谢冰莹《刹那的印象》 -英语技巧与实例-英汉互译实用教程

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刹那的印象

My Instant Response
谢冰莹
Xie Bingying
🔥背景知识:此文是谢冰莹叙述1922年她在长沙第一女子师范求学时写第一篇散文的经过。当时,一军官太太买下一个小女孩作丫头,令人们当众品评该小女孩「一举一动的姿式」,谢对此侮辱人格的行为感到很气愤,挥笔写下《刹那的印象》一文,抨击时弊,伸张正义。
我开始写小说,是在进了女师的第二年,那时刚满十五岁。
I began to write fiction in my second year at the Women’s Normal School when I had just reached the age of 15.
🎈写小说:write fiction
🎈女师:the Women’s Normal School
Q: 为何师范类学校是Normal School而不是Teacher’s School?
🎈Normal school(师范学校)实际上是译自法语的 école normale,意为“标准学校,模范学校”。叫“模范学校”,是因为这样的学校用标准的课程教授青年教师标准的教学方法,是其他所有学校教学的典范或标准(norm)。Normal 在这里的意思对于英语是外来的,很多老外也不知道。
而中文里“师范”一词,其实也是外来语。“师范”一词首见于上古汉语,但在中国古代,少见两字连用,形成专有名词。“师范”成为专有名词,最早起源于日本。日语的“師範”(しはん)一词就是“榜样,典范”的意思。(在各传统武术流派中,也将师傅称为“師範”。)明治维新期间,日本于1872年建立了第一所师范学校 东京高等师范学校,将 normal school 一词译为“师范学校”。这个译名在清末进入中国。1923年,北京高等师范学校升级为大学,改名为北京师范大学,当时参考了在中国讲学的几位美国学者,如教育家与哲学家杜威、哥伦比亚大学教育系主任孟禄等人的意见,将其英文译名定为 Peking Normal University。这是世界上第一所师范大学(Normal University)为名的学校。此后我国成立的其它师范院校,也清一色沿用 Normal University 这一译名。

有一天,我和两位小学时代的同学,去一个同乡家里吃饭,主人刚刚买了一个十三岁的丫头来,
One day, together with two classmates of the primary-school days, I went to dinner at a fellow provincial’s home. The host had just bought a 13-year-old slave girl.
🎈「主人刚刚买了一个十三岁的丫头来」中的「丫头」根据当时我国的情况考虑,该丫头是买回来作奴婢的,故增译了slave,译为The host had just bought a 13-year-old slave girl。
Q: Together with后的谓语动词形式如何变化?
🎈该知识点属于主谓一致。接下来回顾一下并列主语与谓语动词之间的关系。
Either…or, neither…nor, not only… but also谓语动词单复数与or, but(also), nor后面的词一致。
例句
Not only their teacher but also the students are required to attend the meeting.
主语+with, together with, along with, as well as, as much as, including, in addition to, added to, except, besides, rather than, accompanied by+另一主语,与第一个主语保持一致。
例句
I, as well as they, am ready to help you.

那女孩长得面黄肌瘦,身材短小,满脸现着泪痕;
Short and slight in build, she looked thin and sickly with a tear-stained face.
🎈「那女孩长得面黄肌瘦」中的「黄」形容病容,故译为she looked thin and sickly。此句也可译为she was emaciated and had a sallow face,但欠轻快自然。

倒是一双乌溜溜的大黑眼睛,非常惹人怜爱。
But her bright big ebony eyes were just lovely.
🎈「黑眼睛」译为ebony eyes,其中ebony本指「乌木」,为实物形容词,常见于文学作品,形容人的头发、眼睛等带光泽的深黑色。
🎈大黑眼睛:her bright big ebony eyes
Q:出现多个形容词时,应如何将形容词排序呢?
🎈可以遵循「美小圆旧黄,中国木书房」的原则。
「美」代表描述类或性质类形容词;
「小」代表大小、长短、高低、胖瘦类形容词;
「圆」代表形状类形容词;
「旧」代表新旧年龄类形容词;
「黄」代表颜色类形容词;
「中国」代表来源、国籍、地区、出处类形容词;
「木」代表物质、材料、质地类形容词;
「书」代表用途、类别、功能、作用类形容词;
「房」代表中心名词。
例句
a beautiful little red flower
一朵美丽的小红花
例句
I have a big round red wooden Chinese table. 
我有一个中国制造木制红色的大的圆桌子。

