The Cricket ——Wu Guanzhong🔥背景知识：《蟋蟀》是著名画家兼散文家吴冠中写于1987年8月的一篇随笔。作者从寓所内的蟋蟀「不由得回忆起……当年住在农村老家的日子」。文章质朴真挚，表现了作者对一方乡井的眷恋，堪称乡情精品。鬓发斑斑，仍总是忙碌，Grey-templed as I’m, I still always keep myself occupied. 🎈「鬓发斑斑」可译为grey-templed或grey-haired。（temple指太阳穴处）🎈总是忙碌→忙碌是常态→即保持忙碌的状态，现译作keep myself occupied。其中，occupy取「使忙碌、使全神贯注」之意。城中天天忙于无穷事，未有余闲品味童年捉蟋蟀的回忆。Everyday I bustle about town having little time to indulge in pleasant reminiscences of how I used to catch crickets in my childhood.🎈东奔西跑、忙碌bustle about。此处用词多样化，符合英文中「不重复出现某同一表达」的习惯，与中文有别。🎈「未有余闲品味童年捉蟋蟀的回忆」译作having little time to indulge in pleasant reminiscences of…，处理为结果状语，且颇具文学气息。其中，indulge in意为「沉湎于、沉溺于」然而居室里突然听到了蟋蟀的叫声，我和老伴都感惊喜，高楼里哪来的蟋蟀？One day, however, my wife and I were pleasantly surprised by the sudden chirping of a cricket in our apartment. How did it get into this tall building?🎈「然而……」可译为One day, however …或The other day, however…，其中One day与The other day均为译文中的增益成分，把译文上下两句的内容更好地连贯起来，有承上启下作用。🎈「居室」在此指「一套公寓房间」，故译our apartment，也可笼统译为our house或our home。🎈「我和老伴都感惊喜」译作my wife and I were pleasantly surprised by the sudden chirping of a cricket in our apartment。「惊喜」一词包括两层含义：惊+喜，故译作were pleasantly surprised by。又，the sudden chirping of a cricket in our apartment是增译成分，蟋蟀叫声只是表层原因，并不确切，实际上（我和老伴感到）惊喜的是「高楼里出现的蟋蟀叫声」，故适当补充，使文章表意更明确。那声音似乎发自厨房的一角，我想可能是老伴买蔬菜时挟带回来的。As the sound seemed to come from a corner of our kitchen, I guessed it had probably come with the vegetables my wife bought from the food market.🎈the vegetables my wife bought from the food market相当于the vegetables that my wife bought from the food market，是省略that的定语从句。星期天，小孙女小曲来家，吃晚饭的时候，蟋蟀又高叫起来，一声高于一声，清脆响亮，仿佛是鸣奏。On Sunday, when our youngest granddaughter Xiao Qu was with us, the cricket started chirping again at supper time with a rising clear and loud sound like in a performance.🎈Xiao Qu 是our youngest granddaughter的同位语。🎈「一声高于一声」译作with a rising … sound。一个tip：遇到含比较级含义的语句，不是只有比较级一种处理方法，此处的rising就是一个合适的例子，rising不仅体现了声音的动态变化，而且更为简洁。那么，同理，我们在翻译「人口日渐增多」时，也可以处理成with increasing population…。小曲高兴极了，饭也不吃了，要捉蟋蟀。Xiao Qu was overjoyed and stopped eating as she was eager to catch the insect.🎈「高兴极了」译作overjoyed，其中前缀over-用于形容词或动词后表示「过分」「过度」🎈as she was eager to catch the insect作结果状语，其中the insect就指代前文提到的cricket。我找来手电，顺着叫声到厨房角落里拨开扫帚、残菜、 剩羹、废纸、旧瓶……一直清理到自来水管道周围湿漉漉的水泥地面，果然一只肥大的蟋蟀伏在那里。Torch in hand, I found my way to a corner of the kitchen by tracing the sound and then cleared away everything in the way, like brooms, discarded outer leaves of vegetables, leftovers, waste paper, used empty bottles, etc. until my eyes fell on a big cricket on the damp cement floor near a water pipe.🎈Torch in hand是独立主格结构。🎈「顺着叫声」按「通过追寻叫声」之意译作by tracing the sound。🎈「拨开」在此作「清除」「拿走」等解，可译为cleared away或removed，前者是成语。🎈「残菜」指「丢弃了的菜帮或菜叶」，故译discarded outer leaves of vegetables。🎈until my eyes fell on（看到）是增译成分，文中虽无其词而有其意。用手电照准它，它一动也不动，我轻易地将它捉住了。It stayed still as I lit it up with the torch. So I got it easily.🎈「我轻易地将它捉住了」译为So I got it easily，其中got作「抓住」「捕获」等解，意同caught，但较通俗。全家欢腾起来，The whole family was wild with joy. 