杰罗姆《懒人闲思录》 -英语翻译教程-中英双语赏析

朗读这篇文章

《懒人闲思录》出自英国幽默名家杰罗姆之手，这位“懒人”思想家善于从“懒人”的视角静观众生世相。平谈的生活细节一进入他的文章，就会妙趣盎然，栩栩如生。在这些文章中杰罗姆运用幽默冷峻的笔触展现了19世纪英格兰的社会风貌。

Now, this is a subject on which I flatter myself I really am au fait. The gentleman who, when I was young, bathed me at wisdom’s font for nine guineas a term—no extras—used to say he never knew a boy who could do less work in more time; and I remember my poor grandmother once incidentally observing, in the course of an instruction upon the use of the Prayer-book, that it was highly improbable that I should ever do much that I ought not to do, but that she felt convinced beyond a doubt that I should leave undone pretty well everything that I ought to do.

投稿译文：这是一个我自认为很熟悉的话题。我小时候，一位绅士在智慧池中给我洗澡，九几尼只能洗一次，他常常说自己从来没听说过一个小孩可以在这么长的时间里不干活；我记得我可怜的奶奶曾偶然看到过使用经书后得出的一条指令，指令写道我不可能去会做许多本不该我做的事，但她觉得我应该放下我所有未完成的活计，并且对此深信不疑。

原创译文：在懒散方面，我是个行家。小时候，有位先生给我传道授业，每学期收费九几尼，没有额外费用。他常说，没见过比我做作业更慢的人。我还记得，我那可怜的祖母教我如何使用祈祷书，在教学过程中顺嘴提到，我不可能做分外之事，而且她坚信，即使是分内之事，我也会撒手不管，原封不动。

this is a subject on which I flatter myself I really am au fait.

subject指代什么，需要把通读原文，把握主旨之后，把抽象事物具体化。如果像投稿译文那样处理成「话题」，很容易让人一头雾水。

au fait  完全熟悉 completely familiar with sth

I’m new here so I’m not completely au fait with the system.

我初来乍到，所以对这个系统还不完全熟悉。

The gentleman who, when I was young, bathed me at wisdom’s font for nine guineas a term.

wisdom’s font是难点，font n.圣洗池(设于教堂中，常为石造) 英义a large stone bowl in a church that holds water for the ceremony of baptism，投稿译文采取的是这个意思，所以处理成「智慧池中洗澡」，但font还有个意思，是「泉水」，直译为「沐浴在智慧的清泉中」也可以，但我们联系上下文的term和work，可以推测出这个gentleman是位老师。师者，传道授业解惑也，这是个人思路，仅供参考。

he never knew a boy who could do less work in more time.

直译：他从来没见过哪个男孩能比我用更多的时间，做更少的功课。这句话特别冗长，不符合中国人说话的习惯。这里老师想强调的是作者做作业特别慢，所以我处理为「没见过比我做作业更慢的人」，听起来有没有很熟悉的感觉？「你们是我教过最差的一届」「我就没见过这么顽皮的学生」，也许每个人都听过。

it was highly improbable that I should ever do much that I ought not to do, but that she felt convinced beyond a doubt that I should leave undone pretty well everything that I ought to do.

ought to do和ought not to do，如果直译成「本应该做的事」和「本不该做的事」没错，就是有点拗口，所以我处理成「分内之事」和「分外之事」，英文是not一字之差，中文也是「内」「外」一字之差，一目了然。

I should leave undone pretty well这里的should投稿者处理成「应该」，可能是没看到前面的convince，语法需要加强。leave undone就是撂开手，没做完，后面加个pretty well表示程度，leave undone pretty well「撒手不管，原封不动」。

投稿译文「我不可能去会做许多本不该我做的事，但她觉得我应该放下我所有未完成的活计，并且对此深信不疑」，这里我们注意到，译者调换了语序，把she felt convinced beyond a doubt放在了最后，我不赞同这种处理方式。

我们看原文，祖母先说「分外之事」，再说「分内之事」，这两者之间有递进关系，「分外之事」不做很正常，但是「分内之事」也不做就是懒惰。这两者之间需要一个递进词，来表达作者连「分内之事」也不干，she felt convinced beyond a doubt在这里就起到了这个作用。我处理成「我不可能做分外之事，而且她坚信，即使是分内之事，我也会撒手不管，原封不动。」这里的「而且她坚信」就是我想表达的递进作用，大家细品。

