杰出女 参考译文.doc

杰出女性 可可香奈儿香奈儿The House of Chanel: 20世纪最著名的时尚品牌the most famous fashion name of the 20th century. 奢华和风格的典范The epitome of luxury and style. 然而 这个标志性品牌背后的女人Yet the woman behind the iconic brand 却并非生于富贵或权贵之家was not born into wealth or influence. 可可香奈儿的故事堪称灰姑娘式的传奇Coco Chanels is a story of absolute rags to lavish riches. 拥有多个有钱情人使她摆脱了贫穷Plucked from poverty by a string of wealthy lovers, 她在救济院里长大she rose from the poorhouse 她创造了自由风格的服饰to create a style of liberating clothing 彻底改变了女性时尚的风貌that quite simply changed the face of womens fashion. “穿着衣衫褴褛 人们记住的是衣衫”Dress shabbily and they remember the dress; “穿着一丝不苟 人们记住的是穿衣的人”dress impeccably and they remember the woman 但是 在精心呵护的公众形象背后Yet behind the ruthlessly manicured public image 却隐藏着二战时期与纳粹通敌协作的故事lies a tale of wartime collaboration with the Nazis 隐藏着她绯闻不断的人生故事and a lifetime of disastrous affairs. 她一直是情妇 从未有过妻子的名分 Always a mistress,never a wife, 对爱情的渴望 几乎让她付出了一切Cocos longing for love nearly cost her everything. 不过 在一个男性社会里 Yet her determination saw her triumph 她用自己的方式和决心赢得了胜利in a mans world on her own terms.最终In the end, 香奈儿公司成为她的全部the House of Chanel became all she had, 但她却留下了流传至今的魅力遗产 but she left a legacy of glamour that lasts to this day. 可可香奈儿Coco Chanel, 这位改变了20世纪时尚的女性the woman who was to transform 20th century fashion, 出生在一个与奢华毫不沾边的家庭was born into a life far from luxury.她于1883年8月19日She was named Gabrielle Bonheur Chanel, 出生在法国卢瓦尔河谷索米尔小镇born on the 19th August 1883 in Saumur, 取名加布丽叶波纳香奈儿in Frances Loire Valley. 加布丽叶是个私生女 在救济院里来到世间 Gabrielle was delivered to her scandalously unmarried parents in a poorhouse. 她的父亲是一名商贩Her father was a market trader. 她和四个兄弟姐妹在其父亲赖以养家糊口的She and her 4 brothers and sisters spent much of their childhoods 法国西部的公共集市in the public markets of western France, 度过了童年的大部分时光where her father made a ba sic living.对于工人阶层的妇女来说 日子很艰难These were tough times for working class women. 她们是二等公民They were second-class citizens 没有选举权 在丈夫面前卑躬屈膝they could not vote and were expected to be subservient to their men, 她们通常没有选择often having no option 只能去当收入微薄的佣人或是苦力but to work as poorly-paid domestic servants or labourers. 她的未来似乎也只能如此This was the future Gabrielle would have expected for herself. 但是在她12岁那年 一切都变了But when she was just 12 years old, all that changed. 1895年的冬天 她的母亲突然去世In the winter of 1895, Gabrielles mother died suddenly.父亲把全家迁到奥巴辛附近的小镇Her father travelled to the nearby town of Aubazine 并在那里把家人分开and split the family. 儿子们被送到农场与工人同住He sent his sons to live with farm labourers 女儿们则被送到孤儿院and his daughters to an orphanage. 从那以后 她再没见过父亲Gabrielle never saw her father again.奥巴辛孤儿院是当地最大的一家孤儿院The Aubazine orphanage was the largest in the region; 负责管理的修女们严苛古板run by disciplinarian nuns 那里有成百上千的孤儿and home to hundreds of children 很多是被父母遗弃在此的many abandoned by their parents. 父亲的遗弃 母亲的过世让她悲痛欲绝Gabrielle, left by her father and grieving the loss of her mother, 她在这家管理严格的孤儿院里spent her impressionable teenage years 度过了她的少年时代within this strict institute. 