《母亲的回忆–朱德》 -英语翻译技巧与实例-英汉互译实用教程

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母亲的回忆–朱德

Loving Memories of Mother –Zhu De 
🔥背景知识: 《母亲的回忆》出自当代伟人朱德(1886-1976)之手,1944年4月5日发表在《解放日报》上。文章就母子之情,侃侃谈心,感情真挚,语言平实简约。
 
🎈loving是添加的成分,更能体现真挚温馨的母子之情。
 

得到母亲去世的消息,我很悲痛。我爱我母亲,特别是她勤劳一生,很多事情是值得我永远回忆的。
I was deeply grieved to learn of mother’s death. I love my mother. Of her hardworking life, in particular, a great many things will forever be cherished in my memory. 
🎈特别是她勤劳一生,很多事情是值得我永远回忆的→(母亲)勤劳的一生中有很多事情是值得我永远回忆的。即a great many things of her hardworking life will…。此处将of短语(介词短语作定语,表示所属关系)置于句首,是为了强调。
🎈许多,很多a great many
 

我家是佃农,祖籍广东韶关籍人,在“湖广填四川”时迁移四川仪陇县马鞍场。
I come from a tenant farmer’s family. My original family home was Shao Guan, Guangdong Province, into which my ancestors had moved from another province as settlers. During the mass migration of peasants from Huguang to Sichuan Province, my ancestors moved to Ma An Chang, Yi Long County, Sichuan.
🎈into which my ancestors had moved from another province as settlers.是译者根据历史背景知识(朱德的远祖原住在福建建安县,后经过多次迁移,才定居广东)增译的成分。
🎈「湖广填四川」译为the mass migration of peasants from Huguang to Sichuan Province。「湖广」为旧时一个省份。元代湖广相当于今两湖、两广。明清时湖广专指两湖。四川曾因天灾人祸,人口锐减,湖广农民乃大批迁入。
 

世代为地主耕种,家境是贫苦的,和我们来往的朋友也都是老老实实的贫苦农民。
From generation to generation, they tilled land for landlords only to eke out a bare subsistence. People who associated with them as friends were likewise honest impoverished peasants.
🎈「世代为地主耕种,家境是贫苦的」译为From generation to generation, they tilled land for landlords only to eke out a bare subsistence,其中only用于不定式前作「结果却……」解,往往表示一种不幸的结果。又,to eke out是成语,后面常跟a bare subsistence或a living、an existence、a livelihood等,作「勉强糊口」解。
🎈People who associated with them as friends中,associated取「与……为伍、交往、厮混」之意,常与with搭配。
例句
Don’t associate with bad and dishonest boys.
不要结交坏且不诚实的孩子。
associated with sb. as friends表示「与某人结交、成为朋友」。
 

母亲一共生了十三个儿女,因为家境贫穷,无法全部养活,只留下八个,以后再生下的被迫溺死了。这在母亲心里是多么惨痛、悲哀和无可奈何的事啊!
Mother gave birth to thirteen children in all. But only the first eight of them survived while the next five were drowned at birth by my parents against their will because they were too poor to raise them all. How anguished, sad and helpless mother must have felt! 
🎈生孩子give birth to babies/children 
生……give birth to
例句
Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit gives birth to spirit.
从肉身生的、就是肉身.从灵生的、就是灵。
🎈刚出生;生来 at birth
🎈被迫溺死→即溺死孩子并不是父母的本愿or违背父母的意愿,故译为against their will。
 

母亲把八个孩子一手养大成人。可是她的时间大半给家务和耕种占去了,没法多照顾孩子,只好让孩子们在地里爬着。
She did manage, however, to have the eight children brought up all by herself. But she was too busily occupied with household chores and farming to look after the kids so that they were left alone crawling about in the fields. 
🎈too busily occupied with household chores and farming to look after the kids其实就是一个too…to…结构。其中,be occupied with(doing)sth.意为「忙于……/被……占据(时间)」
🎈爬行,四处爬 crawl about
例句
Another one died when he was crawling about three months.
还有一个在大约三个月刚会爬的时候就夭折了。
 

母亲是个“好劳动”。从我能记忆时起,总是天不亮就起床。全家二十口人,妇女轮班煮饭,轮到就煮一年。
Mother was a hardworking woman. As far as I can remember, she would always get up before daybreak. In our household of more than twenty members, all women would take turns to do cooking for one year.
🎈「母亲是个“好劳动”」不宜按字面直译,现按「母亲是一个勤劳的妇女」译为Mother was a hardworking woman。
 

母亲把饭煮了,还要种田种菜,喂猪养蚕,纺棉花。因为她身材高大结实,还能挑水挑粪。
Apart from cooking, mother did farming, planted vegetables, fed pigs, raised silkworms and spinned cotton into yarn. Tall and of strong build, she could carry two buckets of water or manure on a shoulder pole. 
🎈spinned cotton into yarn书上译文写的确实是spinned,此处修正为span
🎈Tall and of strong build是形容词(组)作原因状语。其中,build为名词,意为「体形,体格,身材」, of strong build相当于形容词「体格强壮的」
 

母亲这样地整日劳碌着,我们到四五岁时就很自然地在旁边帮她的忙,到八九岁时就不单能挑能背,还会种地了。
Mother worked hard from dawn till dusk. When we kids were four or five years old, we found ourselves automatically helping her with farm work. At the age of eight or nine, I could not only carry heavy loads on a shoulder pole or on my back, but also knew how to farm the land.
🎈find sb. doing sth. 发现某人正在做某事
find oneself doing sth. 突然发现自己不知不觉在做某事
此处理解为译者的增译成分。
 