🎈狂喜wild with joy 例句Her heart beat wildly with joy.她的心欢喜得一阵狂跳。我将蟋蟀放进装颜料用的硬纸匣里，交给小曲。I put it into an empty colour-tube cardboard box and handed it to my granddaughter.🎈把……交给某人 hand sth. to sb.。其中hand作动词讲，还可有hand sth. sp.(把某物放在某地)的搭配。小曲说她要看着蟋蟀叫，她自己找了一个半透明的小塑料瓶，将蟋蟀装入瓶里，观赏这可怜的小俘虏团团转。But she said she wanted to have it kept in a transparent container so that she could see it chirp. Then she found a plastic bottle and happily watched the pitiable little captive therein moving about in panic.🎈have it kept in a transparent container是have sth. done的结构。have在这个搭配里是使役动词，意为使…让…，比如have my bicycle repaired意思是使我的自行车被修理，其实就是说修我的自行车。又，此处「半透明」译作了「transparent（透明的）」，而非translucent（半透明的），是因为专门找此种性质的瓶子就是为了观察蟋蟀，故不选用translucent（指光能投过去，但影像不一定清晰）。她奶奶怕蟋蟀窒死，用剪刀将塑料瓶戮了几个透气的小洞。Her grandma, however, fearing that the cricket might suffocate, punctured a few holes in the plastic bottle with a pair of scissors. 🎈fearing that the cricket might suffocate作原因状语。🎈「几个透气的小洞」中「透气」省译，只译作a few holes，因根据常识可判断出小洞用途，而且「透气」和「怕蟋蟀窒死」有重合的含义。但译出也可以。小曲将蟋蟀带回去了。Xiao Qu left for home with the cricket.🎈动身去 leave for夜晚屋里特别寂静，That night a complete silence reigned in our house. 🎈That night是时间状语。🎈此处「屋里特别寂静」译作a complete silence reigned in our house，和「新中国1949年成立」译作The year 1949 saw the founding of the People’s Republic of China.有异曲同工之处。孩子们也都关门睡觉了，Our children had already gone to bed behind the closed door. 🎈睡觉go to bed 睡前故事bedtime story 我和老伴两人在自己卧室里感到分外孤独。似乎是前所未有的孤独。My wife and I felt unusually lonesome in our bedroom.🎈lonesome中后缀-some表形容词，意为「充满的、具有倾向的」，例如：frolicsome快活的(frolic嬉戏)、meddlesome爱管闲事的(meddle干涉)等等。老伴埋怨我不该捉掉了蟋蟀！She blamed it on my having got rid of the cricket.🎈「老伴埋怨我不该捉掉了蟋蟀」可译为She blamed it on my having got rid of the cricket 或She blamed me for having removed the cricket或She complained that I had removed the cricket等。其中get rid of意为「摆脱、处理」例句Frank got rid of your car.弗兰克把你的车处理掉了。夜半，蟋蟀又叫起来了，呵，原来不止一只！Late at night, we heard the chirping of a cricket again. Ah, that must be another one!🎈夜半、在深夜 Late at night🎈must be表示肯定的推测。我和老伴都高兴得不想入睡了。My wife and I were too excited to sleep.🎈「高兴得不想入睡」按「太高兴以至于无法入睡」之意译作were too excited to sleep。我们不由得回忆起我们当年住在农村老家的日子：古老窗外的星空、萤火虫星星的亮光、夜莺的歌喉、自然总有蟋蟀的伴奏……We were lost in memories of our child life in our rural home with the starry sky outside the antique window, the glowing of fireflies, the warbling of nightingales, the ever-present accompaniment of crickets’ chirrups…🎈「不由得回忆起」译作were lost in memories of。be lost in可表示「陷入……」，如陷入沉思、想得出神 be lost in thought。🎈「夜莺的歌喉」译作the warbling of nightingales，其中warbling专指鸟儿的啁啾、啭鸣。我们的谈话没完没了：父老、乡亲、谁家和谁家的孩子……We chatted on and on recalling elders at home, fellow villagers, kids in the neighbourhood, and so on and so forth.🎈持续不停地on and on举一个看起来很鬼畜的例子：It goes on and on and on and on and on and on.一直不停地叫啊叫啊叫啊叫啊叫啊叫啊……🎈关于chat这个词，微信的官方英文名就用到了，译为WeChat🎈recalling elders…作伴随状语。🎈季羡林《文学批评无用论》）and so on and so forth、and so on和and so forth用法上没什么区别，均表示「诸如此类，如此等等」。只不过在美国英语中，so on更口语化，so forth 更书面化一些。例句…And so forth and so on. …一直继续下去。