張培基英譯散文賞析之《別了，賀年片》

別了，賀年片

Goodbye to New Year Cards!

柯靈

Ke Ling

| 譯文摘自張培基《英譯中國散文選二》

我出生于1909年元月，混跡人間，荏苒八十八年。去秋一病，病后頹唐，至今沒有恢復(fù)到原來的健康水平。長壽非福之感，不覺油然而生。

I was born in January 1909. Time slipped by and I’ve been muddling along in this world for eighty-eight years. My illness in the autumn of last year left me in poor shape and so far I’ve not yet restored my former state of health. I cannot help feeling that longevity doesn’t necessarily mean happiness.

要點：

1，譯者將題目譯作Goodbye to New Year Cards,(goodbye to 意即“不再需要”“堅決放棄”)，我們也可以單純譯為Goodbye,New Year Cards,將New Years Cards 擬人化，達到一個生動形象的效果

2，“混跡人間”即“平庸地活在世上”或者“茍且生活”譯為muddling along in this world， “荏苒”意即“時間在不知不覺中漸漸過去” ，整句話意為“我在這個世上平庸地生活了18年”注意時態(tài)要用完成進行時，表示今后還將持續(xù)下去之意。

3，“頹唐”有兩個意思：①精神萎靡的樣子：他的神態(tài)顯得憔悴而~。②衰頹敗落：老境~。根據(jù)上下文，應(yīng)按第一種意思理解，譯者此處籠統(tǒng)譯為“狀況不佳”也是可以的，in poor shape意即“身體不佳，處于不良狀態(tài)”

4，“健康水平”中的“水平”表示的是一種狀態(tài)，不宜譯為level，現(xiàn)譯作my former state of health

5，“長壽非福之感，不覺油然而生。”即“我不由得感覺到長壽并不是一件幸福的事情”譯作I cannot help feeling that longevity doesn’t necessarily mean happiness.

綜述：又到了柯老的文章，還記得《巷》嗎?含蓄真摯，語言優(yōu)美洗練，偏文學(xué)化，因此翻譯尤其注意選詞

退離工作崗位，淡出社會活動，倏忽十有余年。自喜晚景靜好，無慮饑寒，還趕上了百年難遇的太平歲月。雖然許多現(xiàn)象不免使人牽愁惹恨，總算免了提心吊膽，唯恐什么時候會來一陣防不勝防的人造風(fēng)暴。

More than ten years has quickly passed away since I retired and began to stay away from public activities. I congratulate myself, however, on spending my declining years in peace and comfort, free from hunger and cold, and on happening to live in time of peace and tranquility, which is hard to come by even once in a century. Though I still cannot help feeling concerned about many aspects of the status quo, I am, nevertheless, spared from having to live in constant fear of being overtaken unawares by an unpredictable man-made storm.

要點：

1，“倏忽”也有兩個意思：①飛快地②忽然，此處是形容時間流逝飛快，譯作quickly即可

2，“淡出“即”遠離“譯作stay away from

3，“自喜晚景靜好”譯作I congratulate myself on spending my declining years in peace and comfort,其中“自喜”譯為I congratulate myself更加確切，“晚景”除my declining years外，old age 或 my remaining years 等表達

4,“還趕上了百年難遇的太平歲月”譯為happen to live in time of peace and tranquility, which is hard to come by even once in a century，其中“趕上了“有”碰巧生活在…“之意，因此譯作happen to live in

綜述：

本段的四字詞居多，注意積累，譯者在譯“無慮饑寒“和”免了提心吊膽“時分別用了free from和 spare from體現(xiàn)了用詞的靈活性~

坐食之余，積習(xí)難除，不免干些災(zāi)梨禍棗的閑人之業(yè)。這本來也是消磨余年的一法，猶如老農(nóng)冬閑，負喧閑話，樂在其中。但現(xiàn)在也漸感到后難為繼。

In my retirement, I keep the old habit of wielding my clumsy pen. I regard it as one way of whiling away my remaining years, and also find pleasure in it, similar to an old farmer enjoying a chat while taking the sun during the slack winter season. But now I feel I’m not quite up to even thisbecause of age.

要點：

1，“坐食”本意為“不勞而食”，文中“坐食之余”譯為“退休后”，故譯為in my retirement或As a retiree

2，“積習(xí)難除”即“仍然保留著舊的習(xí)慣”譯作I keep the old habit ，“災(zāi)梨禍棗”中的“梨棗”為書版代稱，“干些災(zāi)梨禍棗的閑人之業(yè)” 即“拿起笨拙的筆”，譯為of wielding my clumsy pen

3，“猶如”譯similar to…

4，“負暄”意為“曬太陽取暖”，故將“負暄談話”譯為enjoying a chat while taking the sun

綜述：理解而后譯~

矛盾的焦點，在于來日苦短，精神體力日見不濟，世故困人，而又不能抽刀斷水，毅然割棄文字因緣，顧此失彼，難以周全。在人際關(guān)系中，久已無力做到有信必復(fù)，有求必應(yīng)，一面又不能釋然于懷，灑脫得無牽無掛。歲尾年頭，向親朋好友發(fā)個賀年卡片，兼代通侯，原是一件使人感到溫暖和愉快的事，也漸覺力不從心。