记得那时我从学堂回家,母亲总在灶上汗流满面地烧饭,我就悄悄把书本一放,挑水或放牛去了。
I remember whenever I came back from school and saw mother busy cooking in the kitchen with sweat streaming down her face, I would immediately lay down my books and sneak out to carry water on a shoulder pole or graze the cattle.
🎈独立结构中的逻辑主语有时可以加with或without,作伴随状语或定语。
例句
He sat in the chair with his legs crossed.
他坐在椅子上,腿交叉着。——摘自《华研专四语法》
🎈「悄悄把书本一放,挑水或放牛去了」中「悄悄」一词其实隐含了「偷溜出去……」的意思,故译作sneak out to…
🎈would表示过去常常做某事。
 

有的季节里,我上午读书下午种地,一到农忙便整月停在地里跟着母亲劳动。这个时期母亲教给我许多生产知识。
In some seasons, I would study in the morning and work in the fields in the afternoon. During the busy season, I would spend all day working by the side of mother. It was then that she taught me a lot about the knack of farming. 
🎈It was then that是强调句型
🎈knack近义词:ability, adroitness, art, bent, dexterity, expertise, flair, genius, gift, skill, talent, trick。感兴趣的可以自行查阅。
 

佃农家庭的生活自然是很苦的。可是由于母亲的聪明能干,却很舒服。我们把桐子榨油来点灯。
The life of a tenant farmer’s family was of course hard, but we somehow managed to scrape along because mother was a clever and able woman. We used oil squeezed from seeds of tung trees to light our lamps. 
🎈「却很舒服」并非是字面意思,而是指可以勉强维持生计。勉强糊口scrape along。
例句
There was seldom much over, but I managed to scrape along somehow. 
但是,剩余的钱并不多,可是我总是设法勉强维持下去。
🎈squeezed from seeds of tung trees是oil的后置定语。
 

吃的是豌豆饭,菜花,红薯饭,杂粮饭,把菜籽榨出的油放在饭里做调料,这种地主富人家看也不看的饭食,母亲却能做得使一家吃起来有滋味。
We ate rice cooked with peas, vegetables, sweet potatoes or coarse grain, and all seasoned with rapeseed oil—food which landlords and rich people would scorn to eat. Nevertheless, mother’s cooking was done so well that everybody ate with gusto.
🎈杂粮饭→粗粮饭,现译为coarse grain
🎈all seasoned with rapeseed oil中all是pron。
例句
We produce our own hair-care products, all based on herbal recipes.
我们自己生产护发产品,全部采用草本配方。
这句话可以简化为:We ate sth.——food which…。其中,food是同位语。
🎈热情满满;投入;兴致勃勃with gusto [If you do something with gusto, you do it with energetic and enthusiastic enjoyment.]
 

赶上丰年,才能缝上一些新衣服,衣服也是自己生产出来的。母亲亲手纺出线,请人织成布,染了颜色,我们叫做“家织布”,
Only in a good year, could we afford to have some homemade new clothes to wear. Mother would spin cotton into yarn and then asked somebody to have it woven into fabric and dyed. We called it “home-spun fabric”.
🎈Only in a good year, could we…,only+状语位于句首,句子要部分倒装。比如我们在英语作文结尾进行呼吁时常用的句式:Only in this way can we……。位于句首的「only+状语」后面很少用逗号,但即使有逗号,也要倒装。
 

有铜钱那样厚,一套衣服老大穿过了,老二老三接下来穿还穿不烂。
It was as thick as a copper coin and was so durable that after the eldest brother had grown out of the home-spun garment, it could still be used by the second and third brothers in turn without being worn out. 
🎈「一套衣服老大穿过了」意即「衣服因老大长大了而不能继续穿下去」,故译为after the eldest brother had grown out of the home-spun garment,其中had grown out of是习用短语,作had grown too large to fit (clothes)解。without being worn out作伴随状语。旧时人们的生活「新三年,旧三年,缝缝补补又三年」
 

劳动的家庭是有规律有组织的。我的祖父是一个中国标本式的农民,到八九十岁还非耕田不可,不耕田就会害病,直到临死前不久还在地里劳动。
It was characteristic of an industrious household to be well-regulated and well- organized. My grandfather was a typical Chinese farmer. He went on doing farm work even he was an octogenarian. He would feel unwell without doing farm labour. He was found still working on the farm even shortly before his death.
🎈为……所特有;具有……的特性be characteristic of
🎈「劳动的家庭」译为an industrious household,表示常年以辛勤劳作为生。
🎈人生当中各个年龄阶段的英文表达
蹒跚学步孩子:toddler
婴幼儿:infant
青少年:teenager
年轻人:youngster
中年的:middle-aged
年老的:elderly
八旬老人(80-89岁):octogenarian
临终:on one’s deathbed
🎈without doing farm labour是条件状语
 

祖母是家庭的组织者,一切生产事务由她管理分派。每年除夕,分派好一年的工作以后,
Grandmother was the organizer of the household. She was in charge of all the farm affairs, assigning tasks to each member of the household. On each New Year’s Eve, she would work out all job assignments for the coming new year. 
🎈take charge of与in charge of区别
一、含义不同
take charge of照管;监理;担任
in charge of负责;主管
二、侧重不同
take charge of侧重动作
in charge of侧重状态
🎈work out有多个含义,此处取「想出,得到(解决方法)」
例句
Negotiators are due to meet later today to work out a compromise.谈判人员定于今天晚些时候进行会谈,商定一个折中方案。
 

