书摘
要注意译出细节
这篇报道的特点是浓厚的现场感,包括对场景、人物、气氛的描述,通
过这些描述,使读者对陕甘宁边区独特的政治有较具体的了解。译文注意并
力求体现这一特点,所以对各种细节都做到无一遗漏。例如:
·开会的地点是一个很大的、类似谷仓的大屋……“麻雀从门窗的缝隙
中飞进飞出,同室外的一片农村气氛倒是很协调的。
in a huge barn-like hall...Sparrows flew in and out of the
hall through open transoms,in keeping with the general rural
outdoor atmosphere here.
·委员中有两名大地主、六名较小的乡绅(来自共产党宣布统一战线政
策后才开辟的抗日根据地,那里不实行没收和分配土地的政策) 2 big
landlords,6 minor country gentry(from districts which Communist
troops reached after the announcement of the united front policy
and where estates were not confiscated or divided)
·大胡子、大个子的穆斯林毛拉……的发言提纲中,所有汉语词汇都是
用阿拉伯文字母拼写的。 The bearded,large.featured Muslim
Mullah...made his speech from notes in which the Chinese words
were written phonetically in Arabic characters.
·与会者……松开上衣领子,分散到屋后的方桌旁边,有的喝茶嗑瓜子
,还有一拨人拿出一副本地制作的扑克牌来,开始聚精会神地玩一种很像“
兰米”的牌戏。
The conferees...opened their collars and dispersed to the
square tables set at the back of the hall,where some drank tea
and ate melon seeds while one group pulled out a deck of local
made cards and began,with great concentration,to play something
that looked mighty like Rummy.
由此可见,“信达雅”标准中的“信”既是指“信”于原作的每一细节
,也是“信”于原作的整体风格,两者是一体的。没有细节,就没有风格。
在“信”的前提下,求其“达、雅”。如上例中,somedrank tea and ate
melon seeds,译作“有的喝茶堕瓜子”,这个“嗑”字就是“达”“雅”
的功夫。P90-91