The main problem is that my days are numbered and I’m going from bad to worse both physically and mentally. While busy attending to social relations, I’m meanwhile loath to cut off my devotion to writing. But I find it difficult to take care of both at the same time. As to interpersonal correspondence, I’ve long been unable to write letters in reply though it doesn't mean I’ve clean forgotten the sender or I don’t feel apologetic for my silence. It certainly gives rise to a feeling of warmth and pleasure to send new year cards to relatives or friends at the end or beginning of a year, which not only offer messages of greetings but also serve as a substitute for correspondence. But much as I want to, it is now beyond my power to keep doing it.

要點：

1，“來日苦短”即“日子有限”譯作my days are numbered;“日見不濟” =going from bad to worse

2，“世故困人，而又不能抽刀斷水，毅然割棄文字因緣”譯為While busy attending to social relations, I’m meanwhile loath to cut off my devotion to writing，其中“世故“即“應(yīng)酬”，“ 而又不能抽刀斷水”和“毅然割棄文字因緣”表達一個意思即“不能放棄對寫作的執(zhí)著或熱愛”故譯為I’m meanwhile loath to cut off my devotion to writing

3，“一面又不能釋然于懷，灑脫得無牽無掛”即“但仍然惦記著對方，趕到歉疚”，譯為it doesn't mean I’ve clean forgotten the sender or I don’t feel apologetic for my silence. 譯者運用雙重否定表肯定，增強了行文語氣。don’t feel apologetic for意即“對…絲毫不感到抱歉”，這個句式將“釋然于懷”表現(xiàn)得淋漓盡致

4，“也漸覺力不從心”譯為But much as I want to, it is now beyond my power to keep doing it. 其中But much as I want to，是增譯部分，強調(diào)此處轉(zhuǎn)折的語氣~

因為一來一往，為數(shù)可觀，操作需時，不免手忙腳亂。暮年行動不便，購卡，投郵，又須求人代勞。市上行銷的時髦賀卡，多是金碧輝煌的豪華版，代價不菲，姑置不論，流行歌曲式的新潮賀詞，也很不合老人身份。諸多煩擾，不一而足。曾經(jīng)幾次想自己設(shè)計，印制一些樸素大方，既能表情達意，又堪供清賞的賀卡，也難以實現(xiàn)。不得已狠一狠心，向賀年卡揮手告別，從此不再寄發(fā)，也不再裁答。失禮之，只好請多多體諒了。

The exchange of a considerable number of such cards will take up much of my time and send me bustling around. Having difficulty getting about because of age, I have to ask somebody else to buy the cards or mail them out for me. The trendy cards in the market appear mostly in glittering deluxe editions and are very expensive. What is worse, the stylish new year messages printed therein in popular song fashion are incompatible with the status of an old man like me. Due to numerous frustrations, I many times even thought of having cards of my own design printed—cards which would be both simple and unaffected, and both expressive of my true feelings and in good taste, but unfortunately it never materialized. So all I have to do is wave goodbye to new year cards. From now on I no longer send them, either on my own initiative or in reply. Pray forgive me for lack of manners on my part.

要點：

1，“為數(shù)可觀，操作需時，不免手忙腳亂”四字詞成句是本文的一大特色，翻譯時要將其意思補全譯為完整的句子，整合本句的意思為“寄送和接收數(shù)量如此大的卡片既耗時又讓我忙不過來”，故譯為The exchange of a considerable number of such cards will take up much of my time and send me bustling around

2，“從此不再寄發(fā)，也不再裁答”意即“不再主動向他人寄賀卡，也不回復(fù)他人寄來的賀卡”，故譯I no longer send them, either on my own initiative or in reply.注意此處用no longer和 either or句式，也可以表示“不…也不…”

綜述：這兩段四字詞成句的現(xiàn)象依舊“泛濫”體現(xiàn)作者文采的同時，也考驗著譯者的中文功底~

在大公無私的時間面前，誰也不能不低頭認輸。一年容易，又是臘盡春回時節(jié)，謹布心曲，向海內(nèi)外舊雨新知，識與不識的讀者，表達我的惓惓之意。

Time is impartial and nobody can fail to bow to it and admit defeat. Another year has gone by and spring has returned after winter is over. Let me avail myself of this opportunity to tell what is on my mind and make known my sincere intentions to all my friends at home and abroad, old and new, and to all my readers, acquainted and unacquainted.

要點：

1,“誰也不能不低頭認輸”中的“誰也不能不”=no body can fail to ,譯者遵照原文也使用了雙重否定，“低頭認輸”即 bow to it and admit defeat

2，“一年容易“即”一年又過去了”，出自陸游的《宴西樓》“萬里因循成久客，一年容易又秋風(fēng)”

3，“謹布心曲”即“談?wù)勎业南敕?rdquo;，譯為tell what is on my mind

4，“惓惓之意”即“誠懇的感情”譯為my sincere intentions