天还没亮,母亲就第一个起床烧火做饭去了,接着听见祖父起来的声音,接着大家都离开床铺,喂猪的喂养猪,砍柴的砍柴,挑水的挑水。
Mother would be the first to get up before daybreak. Soon grandfather would be heard to rise from his bed, followed by the rest of the household. Some went about feeding pigs, some cutting firewood, and some carrying water on a shoulder pole.
🎈「起床烧火做饭」中「烧火做饭」省译。前文中已经提到「从我能记忆时起,总是天不亮就起床。……母亲把饭煮了,还要种田种菜,喂猪养蚕,纺棉花」,无须赘述。
🎈表顺序would be the first to…. Soon…, followed by….
🎈并列句省略谓语动词原则就是省略与前面相同的词语。
例句
He is a teacher and his mother (is) a doctor. 
译文同理,省略went about
 

母亲在家庭里极能够任劳任怨,她和蔼的性格使她从来没有打骂过我们一次,而且也没有和任何人吵过架。因此,虽在这样的大家庭里,长幼叔伯妯娌相处都很和睦。
Mother always worked without complaint despite hardships. Amiable by nature, she never beat or scolded us, let alone quarreled with anybody. Consequently, large as it was, the whole household, old and young, uncles and sisters-in-law, lived in perfect harmony.
🎈「极能够任劳任怨」即「哪怕/即使再苦再累再难,也总不抱怨」,现译为always worked without complaint despite hardships。
🎈「她的和蔼的性格使她从没有打骂过我们一次,而且也没有和任何人吵过架」译为Amiable by nature, she never beat or scolded us , let alone quarreled with anybody。其中,Amiable by nature作原因状语。根据上下文的内涵,把「而且」译为let alone,作「更不用说」解,是英语成语。
🎈large as it was:as引导让步状语从句,句子要倒装。
 

母亲同情贫苦的人——这是她朴素的阶级意识——虽然自己不富裕,还周济和照顾比自己更穷的亲戚。她自己是很节省的。
Out of her naive class consciousness, she showed sympathy for the poor. Despite her own straitened circumstances, she often went out of her way to help out those relatives who were even more needy than herself. She lived a very frugal life.
🎈out of在不同语境中可以有不同的译法。此处,out of意为「出于」「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
🎈「还周济和照顾比自己更穷的亲戚」译为she often went out of her way to help out those relatives who were even more needy than herself,其中went out of her way是成语,作「特地」「不怕麻烦地」(to make a special effort, especially in spite of difficulties)解。 
 

父亲有时吸点旱烟,喝点酒,母亲管束着我们,不允许我们沾染上一点。
Father would occasionally smoke a long-stemmed Chinese pipe or drink some wine. To prevent us from falling into the same habit, mother kept us children under strict control. 
🎈吸旱烟所用的烟管是长柄的,可以自行搜索图片查看,故「吸旱烟」译为smoke a long-stemmed Chinese pipe。
 

母亲那种劳动简朴的习惯,母亲那种宽厚仁慈的态度,至今还在我心中留有深刻的印象。但是灾难不因为中国农民的和平就不降临到他们的身上。
Her diligence and frugality, her generosity and kindheartedness—all have left a lasting impression on my mind. Chinese peasants were honest and peaceable, but disaster befell them just the same.
🎈给某人留下深刻印象 leave a lasting impression on one’s mind /be impressed by…
令某人印象最深刻的是What impressed sb. most is…
🎈同样just the same
即使这样,仍然all the same
 

庚子年(一九○○)前后,四川连年旱灾,很多农民饥饿破产。农民不得不成群结队去“吃大户”。 
Around 1900, when Sichuan Province was hit by successive years of drought, numerous poverty-stricken peasants went hungry and had to go out in crowds to seize food from the homes of landlords.
🎈hit小词活用,用法非常多,此处只列举几条
①表示「使受严重影响」
②表示「使突然想起」
例句
It hit me that I had a choice.
我突然意识到我有选择的余地。
③指「达到某一(阶段等)」
例句
He admits to having hit the lowest point in his life .
他承认自己跌到了一生中的最低谷。
④作名词,表示「成功而轰动或风行一时的事物(如唱片、电影或戏剧等)」例句
the surprise hit video of the year
本年度出乎意料的热门视频。
🎈后缀–stricken表示「受……困扰」之意。其构成的词语如
high-risk stricken area 
高危病区
poverty-stricken 
贫困的
grief-stricken 
极度忧伤的
mudslide-stricken region 
泥石流受灾地区
atom-stricken 
受核/原子爆炸污染的
awe-stricken 
畏惧的敬畏的
sorrow-stricken 
悲痛的
poverty-stricken region 
贫困地区
disaster-stricken area 
受灾地区
earthquake-stricken region 
震区
🎈 吃大户
①在旧社会时,遇着荒年,饥民团结在一起到地主富豪家吃饭或夺取粮食。是农民一种自发的斗争形式.
②指借故到经济较富裕的单位或个人那里吃喝或索取财物。
③只自己没有能力,靠别的有钱人或社会捐助活着的人,他们的行为叫吃大户。
 