女主人是一位师长太太,她命令女孩走路给我们看,并请我们批评她的一举一动的姿式,是否合于一个师长公馆用的丫头。
The hostess, who was a division commander’s wife, ordered the girl to show us her gait so that we could judge whether each and every of her postures befitted her position as maid in an official mansion.
🎈who was a division commander’s wife为非限制性定语从句,修饰The hostess。
🎈「并请我们批评她的一举一动的姿式」译文采用so that句型,表示目的。

那两位同学,真的将视线集中在女孩的身上;可是我的眼里却正在燃烧着不平的火焰!我恨那位女主人太不人道了,简直把人当做畜生看,
As my former classmates were focusing their eyes on the poor girl, I burned with fury at the gross injustice. I detested the hostess for her inhuman act of treating the girl like an animal.
🎈「我的眼里却正在燃烧着不平的火焰」即「面对不平,怒火中烧」,英译时还得把「怒」字表达出来:I burned with fury(或anger、wrath等) at the gross injustice,其中gross作「极端的」「严重的」解,是译文中添加的成分,原文虽无其词却有其意。
🎈「太不人道」即「不人道的做法」,故译为inhuman act。

我当时气得饭也吃不下,
I was too angry to eat and left on some excuse.
🎈on some excuse:借故。结合了下一句的信息。

借故回到学校,立刻写了一篇《刹那的印象》,用“闲事”的笔名,寄给编《大公报》的李抱一先生。
Back at the school, I immediately wrote a story entitled My Instant Response under the pseudonym of “Xian Shi”, which I mailed to Mr. Li Baoyi, editor of the Da Gong Daily.
🎈「用‘闲事’的笔名」译文将动词转为介词under the pseudonym of “Xian Shi”。
🎈「《大公报》的李抱一先生」译为Mr. Li Baoyi, editor of the Da Gong Daily,对于其身份的解释往往作为后置定语修饰人名。

第三天,当我走进阅报室,无意中看到了自己的作品,那时的快乐,的确是不能以笔墨形容的。
Three days later, on entering the reading room, I was extremely thrilled to find my story published in the paper.
🎈「那时的快乐,的确是不能以笔墨形容的」没有译出笔墨,而是意译为「非常高兴」was extremely thrilled to。

“你看今天的报没有?”
“Did you see today’s paper?”
🎈「看报」还可以译为read newspapers。

我问一位同学。
I asked one of the two former classmates.
🎈「一位同学」联系上文可知是两位同学中的一位,所以补充译为one of the two former classmates

“没有,是不是有你的大作?”她向我做了一个鬼脸。
“No, I didn’t. You must have had something published, I guess?” She grimaced at me.
🎈「是不是有你的大作」译为You must have had something published, I guess?用must have done「一定做了某事」的肯定语气,然后再I guess的反问,与后面做鬼脸grimaced at me人设相符。

“岂敢,岂敢。”
“Oh, no, I wouldn’t presume.”
🎈此处presume作「不敢这么做」「不敢放肆」等解,常见于口语中。

我一溜烟跑了。
I walked away quickly.
🎈此句意译为「我很快地跑走了」,I walked away quickly.

其实,说良心话,我当时的心境真是矛盾万分,一方面希望同学们知道那篇小说是我写的,一方面又觉得太难为情。
Frankly, I had mixed feelings. Much as I hoped that my schoolmates would know me as the author of the story, I could not help feeling very uncomfortable about it.
🎈「一方面希望同学们知道那篇小说是我写的,一方面又觉得太难为情」此句暗含的关系为「虽然……但是……」,所以译文处理为as的倒装句。
🎈「那篇小说是我写的」进行了偏正转换,「我是小说的作者」,the author of the story。

“你这该死的家伙,怎么把前天唐太太请我们看丫头的事写成了小说呢?
“Damn it! How come you’ve written a story of Madame Tang asking us to take a look at her slave girl?
🎈How come:为什么,怎么
🎈How come和why的区别在于:二者意思几乎一样,都有「为什么」的意思,但how come有「怎么会」的意思在里面。How come后接陈述句表示疑问dao,而why后接一般疑问句。
例句
How come you are classroom?
为什么你在教室?(你怎么会在教室?)
Why are you classroom? 
为什么你在教室?
转换
Why is our oven broken?换成 how come 的话, 要说成How come our oven is broken?
注意一下:这二句的 be 动词位置是不一样的.