说到译者调整原文语序，我想到了《傲慢与偏见》开头是这样的：it is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.有人处理成「身家丰厚的单身男人必以娶妻为己任，此乃放诸四海而皆准的真理」叶子南老师的《高级英汉翻译理论与实践》，开篇便提到了这个例子。他认为本句中的a truth universally acknowledged和后面的that从句位置不宜颠倒，因为原文文字前后的排比可以产生出一种讥讽的语气。今后大家在翻译过程中，如果想调整原文语序，需要考虑一下作者的感情色彩以及句子功能。

incidentally adv. (引出新话题、附加信息、或临时想到的问题)顺便提一句 used to introduce a new topic, or some extra information, or a question that you have just thought of

近义词

by the way

Incidentally, have you heard the news about Sue?

顺便问一句，你听说过苏的事了吗？

I am afraid I have somewhat belied half the dear old lady’s prophecy. Heaven help me! I have done a good many things that I ought not to have done, in spite of my laziness. But I have fully confirmed the accuracy of her judgement so far as neglecting much that I ought not to have neglected is concerned. Idling always has been my strong point. I take no credit to myself in the matter—it is a gift. Few possess it. There are plenty of lazy people and plenty of slow-coaches, but a genuine idler is a rarity. He is not a man who slouches about with his hands in his pockets. On the contrary, his most startling characteristic is that he is always intensely busy.

投稿译文：我恐怕有什么东西掩盖了我奶奶的预言。天助我也！我曾积德行善，做过许多好事，虽然我是个懒虫。但是我对她的判断确信无疑，以至于忽略掉了许多本不该忽视的相关内容。偷懒一直都是我的拿手好戏，但我却从不曾拿它当作自身的天赋，极少的人才有这种能力。这世上有许多懒散的人，也有许多慢吞吞的人，但是真正的懒汉可谓是廖若辰星。这种人并不是双手插兜，无所事事，恰恰相反，他最令人惊诧的特点就是一直忙个不停。

原创译文：从某种程度上说，我恐怕已经证明，祖母的话半真半假。老天保佑！尽管生性懒惰，但我还是做了许多分外之事。但我忽略了许多本不该忽略之事，这点倒是充分证明了祖母的话没错。一直以来，懒散都是我的强项，但这不是我的功劳，这是种天赋，极少人拥有。这世上有许多懒散度日之人，也有许多做事迟缓之人，但生性懒散之人却极为罕见。这种人并不是双手插兜，无精打采。相反，他最引人注目的特征就是：总是忙得不可开交。

I am afraid I have somewhat belied half the dear old lady’s prophecy.

somewhat表示「从某种程度上说」，投稿译文「有什么东西」，曲解意思，过于口语化。因为「从某种程度上说」太长，所以拎出来单独翻译，放在前面。

belie  v.显示(某事)不正确，证明(某事)错误

to show that sth cannot be true or correct

Government claims that there is no poverty are belied by the number of homeless people on the streets.

大街上那些无家可归者证明政府所声称的没有贫困的说法是谎言。

I have done a good many things that I ought not to have done

a good many things这里的good不是「好」的意思，比如A good many things in the world cannot be considered and valued in terms of money.世界上有很多东西不能用金钱来衡量。上面提到的《傲慢与偏见》it is a truth universally acknowledged that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife.这里的a good fortune表示「身家丰厚」

But I have fully confirmed the accuracy of her judgement so far as neglecting much that I ought not to have neglected is concerned.

I have fully confirmed the accuracy of her judgement这里的accuracy不要处理成准切性，「xx性」翻译腔重。

so far as neglecting much that I ought not to have neglected is concerned. 因为中间太长，投稿者没看出来这是个句型as/so far as……is concerned，导致错译。

slouch  没精打采地站(或坐、走)；低头垂肩地站(或坐、走)

to stand, sit or move in a lazy way, often with your shoulders and head bent forward

Sit up straight. Don’t slouch.

挺起胸坐直，别歪歪斜斜的。

总体评价：本篇文章难度较大，在考场上会遇到一些生词，只能联系上下文。错译超过三处，语法两处理解错误，句子冗长，翻译腔重，需要全面提升。

未经允许不得转载：帕布莉卡 » 杰罗姆《懒人闲思录》 -英语翻译教程-中英双语赏析