张林《大钱饺子》 -英语翻译教程-中英双语赏析

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大钱饺子

A Good-luck Dumpling
张林
Zhang Lin
 
那是动乱的第二年吧,我被划进了“黑帮”队伍里,我在那长长的“黑帮”队伍里倒不害怕,最怕的就是游斗汽车开到自己家门口,这一招太损了。
In the second of those tumultuous years, I was labeled one of the “reactionary gang.” What I feared most was not being queued up among this gang of so many, but the vicious practice of being publicly denounced on a truck in front of my own house.
🎈这句汉语虽然较长,英文可译成一句话,选用适合这一情景的强调对比结构,突出”不怕……,最怕……”,what I feared most was not. . . but…在翻译“在那长长的’黑帮’队伍里”时,应采用被动结构,表示出于所迫不得不如此。“这一招太损了”这句话在英译时缩成短语vicious practice更为简洁。
🎈积累词汇label(被贴上…的标签)
🎈排队(等候)queue up
例句
People are queueing up to work for me!
想为我效力的人可是排着长队呢!

 
嗐,越害怕还越有鬼,
Well, fear or no fear, the lot fell on me soon enough.
🎈这句话意译,“越有鬼”指的是情况后续越发糟糕,即俗话说的“越怕/担心什么越来什么”
🎈看到“fear or no fear”,大家有没有想到莎士比亚《哈姆雷特》中的名句“To be or not to be, that is a question.活着还是死去(生存还是毁灭),这是一个问题。”类似的用法,我们之前也见过,郁达夫《谈结婚》中:Marriage or no marriage, which is more desirable?(究竟是结婚的好呢,还是不结婚的好?)
🎈fall on表示(责任、命运等)落在 … 身上;由 … 负担
例句
The full cost of the wedding fell on us.
整个婚礼费用由我们负担了。

 
有一次汽车就真的开到了家门口。那八旬的老母亲看见了汽车上的我,嘴抖了几抖,闭上眼睛,扶着墙,身子像泥一样瘫了下去。
When the truck drove to the gate of my own house, my mother, who was already in her eighties, spotted me on the truck. Her lips trembling and eyes shut, she first leaned against the wall, then collapsed, weak and limp like soft mud on the ground.
🎈断句也可直接按照原文来,译作Once the truck drove to the gate of my own house. When my eighty-year-old mother spotted me on the truck, she first leaned against the wall with her lips trembling and eyes shut, then collapsed, weak and limp like soft mud on the ground.,但不如参考译文流畅自然,有违和感。此外,单词octogenarian也指“八旬老人”。

 
妻子竟忘了去扶持母亲,站在那儿,眼睛都直了,跟个傻子一般。
Meanwhile, my wife just stood there dumbfounded like a blockhead, forgetting even to help my mother up.
🎈hold up表示“支撑、扶持”等。
例句
Her legs wouldn’t hold her up.
她双腿都站不住了。
🎈dumbfounded like a blockhead作状语,修饰stood。
 

我担心老母亲从此会离我而去。
There and then I was afraid Mother would leave me forever.
🎈there and then是惯用表达,there指地点(这儿),then指时间(当时),合在一起就是指“当场……、当时当地……”
 

谢天谢地,她老人家总算熬过来了。
Thank God, she somehow managed to survive.
🎈用somehow这一词表达出了“总算”之意。还可用after all这个短语来表达,全句则为However, she managed to survive after all。
 

