民办 于 2000/10/23 15:31:44 发表在 汉英
读书评译(22):“破财”
《实用翻译教程》(上海外语教学出版社,1997)所引John Cheever的《The Season of Divorce》(376-377页)和编者的汉译(457页):
Ethel is cheerful and adaptable, as well as gentle, and we both come from that enormous stratum of the middle class that is distinguished by its ability to recall better times. Lost money is so much a part of our lives that I am sometimes reminded of expatriates, of a group who have adapted themselves energetically to some alien soil but who are reminded, now and then, of the escarpments of their native coast.
埃蒂尔不光是性情温柔,而且爽朗随和。我们都来自特别擅长于怀旧的中产阶级中极大的一个阶层。破财的事在我们生活中真是司空见惯,这使我有时候会联想到那些客居异域的人,他们虽说已经很热衷于独处异乡,但还会不时地想到故土海岸的峭壁悬崖。
评:“破财”是说丢钱、浪费钱,或者被骗、被盗钱财。而该英文小说的lost money,是说“曾有过的钱财”,比喻移民以前在故国的富裕日子。上下文所说对故国的怀旧,正好验证这点。
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Agree! 或者引申为“昔日的辉煌”--布尔乔亚的阿Q情结。
作者:tian xin - 2000/10/23 15:54:57
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同意!"lost money"这里肯定是比喻的用法
作者:BDDY - 2000/10/23 16:40:43
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因为不知道上文,不知道文中的“我们”是不是也是客居它乡,所以不好直接理解成“移民以前故国富裕的日子”。所以以模糊相对,“昔日的辉煌”或“过去的好时光”大概能表达意思。另外值得一提的是“在我们的生活中司空见惯”也是误译吧?
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“破财”的确用的不对,但一时还真不好找到简洁的中文对应。另外
作者:BDDY - 2000/10/23 15:58:52
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这段的毛病还不少:
1. "that enormous stratum of the middle class"翻成“中产阶级中极大的一个阶层”恐怕就不对。应该是“庞大的中产阶级阶层”
2. "who have adapted themselves energetically to some alien soil"翻成“他们虽说已经很热衷于独处异乡”也与原意相差不小,“热衷”和“独处”大概都得算无中生有吧?是不是译为“他们都已积极地使自己适应了异乡的土壤”要好一些?
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Lost money: 我以为还应是“家财败落”之类。“昔日辉煌”在缺乏足够上下文情况下,似引申过度。
作者:学而 - 2000/10/23 18:59:08
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“破财”也许不能确切达意,但还是比“昔日的辉煌”贴近原意。
Lost money 本来是一个不太容易产生歧义的说法。最能验证原意的应是原小说。我现在
看不到这本书。但可以从民君的引文和小说作者的背景这两方面来说明。
引文本身并没有说 Ethel 和 I 是移民,只是想到了 expatriates。而且是泛指,并没有
特别说明或暗示这些移民在故国有“富裕日子”。其实,欧洲历史上的移民在故国往往是
比较穷的,或受迫害的。
John Cheever (1912-1982) 是美国短篇小说家。他的年青时代正当“大萧条”(Great
Depression)。那时,企业倒闭,股市崩盘,中产阶级大多数都损失惨重。一个美国老太
太曾对我说:Everybody lost money at that time. 中产阶级不同人有不同定义。可以
从年入$20,000 到 $200,000 (当今美元价值)。
我以为,民君引文中的 "Lost money is so much a part of our lives ..." 是否与
大萧条有关,没有根据,不敢说;但引申为“往日富裕”,也太过曲折。
仅备一说。Stand to be corrected.
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看来还需要更多的上下文
作者:BDDY - 2000/10/23 19:24:24
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从字面意思上当然是“家财败落”较接近,但由此联想到 "those expatriates have adapted themselves energetically to some alien soil but they are reminded, now and then, of the escarpments of their native coast."似乎也挺令人费解。也许下文就有说明了,可惜我们却不知道:-(
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有道理。谢谢。
作者:tian xin - 2000/10/23 23:15:04
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my guess
作者:The Yeti - 2000/10/24 00:51:22
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(i) I agree with :学而 about "引文本身并没有说 Ethel 和 I 是移民,只是想到了 expatriates。而且是泛指*" "
" I sometimes reminded of expatriates," is
the guy "I" making a metaphorical comparison of his life to that of expatriates. I could be completely wrong on this since we don't know
what the context of this passage is; but I feel that if he had been
an expatriate himself, he would have said ," I am sometimes reminded of us expatriates, a group who...."
(ii) The "Lost money" would make more sense if we think of it as:
Our life is fully of lost opportunities and frequent financial diasters; so much so that it has become "a routine part of our lives".
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“Lost money is...”似是病句。要么说“Losing money”,要么说“The lost money”。我疑心原文有误,似是“Lost IN money...”?
作者:Last Hermit - 2000/10/23 20:55:01
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Meunique
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