On Packaging季羡林Ji Xianlin🔥背景知识：《论包装》是季羡林写于1997年8月的一篇杂文，文章针对社会时弊，亦庄亦谐，信手拈来，皆成妙品。Q:英文标题中的介词🎈on/of +…:书、讨论或观点关于，涉及。如弗朗西斯·培根著作《论学习》，其标题译为Of Studies；老舍的《养花》译为On Growing Flowers。我先提一个问题：人类是变得越来越精呢？还是越来越蠢？答案好像是明摆着的：越来越精。Let me begin with this question. Are human beings getting increasingly intelligent or stupid? The following answer seems beyond dispute: They are getting more and more intelligent.🎈「我先提一个问题」不要译成first之类的，译作「以……开始begin/start with/by…」已经成为较为固定的一种译法，尤常见于礼仪祝辞。虽然现在学习的是散文材料，但很多表达可以用在其他类型的材料或者场合中。🎈此处「精」和「蠢」对应，是一组反义词，现译作intelligent 、 stupid。🎈「答案好像是明摆着的」译为The following answer seems beyond dispute，其中beyond dispute或past all dispute，本作「没有争论余地的」解， 现用以表达原文中的「明摆着的」在几千年有文化的历史上，人类对宇宙，对人世，对生命，对社会，总之对人世间所有的一切，越来越了解得透彻、细致，如犀烛隐，无所不明。In the course of several thousand years of his cultural history, man has acquired a more and more thorough and detailed understanding of the universe, the human world, life and society—in short, everything under heaven.🎈in the course of 是固定搭配，表示「在……期间，在……过程中」🎈man 单独用通常指全人类。例如：Man will conquer nature.（人定胜天。）和 The garden seemed untouched by the hand of man. 有时指一切男子，跟 woman（一切女子）相对。例句Man is said to be stronger than woman. 虽然在指全人类或一切男子的时候，在语法上也被看作单数，它的代词是 he，him，his 等，不是 they，them，their 等。🎈「人类对宇宙，对人世，对生命，对社会，总之对人世间所有的一切，越来越了解得透彻、细致，如犀烛隐，无所不明」译为man has acquired a more and more thorough and detailed understanding of the universe, the human world, life and society—in short, everything under heaven，其中「如犀烛隐，无所不明」已作交代，毋庸另译；everything under heaven 是固定搭配表示「天下万物」例子伸手可得。Examples are legion.🎈「例子伸手可得」译为Examples are legion，其中legion作「多得不知其数」「众多的」解，是形容词。当年中国人对月亮觉得可爱而又神秘，于是就说有一个美女嫦娥奔入月宫。Our ancestors, out of their fondness for the moon and curiosity about it, created the legend of beautiful Chang’e flying to the moon.🎈「可爱和神秘」没有直译为adorable and mysterious，而是说人们喜欢月亮，对其感到好奇，这里要注意介词的搭配一定要准确，而且还套用了out of +n这种用法，不仅更加地道，而且十分有意境，值得背诵学习。又， out of在不同语境中可以有不同的译法。此处，out of意为「由于」，后面的名词由具体事物转为某种心态或条件。例句out of fear出于害怕 out of habit按照习惯 out of pity出于怜悯心🎈「于是就说有一个美女嫦娥奔入月宫」译为created the legend of beautiful Chang’e flying to the moon，其中 the legend (作「传说」「传说故事」解)是译文中的增添词。连苏东坡这个宋朝伟大的诗人，也不禁要问出：“明月几时有？把酒问青天。不知天上宫阙，今夕是何年？” And Su Dongpo, a great poet of the Song Dynasty, wrote the following lines as a matter of course: The Bright Moon, when will she appear? Wine cup in hand, I ask the azure sky. I don’t know inside the heavenly palace What time of year it is tonight.🎈「连苏东坡这个宋朝伟大的诗人，也不禁要问出」译为And Su Dongpo, a great poet of the Song Dynasty, wrote the following lines as a matter of course，其中as a matter of course是成语，作「为意料中事」「不用说」「自然」等解。🎈the azure sky青天Q：「碧、绿、蓝、青」等颜色词，请自行根据具体语境翻译，关于中文汉字「碧」的一些搭配🎈①碧澄 blue and clear 水、天空，碧蓝而明净，河水清湛碧澄②碧海青天 a blue ocean under a blue sky 形容天水一色，无限辽远③碧汉 the blue sky, the azure sky 碧天银汉的合称，即天空。如：起楼侵碧汉，初日照红妆。