我亲眼见到六七百著得破破烂烂的农民和他们的妻子儿女,被所谓“官兵”一阵凶杀毒打,血溅四五十里,哭声动天。
Thereupon I saw with my own eyes how a group of shabbily-dressed peasants and their families were savagely beaten up or slain by government troops, the road stained with their blood for some 40 li and their cries rending the air.
🎈Thereupon补充逻辑关系
 

在这样的年月里,我家也遭受更多的困难,仅仅吃些小菜叶,高粱,通年没有吃过白米。
In those days, my family also met with increasing difficulties. All the year round, we went without rice to eat, and simply lived on edible wild herbs and kaoliang.
🎈当时,在过去的日子里,在那些天 In those days
🎈「更多」不一定只能用more,此处increasing也是一种很好的处理方式。
🎈(嘴巴)edible(耳朵)audible(眼睛)visible
 

特别是甲辰(一九○四)那一年,地主欺压佃户,要在租种地上加租子,因为办不到,就趁大年除夕,威胁着我家要退佃,逼着我们搬家。
In 1904, especially, when landlords, riding rough shod over tenants, pressed for higher rents on the let-out pieces of land, we, unable to meet their demands, had our tenancy cancelled by them and were forced to move house on New Year’s Eve.
🎈when引导时间定语从句;riding rough shod over tenants作伴随状语;unable to meet their demands作原因状语。
 

在悲惨的情况下,我们一家人都哭泣着连夜分散。从此我家被迫分两处住下,人手少了,又遭天灾,庄稼没有收成,这是我家最悲惨的一次遭遇。
On that miserable night, my family tearfully separated and thenceforth had to live in two different places. Shorthandedness and crop failure due to the natural calamity brought misfortune on my family.
🎈在悲惨的情况下,我们一家人都哭泣着连夜分散→在那个悲惨的夜晚,我们一家人哭泣着分散,故译为On that miserable night, my family tearfully separated。
🎈thenceforth是副词,表示「从那时起,从此」
🎈due to the natural calamity作后置定语
 

母亲没有灰心,她对穷苦农民的同情,和对为富不仁者的反感却更加强烈了。
Mother, however, did not lose heart. Adversity had deepened her sympathy for the poor and needy as well as her aversion to the heartless rich.
🎈Adversity属于译者的添加成分,指出是adversity使得母亲的情感发生了变化。
 

母亲沉痛的三言两语的诉说,以及我亲眼看见到的许多不平事实,启发了我幼年时期反抗压迫追求光明的思想,使我决心寻找新的生活。
The painful complaint she had uttered in one or two words and the innumerable injustices I had witnessed aroused in me a spirit of revolt and a desire for a bright future. I made up my mind to seek a new life. 
🎈「沉痛的三言两语的诉说」中「诉说」译作complaint,情感色彩更鲜明。
🎈「许多不平事实」不必译成「不平的事实」,译成「不平injustices」即可,涉及增减词。
🎈下定决心
make up one’s mind to do
be determined to do
decide to do
make a decision to do
 

我不久就离开母亲,因为我读了书。我是一个佃农家庭的子弟,本来是没钱读书的。
Not long afterwards, I had to tear myself away from mother when I began my schooling. As the son of a tenant, I of course could not afford to go to school.
🎈《离别》中「见着船渐渐的离岸了」译为I watched the ship tearing itself away slowly from the shore,其中tear itself away也可用moving away表达,但缺乏惜别的感情色彩。此处tear myself away from mother同理。
 

那时乡间豪绅地主的欺压,衙门差役的横蛮,逼得母亲和父亲决心要节衣缩食培养出一个读书人来“支撑门户”。
My parents, however, faced with the bullying and oppression of the local evil gentry, landlords and yamen bailiffs, decided to scrape up enough money by living a very frugal life to pay for my education so that they could make a scholar of me for the family to keep up appearances.
🎈面临着faced with…作状语。
例句
Faced with the unacceptable, their instincts rebelled.
面对不能接受的事物,他们本能的反叛排斥。
🎈增译「evil」一词,表意更准确,情感更鲜明。
🎈scrape with money中「scrape(搜刮)」一词和「节衣缩食」搭配,更加凸显当时生活的拮据。
🎈「培养出一个读书人来“支撑门户”」译为so that they could make a scholar of me for the family to keep up appearances,其中to keep up appearances是英语成语,作「装门面」(to keep up or maintain an outward show)解;make sth. of sb./sth. 使某人或某事处于某种状况或变成某事物。又,为了把原文交待清楚,译文中出现添加万分for the family。
 

我念过私塾,光绪三十一年(一九○五)考了科举,以后又到更远的顺庆和成都去读书。
At first I was sent to an old-style private school and in 1905 I took the imperial examination. Later, I went farther away from home to study in Shunqing and Chengdu, both in Sichuan Province.
🎈At first…in 1905…Later…使译文时间逻辑明了。
🎈《学问与趣味》中:作八股文,作试帖诗write stereotyped essays and poems prescribed for the imperial civil service examinations。其中,the imperial civil service examinations意为科举考试。
🎈both in Sichuan Province是为了使读者(尤其国外读者)更加清楚故事背景的增译成分。
 

这个时期的学费,都是东挪西借来的,总共用了二百多块钱,直到我后来在当护国军旅长时才还清。
All the tuition fees were paid with borrowed money, totaling more than 200 silver dollars. The debt was not repaid until later I became a brigade commander of the Hu Guo Army. 
🎈the Hu Guo Army
英义
the troop that rallied ahainst Yuan Shikai when he attempted to restore monarchy in 1916.
 

