林语堂译《扬州瘦马》赏析
王德福
(上海理工大学外语学院,上海200093)
摘 要:林语堂先生是我国闻名的翻译家之一。他的译文逼真、达意。阐发译文《扬州瘦马》既能赏析林先生逼真的译法,又能在教学翻译那一门课程中起到批示感化。本文就林先生在翻译时所摘取的各类译法,特殊是在处置动做动词和中文常用句式时的娴熟身手做了深入的阐发。
关键词:逼真达意;批示感化;翻译身手
做者简介:王德福,讲师·
《扬州瘦马》是明清做家张岱(1597 - 1679)所写的一篇到处颂扬的散文(见《陶庵梦忆》卷五)。明清之际,扬州地处江淮冲要,因为其盐业执全国经济的盟主,所以富贵反常殷商富商,纷繁到此冶游觅欢,一个销售女子的市场因而应运而生,张岱用白描的手法对那种鄙风陋习停止了论述和报复。
闻名翻译家林语堂先生翻译了那篇《扬州瘦马》。(见百花文艺出书社出书的林语堂中英比照丛书《扬州瘦马》)通过火析那篇译文,我们能够看到,林语堂先生在向西方人介绍东方文化时,是若何贯彻其“忠实、通畅和美”的翻译主张以及其炉火纯青的翻译身手。
全文共有两处呈现“瘦马”一词,一处在题目,另一处在首段中。先生的处置办法迥然差别:题目译为“The ConcubineMarket ofYangchow”,对“瘦马”做了阐释和意译。那是因为假设照字面曲译的话,外国读者会产生曲解,认为实是一个马的市场,以至会失往阅读的兴致。但是在首段中,先生则摘用了曲译的办法,借助上下文对“瘦马”停止了阐明:AtYangchow, therewere hundreds ofpeoplemak-
ing a living from activities connected with the“leanhorses”. (扬州人日饮食于瘦马之身者数十百人)
那种处置,既保留了原文的内容,又保留了原文的形式。契合先生主张的“忠实必需逼真”的原 则。应该指出,林语堂先生的译法其实不矛盾,那种视差别上下文做差别处置更生动地译出了原文的涵义。接着,张岱描述了那帮生齿估客是若何像苍蝇一样盯上买主,死力促成买卖的:娶妾者切勿露意,梢透动静,媒婆驵侩咸集其门;如蝇附膻,撩扑不往。破晓,即促之出门,伐柯人先到者先挟之往,其余尾其后接踵伺之。原文中短句节拍紧凑,几个动做连接发作,产生一种紧迫感,闪现了一幅栩栩如生的画面。
林语堂先生是如许翻译的:
One should never let itbe known thatonewas looking fora concubine. Once this leaked ou,t the profes-sional agents and go - bet - weens, both men andwomen, would swarm about his house or hotel likeflies, and there was no way of keeping them of.f Thenextmorning, hewould find many of them waiting forhim, and the matchmaker who arrived would hustlehim of,f while the rest followed behindwaited for theirchance.
在那里,林语堂先生把“即促之出门”译成“hewould findmany of them waiting forhim”,那不只译出了动做上的先后,还生动地再现了其时的情景,比译成“the nextmorninghewas aboutto step outofdoors”更为切确。然后,“伐柯人先到者先挟之往,其余尾其后接踵伺之。”林先生的“thematchmakerwho arrivedwould hustlehim of,f while the rest followed behindwaited for their chance”也通过准确的用词足够表达出原文的紧迫感。
随后,张岱对买主若何挑选瘦马停止了有声有色的描述,他们像牲口估客在挑选牲口一样判定瘦马的脸、手、臂、皮肤、眼神、声音和脚趾。那么,林语堂先生又是若何处置的呢:
至瘦马家,坐定,进茶,媒婆扶瘦马出,曰:“姑析娘拜客。”下拜。曰:“姑娘往上走。”走。曰:“姑娘转身。”转身向明立,面出。曰:“姑娘借手瞧瞧。”尽褫其袂,手出,臂出,肤亦出。曰:“姑娘瞧相公。”转眼偷觑,眼出。曰:“姑娘几岁了?”曰几岁,声出。曰:“姑娘再走走。”以手拉其裙,趾出。然看趾有法,凡出门裙幅先响者必大,高系其裙人未出而趾先出者必小。
Arriving at the house of the“lean horse”, thepersonwould be served tea as soon as he was seated.