偶尔的假期 她倒是可以喘口气Respite came in the form of occasional holidays, 去拜访她的姨妈艾德丽安和露易丝when she was allowed to visit her aunts Adrienne and Louise. 她和露易丝姨妈Gabrielle and her Aunt Louise 可以整日待在一起缝制衣裳would spend their days making clothes. 她在孤儿院里已经学会针线活She had been taught how to sew at the orphanage, 但是露易丝教她如何缝得更加有新意but Louise taught her how to sew creatively, 比如给简单的帽子加上荷叶边和褶皱装饰adding frills and pleats to embellish a simple bonnet.不过暑期结束后But at the end of the summer, 她不得不回到管理严格的孤儿院Gabrielle had to return to the strict regime at the orphanage. 在孤儿院里一待就是七年After 7 years there, 18岁的时候 她面临一个抉择at the age of 18, she was given a choice. 成为修女 亦或离开Become a nun, or leave. 她并不打算一辈子都过着一成不变的生活Gabrielle wasnt about to spend her life in a habit. 于是 她前往穆兰去拜访露易丝姨妈She arranged to visit her Aunt Louise in the town of Moulins. 在那里 她进入了巴黎圣母院女子精修学校From there she enrolled at the Notre Dame finishing school for young ladies. 她交不起学费As Gabrielle had no way of paying the fees, 于是成为了一名”补助生”she was one of the Charity Pupils there 即校方免费招入 given a free place, 但与有钱人家的小姐待遇迥异but treated very differently to the wealthier girls.两年过后 年满20的她After 2 years, aged 20, 已经具备独自在社会上生存的能力she was considered ready to face the world on her own. 1903年In 1903, 她得到了一份工作Gabrielle was offered a job 在一家裁缝店里当缝纫工as a seamstress in a tailors. 店主很喜欢她The owner liked her 因为她的针线活技术非常娴熟because she was especially skillful with a needle and thread.对于像她这样谦卑的身份来说It was a good job for这可是一份不错的工作a young lady of Gabrielles modest standing. 但是 她觉得当一名缝纫工没有前途But she didnt see any future in being a seamstress. 穆兰是一个有官兵驻守的小镇Moulins was a garrison town 士兵们不当值的时候and off-duty soldiers 就会尽情消遣娱乐had to amuse themselves as best they could. 几位年轻军官到店里裁制衣服的时候Gabrielle began to catch the eye of several young officers, 注意到了她who came to the shop to have their clothing tailored. 他们开始邀请她和艾德丽安姨妈They began to invite her, with her aunt Adrienne, 到当地的音乐厅to the local music halls. 至此Here, 她预见到自己将拥有更为美好的未来Gabrielle could see a much more glamorous future. 当时的音乐厅是一个声色场所The music halls were a bawdy scene. 在节目的空档 业余演员也可以登台Amateurs could take to the stage between performances, 很快and very quickly, 她不再只是一名观众 而是开始登台表演Gabrielle was no longer in the audience, but up on stage.但是她可表演的节目非常有限Her repertoire was limited 来来回回就只唱两首歌曲公鸡喔喔叫 just two songs: “Ko Ko Ri Ko” 和谁看见了可可and “Qui qua vu Coco” 观众很快就称她为小可可so the audience soon thought of her as la petite Coco. 在舞台灯光的照耀下Under the stage lights, 这位缝纫女工变成了另外一个人seamstress Gabrielle could be someone else. 她变成了可可香奈儿She could become Coco Chanel! 她的艺名 可可And as Coco, her on-stage presence 让她的知名度变得更高was getting her noticed. 艾提安巴勒松是一名年轻的步兵军官Etienne Balsan was a young infantry officer 热衷体育运动 还是一位an enthusiastic sportsman with a taste for the high-life 讲究高品质生活的百万富翁and a millionaire. 他是音乐厅的常客He was a frequent visitor to the music halls 可可引起了他的注意in Moulins and Coco caught his eye. 