那年除夕这一天,竟把我放回家了。
On the eve of the Spring Festival of that year, I was unexpectedly released to return home.
🎈除夕the eve of the Spring Festival。刚庆贺过新年的大家对这个表达肯定不陌生。
🎈英语中表示时间的介词用法:
1、in的使用
(1)一个时间段前用in:in+年/月/季节/世纪
(2)固定结构:in the morning/afternoon/evening
例: 
in June在六月; 
in spring 在春天; 
in the 1980s 在20世纪80年代
2、on 的使用
(1) 时间单位≥2以及星期的表述用on :on+具体某日/星期几
例:
on Monday 星期一; 
on May 1在5月1号(其中5月是一个月份,1号是日,这儿就存在两个时间单位,因此用介词on。)
3、at的使用
(1)在表示时间点,节假日前用at:at+时间点/节假日
(2)固定结构:at night ,at noon
例: 
at ten o’clock在十点钟; 
at Christmas圣诞节
4、固定搭配:
last night 昨夜;
in the evening 在晚上; 
in time及时
on time准时;
 
一进家门,母亲用一种奇怪的眼光打量我,然后她一下子扑过来,摸着我的脸。
As I stepped into the house, Mother looked me up and down with unbelieving eyes before she threw herself on me and caressed my face.
🎈(上下)打量look … up and down
🎈“一下子扑过来”译作threw herself on me。threw(throw)一词本身就含有“猛地、一下子”的意思
例句
She threw her arms around his shoulders.
她一把搂住他的肩膀。
🎈这里的”然后”不要总用then,可分清两件事情的先后顺序,用before这一连词。
 

最后,她竟把脸埋在我的怀里,呜呜地哭起来,妻子领着孩子们只远远地站着,也在那儿哆哆嗦嗦地哭。
Then burying her head in my arms, she wept bitterly while my wife and children stood sobbing at a distance.
🎈 “呜呜”、“哆哆嗦嗦”:对于这类词,根据对象和场景的不同,要选用不同的词。
例如:此处的:呜呜地哭起来wept bitterly、哆哆嗦嗦地哭sobbing
柔石《为奴隶的母亲》
她,却呜呜咽咽地哭起来。She broke into uncontrolled sobs.
吴晴《学校》
冒着浓烟呜呜南去的列车a train puffing and hooting on its way southward
冰心《再寄小读者》
现在我的窗外呼啸着呜呜的海风,风声中夹杂着悠扬的钟声
The sound of howling sea wind outside my window is mingled with the melodious sound of bells.
 

“媳妇,快包饺子,过年!”母亲对妻子说。”
Daughter-in-law, let’s start making dumplings for the Festival!” Mother said to my wife.
🎈母亲应当称儿子妻子为“儿媳妇”,故而译作Daughter-in-law。
 

于是,一家人忙起来,剁馅、和面……一会儿,全家就围在一起开始包饺子。
Instantly the whole family began chopping meat and kneading dough. In no time, all had gathered around the table to make dumplings.
🎈短暂(或快)得令人吃惊;立刻;马上;一会儿in (less than/next to) no time
例句
The kids will be leaving home in no time.
孩子们很快就要离开家了。

 
这时,母亲忽然想起一件什么 事,说:“哎呀,包个大钱饺子吧,谁吃了谁就有福!”
Just then an idea dawned on my mother, and she suggested, “I say, let’s put in a coin and make a good-luck dumpling. Whoever eats it will be blessed. “
🎈“忽然想到…/…忽然出现在脑海中”还可用表达“…occur to sb”。
 

为了使母亲高兴,我同意了,而且希望母亲能吃到这个大钱饺子。
I agreed to make Mother happy, hoping that the coin would fall to her.
🎈 to make Mother happy作目的状语;hoping that作伴随状语。
 

我要真诚地祝福她,愿她多活几年。
With all my heart I wished her a long life.
🎈全心全意with all my heart (and soul)
例句
I love Lucie. With all my heart I love her.
我爱路茜,全心全意地爱她。
🎈“多活几年”不宜之意,此处旨在体现“我”愿母亲长命百岁,故而处理为a long life,而非live a few more years。

 
母亲从柜里拿出个蓝布包,从包里掏出一枚道光年间的铜钱来,
Mother took a blue cloth parcel from the wardrobe, unfolded it and picked out a copper coin of the Daoguang period. 
🎈Daoguang Period: the period between 1821 and 1851 of the Qing Dynasty