——江总《和衡阳殿下高楼看妓》④碧海 blue sea 碧蓝色的海。⑤碧空 the azure sky; the blue sky 蔚蓝色的天空。如：孤帆远影碧空尽。——唐·李白《黄鹤楼送孟浩然之广陵》诗。⑥碧落 the sky 天空。如：上穷碧落下黄泉，两处茫茫皆不见。——唐·白居易《长恨歌》⑦碧霄 the blue sky 蓝天。⑧碧血 blood shed in a just cause 为正义死难而流的血，烈士的血。⑨碧玉jasper一种不透明隐晶质石英，常见有几种颜色(如红色、褐色、绿色、黄色)。可是到了今天，人类已经登上了月球，连月球上的土块也被带到了地上来。Today, man has managed to land on the moon and even come back bringing with him some of its clods. 🎈manage to表示努力达成目标/做成某事，属增译成分，体现了人类多年来的追求与努力。🎈登月land on the moon🎈bringing with him some of its clods作伴随状语🎈clod指「土块」、plot指「一块土地」哪里有什么嫦娥，有什么广寒宫？Chang’e and her heavenly palace simply don’t exist.🎈此处变反问句为陈述句。且simply不是指「简单地」，而是作副词，用于强调，表示「简直、根本」。例句So many of these questions simply don’t have answers.这些问题有很多根本就没有答案。那么此句参考译文即为“根本没有所谓的嫦娥和广寒宫”。人类倘不越变越精，能做到这一步吗？可是我又提出了问题，说明适得其反。Could man have achieved that without becoming more and more intelligent? Nevertheless, I also would like to bring forward some facts to show just the opposite.🎈without介词短语有时表示条件，意为「若无」「若非」例句Without water, we cannot live. 没有水，我们就活不了。Can you see without your glasses? 你不戴眼镜能看得清东西吗？这样用时，有时还可引出虚拟语气，相当于 but for。例句Without your advice I would have failed. 假若没有你的劝告，我想必已失败了。I never could have done it without your help. 如果没有你的帮助我永远也不会完成这事。🎈「可是我又提出了问题」译为 Nevertheless, I also would like to bring forward some facts，其中「问题」意即「实际情况」，故译facts。🎈「提出」译作put forward或bring forward均可。例子也是伸手即得。Examples are only too numerous.🎈注意表达替换，此处「伸手即得」未重复使用legion，而是用了too numerous。我先举一个包装。Packaging is the first thing I want to deal with. 🎈deal with此处不是大家常用的「处理」之意，而是表示「论述，讨论，涉及」。例句the parts of his book which deal with contemporary Paris.他的书中涉及当代巴黎的那些部分。但大体来讲，大家完全可以从「处理」推测到「论述」，虽然含义不同，结合上下文不难猜出。人类活动在社会上，有时候是需要包装的。特别是女士们。People, especially women, sometimes need packaging in their social activities.🎈social activities社交活动🎈注意译文对语句顺序的调整：把「特别是女士们」处理为插入语（也可理解为people的补充语），整合成了一句话。中文形散神不散，英文则反其道而行之。在家中穿得朴朴素素，但是一出门，特别是参加什么“派对”（party，借用香港话），则必须打扮得珠光宝气，花枝招展，浑身洒上法国香水，Women dress casually at home, but when they go out, especially when they attend parties, they have to be gorgeously dressed and sprayed all over the French perfume.🎈「在家中穿得朴朴素素」译为Women dress casually at home,其中dress casually的意思是「穿得随随便便」「穿便服」等。此句也可译为Women dress simply (plainly) at home。🎈attend一词可以与很多名词搭配，表示「出席、参加」等。这里列举出一些供大家背诵：参加聚会attend parties奔丧 attend one’s funeral参加会议attend a meeting 上学；去上学attend school上课attend class 听讲座；上课attend a lecture上大学attend university走在大街上，高跟鞋跟敲地作金石声，香气直射十步之外，路人为之“侧目”。On the streets, the loud clip-clop of their high-heeled shoes and the strong aroma of their perfume will attract public attention far and wide. 🎈「走在大街上，高跟鞋跟敲地作金石声，香气直射十步之外，路人为之‘侧目’」译为On the streets, the loud clip-clop of their high-heeled shoes and the strong aroma of their perfume will attract public attention far and wide。「作金石声」不宜按字面直译，选用拟声词the loud clip-clop表达。