翻译短篇点评.docx

1曾几何时，人们还对“80后”评头论足，或感叹他们是“垮掉的一代”，或认为他们很嫩很青涩。如今，“80后”已经长大了，他们中将首次出现30岁群体。论语说，“三十而立”，而我们却无法把“80后”与而立画上等号。调查显示，五成以上80后的职场人在工作上力不从心；近五成调查对象无房无车，且处于未婚状态。“80后”三十难立也不必沮丧，有时需要励志一下，因为要改变自己的命运，最终靠的是自己，多一些意气风发，多一些愈挫愈勇的斗志，少一些埋怨，少一些迷失。毕竟，“80后”也不乏成功人士，他们筚路蓝缕，走出了自己的一片天。参考译文：There was a time when people loved tocarp and cavil at the post-1980s generation, either referring to them as the “beat generation” or claiming they were wet behind the ears. Now these post-1980s cohorts have grown up, some of whom have just turned thirty. Analects of Confucius said that “one should plant his feet upon the ground at the age of thirty”. Yet it is hard for us to equate the 20 or 30-somethings with being well-established. Statistically speaking, more than fifty percent of post-1980s generation people feel somewhat inadequate at work and nearly half of the respondents cannot afford a car and a house and are yet to walk down the aisle.In fact, post-1980s guys and gals should be self-motivated, rather than feel disheartened for not getting somewhere. Because after all it falls on oneself to change his/her destiny. Lets equip ourselves with more vigor, vitality and strong will through many a twist and turn, less whining and wandering. After all there are indeed high achievers among the post-1980s generation, who are self-made entrepreneurs against all the odds and have their life course figured out.翻译点评：1）整篇点评：此段文字从备受关注的80后为切入点，题材内容并未有多大创新，但作为翻译材料而言，对语言功力有一定的要求。段落中频繁出现了四字格和谚语，与历年的考试重点相吻合。2）对英语谚语使用的功底考验：汉语多四字格成语，形式简练，微言大义，而英语丰富的表达不遑多让，这里可考验考生的语言储备是否丰富。如“评头论足”，看似可仅仅理解为“对.进行评论”，而实际在本文中的潜在词是“对80后指指点点，且语多贬斥”，英语中与之对应的表达可用“carp and cavil”。如“很嫩很青涩”，可理解为“愣头青、乳臭未干、毛头小子”的意思，英语中有个形象的对应表达为“wet behind ears”。再如“处于未婚状态”，中文直接且无趣，如果英语翻译不要简单地用“unmarried”代替，而另择一谚语表达，就会让人眼前一亮。此时功底深厚的同学可能会想到“结婚”在英语中的各种形象表达，如“walk down the aisle”、“tie the knot”等，比干巴巴的“unmarried”显得更有可读性。3）关于语言的多样化：汉语喜重复，英语重多样。如本文频繁出现的“80后”，如果全都翻译成“post-1980s generation”未免显得呆板，因此可将末尾的generation一词用其它英语短语代替，如“post-1980s cohorts”，cohorts意指“同一类人，同一批人”，与“一代人”的意思相吻合；或者“post-1980s guys and gals”，甚至可译成可从年龄上考虑，80后现在大多二、三十岁，因此可译为“20 or 30-somethings”。4) 关于专用表达：文中出现了“论语”等中国名着，其英文固定表达为“Analects of Confucius”。随后出现的“垮掉的一代”涉及到了英美文化常识，美国人喜将不同年代出生的人进行归类，“垮掉的一代”英语对应表达为“beat generation”，同理“迷惘的一代”则称为“lost generation”。5）关于古文翻译：本文出现了论语中的一句古文“三十而立”。考生应充分理解其意，即一个人在三十岁的时候应该有所建树，因此英文“one should plant his feet upon the ground at the age of thirty”就出炉了。翻译段落：没有一个人将小草叫“大力士”，但是它的力量之大，的确是世所罕见。这种力，是一般人看不见的生命力，只要生命存在，这种力就要显现，上面的石块，丝毫不足以阻挡，因为它是一种“长期抗战”的力，有弹性，能屈能伸的力，有韧性，不大目的不止的力。种子不落在肥土而落在瓦砾中，有生命力的种子决不会悲观和叹气，因为有了阻力才有磨练。生命开始的一瞬间就带了斗争来的草，才是坚韧的草，也只有这种草才可以傲然地对那些玻璃棚中养育着的盆花哄笑。参考译文：Though the little grass has never been said to be Herculean, the power it shows is matchless in the world. It is an invisible force of life. So long as there is life, the force will show itself. The rock above it is not heavy enough to prevent the seed from growing, because it is a force that keeps growing over a period of time, because it is an elastic force that can shrink and expand, because it is a tenacious force that will not stop growing until it is grown.The seed does not choose to fall on fertile land but in debris, instead. The seed with life is never pessimistic or sad, for it has undergone resistance and pressure. The grass that begins to fight its way out right after its birth is strong and tenacious, and only that grass has the right to smile with pride at the potted plants in glassed green houses.翻译点评：Herculean：大力神,古希腊神话人物，如果想不到的话可以用比较口语的beefcake或者masculined guy。不过大家还是要注意，多积累一些这样的文化、文学类知识储备，以便在翻译时能做到信手拈来，传神出彩。matchless一句：这句话的翻译使用了逆向思维，这在英语中很常见，比如：这事决不可能是他干的。应译成He is the last person to do such a thing.elastic force：弹力，不会的同学亦可译成spring force/bounce，实在不会，可以换成strength，当