 
她颤抖地把这枚古钱放在一个面皮上,上面又盖了点馅,包成一个饺子。这就是大钱饺子了。
With shaking hands she put the coin on a dumpling wrapper, added some filling, and made one which we used to call a good-luck dumpling.
🎈此处“面皮”指擀好的饺子皮,译作a dumpling wrapper。
🎈”大钱饺子”如按字面直译成a coin dumpling,会使人联想到a dumpling made of coin。实际上它的含义是 a dumpling which will bring good luck,因此译成 a good-luck dumpling比较恰当。
 

母亲包完这个饺子,用手在边上偷偷捏出一个记号,然后,若无其事地把它和别的饺子放在一起。但我已经清楚地记住了这个饺子的模样了。
During the process, Mother secretly made a mark on the edge of the dumpling before mixing it with the rest. She pretended nothing had happened, but the trick didn’t escape my eye. I bore the mark firmly in mind.
🎈翻译此句时,应注意动作的逻辑性。要注意“包完这个饺子”的译法,事实上在这里应把“做上记号”也视为包这个饺子过程中的一个步骤,因此不宜把“包完”译出来。又,“若无其事地”在逻辑上应与后面的“但我已经清楚地记住了这个饺子的模样了”这一句话相关。为此在翻译时应做些调整,不必拘泥于原文的分句,增译but the trick didn’t escape my eye使逻辑更通畅。
 

饺子是母亲亲自煮的,饺子要熟了,像一群羊羔一样漂上来。
Mother boiled the dumplings all by herself. The nearly cooked dumplings floated onto the surface like a herd of lambs.
🎈“饺子要熟了”,汉语中是句子结构,可以译成英语的名词词组,放在全句的主语位置上;“一群羊羔”可以直译,以求与原文的形象比喻保持一致。
 

我一眼就看见那个带记号的大钱饺子。
I spotted the marked dumpling at first sight.
🎈“一眼就”可译作at first sight/glance。又,“看见”建议选用spot而非see,spot含“辨认”的意味,更符合大钱饺子因带有记号而被轻易识别出的语境。

 
母亲在盛饺子的时候,把这个大钱饺子盛在一个碗里,又偷偷把它拨在紧上边,然后把这碗饺子推到我面前:“吃吧,多吃,趁热吃。” 
When she scooped up the dumplings, Mother deliberately put the good-luck dumpling on top of the others in a bowl and pushed the bowl to me, saying, “Help yourself. Take as many as you like while they are hot.”
🎈“拨在紧上边”,注意不要直译成on top of the bowl,应译为on top of the others in the bowl。others指其他饺子。
🎈请自便,随便吃,别客气help yourself
 

我觉得心里一阵热,鼻子也酸疼起来。
A wave of warmth surged over me and my nose twitched.
🎈“我觉得心里一阵热”可以译作A wave of warmth surged over me或者I was seized with a wave of warmth。
 

我想应该让母亲吃,让她高兴高兴。
I had thought it would make Mother happy and give her a lovely surprise if she ate the good-luck dumpling.
🎈若将“让她高兴高兴”译作目的状语to give her a lovely surprise也是可以的。
 

但我一时想不出办法,因为母亲认识这个饺子。
But I could not figure out how to get her to eat it for she could easily identify the dumpling.
🎈“认识”适当调整,按“轻易认出”之意理解译作easily identify。
 

我想那就给妻子吧,她跟我生活了20年,现在已经是快半百的人了。
I then thought of my wife who had lived with me for twenty years and was getting on fifty.
🎈thought of my wife:think单独使用时表示“思考”,接that宾语从句时意为“认为、觉得”。think of意为“考虑到、想到”,后常接代词、名词或动词-ing形式。
 

为了我挨斗,她心血都快要熬干了。
She was almost worn out with worry as I was denounced.
🎈疲惫不堪、费尽心血 be worn out
 

