|
?張明權 |
在網絡時代,翻譯與互聯網結成了牢不可破的關系,這是與翻譯的性質相關聯的。翻譯一向要求譯者所知甚多,雖有很多譯者來自各專業領域,并從事本專業的翻譯,但譯者對百科知識的渴求遠勝于大多數其他專業人士,互聯網恰好提供了大量的知識和方便的檢索方式。
關于諾貝爾獎,可以在網上找到相關資料,諾貝爾和平獎是唯一由挪威頒發的諾貝爾獎項。至于互聯網“角逐”和平獎這件事,可以找到BBC的相關報道,題目是Internet “in running” for Nobel Peace Prize。結合上一期我們提到的回譯策略,我們可以很容易確定“角逐”這一詞語的翻譯,當然這并非完全否定其他譯法,只是說在充分利用互聯網的情況下,比較容易找到地道的英文表達方式。實際上,這段報道還提供了其他與上述報道切近的相關信息,例如:The internet’s nomination has been championed by the Italian version of Wired magazine for helping advance “dialogue, debate and consensus”; It is unclear who would accept the prize if the internet were to win; Internet for Peace, set up to help support the nomination of the internet, says the prize would be “a Nobel for each and every one of us”. 這都可以借用到我們的翻譯中,原因是國內新聞報道很多都是從英文稿件編譯而成的。漢語的“尚是懸念”這一說法,在英語中其實用了很樸素的unclear一詞。在英語新聞界,有一個簡明英語運動深刻影響和改變了英語新聞的文體和用詞,這一點很值得譯者注意。
遇到中國特色的翻譯,對互聯網資源的利用就要另辟蹊徑了。就新聞報道而言,在國內權威英文機構的網站上一般可以找到相關內容,但我們往往需要更仔細的甄選和判斷。另外必須明確的是,借鑒別人的翻譯不是偷懶,即便是對于學習翻譯的人來講,學習翻譯的過程也類似于繪畫上的臨摹,早期往往需要對照權威譯文不斷改進自己的翻譯錯誤。成熟的譯者才有可能形成自己的翻譯風格。在新聞翻譯中,這種風格往往很難是個人的,因為大多數時候一種風格的范本(paradigm)要求譯者盡量去靠近。
網友往往迫切希望專家(希望不是“磚家”,而且本人申明自己兩者都不是,我只是參與這項工作,與各位網友共同進步的一名譯者)給出參考譯文,這種心情是可以理解的,上一篇由于大量借用了外電的報道,我就省去了譯文,這一篇我還是操刀譯一下(見笑了,本人其實很怕體育,以及體育新聞):
Before heading to world indoor championships in Doha, Liu Xiang said that his goal is not to win a medal, but to make to the final. But it is still hard for fans to accept the fact that he only came out the seventh. As the “only child” in China’s track and field to face the world, he is the hope of all Chinese people. It has been more than 2 years since Liu Xiang won gold in the 110 metre hurdles and became the first Chinese man to become the World Champion in 2007. Then what has caused the “forced landing” of Liu “the flying man”?
有幾點要解釋的是,在翻譯“獨苗”時,借用了“獨生子(only child)”的用法,至于承載著全世界華人的希望,英文沒有必要那么夸張,只說the hope of all Chinese people即可,后面“站立在世界巔峰”同樣可以淡化處理,這里引用英文網站的說法,the first Chinese man to become the World Champion。這樣翻譯可能帶有一點編譯的色彩,但個人認為在新聞翻譯中,這幾乎是不可避免的。一些偏重感情色彩的中國新聞用語,很難直接譯入英語又不造成誤解。
在這段文字的開頭,網友對“定為”一詞的翻譯都顯得比較機械,英語中習慣上用observe一詞。“霎時間風起云涌起來”確實是漢語中常見的說法,在英語中怎么說呢,網友提供的答案包括emerged in an instant, surging forward vigorously in a twinkling, popped up instantly等,筆者依然建議恢復其中包含的事實,而去除表面的文采修飾,那就是various publicity campaigns are (enthusiastically) conducted on the day each year。而在“消費者的苦主們仍然像趕廟會一樣”這句話中,“仍然”說的應該是直到今日情況依然如此,由于是對外翻譯,可以加上在中國。這句話中的“苦主”確實就是指那些權利受到侵害的消費者,可以說embittered,也可以使用解釋性翻譯consumers whose rights have been violated。
下面我還是試著翻譯一下:
Here comes the International Consumer Rights Day on March 15th. Since it was observed on March 15th, 1983, each year in China the Rights Day involves the conduction of publicity campaigns of all kinds. The embittered consumers have cashed in on this occasion, like villagers to a fair held once a year, to make their complaints to the media and wish for an attention and redressing. Some are fairly pleased whose complaints are accepted through the mediation, while others content with the action itself of making complaints to the media, deemed by many consumers in China as the most economical and effective means available.
專家簡介:
張明權,1968年生,江蘇大學外國語學院副教授,上海外國語大學博士課程班在職攻讀博士學位,主要從事翻譯理論研究,在English Language Teaching等國內外學術期刊發表論文10余篇,發表英語學習類文章20余篇,出版譯著兩部,翻譯公司兼職翻譯。 Email: mqzhang@ujs.edu.cn
(中國日報網英語點津 編輯:蔡姍姍)