「十步之外，路人为之‘侧目’」也未按字面直译，而用意译法处理：will attract public attention far and wide，两处夸张语气，都与原文不相上下🎈high-heeled是合成形容词，构词法为：形容词词+名词+ed。例句near-sighted近视的good-tempered脾气好的这就是包装，而这种包装，我认为是必要的。That’s what we mean by packaging and I call it a kind of necessary packaging.🎈call指「把……说成、认为……是、将……称为」，常用搭配为call+ n +n/adj或call it adj to do。可是还有另外一种包装，就是商品的包装。But there is another kind of packaging — the packaging of commodities.🎈破折号后为同位语成分，起解释说明的作用。这种包装有时也是必要的，不能一概而论。Such packaging is sometimes also necessary and therefore, should not be mentioned in the same breath.Q：「不能一概而论」怎么翻译？🎈sth should not be mentioned in the same breath.in the same breath和at the same time都表达「同时」的意思，前者同时的双方是对立的关系，更多表达否定、不可放在一起比较的意思。下面是来自《经济学人》的例句：He hailed this week’s arms agreement but in the same breath expressed suspicion about the motivations of the United States.他为本周达成的武器协议而欢呼，但同时又对美国的动机表示怀疑。🎈in the same breath还有一个意思：主要强调的是在同一个水平，同一个地位，但A和B不能相提并论，不可同日而语。我从前到香港，买国产的商品，比大陆要便宜得多。一问才知道，原因是中国商品有的质量并不次于洋货，正是由于包装不讲究，因而价钱卖不上去。Some time ago, as a visitor to Hong Kong, I found Chinese-made goods there selling at a much lower price than in the mainland and I also learned on inquiry that it was due to plain packaging that they were selling cheap though of equal quality as imported goods.🎈「我从前到香港」译作as a visitor to Hong Kong，进行了词性转换，值得学习。🎈on inquiry经询问、经调查，在句中作状语。例句On inquiry, however, of the constable’s wife he learnt that the constable was not at home.不过，他询问了警察的妻子后，他才知道，警察不在家。🎈国产的商品Chinese-made goods国有企业state-owned companies/enterprises中国的跨国公司home-grown multinational companies外资企业foreign-funded companies我当时就满怀疑惑：究竟是使用商品呢？还是使用包装？I was quite puzzled about what the customers actually need. The goods or the package?🎈quite puzzled满怀疑惑，quite表示程度。我因而想到一件事：我们楼上一位老太太到菜市场上去买鸡，说是一定要黄毛的。That reminds me of a little story. An old lady who lived in the upstairs of my building one day went to the food market insisting on buying a chicken with yellowish feathers. 🎈「我因而想到」译作remind me of词组，非常巧妙，而且意思完全契合。🎈「一件事」译作a little story，其中little是增译成分，表示只是一件小事。想起乔布斯的演讲中，有一句Today I want to tell you three stories from my life. That’s it. No big deal. Just three stories.（今天我只想给你们讲三个我生活中的真实故事。仅此而已，没有什么长篇大论，就是三个故事。卖鸡的小贩问老太太：“你是吃鸡？还是吃鸡毛？”The chicken vendor asked, “What do you eat? Chicken or the feathers?”🎈「你是吃鸡？还是吃鸡毛？」翻译时也可增添on earth/the hell（到底、究竟），以加强语气。到了今天，有一些商品的包裹更达到了匪夷所思的地步。Nowadays, the packaging of some commodities is fantastically overdone.🎈「达到了匪夷所思的地步」未逐字直译为has reached an unimaginable degree，现译is fantastically overdone,灵活达意，其中 fantastically作「荒唐地」「异想天开地」解，overdone作「做得过分」解。外面盒子，或木，或纸，或金属，往往极大。装扮得五彩缤纷、璀璨耀目。The boxes, made of wood, paper or metal, are usually very large and very colorful and dazzling.🎈看到「五彩缤纷、璀璨耀目」，不用费劲巴拉地想什么big words，译出其核心意思dazzling即可。吴冠中《上海街头》「花花世界」译作the dazzling city，常说「花花世界迷人眼」季羡林《上海菜市场》这里面五光十色，令人眼花缭乱。