你不怕她生气吗?”
The lady might feel hurt, you know?”
🎈「生气」偏重于「受伤」之意,故译为feel hurt。

咏声这么责备我。
Yong Sheng said reproachfully.
🎈「责备」由动词转为副词reproachfully。

“谁管她!
“I don’t care a damn about her!
🎈此句意为「我并不关心她」。
care about:担心;关心

她既然能买卖人口,难道我连说话的自由都没有吗?我下次不去她家里就得了。”
If she’s free to buy a slave girl, why shouldn’t I have my freedom of speech? I’ll see no more of the woman, that’s all.”
🎈「买卖人口」此处指的是「买这个小丫头」,所以「卖」就不用翻,译为buy a slave girl。
🎈「我下次不去她家里就得了」意即「我不再见她」,故译为I’ll see no more of the woman。

后来咏声做了师长的姨太太,而那位可怜的小丫头不知何处去了。
Yong Sheng was afterwards to be a concubine of the division commander in question while the whereabouts of the poor little slave girl were to remain unknown.
🎈in question:讨论中的,考虑中的。the division commander in question即上文提到的师长。
🎈此句前后两句都用了动词不定式to be a concubine of the division commander in question和to remain unknown,意指「当时未想到的,而后来居然发生的事」。

也不知什么缘故,发表了第一篇文章之后,写作的勇气似乎增加了若干倍。
Strangely enough, the publication of the first article mentioned above seemed to greatly redouble my courage to keep on writing.
🎈「也不知什么缘故」译为Strangely enough,指的是「奇怪的是」。
🎈此句译文中the publication of the first article mentioned above为无灵主语。

有一次上生物学,同学们都在兴高采烈地解剖小鸽子,我心里万分难过,
It came about once that I was deeply grieved in biology class to see my fellow students cheerfully absorbed in dissecting a little pigeon.
🎈It came about once that:曾经有一次
🎈兴高采烈地:be cheerfully absorbed in

眼泪不知不觉地掉下来,一位同学讽刺我:
Tears trickled down my cheeks. One of the students said tauntingly,
🎈「讽刺我」与上文处理一致:said tauntingly

“真是文学家的心肠,居然哭起来了。”
“She’s crying — a real soft-hearted writer, eh!”
🎈「文学家的心肠」译为a real soft-hearted writer,印象中文学家都是多愁善感的,所以用了soft-hearted一词。

我受不住她的冷嘲,连忙回到教室,写了千余字的《小鸽子之死》,咀咒科学是残忍的,没有人性的。
Unable to put up with her sarcasm, I went hurriedly to the classroom, where I wrote The Death of a Little Pigeon, an article of a little over 1,000 words, to condemn the cruelty and inhumanity of science.
🎈where I wrote The Death of a Little Pigeon, an article of a little over 1,000 words, to condemn the cruelty and inhumanity of science为非限制性定语从句,其中an article of a little over 1,000 words是对The Death of a Little Pigeon的进一步解释。

这篇文章虽然没有发表,但我觉得并不比《刹那的印象》写得差;
Though unpublished, it was just as well-written as My Instant Response.
🎈「并不比《刹那的印象》写得差」意即「和《刹那的印象》一样好」,故译为as well-written as My Instant Response。
🎈此句的主语为it,若用I作主语,那么Though unpublished需要加上逻辑
主语this article或it。

从此我得了一个经验,要有真情实感,才能写出好文章。
I had then learned from my own experience that only with true and sincere feelings could one write something worth reading.
🎈「要有真情实感,才能写出好文章」译为only with true and sincere feelings could one write something worth reading,未按字面直译为..could one write something really good,因前者似更为贴切。
🔥必背词汇
slight     adj. 细小的;纤细的;瘦小的
英义
small and thin in size
例句
slight woman 
瘦小的女子 
build     n. 体形;体格;身材
英义
the shape and size of the human body
例句
a man of average build 
中等身材的人
ebony     adj.乌黑的
英义
black in colour
例句
ebony skin 
黝黑的皮肤
gait     n. 步态;步法
英义
a way of walking
例句
He walked with a rolling gait
他走起路来摇摇晃晃。
befit      v.  适合;对…相称
英义
to be suitable and good enough for sb / sth
例句
It was a lavish reception as befitted a visitor of her status.
这场铺张的招待可算得正适合她这种身分的来访者。 
pseudonym      n. 假名;化名;笔名
英义
a name used by sb, especially a writer, instead of their real name 
例句
She writes under a pseudonym.
她用笔名写作。 
 