那年她21岁She was just 21. 但巴勒松当时已经有了一位同居的情妇But Balsan already had one live-in mistress, 他也无意安定下来and no intention of settling down. 然而可可并不在意Yet Coco didnt care 她也没把巴勒松当成是未来的丈夫she didnt think of him as a potential husband. 她知道 作为私生的孤儿 她不可能嫁入豪门She knew that as an illegitimate orphan she stood no chance whatsoever. 但她意识到 他能帮助自己摆脱贫穷But she realised he could be her meal ticket out of poverty.这也不是她最后一次利用自身魅力 It wouldnt be the last time shed use her sexual allure 换取自己想要的东西to get what she wanted. 在可可和巴勒松交往仅一年后Just 12 months after Coco and Balsans meeting, 他的老情人就被扫地出门his old mistress had packed her bags. 可可搬进了巴勒松豪华的霍亚里越庄园Coco moved in at Balsans grand Royallieu estate. 她成为了他的同居情妇 一名“二奶”She was now his live-in mistress, a kept woman. 当时情妇在法国的角色The role of the mistress in France 有点像在某个机构里上班was something of an institution, 她也没必要留在裁缝店工作and thered be no more need for work in the tailor shop. 霍亚里越庄园是她通往另外一个世界的一扇窗Royallieu was a window into another world. 受邀来到庄园的人Those invited to this grand estate came, 都不带家属 他们只是过来行乐unaccompanied by their spouses, to have fun. 她花时间驯马并学会了骑马She passed her time learning to train and ride Balsans horses. 很快 她就成为了一名技艺高超的女骑手And she very quickly became an accomplished horsewoman. 离开学校的一年时间里Within just a year of leaving school, 可可香奈儿 这个小孤儿 小裁缝Coco Chanel, the little orphaned seamstress, 已经和法国最富有的一群人进行交际活动was socialising with some of the wealthiest people in France. 她因此拥有自信 行事与众不同 受人瞩目She was gaining confidence too doing things differently and getting noticed. 20世纪初In the 1900s, 服饰作为一种时尚 与性别政治紧密相联fashion was much about sexual politics as it was about clothes. 顶级设计师都是男性 The top designers were all men, 女性的裙子只有观赏性不具实用性and womens dresses were ornamental, and not practical.他们的设计迫使女人沦为花瓶 依附他人Their creations forced women to be decorative, helpless creatures.及地大摆裙和令人呼吸困难的紧身胸衣Floor-length billowing skirts and breathtakingly tight corsets 让即使是最简单的日常活动都成了考验made even the simplest practical tasks a trial. 可可认为这非常荒谬 But Coco thought this ridiculous 她的自信和实用主义精神her confidence and sense of practicality 不允许她成为时代的奴隶would not allow her to be a slave to her era. “时尚已沦为笑柄” Fashion has become a joke. “设计师已然忘记女装是穿在女人身上的”The designers have forgotten that there are women inside these dresses 1909年 时年26岁的可可与巴勒松In the summer of 1909, aged 26,参加了一次赛马会 并引起了不小的轰动she attended a racing event with Balsan, and caused quite a stir. 因为她根本没有穿女装Because she wasnt wearing womens clothing at all. 那天 可可戴了一条巴勒松的领带That day, Coco wore one of Balsans ties 并身着他朋友的一件外套and a coat belonging to one of his friends. 那造型实用兼运动 It was a practical and sporty look,很明显是男性的着装风格and definitely considered male attire. 除此之外 她还戴上了一顶自制的硬草帽She topped it off with a boater shed made herself. 她的胆大妄为让贵妇们难以置信Society women couldnt believe her audacity. 但她们仍然心怀钦佩 But they had to admire it. 她开始意识到自己的做法可行She began to think she was on to something.