Atonce the woman agentwould come outwith a girland announce,“Kuniang (mademoiselle), curtsy!”
The girl curtsied. Nextwas said,“Kuniang, walk for-ward!”She walked forward.“Kuniang, turn around!”She turned around, facing the ligh,t and herfacewas shown.“Pardon, canwe have a look atyourhands?”The girl rolled up her sleeve and exposed herentire arm. Her skin was shown.“Kuniang, look atthe gentleman.”She looked from the corner of hereyes. Her eyeswere shown.“How old isKunbiang?”
She replied. Her voicewas heard.“Pleasewalk againa bi.t”This time the girl lifted herskir.t Her feetwereshown. There is a secret about judging a girl's fee.tWhen you hear the rustle ofher skirtswhen she comesou,t you may guess that she has big fee,t but if shewears her skirts relatively high and reveals her feet asshe takes a step forward, you already know that shehas a pair of small feet that she is proud o.f
张岱将那个挑选的过程描绘得维妙维肖,淋漓尽致。从拜客、往上走、转身、借手、到瞧相公、问几岁、再走走,那一系列的动做足够显示了妇女做为商品在那小我肉市场上任人宰割的悲苦遭遇。我们能够从做者连续串的六小我体部位和七个“出”字上看到所谓的“康乾盛世”背后所隐躲的凄清悲惨的一幕。落第的瘦马必定会有愈加悲苦的遭遇,所以姑娘们心绪复杂,始末抱着被选中的一丝妄想。
林语堂先生的译文紧扣原文,用词简洁,完全表现了原做的风气,传达了原文的神韵:
拜客- curtsy
往上走-walk forward
转身- turn round
借手瞧瞧- have a look atyourhand
瞧相公- look at the gentleman
几岁- how old
再走走-walk again a bit
关于原文中的七个“出”字,此中“声出”,译为“Her voicewas heard”;“手出,臂出”译成“exposed her entire arm”,用“entire arm”包罗了手和臂。而其余的四个“出”字则做了不异的处置,全数译成beshown,如许处置,译文显得言简意赅,读者似乎被带到了某个出卖奴隶的市场,看奴隶主在挑选奴隶:
转身向明立,面出-She turned round, facingthe ligh,t and her facewas shown.
尽褫其袂,手出,臂出,肤亦出- The girl rolledup her sleeve and exposed her entire arm. Her skin was shown.
转眼偷觑,眼出- She looked form the corner of her eyes. Her eyeswere shown.
曰几岁,声出- She replied. Her voice was herad.
以手拉其裙,趾出- This time the girl lifted her skir.t Her feetwere shown.
张培基先生在《英汉翻译教程》中指出,汉语中有大量的四字词组,是汉语的一大特征,因为四字词组精练上口,富有节拍。但是,英语之中并没有不异的句式,所以,不克不及死套硬移。林语堂先生对四字词组的翻译为我们供给了不成多得的规范:
1.媒婆驵侩咸集其门;如蝇附膻,撩扑不往。
The professional agents and go - bet - weens,bothmen andwomen, would swarm abouthis house or hotel like flies, and therewas noway ofkeeping them of.f
2.白面红衫,陈旧见解。
Theywere all justaboutalike, with a painted face and a red dress.
3.新人拜堂,亲送上席,小唱宣扬,喧阗热闹。
The bride came up and performed the wedding ceremony (by bowing to the groom and guests), and shewas ushered to take her place at the dinner table already laid. Music and song began, and there was much ado about the house.
显然,我们不克不及照移汉语的句式,而必需像林先生一样用英语常用的表达体例和句式,娓娓道来,才气收到优良的效果。只要如许,差别文化之间的鸿沟才会在翻译做品中消弭于无形之中。
林语堂先生说:“抱负的翻译家应当将其工做做一种艺术。以爱艺术之亲爱它,以对艺术隆重不苟之心对它,使翻译成为美术之一种。”潜心赏识林语堂先生的《扬州瘦马》译文,我们看到的恰是那么一幅栩栩如生的汗青画面,封建时代中国妇女的悲苦遭遇因而得以大白于全国。
【参考文献】
[1] 林语堂.扬州瘦马.林语堂中英比照丛书[Z]·天津:百花文艺出书社, 2002·
[2] 罗新璋.翻译论集[C]·北京:商务印书馆, 1984·
[3] 张培基等.英汉翻译教程[M]·上海:上海外语教导出书社, 1980