情绪本身是流体,变化莫名,更遑论用文字表达是怎么个随性而为、风中凌乱。这无疑增加了翻译的难度。
这篇短文摘选了几段情绪文字,并辅以英译文加简单的说明,供大家学习。
“更常常冷笑一声在心里放逐自己。不要喧嚣,不要繁华,不要车水马龙,更不要掌声四起。”
Often, with a distainful sneer, I make secret plans to exile myself: I can give up the advantages of a city life – its hustle and bustle, its flow of traffic, and even applauses from a possibly large audience – to go to the north.
用破折号分隔同位语。
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"于是想李叔同、许地山。想他们的睿智与平静,想他们的无奈与无怨。"
Then, I begin to think about Li Shutong and Xu Dishan – think about their knowledge and composure, their helplessness and endurance.
用破折号引出被强调的对立情绪。
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"有时间多么想有一个永不混乱的头脑,不怀疑,不思索,不混沌,不复杂,甚至不反应不痉挛。"
Sometimes, how I wish I could be forever free from being headless – nor suspicious, not pondering, not illogical, not complicated, not even responsive or impulsive!
用破折号分隔附加说明的各种繁杂情绪。
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"有时候又明知可笑却仍旧抑制不住地祈望永恒的真实。美丽永恒。生命永恒。善永恒。没有摧毁生命的力,也没有摧毁力量与意志的邪恶生命。"
Although I know it is ridiculous to wish for eternal truth, I cannot help doing so sometimes – wishing for the eternity of beauty, the eternity of life, the eternity of benevolence, the non-existence of a power that can destroy a life, and the non-existence of an evil life that can destroy power and determination.
用破折号引出被强调的永恒真实。
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"又是冬季。漫长的冬季漂浮着漫长的永不消散的蒙蒙烟雾。"
It is winter again – a long winter pervaded by continuous and never-dispersing cloudy smoke.
用破折号分隔非限定性修饰语。
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"我头疼头晕。我怕似醒非醒。长夜一样的严酷冬季我始终静寂,始终独坐不语。我甚至连眼泪都不再倾洒了,冷漠晦暗的冬季配不上我璀璨晶莹。溪水一样缠绵的串串清泪。"
With a headache bordering dizziness, and feeling half-asleep and half-awake for the entire night-like, tormenting long winter, I remain in an inactive state and sit there without a word; I do not even want to shed any more tears – the cold and dim winter is not worth my diamond-shinny, crystal-clear, and lingering tears.
用破折号分隔附加说明的词语。
小结
1. 散文翻译较为追求对称美,对原文可以适当增补(如 to go to the north)或删减(如 lingering)。
2. 眼尖的小伙伴可能发现了,中译英时,找好前呼后应的词语(详见英文加粗部分),就可以使用破折号美化句子结构。
节选自《英译中国当代美文选》《躁动的平静 Anxiety Pacified》一文。