光绪三十四年(一九○八),我从成都回来,在仪陇县办高等小学,一年回家二三次去看母亲。
In 1908, I came back from Chengdu to set up a higher primary school in Yi Long County. While teaching school, I went home to see mother two or three times a year.
🎈省译「光绪三十四年」。此处目的就是为了交代时间,如果译出“光绪”,则势必要额外对“光绪”进行说明,使译文过于冗长。不如直接留下in 1908简洁明了。
 

那时新旧思想冲突很厉害,我们抱了科学民主的思想想在家乡做点事情,守旧的豪绅们便出来反对我们。
In those days, there was a sharp conflict between old and new ideologies. Due to our leaning towards science and democracy, we met with opposition from the local conservative influential gentry in whatever we attempted for the benefit of our home town.
🎈翻译过程中,译者要自行处理原文中的逻辑关系,重新整理后再译成目的语。如此处补充了因果的逻辑关系,译作Due to our leaning towards…。
🎈想在家乡做点事情→为了家乡(人民)的福祉、利益等,故译为for the benefit of our home town。
 

我下决心瞒着慈爱的母亲脱离家乡,远走云南参加了新军和同盟会。我到云南后,从家信中知道,我母亲对我这一举动不但不反对,还给我许多慰勉。
So I decided to leave, without my mother’s knowledge, for the faraway province of Yunnan, where I joined the New Army and Tongmenghui. On my arrival in Yunnan, I learned from my home letters that mother, instead of frowning upon my new move, gave me a lot of encouragement and comfort. 
🎈the province of Yunnan 是一种很常见的表达,类似的还有the City of Beijing。
🎈「从家信中知道」译为I heard from my home letters,其中my home letters等于my letters from home。
🎈不赞成,皱眉 frown upon
🎈the New Army
英义
Western-style army organized toward the end of the Qing Dynasty.
🎈Tongmenghui(同盟会)
英义
The United League of China (1905-1912), the antecedent of the Kuomintang.
 

从宣统元年(一九〇九)到现在,我再没有回过家一次,只在民国十年(一九二一),我曾经把父亲和母亲接出去,
From 1909 up to now, I have never paid a visit to my home town. In 1921, however, I had my parents come out to live with me.
🎈拜访pay a visit to
🎈had my parents come out是have…done结构
 

但是他俩劳动惯了,离开土地就不舒服,所以还是回了家,父亲就在回家途中死了,母亲回家继续劳动一直到最后。
But, as confirmed farm laborers, they felt unwell without land to till and subsequently had to return home. Father died on the way back, and mother continued to do farm work at home to the very last. 
🎈「但是他俩劳动惯了,离开土地就不舒服」译为But, as confirmed farm labourers, they felt unwell without land to till,其中confirmed作「成习惯的」(habitual)解。 
🎈「母亲回家继续劳动一直到最后」译为mother continued to do farm work at home to the very last,其中to the last (或till the last)是成语,意即to the end或till death。
 

中国革命继续向前发展,我的思想也继续的向前进步。当我发现中国革命的正确道路时,我便加入了中国共产党。
As the Chinese revolution continued to develop, I became more and more politically aware. I joined the Chinese Communist Party as soon as I discovered the correct orientation of the Chinese revolution.
🎈我的思想也继续的向前进步→根据背景知识,此处指越发明了政治风向。故译为became more and more politically aware。
🎈共产党也可写为CPC(Communist Party of China)
 

大革命失败了,我和家庭完全隔绝了。母亲就靠那三十亩地独立支持一家人生活。
When the Great Revolution of 1924-1927 failed in China, I completely lost contact with my family. Mother alone supported the whole family by working on the 30 mu of land.

 
抗战以后,我才能和家里通信。母亲知道我们所做的事业,她期望着中国民族解放的成功。
I did not hear from her until the outbreak of the War of Resistance to Japan. When she was informed of the great cause in which I was engaged, she eagerly looked forward to the success of China’s national liberation.
🎈hear from somebody收到某人的来信/邮件/电话等 
🎈cause作「事业」讲,如「中华民族复兴伟业」也是用cause一词。
🎈China’s和Chinese的区别 (以China’s /Chinese company为例)
我们先来看 China’s。用一个语法术语,这叫「名词所有格」,比如the car’s engine(汽车的引擎)。这里的car’s 就是名词所有格,表达一种“所属关系”,即后者属于前者。China’s company,意为「中国的公司」,之所以使用 China’s,是想强调这家公司是属于中国的(而不属于美国、英国或日本等其他国家)。
再来看看Chinese。这是一个形容词,虽然字面意思也是「中国的」,但它强调的是一种「内在属性」,而非「所属关系」。比如 Chinese people 强调这种人的内在属性是「中国人」;Chinese medicine 强调这种药的内在属性是「中药」;Chinese food 强调这种食物的内在属性是「中餐」。同上,Chinese company 则强调了「中国公司」的内在属性。Chinese painting(中国画)也同理。
所以,China’s company 应翻译为「中国的公司」,而 Chinese company 应翻译为「中国公司」,前者强调「所属关系」,而后者强调「内在属性」。
补充:China 则是名词,和后面的名词形成一个专有名词(主要用于品牌名),如 China Telecom(中国电信)。
 

她知道我们党的困难,依然在家里过着劳苦的农妇生活。
While living the hard life of a peasant woman at home, she was aware of the difficulties and hardships that our Party was then undergoing.
🎈then属增译成分,「她知道我们党的困难」中「困难」不仅指眼下党面临的困境,更指(母亲清楚地知道)党以后仍要面临的困境。
 