我趁妻子上厨房去拿辣椒油的工夫,偷偷把大钱饺子拨在她的碗里。
Taking the opportunity when she went to the kitchen for chilli oil, I put the good-luck dumpling into her bowl.
🎈 Taking the opportunity指趁…机会,对应原文的“趁”之意。

 
谁知,妻子从厨房回来,看了看碗,又用一双深沉和感激的眼睛望着我,眼圈都红了。啊!她也认识这个大钱饺子。
Who could have expected that she would recognize the dumpling as well! Back from the kitchen, she took a glance at her bowl and then gazed at me with tears brimming in her deep grateful eyes.
🎈这一小段译时对语序进行了调整,将“谁知”和“她也认识这个大钱饺子”合在一起先翻,相当于提前交代妻子眼圈发红的原因,构句较合理。
🎈谁知/谁能想到……Who could have expected that…
🎈表示“也”:also、as well、too。
 

妻子没有做声,她吃了几个饺子,忽然说了声:“都快粘在一块了。” 
She kept silent and ate a few dumplings; then she said, “These dumplings have stuck together.”
🎈“说”也可译作uttered。
 

说着,就把所有的饺子碗拿起来摇晃,晃来晃去,就把那碗有大钱饺子的放到了母亲跟前。
She stood up and shook the bowls one after another while shifting hers with my mother’s.
🎈stood up是译者根据自己理解或者故事背景增译的成分,但在并不清楚场景细节的情况下,此处不排除妻子在坐着的状态下完成了这一系列动作,此处增译可有可无。

母亲显然没有注意,边看我边吃饺子,突然“啊”了一声,大钱饺子饺了牙。
Obviously Mother didn’t notice the shift and went on eating with her eyes on me all the time. “Ouch!” suddenly she cried out. The coin had hurt her teeth.
🎈“显然没有注意(妻子的举动)”,译时要补充完整,增强上下文的衔接性。

 
“奶奶有福!吃到大钱饺子了!”妻子像孩子般喊着。
“Oh, Granny is blessed! She got the good-luck dumpling!” my wife shouted like a child.
🎈在读过后文之后,可以做出猜测:在母亲吃到大钱饺子后,“我”的孩子是欢呼出声了的,之后妻子才顺着孩子的话,像孩子般喊着。但此处原文并未对孩子的表现进行说明,在此前提下,个人觉得直接把此处的“奶奶有福”译作“Granny is blessed!”不太合适,虽然字面上和原文保持了对应,且和“孩子般”有点呼应,但在辈分上乱了套,还是译作mother比较合理,能体现出“视若己母”的亲切,从而侧面衬托希望母亲长命百岁的真情。而“孩子般”更多地应体现在语气或者说法方式上,而非话语的具体内容。

 
“我……这是咋回事?“母亲疑惑着。
“I… How come?” Mother was puzzled.
🎈(用以表示不理解情况是如何发生的,希望得到解释)怎么回事,怎么发生的,怎样解释how come ( … )?
例句
If she spent five years in Paris, how come her French is so bad?
既然她在巴黎待了五年,她的法语怎么还会这样糟糕?
 

这时,当啷一声,一个东西从她的嘴里掉在碟子里,正是那个大钱。
Just at that moment, something fell out of her mouth onto the plate with a clang. It was none other than the coin.
🎈这句中的“正是”表达强调,应译出来,可以用none other than来译。
 

于是,我领着老婆孩子一齐欢呼起来:“母亲有福!奶奶有福!”
So I joined my wife and children in a chorus, “Granny is blessed! Mother is blessed!”
🎈这一句的“领着老婆孩子一齐欢呼起来”便是在上文“奶奶有福”出作出相关推测的依据。

 
母亲突然大笑起来,笑着笑着,流出了一脸泪。我和妻子也流了泪。
Mother burst into laughter, and then into tears, as my wife and I shared with her all her sorrow and joy.
🎈“我和妻子也流了泪”,可以根据全文采用引申的办法来点题,不但分享她的快乐,也分享她的忧伤,将整个故事的苦乐均点了出来,突出主题。比用My wife and I shed tears, too.更深一层。
 