The rich assortment of hues and colors were dazzling.乱花渐欲迷人眼A riot of blooms begin to dazzle the eyes摆在货架上时，是庞然大物；提在手中或放在车中，更是运转不灵，左提，右提，横摆，竖摆，都煞费周折。They take up a lot of space on the goods shelves and are very cumbersome whether carried by car or by hand. Very unwieldy whether carried by left hand or right hand, placed vertically or horizontally.🎈「摆在货架上时，是庞然大物」如译成be something large/huge monsters when placed on the goods shelves，与原意相比有偏差。现将「庞然大物」理解成「占地/空间大」，译作take up a lot of space on the goods shelves。🎈Very unwieldy whether carried by left hand or right hand, placed vertically or horizontally. 句首省略了They are。及至拿到或运到家中，打开时也是煞费周折。And it is also a big headache to have it opened at home. 🎈欣赏文章中「煞费周折」的译法①笨重得很very cumbersome/ unwieldy ②让人头疼的事情a big headache在庞然大物中，左找，右找，找不到商品究在何处。Search left and right, and you still cannot locate the commodity in the huge box.🎈祈使句，+ and + 陈述句: 在这里祈使句相当于if 引导的条件状语从句（此时去掉and）例句Give me one more hour, and I’ll get the work finished.→ If you give me one more hour, I’ll get the work finished.当然，此句译文理解为「尽管/虽然/哪怕」更为恰当。很希望发现一张纸条上面写着：此处距商品尚有10公里！庶不致使我失去寻找的信心。You will probably wish for a slip of paper therein bearing the written note, “10 more kilometers to the commodity!” so as to retain your confidence in the search.🎈wish for作「盼望」解，往往针对不可能实现的事物。🎈therein意为「从中」，是译文中的添加词。🎈「庶不致使我失去寻找的信心」可按「以便保持寻找的信心」译为so as to retain your confidence in the search。据我粗略的统计，有的商品在大包装中仅占空间十分之一，二十分之一，甚至五十分之一。According to my rough statistics, some commodities take up only one tenth, one twentieth or even one fiftieth of the space in the huge package.🎈英文如何表示分数：通常是借助于基数词和序数词来共同表达的.其中基数词表示分子,序数词表示分母。分子除用one外,也可用a；如果分子大于1,分母要用复数形式.但是,1／2不能说a（one）second,而要说a（one）half。1／4和3／4可以说a（one）fourth和three fourths,但常用a quarter和three quarters表示。应该注意的是,分数修饰名词时,若该名词是不可数名词只能用单数；若是可数名词,用单数或复数均可.但是,若它们在句子中作主语,则谓语动词是用单数还是复数取决于名词,即与分数所修饰的名词保持一致.例如：Only one-fifth of air consists of oxygen．氧气只占空气的1／5。及About two thirds of the students attend the meeting．大约2／3的学生都参加了会议.带分数也是常见的英语数词表达.所谓带分数,实际上是“整数＋分数”,表达时分而述之,只是整数部分与分数部分要用连词 and连接.当带分数修饰名词时,该名词通常是复数,但若名词置于整数one或a之后,则用单数。“带分数＋名词”作主语时,谓语动词根据临近原则要用复数。如：You should finish the work within one and a fourth hours．你应在1．25小时内完成工作。想到那个鸡和鸡毛的故事，我不禁要问：我们使用的是商品，还是包装？Thinking back to the above-mentioned story of chickens and chicken feathers, I cannot but ask, “The commodity or the package, which do you need?”🎈Thinking back to也可写作At the thought of…🎈习语cannot but （不禁）有时候被判定为一种双重否定。🎈惯用表达：不得不、不禁cannot but do sthcannot help doing sthcannot help but do sth而负担那些庞大的包装费用，羊毛出在羊身上，还是我们这些顾客，而华美绝伦的包装，商品取出后，不过是一堆垃圾。After all, the wool still comes from the sheep’s back as the saying goes. It is customers like us that will have to bear all the heavy expenses for packaging. And the flashy package, when emptied of its contents, will be nothing but a garbage heap.