七年中间,我曾寄回几百元钱和几张自己的照片给母亲。母亲年老了,但她永远想念着我,如同我永远想念着她一样。
During the seven years after the outbreak of the War, I managed to send her several hundred yuan and some photos of myself. Mother was getting old. She was always thinking of me as I was of her.
🎈after the outbreak of the War是根据历史信息补充的成分。
🎈as此处引导比较状语从句,比较分句通常都是缩减形式(即省略和主句相同的句子成分,分句的谓语动词如果和主句相同则采用操作词替代式)。省略的成分可以是主语、主语+谓语、状语、宾语等。即只要不影响理解句义,能省略的就尽量省略。as I was of her实则是as I was thinking of her。
🎈虽然原文是「母亲年老了,但她……」,有个「但」字,但事实上并没有特别强烈的转折关系。
 

去年收到侄儿的来信说“祖母今年已八十有五,精神不如昨年之健康,饮食起居亦不如前,甚望见你一面,聊叙别后情景。……”但我献身于民族抗战事业,竟未能报答母亲的希望。
Last year, a letter from my nephew says, “Grandma is 85. She’s no longer as vigorous and healthy as before. She’s eager to see you and chat about things that have happened since you left home…” But I never lived up to her expectations because of my dedication to the cause of the War of Resistance Against Japan.
🎈「信上说」类似的表达直接用say即可。
英义
(of something that is written or can be seen) to give particular information or instructions
🎈遵守(诺言);符合、不辜负(期望) live up to
 

母亲最大的特点,是一生不曾脱离过劳动。母亲生我前一分钟还在灶上煮饭。虽到老年,仍然热爱生产。
The most prominent characteristic of mother was her lifelong participation in physical labour. She did cooking in the kitchen just one minute before giving birth to me. Her ardent love for agricultural production remained undiminished even in her old age.
🎈确切来说,母亲不曾脱离的是「体力劳动」,故译作physical labour。manual labour也可。
 

去年另一封外甥的家信中说:“外祖母大人因年老关系,近年不比往年健康,但仍不缀劳作,尤喜纺棉。……” 
My nephew says in another letter to me last year, “Because of old age, grandma is no longer in good health, but she still does manual labour, and is particularly fond of spinning cotton into yarn…” 
🎈仍不缀劳作→仍然在劳作,现译作still does manual labour
🎈纺棉spin cotton into yarn
 

我应该感谢母亲,她教给我与困难作斗争的经验,我在家庭生活中已经饱尝艰苦,这使我在三十多年的军事生活和革命生活中,再没有感到困难和被困难吓倒。
I owe mother a debt of gratitude because she taught me how to cope with the numerous difficulties that I ran into at home so that later during my over 30 years of military and revolutionary life I have never bowed down to any difficulty.
🎈感激某人own sb. a debt of gratitude
补充
还记得前段时间的热搜:#世界欠你们的#、#世卫组织对中国的评价让翻译小姐姐哽咽#,其实对应的英文原文是it is recognized that the world is in your debt(感激某人),如果想要感情强烈一点,可以译作「世界欠中国一声谢谢」,直接译成「世界欠你们的」就有点偏离原文了。
🎈遇到(问题、困难等),陷入(困境) run into
🎈《清贫》中在长期的奋斗中During these long militant years,也用到了militant一词。
🎈向…低头、认输 bow down to
例句
The lion does not bow down to anything, he will starve before he bows down to another animal.
狮子不会向任何事物低头,它会在向另一种动物低头之前先饿死。
 

母亲又给我一个强健的身体和一个劳动的习惯,使我从来没有感到过劳累。我应该感谢母亲,她教给我生产的知识和革命的意志,鼓励我走上以后的革命道路,
She also bequeathed me a strong constitution as well as a strong inclination for labour so that I have been able to work untiringly. I owe mother a debt of gratitude because she imparted to me knowledge of productive labour and a revolutionary will, thus enabling me to take to the revolutionary path.
🎈constitution有「宪法」「体质、体格」之意。
例句
I’ve always had the constitution of an ox.
我一向体壮如牛。
🎈鼓励我走上以后的革命道路→(母亲教给我东西)使我走上革命道路/所以我才能走上革命道路,故译作thus enabling me to take to the revolutionary path 。
🎈如果两个句子的主语为同一主语 可用 thus / thereby +-ing (现在分词)引导短语,作结果状语,前面句子表示原因,后面的分词短语表示结果
 

在这条路上我一天比一天更加认识了:只有这种知识,这种意志,才是世界上最可宝贵的财产。母亲现在离我而去了,我将永不能再见她一面了,这个悲哀是无法补救的。
By keeping to this path, I have come to realize more and more clearly that this knowledge of productive labour and this revolutionary will are the most valuable assets in the world. Mother is gone and I shall never see her again. This is an everlasting sorrow.
🎈keep to
①遵守;履行 
例句
keep to his schedule遵守计划
②不偏离,不离开道路等  
例句
Please keep to the paths.
请顺着这些小路走。
③不偏离(主题),不跑题 
例句
Let’s keep to the subject, or you’ll get me too confused. 
别跑题,否则你会把我搞糊涂的。
🎈gone作形容词,表示「离开的,过去的,不复存在」
例句
By morning the smoke will be all gone.
这些烟到了早上就会散尽。
🎈这个悲哀是无法补救的→一直是悲哀/永远的悲哀,故译作an everlasting sorrow。
 