🔥必背词汇
tumultuous          adj.事件,时期动乱的骚乱的,动荡的
英义
A tumultuous event or period of time involves many exciting and confusing events or feelings.
例句
It’s been a tumultuous day at the international trade negotiations in Brussels.
那是布鲁塞尔国际贸易谈判中纷乱的一天。
 
reactionary       adj. 反动的,保守的
英义
A reactionary person or group tries to prevent changes in the political or social system of their country.
例句
As long as I have strength, I shall be trying to remove the reactionary forces from the party.
只要我还有精力,我就要尽量清除党内反动势力。
 
dumbfound            v.使惊呆;使目瞪口呆
英义
If someone or something dumbfounds you, they surprise you very much.
例句
This suggestion dumbfounded Joe.
这项建议使乔目瞪口呆。
 
denounce        v.谴责,痛斥
英义
If you denounce a person or an action, you criticize them severely and publicly because you feel strongly that they are wrong or evil.
例句
Some 25,000 demonstrators denounced him as a traitor.
大约 2.5万名示威者痛斥他是叛徒。
 
vicious         adj.残暴的,凶残的,凶恶的
英义
A vicious person or a vicious blow is violent and cruel.
例句
He suffered a vicious attack by a gang of white youths.
他遭到一帮白人青年的残暴袭击。
 
🔥重点表达
大钱饺子a dumpling made of coin
动乱的第二年In the second of those tumultuous years
排队(等候)queue up
(责任、命运等)落在 … 身上fall on
八旬的老母亲my mother, who was already in her eighties
支撑、扶持hold up
当场……、当时当地……there and then
谢天谢地Thank God
除夕the eve of the Spring Festival
(上下)打量look … up and down
呜呜地哭起来wept bitterly
哆哆嗦嗦地哭sobbing
包饺子making dumplings
剁馅chopping meat
和面kneading dough
短暂(或快)得令人吃惊;立刻;马上;一会儿in (less than/next to) no time
忽然想到…/…忽然出现在脑海中…dawn on sb/..occur to sb
全心全意with all my heart (and soul)
一枚铜钱a copper coin
一眼就看见spot…at first sight
请自便,随便吃,别客气help yourself
快半百was getting on fifty
谁知/谁能想到……Who could have expected that…
(用以表示不理解情况是如何发生的,希望得到解释)怎么回事?how come ( … )?
 
🔥复盘测试
大钱饺子
动乱的第二年
排队(等候)
(责任、命运等)落在 … 身上
八旬的老母亲
支撑、扶持
当场……、当时当地……
谢天谢地
除夕
(上下)打量
呜呜地哭起来
哆哆嗦嗦地哭
包饺子
剁馅
和面
短暂(或快)得令人吃惊;立刻;马上;一会儿
忽然想到…/…忽然出现在脑海中…
全心全意
一枚铜钱
一眼就看见
请自便,随便吃,别客气
快半百
谁知/谁能想到……
(用以表示不理解情况是如何发生的,希望得到解释)怎么回事?
 
🔥表达对比
「昏倒」有几种表达?
Her lips trembling and eyes shut, she first leaned against the wall, then collapsed, weak and limp like soft mud on the ground.
……嘴抖了几抖,闭上眼睛,扶着墙,身子像泥一样(瘫)了下去。
 
Anna gasped and fell to the ground, unconscious.
安娜倒吸一口气,(昏倒在地)。
 
When you fainted, you scared us!
你(昏倒)时把我们都吓坏了!
 
I’m just gonna sit down before I pass out.
在(晕倒)之前我得赶紧坐下。

未经允许不得转载:帕布莉卡 » 张林《大钱饺子》 -英语翻译教程-中英双语赏析

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