[雙語新聞] 老外翻譯潘克倫眼中的姚巨人

Chinese basketball legend Yao Ming formally announced his retirement Wednesday, ending a groundbreaking but injury-plagued career that included eight all-star appearances when he was the center for the NBA's Houston Rockets. Shortly after Yao was selected as the No. 1 pick in the 2002 NBA draft, he was paired with a translator, Colin Pine. A 'not-very-tall, not-very-athletic man' in the words of a 2003 profile on NPR's 'This American Life,' Mr. Pine spent three years translating for the 7-foot-6-inch Yao before moving to China in 2005. They have remained friends.
中國籃球傳奇人物姚明周三正式宣布退役，結(jié)束了具有開創(chuàng)意義但飽受傷病折磨的職業(yè)籃球生涯，其中包括他代表美國職業(yè)籃球聯(lián)賽（NBA）休斯頓火箭隊（Houston Rockets）八次亮相全明星賽。2002年成為NBA選秀狀元后不久，姚明就有了一個翻譯──潘克倫（Colin Pine）。用2003年美國國家公共廣播電臺（NPR）“美國生活”（This American Life》節(jié)目有關(guān)于他的一期專題中的話來說，潘克倫是一個“不是很高、不是很健壯的男人”。在2005年搬到中國之前，潘克倫為身高2.29米的姚明做了三年翻譯。他們一直是朋友。

China Real Time caught up with Mr. Pine on Thursday, a day after he reprised his translator role one more time at Yao's retirement ceremony in Shanghai, and asked him for his thoughts on the player's career:
周三在姚明宣布退役的新聞發(fā)布會上，他再次擔(dān)任了翻譯的角色。周四，《中國實時報》聯(lián)系上了潘克倫，并請他談了對姚明職業(yè)生涯的看法：

What do you think Yao's impact has been on China?
問：你怎么看姚明對中國的影響？

My outlook is a little bit clouded by my personal relationship with Yao. We were so close, especially during that first year. I've never been able to have a proper perspective on him outside of the concept of my time with him.
答：我的看法有點受到我和姚明私人關(guān)系的影響。我們太親近了，特別是在第一年。我從來都無法跳出我們在一起時形成的觀念對他進(jìn)行恰當(dāng)?shù)脑u價。

Not to say that I don't realize the impact he's had. He's helped to popularize basketball, but I think basketball has transcended Yao in China. So many people are playing basketball, it has grown beyond Yao.
并不是說我沒有意識到他擁有的影響力。他促進(jìn)了籃球運動的普及，但我認(rèn)為籃球在中國已經(jīng)超越了姚明。有那么多人在打籃球，籃球的發(fā)展已經(jīng)超越了姚明。

So when you see him in ads all over China, you just think, that's my old friend?
問：所以當(dāng)你在中國那么多廣告里看見他的時候，你只是覺得，那是我的老朋友？

It's a little weird for me to see him on insurance advertisements or whatever he's sponsoring at the moment. I don't know how to express it--it's almost funny to me.
答：看到他出現(xiàn)在保險公司的廣告里或任何他正在贊助的活動時，我都感覺有點怪。我不知道怎么表達(dá)，在我看來就是近乎好笑。

Have you been in touch with him since his decision to retire?
問：他決定退役后你們有過聯(lián)系嗎？

I translated for him at the ceremony yesterday. It was touching for him to ask me to be there. It wasn't something I was expecting.
答：我昨天在發(fā)布會上擔(dān)任他的翻譯。他請我去我很感動。我沒想到他會邀請我去。

We do keep in touch, not on a regular basis. We talk on the phone every once in a while. The last time I'd translated for him was in October.
我們確實保持著聯(lián)系，但不經(jīng)常。我們偶爾會通電話。我上一次做他的翻譯是在去年10月。

You've known Yao for nearly a decade. How did you meet him?
問：你認(rèn)識姚明將近10年了。你是怎么認(rèn)識他的？

I was in law school, looking for full-time translation jobs. I was living in Washington D.C. and a friend of mine had an advertisement that came across her desk. They were looking for an interpreter for a basketball player, didn't say the name, but it was in Houston so it was clear who it was. I sent my materials in and heard from Yao's agent. I didn't meet Yao until the day he arrived in the U.S.
答：當(dāng)時我在法學(xué)院讀書，在找全職的翻譯工作。當(dāng)時我住在華盛頓特區(qū)，一個朋友偶然發(fā)現(xiàn)她桌子上有張招聘廣告。他們在為一個籃球運動員找翻譯，沒說名字，但是在休斯頓，所以是誰就顯而易見了。我把我的資料送過去了，然后收到姚明經(jīng)紀(jì)人的回信。姚明抵達(dá)美國的那天我才見到他。

What do you remember as your first impression about him?
問：你記得對他的第一印象是什么？

The first thing, of course, is his size. As obvious as it is, it's imposing. You're just taken aback by it the first time.
答：首先當(dāng)然是他的身材了。很明顯是高大無比。第一次見到會讓人嚇一跳。

The second thing is his humor. He was 22 years old, a young guy, he had some English but not a lot. All these things that were thrown at him, he handled it with aplomb.
還有就是他的幽默。當(dāng)時他22歲，是個年輕的小伙子，會說些英語，但不多。別人向他提的哪些問題他都會沉著應(yīng)對。

How at ease he was with himself was quite evident. He knows exactly who he is and is very comfortable in his own skin.
明顯能看到他有多么放松。他確切地知道自己是誰，對做自己感到駕輕就熟。

How has he changed since those early years?
問：這些年來他有什么變化？

He's grown up a lot. He was always mature for his age, but now you can see even more how focused he is. He knows exactly what he wants. He has a very mature attitude about life in general.
答：他成熟了很多。他總是比實際年齡看起來成熟，但現(xiàn)在你能看到他的目標(biāo)更加明確了。他準(zhǔn)確地知道自己想要什么。他對整個生活有著十分成熟的態(tài)度。

What do you think Yao's legacy will be as an NBA player?
問：你認(rèn)為姚明作為NBA球員會獲得怎樣的蓋棺定論？

I'm not a basketball blogger or anything, so as to the Hall of Fame or historical standing, I don't know. He was a great player, he meant so much to so many people. He'll never be forgotten.
答：我不是籃球博客寫手一類的人，所以對于名人堂或歷史地位，我不知道怎么說。他是個優(yōu)秀的球員，他對太多人都意義重大。他永遠(yuǎn)不會被遺忘。

Would his perception in history have changed if he hadn't suffered so many injuries?
問：如果不是受過這么多傷，他對過去事情的看法會不會有所不同？

Who can say? It's really hard to say, there are tons of what-ifs.
答：誰知道呢？真的很難說，有太多的如果。