🎈「羊毛出在羊身上」1 After all, the wool still comes from the sheep’s back.2 In the long run, whatever you’re given, you pay for.逢年过节，人们高喊「薅羊毛、薅羊毛」，薅的还是自己的毛……所以，明年别薅了，羊会疼。🎈「华美绝伦的包装」译为the flashy package，其中flashy有「华而不实」之意，比 beautiful , gorgeous, exquisite 等更确切。如果我回答我在开头时提出的问题：人类越变越蠢。你怎么反驳？！Here is my answer to the question I raised at the beginning: Man is becoming more and more stupid. What could you say in retort?🎈提出问题raise /propose/present/ask/put forward/bring forward/come up with a question🔥必背词汇retort n.反驳，回嘴英义a quick, angry or humorous reply.例句She bit back (= stopped herself from making) a sharp retort.她克制住了自己，没有尖刻地反驳。dazzling adj.光炫目的，耀眼的英义A dazzling light is very bright and makes you unable to see properly for a short time.例句He shielded his eyes against the dazzling declining sun.他用手遮挡眼前落日耀眼的余晖。cumbersome adj.大而笨重的，难以携带的英义Something that is cumbersome is large and heavy and therefore difficult to carry, wear, or handle.unwieldy adj.沉甸甸的，粗笨的，笨重的英义If you describe an object as unwieldy, you mean that it is difficult to move or carry because it is so big or heavy.例句They came panting up to his door with their unwieldy baggage.他们提着笨重的行李气喘吁吁地来到他门口。aroma n.食物等的香味，芳香英义An aroma is a strong, pleasant smell.例句the aroma of fresh coffee新鲜咖啡的香味simply adv. (用于强调)简直，根本英义You use simply to emphasize what you are saying.例句This sort of increasesimply cannot be justified.这种增长根本就不合理。🔥重点表达明摆着的，无争议的 beyond dispute 在……期间，在……过程中 in the course of透彻细致 thorough and detailed天下万物 everything under heaven例子伸手可得 examples are legion提出 bring forward参加聚会 attend party喷香水 spray perfume香水味 the aroma of perfume 穿得朴朴素素 dress casually打扮得珠光宝气，花枝招展 be gorgeously dressed一问才知道 learn on inquiry包装不讲究 plain packaging使某人想起某事 remind sb of sth.坚持做某事 insist on doing sth.匪夷所思 fantastically overdone五彩缤纷、璀璨耀目 colorful and dazzling保持信心 retain your confidence羊毛出在羊身上 the wool still comes from the sheep’s back负担那些庞大的包装费用 bear all the heavy expenses for packaging华美绝伦的包装flashy package（含贬义）🔥复盘测试明摆着的，无争议的在……期间，在……过程中透彻细致天下万物例子伸手可得提出参加聚会喷香水香水味穿得朴朴素素打扮得珠光宝气，花枝招展一问才知道包装不讲究使某人想起某事坚持做某事匪夷所思五彩缤纷、璀璨耀目保持信心羊毛出在羊身上负担那些庞大的包装费用华美绝伦的包装🔥表达对比「庞然大物」有几种表达？在（庞然大物）中，左找，右找，找不到商品究在何处。 Search left and right, and you still cannot locate the commodity in the huge box.银河中心的黑洞是一个有着四百万倍太阳质量的（庞然大物）。 The black hole at the center of the Milky Way is a behemoth with a mass four million times that of the Sun.格列佛在利立浦特人的心目中是个（庞然大物），但一到布罗卜丁奈格，他就像田间的鼬鼠一般小了。 Gulliver was a giant in the eyes of people in Lilliput. But when he got to Brobdingnag, he would become just the size of a weasel.我没想到它是这样一个（庞然大物）。 I didn’t consider that it’s such a huge monster.
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季羡林《上海菜市场》 
爱是一颗心遇到另一颗心（出处+配图） 