母亲是一个“平凡”的人,她只是中国千百万劳动人民中的一员,但是正是这千百万人创造了和创造着中国的历史。我用什么方法来报答母亲的深恩呢?
Mother is an “ordinary” person and one of the millions of labouring people who have made and are still making Chinese history. What can I do to repay her my debt of deep gratitude?
🎈报答母亲的深恩to repay her my debt of deep gratitude上文提到过:感激某人是own sb. a debt of gratitude,两个短语结构一致。
 

我将继续尽忠于我们的民族和人民,尽忠于我们的民族和人民的希望——中国共产党,使和母亲同样生活着的人能够过一个快乐的生活,这就是我所能做的和我一定做的。 
I swear to remain ever loyal to our nation and the people, ever loyal to the Chinese Communist Party—the hope of our nation and the people, so that all those who share the same lot with my mother may live a happier life. That is what I can do and what I am certainly able to do.
Q:表示类似「同样」的意思可以用什么表达?
🎈《父亲》中:跟着他们的步伐走去follow in their footsteps
《父亲》中:没有前一辈父亲的想法do not share the idea of father and people of his time
此处:和母亲同样生活着的人all those who share the same lot with my mother
 

愿母亲在地下安息!
May mother rest in peace! 
🎈R.I.P.是一种简短的碑铭,意思是「愿死者安息!」源自拉丁语requiescat in pace(现英文为rest in peace)。只能用于逝去之人的身上,表示对亡者的尊重、祝福和祈祷。
 
🔥必背词汇
frugal     adj.节俭的,俭省的
英义
People who are frugal or who live frugal lives do not eat much or spend much money on themselves.
例句
She lives a frugal life.
她生活俭朴。
 
tenant   cn.承租人,租户,房客
英义
See also:sitting tenant; A tenant is someone who pays rent for the place they live in, or for land or buildings that they use.
例句
Landowners frequently left the management of their estates to tenant farmers.
地主们经常将土地的管理交给佃农。
 
befall    v.不幸或不好的事降临到…头上,发生在…身上
英义
If something bad or unlucky befalls you, it happens to you.
例句
Who can predict the misery that may befall humankind?
谁又能够预测可能降临到人类头上的灾难呢?
 
impoverish   v.使贫困,使赤贫
英义
Something that impoverishes a person or a country makes them poor.
例句
an attempt to lure businesses into impoverished areas
把企业吸引到贫困地区的尝试
 
eke  勉强维持生计
英义
If you eke a living or eke out an existence, you manage to survive with very little money.
例句
He ekes out a living with a market stall.
他靠摆摊勉强糊口。
 
anguished   adj.痛苦不堪的
英义
Anguished means showing or feeling great mental suffering or physical pain.
例句
She let out an anguished cry.
她痛苦地大叫了一声。
 
household  cn.家庭,一家人,同住一幢房子的人
英义
A household is all the people in a family or group who live together in a house.
例句
Many poor households are experiencing real hardship.
很多贫穷家庭正经历严重的困难。
 
manure  n.粪肥,肥料
英义
Manure is animal faeces, sometimes mixed with chemicals, that is spread on the ground in order to make plants grow healthy and strong.
例句
organic manures
有机肥
 
season     v.给…调味,加味于
英义
If you season food with salt, pepper, or spices, you add them to it in order to improve its flavour.
例句
Season the meat with salt and pepper.
用盐和胡椒粉给肉调味。
 
octogenarian    cn.80至89岁的人,八旬老人
英义
An octogenarian is a person who is between eighty and eighty-nine years old.
例句
She is very active for an octogenarian.
她已经是八旬老人了,还很精神。
 