There are many novels, magazines, periodicals, and so forth. 那里有很多小说、杂志和期刊等等。Cinderella, The Sleeping Beauty, and so on.辛德瑞拉，睡美人啦，等等。这一夜我们似乎远离了北京。All the while, we were transported by nostalgia to our old home remote from Beijing. 🎈「这一夜我们似乎远离了北京」的意思是「夜中思乡之情似乎把我们带到远离北京的故乡去了」，可译为Throughout the night, we fell as if we were in a place far away from Beijing。现用意译法处理：All the while, we were transported by nostalgia to our old home remote from Beijing，其中 be transported的意思是「在想象中被带入……地方」；nostalgia也可改用ardent feeling等，都是译文中的增益成分，原文虽无其词而有其意，作「思乡之情」解。愿蟋蟀就在我家定居吧！May the cricket settle down permanently under our roof!🎈「愿蟋蟀就在我家定居吧」译为May the cricket settle down permanently under our roof，其中permanently是译文中的增益成分，原文虽无其词而有其意。又，「我家」可译为in our home或under our roof。🎈某年四六级翻译题中出现了「四世同堂」，该怎么翻译？好多人可能会翻成four generations live together，其实我们完全可以用到此处under a roof的表达，译成four generations under one/the same roof。再比如，This couple live under the same roof可以翻成「住在同一屋檐下的夫妻」。under the same roof就是「同堂、同住」的意思。🔥必背词汇bustle v.忙碌英义If someone bustles somewhere, they move there in a hurried way, often because they are very busy.例句My mother bustled around the kitchen.我母亲在厨房忙得团团转。reminiscence n.回忆;旧事;追忆的往事英义Someone’s reminiscences are things that they remember from the past, and which they talk or write about. Reminiscence is the process of remembering these things and talking or writing about them.例句A faint smile of reminiscence appeared on her face..一丝怀旧的微笑浮现在她的脸上。nostalgia un.(尤指对极幸福时光的)怀念，怀旧，念旧英义Nostalgia is an affectionate feeling you have for the past, especially for a particularly happy time.例句He might be influenced by nostalgia for his happy youth…也许是对年轻时幸福时光的怀恋影响了他。cricket cn.蟋蟀，蛐蛐英义A cricket is a small jumping insect that produces short, loud sounds by rubbing its wings together.例句Tree crickets use sound to attract mates.树蟋用声音来吸引配偶。transport v.使身处他境英义If you say that you are transported to another place or time, you mean that something causes you to feel that you are living in the other place or at the other time.例句In a dream you can be transported back in time.在梦里你可以回到过去。therein adv.在那里;在其中英义Therein means contained in the place that has been mentioned.例句By burning tree branches, pine needles, and pine cones, many not only warm their houses but improve the smell therein.许多人在家里烧树枝、松针和松果，不但给房子取暖，还改善了屋里的气味。🔥重点表达总是忙碌keep myself occupied东奔西跑、忙碌bustle about沉湎于、沉溺于indulge in吃晚饭的时候at supper time清除、拿走clear away残菜discarded outer leaves of vegetables湿漉漉的水泥地面the damp cement floor一动也不动stay still把……交给某人 hand sth. to sb.动身去 leave for睡觉go to bed夜半、在深夜 Late at night摆脱、处理get rid of星空the starry sky在我家定居settle down permanently under our roof🔥复盘测试总是忙碌东奔西跑、忙碌沉湎于、沉溺于吃晚饭的时候清除、拿走残菜湿漉漉的水泥地面一动也不动把……交给某人动身去睡觉夜半、在深夜摆脱、处理星空在我家定居🔥表达对比「身临其境」有几种表达？使用这款应用，你可以做到（身临其境）。Through the app you actually scan the set and it really comes alive.你看的时候会有（身临其境）的感觉。When you watch a programme, it’s like you’re really there.对，可能这是个（让人身临其境的）手机应用程序。Yeah, maybe it’s an immersive smartphone app.
帕布莉卡