不小心through carelessness凡事从好处想always looking on the bright side of things不但是位杰出的科学家，也是位了不起的散文家has distinguished himself both as a scientist and an essayist清新隽永fresh and expressive style人生不如意事常八九Things seldom go one’s way.遇上一重又一重的挫折meet with one setback after another财源广进making a pile或amassing a fortune如老牛破车like an old ox pulling a rickety carts果真如此吗？Is that true?举个例子take for example…（作解释时说）你看，你知道，要知道You see🔥复盘测试履新一套精美的茶具一不小心凡事从好处想不但是位杰出的科学家，也是位了不起的散文家清新隽永人生不如意事常八九遇上一重又一重的挫折财源广进如老牛破车果真如此吗？举个例子（作解释时说）你看，你知道，要知道🔥表达对比「有」有几种表达？陈教授夫妇（有）一套精美的茶具。They owned a beautiful tea set其次，人类可以创新并且以更有效率的方式来使用已经（拥有）的土地，动物则无法做到这一点。Second, humans are able to innovate and can use the land that they already possess in more efficient ways. Animals are unable to do this.厨房的生活走上原来的轨道，仿佛世界上根本就（没有）那个马车夫似的。The life of the kitchen went on its accustomed way as though the cabman did not exist.但是，英国人不大喜欢相互之间太靠近，除非是（有）某种理由。But English people do not like to be too close to one another unless there is a reason.
帕布莉卡