英譯現(xiàn)代散文●美國的男女 ◎ 施蟄存

美國的男女

American Men and Women

◎　施蟄存

◎　Shi Zhecun

近來，各種報紙上都有讀者來信，一部分是反映社會情況，更多的是生活上有疑難問題，寫信給報社，要求解答。我很喜歡看這些通信，從這里可以了解各色市民的生活和思想情況。

Various newspapers of late carry letters from readers reflecting social conditions or more often requesting solutions to knotty problems in life. I am fond of reading them because they mirror the life and thought of people of all descriptions.

外國報紙也有這種通信，有些報紙還特辟專欄，由專人負(fù)責(zé)答復(fù)。美國有一位署名安瀾德(Ann Landers)的女記者，為八百多種報刊答復(fù)讀者來信，就稱為“安瀾德專欄”。這個專欄極受讀者歡迎，每天至少有三千萬人拿到報紙就看這個專欄。

The same is true of foreign newspapers. Some of them have set up special columns with special columnists in charge of answering questions. An American woman journalist named Ann Landers was once put in charge of such correspondence for over 800 newspapers respectively. Known as“Ann Landers' Column”, it became extremely popular with readers. Every day, the first thing that attracted the attention of readers, totalling at least 30 million, would be this special column.

安瀾德通信已出了好幾個單行本，都暢銷一時。前幾年，老友錢歌川從美國寄給我兩本《人間信箱》，這是他選譯的安瀾德通信，供中國人學(xué)習(xí)英語用的。因為這些通信所用的英語，都是流行的成語俗字，有許多字還沒有編入字典，可以說是最新最活的英語。

Landers' letters, later appearing in several collections, have been selling like hot cakes. Several years ago, my old friend Qian Gechuan sent me from the US two collections of Landers' letters that he had selected and translated for the benefit of Chinese learners of English. The letters were originally written in present-day English with up-to-date idioms and colloquialisms, many of which have not yet been compiled into dictionaries.

兩本《人間信箱》，選譯了二百封來信和答復(fù)。幾乎有百分之八十是青年男女寫給安瀾德的信，要求她解答各種婚姻問題、戀愛問題或處世問題。他們的問題，跟中國青年的問題完全不同，有許多是我們想象不到的?，F(xiàn)在舉兩件突出的事例給讀者，以廣見聞，以資談助，或者還可以資警惕。

There were in the two collections altogether 200 letters to and from Landers, of which about 80% were sent by American young men and women asking for her advice on problems of marriage, love, ways of society, etc. The problems confronting them were entirely different from those of Chinese young people. Many were quite unimaginable to us. Now let me cite two striking examples for the information and chit-chat of my readers. Meanwhile, they may also serve to put our youth on the alert.

一個三十歲的女人，在二十歲的時候，看見女朋友都結(jié)婚了，她怕做老小姐，急急忙忙嫁了一個認(rèn)識才兩個月的男人。十一個月之后，他們有了孩子，于是開始了吵架。丈夫建議和另外一對夫婦交換行樂，她同意了。于是兩夫妻加入了一個俱樂部，和別的幾對夫婦交換睡覺。最后，丈夫建議要她和另一個男人的妻子對調(diào)，可是她不喜歡那個男子，于是寫信給安瀾德，問她該怎么辦。

Here is the story of a 30-year-old American woman. At the age of 20, seeing all her girl friends already married, she worried about herself some day becoming an old maid and therefore quickly married a man whom she had known for barely two months. Eleven months later, they had a baby and began to lead a cat-and-dog life. And when the husband suggested swapping wives with another man for pleasure, she agreed. And they joined a club where male members could have sex with each other's wife. Then it happened that she refused to go to bed with a man chosen by her husband because he was not to her liking. She then wrote to Landers for advice.

一個女人，和一個沒有錢的男子結(jié)婚，她做工賺錢來供給丈夫讀大學(xué)?，F(xiàn)在，結(jié)婚已十八年，有了三個孩子。丈夫有錢了，她為了主持家務(wù)，不出去工作了?？墒撬鋈ダ戆l(fā)一次，丈夫就三天不和她說話，理由是：她沒有工作，所以沒有任何權(quán)利。她寫信給安瀾德，問：“作為一個沒有工作的妻子和母親，我有什么權(quán)利呢?”

An American girl married a poor man and managed to see him through college with money she earned by manual work. After 18 years of married life, they had three kids. Now the husband has become better off and she, instead of going out to work, stays home to keep house. Every time, however, when she goes out to have her hair done at a hairdresser's, the man will be glum and silent for three days. The reason is, she is jobless and therefore has no right for a hairdo at his expense. So she wrote to Landers with this question,“What right have I as a jobless wife and mother?”

以上是摘錄了兩件關(guān)于男女關(guān)系的讀者來信，安瀾德都作了答復(fù)，指導(dǎo)他們應(yīng)如何處理。不過有時安瀾德無法從正面回答，只好說幾句俏皮話、幽默話，卻又引起讀者更多的來信。

Landers wrote back to each of the two women, telling them how to best deal with the situations. But sometimes, unable to give a direct answer in her reply, she would instead resort to some witty or humorous remarks, thus generating even more letters from readers.

美國青年對于戀愛與結(jié)婚的態(tài)度，極不嚴(yán)肅。有一封讀者來信報道的一個信息：有一個五年級的小學(xué)生，作語文練習(xí)，老師命題的要求是解釋什么叫“單調(diào)”。小學(xué)生寫道：“在美國，一個男人只能有一個妻子，這就叫單調(diào)。”

American young people often show a devil-may-care attitude towards problems of love and marriage. A reader wrote to tell the following little story. A fifth-grade pupil wrote in a composition on“monotony”, a subject assigned by the teacher,“In America every man is supposed to have only one wife. That's what we mean by monotony.”

施蟄存(1905—2003)，中國現(xiàn)代著名作家、文學(xué)翻譯家、學(xué)者，生于杭州，長于蘇州，辛亥革命后隨家遷居江蘇松江(現(xiàn)屬上海市)，1922年考進杭州之江大學(xué)，次年入上海大學(xué)，開始文學(xué)活動和創(chuàng)作，晚年執(zhí)教于華東師范大學(xué)中文系?！睹绹哪信肥撬麑懹?987年的一篇雜文。