🔥重点表达
是值得我永远回忆的will forever be cherished in my memory
佃农 tenant farmer
世代From generation to generation
为地主耕种tilled land for landlords
老老实实的贫苦农民honest impoverished peasants
勉强糊口to eke out
与某人结交/成为朋友associated with sb. as friends 
生孩子give birth to babies/children
刚出生;生来 at birth
抚养 bring up
忙于……/被……占据(时间)be occupied with(doing)sth. 
爬行;四处爬crawl about
从我能记忆时起As far as I can remember
总是天不亮就起床always get up before daybreak
轮班煮饭take turns to do cooking
种田种菜did farming, planted vegetables
喂猪养蚕fed pigs, raised silkworms
纺棉花spin cotton into yarn
扁担a shoulder pole
整日劳碌着worked hard from dawn till dusk
汗流满面地with sweat streaming down her face
挑水carry water on a shoulder pole
放牛graze the cattle
偷溜出去sneak out to
农忙During the busy season
勉强糊口scrape along
红薯sweet potatoes
吃起来有滋味ate with gusto
杂粮饭coarse grain
(因长大)不能穿had grown out of
一个中国标本式的农民a typical Chinese farmer
临死前不久shortly before his death
负责;主管in charge of 
起床rise from his bed
砍柴cutting firewood
极能够任劳任怨always worked without complaint despite hardships
更不用说let alone 
朴素的阶级意识naive class consciousness
同情贫苦的人showed sympathy for the poor
不富裕straitened circumstances
“特地”、“不怕麻烦地”went out of her way
吸旱烟smoke a long-stemmed Chinese pipe
管束着我们kept us children under strict control
给某人留下深刻印象 leave a lasting impression on one’s mind /be impressed by…
令某人印象最深刻的是What impressed sb. most is…
同样just the same
连年旱灾was hit by successive years of drought
吃大户go out in crowds to seize food from the homes of landlords
著得破破烂烂的农民shabbily-dressed peasants
被所谓“官兵”一阵凶杀毒打were savagely beaten up or slain by government troops
血溅四五十里the road stained with their blood for some 40 li 
哭声动天their cries rending the air
遭受更多的困难met with increasing difficulties
当时;在过去的日子里;在那些天In those days
大年除夕on New Year’s Eve
天灾the natural calamity
灰心lose heart
对为富不仁者的反感aversion to the heartless rich
三言两语uttered in one or two words
启发了我反抗压迫追求光明的思想aroused in me a spirit of revolt and a desire for a bright future
下定决心make up one’s mind to do/be determined to do/decide to do/make a decision to do
面临着faced with…
考了科举took the imperial examination
这个时期的学费,都是东挪西借来的All the tuition fees were paid with borrowed money
旅长a brigade commander
我们抱了科学民主的思想our leaning towards science and democracy
想在家乡做点事情for the benefit of our home town
瞒着母亲without my mother’s knowledge
不赞成;皱眉frown upon
拜访pay a visit to
中国共产党the Chinese Communist Party/ CPC(Communist Party of China)
大革命the Great Revolution of 1924-1927
收到某人的来信/邮件/电话等hear from somebody 
她永远想念着我,如同我永远想念着她一样She was always thinking of me as I was of her.
遵守(诺言);符合、不辜负(期望) live up to
我献身于民族抗战事业my dedication to the cause of the War of Resistance Against Japan
聊叙别后情景chat about things that have happened since you left home
一生不曾脱离过劳动her lifelong participation in physical labour
感激某人own sb. a debt of gratitude
遇到(问题、困难等);陷入(困境) run into
向…低头、认输bow down to
不偏离,不离开道路等keep to 
报答母亲的深恩to repay her my debt of deep gratitude
尽忠于我们的民族和人民remain ever loyal to our nation and the people
和母亲同样生活着的人all those who share the same lot with my mother
愿母亲在地下安息! May mother rest in peace!
 
🔥复盘测试
是值得我永远回忆的
佃农
世代
为地主耕种
老老实实的贫苦农民
勉强糊口
与某人结交/成为朋友 
生孩子
刚出生;生来
抚养
忙于……/被……占据(时间) 
爬行;四处爬
从我能记忆时起
总是天不亮就起床
轮班煮饭
种田种菜
喂猪养蚕
纺棉花
扁担
整日劳碌着
汗流满面地
挑水
放牛
偷溜出去
农忙
勉强糊口
红薯
吃起来有滋味
杂粮饭
(因长大)不能穿
一个中国标本式的农民
临死前不久
负责;主管
起床
砍柴
极能够任劳任怨
更不用说
朴素的阶级意识
同情贫苦的人
不富裕
“特地”、“不怕麻烦地”
吸旱烟
管束着我们
给某人留下深刻印象
令某人印象最深刻的是
同样
连年旱灾
吃大户
著得破破烂烂的农民
被所谓“官兵”一阵凶杀毒打
血溅四五十里
哭声动天
遭受更多的困难
当时;在过去的日子里;在那些天
大年除夕
天灾
灰心
对为富不仁者的反感
三言两语
启发了我反抗压迫追求光明的思想
下定决心
面临着
考了科举
这个时期的学费,都是东挪西借来的
旅长
我们抱了科学民主的思想
想在家乡做点事情
瞒着母亲
不赞成;皱眉
拜访
中国共产党
大革命
收到某人的来信/邮件/电话等 
她永远想念着我,如同我永远想念着她一样
遵守(诺言);符合、不辜负(期望)
我献身于民族抗战事业
聊叙别后情景
一生不曾脱离过劳动
感激某人
遇到(问题、困难等);陷入(困境) 
向…低头、认输
不偏离,不离开道路等
报答母亲的深恩
尽忠于我们的民族和人民
和母亲同样生活着的人
愿母亲在地下安息!
 
🔥表达对比
「勉强糊口,勉强度日」有几种表达?
 
世代为地主耕种,「家境是贫苦的」。
From generation to generation, they tilled land for landlords only to eke out a bare subsistence.
 
佃农家庭的生活自然是很苦的。可是由于母亲的聪明能干,却「很舒服」。
The life of a tenant farmer’s family was of course hard, but we somehow managed to scrape along because mother was a clever and able woman.
 
在那些日子里,我们不敢指望过奢侈的生活,只要能「勉强度日」就谢天谢地了。
In those days we did not expect luxuries; we were thankful if we could keep the wolf from the door.
 
一九五一年,勋伯格在穷困中逝世,他的遗孀和三个孩子靠着他微薄的版税「勉强度日」。
Schoenberg died a poor man in 1951, and his widow and three children barely survived on the copyright royalties from his music.
 
对于一个生活贫困,「勉强度日」的十岁女孩来说,媒体无休止的关注在给自己带来希望的同时,也增添了许多困扰。
Unrelenting media attention has brought hope, and a lot of disturbance, to a 10-year-old girl struggling through a difficult life.
 
对她来说,靠着这点很少的工资「勉强度日」十分艰难。
It’s hard for her to get by on this little salary

未经允许不得转载:帕布莉卡 » 《母亲的回忆–朱德》 -英语翻译技巧与实例-英汉互译实用教程

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