grimace    v.〔因不喜欢某物、感到疼痛或开玩笑而〕扭曲脸部,做怪相
英义
to twist your face in an ugly way because you do not like something, because you are feeling pain, or because you are trying to be funny
例句
She grimaced at her reflection in the mirror. 
她冲着镜子中的自己做了个怪脸。
presume    v.冒昧,放肆,擅作主张
英义
to behave without respect or politeness by doing something that you have no right to do
例句
I would never presume to tell you what to do.
我岂敢对你指手画脚。
whereabouts    n. (人或物)所在的地方;下落;行踪
英义
the place where sb / sth is 
例句
His whereabouts are / is still unknown. 
他仍下落不明。
dissect    v. 解剖〔人或动物的尸体〕
英义
to cut up the body of a dead animal or person in order to study it
例句
We dissected a frog in biology class.
我们在生物课上解剖了一只青蛙。
🔥重点词组
刚满15岁 just reach the age of 15
去一个同乡家里吃饭 dinner at a fellow provincial’s home
身材短小 short and slight in build
满脸泪痕 a tear-stained face
面黄肌瘦 look thin and sickly
一双乌溜溜的大黑眼睛 bright big ebony eyes
一位师长太太 a division commander’s wife
命令女孩走路给我们看 order the girl to show us her gait 
批评她的一举一动的姿式 judge each and every of her postures
适合于一个师长公馆里用的丫头 befit her position as maid in an official mansion
面对不平,怒火中烧 burn with fury at gross injustice
恨那位女主人太不人道  detest the hostess for her inhuman act 
把人当畜生看 treat the girl like an animal
一溜烟跑了 walk away quickly
心境矛盾万分 have mixed feelings
说话的自由 freedom of speech
写作的勇气似乎增加了若干倍 seem to greatly redouble my courage to keep on writing
心里万分难过 be deeply grieved in
解剖小鸽子 dissect a little pigeon
文学家的心肠 a real soft-hearted writer
受不住她的冷嘲 be unable to put up wit her sarcasm
诅咒科学是残忍的,没有人性的 condemn the cruelty and inhumanity of science
得了一个经验 learn from my own experience
真情实感 true and sincere feelings 
🔥复盘测试
刚满15岁
去一个同乡家里吃饭
身材短小
满脸泪痕
面黄肌瘦
一双乌溜溜的大黑眼睛
一位师长太太
命令女孩走路给我们看
批评她的一举一动的姿式
适合于一个师长公馆里用的丫头
面对不平,怒火中烧
恨那位女主人太不人道
把人当畜生看
一溜烟跑了
心境矛盾万分
说话的自由
写作的勇气似乎增加了若干倍
心里万分难过
解剖小鸽子
文学家的心肠
受不住她的冷嘲
诅咒科学是残忍的,没有人性的
得了一个经验
真情实感
🔥表达对比
关于「生气」的不同表达
那两位同学,真的将视线集中在女孩的身上;可是我的眼里却正在燃烧着不平的火焰!我恨那位女主人太不人道了,简直把人当做畜生看,
As my former classmates were focusing their eyes on the poor girl, I burned with fury at the gross injustice. I detested the hostess for her inhuman act of treating the girl like an animal.
你不怕她生气吗?”
The lady might feel hurt, you know?”
有几个顾客嫌我包的书不好,表示很生气的样子, 
Some didn’t like the way I did the wrapping and looked somewhat displeased
弄得那位青年莫名其妙地打量了我很久,然后悻悻然地离去。
The young man was confused and, after looking me up and down for a while, walked off in sulky silence.
掌柜的生气了,常常骂他。
The shop owner was infuriated and often took him to task.
苏林教授显然是大为生气了。
Professor Su was obviously upset.
“为什么不该学做木匠?做官有什么好?修房子,做家具,才有趣啊!我做木匠,我要给自己修房子,爬到上面去,爬得高高的,”我看见他不相信我的话,把它只当做小孩子的胡说,我有些生气,就起劲地争论道。
Somewhat annoyed by the way he shrugged off my words as childish nonsense, I argued heatedly, “Why not become a carpenter? What’s the good of being a government official? It’s great fun to build houses and make furniture. If I’m a carpenter, I’ll climb high up, very high up, to build a house for myself.”
他生气地侧过头去望向窗外。
He turned in anger to look out of the window.
尤其是当她不留心踩死了鲁迅所心爱的隐鼠,这更使鲁迅十分生气。
Lu Xun was especially angry with her when she inadvertently stepped on and killed his favourite little mouse.
于是老妇人生气地又说:
The scholar’s wife was piqued and said,

未经允许不得转载:帕布莉卡 » 谢冰莹《刹那的印象》 -英语技巧与实例-英汉互译实用教程

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