巴勒松让她自由地诠释自己的时尚品味Balsan indulged Cocos forays into fashion. 他在公寓内腾出一块地方He gave her space in his apartment 让可可为她的朋友们设计制作帽子to design and make hats for her friends, 就像她儿时和露易丝姨妈一起做缝纫一样just as she had as a child with her Aunt Louise. 但可可并不单单把制作时装当成业余爱好But Coco didnt just want a hobby. 她想要把它变成一门职业 一项事业She wanted a profession a business. 但财力不足的她无法独立创业But as a woman without money, she would never be able to launch a business by herself. 此时有人闯进了她的生活 Then someone entered her life一个理解她想要取得成功的渴望 - someone who understood her desire to make something of herself,并想要帮助她实现这一目标的人and who wanted to help her achieve it. 阿瑟卡伯 朋友们都管他叫 “金童”Arthur Capel was known to his friends as Boy. 和巴勒松一样 他很有钱He was wealthy, 是个马球手 也是个花花公子a polo player and playboy like Balsan. 但相似之处也仅限于此But thats where the similarities ended. 卡伯是英国人Boy was British 并是他们圈子里唯一自食其力的人and the only one in the group who worked for a living. 到1909年 可可同时是巴勒松And by 1909, Coco was not just Balsans mistress, 和卡伯两个人的情妇but Boys as well. 她与卡伯首次见面的真实情形依旧成谜The true circumstances of Cocos first meeting with Boy Capel remain a mystery. 后来 Later in life 可可就他俩的初次相识给出了多种说法Coco would give a variety of elaborate accounts 最浪漫的要数他们在积雪覆顶的- the most romantic being they found themselves 比利牛斯山脚下的草地上策马奔腾riding alone through meadows beneath the snow-capped Pyrenees. 尽管他们的邂逅非常梦幻But however starry-eyed their first meeting, 白手起家的卡伯很快认识到了the self-made Capel quickly recognized 可可的个人能力和商业野心Cocos personal drive and business ambitions. 而可可也把卡伯当作是那个And she recognised he could be the perfect person 能够帮助和鼓励她开启事业的完美男人to help and encourage her to forge a career. 但事实证明远远不止如此But there was much more to it than that. 1909年的夏天 In the summer of 1909, 可可决定离开艾提安巴勒松Coco decided she no longer needed Etienne Balsan. 她留给他一张手写的字条She left him a scribbled note. “亲爱的艾提安 感谢你的温柔和体贴” “My dear Etienne, I shall never be able to “但我无法回报你了”repay the kindness & comfort youve given me while Ive been with you. “我要和卡伯离开这了” I am leaving with Boy Capel. “原谅我 我爱他”Forgive me, but I love him”.那天 她跟随卡伯去了巴黎She followed Capel to Paris that day. 20世纪初的巴黎与可可所出生的穷乡僻壤Paris in the 1900s was in stark contrast 是截然不同的两个世界to the rundown markets and town squares of Cocos poor upbringing.这是所谓的“美好时代” This was the Belle Epoque 是艺术自由和个人放纵的黄金年代 a golden age of artistic freedom and personal indulgence.巴黎就是这么个地方And Paris was the place to be 它是富人 名人和美人们的天堂- home to the rich, the famous and the beautiful! 可可与城中的达官显贵们往来频繁Coco was socialising with the most sophisticated and well-connected in the city 凭借卡伯的资助 她可以实现她的梦想 and with Boy Capels money she could fulfil her dreams. 但可可并没有完全抛弃她的前男友巴勒松Yet Coco had not abandoned her old boyfriend Balsan entirely. 在她来到巴黎不到一年的时间So, within a year of her arrival in Paris, 卡伯和巴勒松出资给可可投了一个项目Capel and Balsan struck a deal jointly to fund Cocos very first venture 一家位于康朋街21号的礼帽店 a hat shop at 21 Rue Cambon. “他们决定给我一个做帽子的地方”They had decided to give me a place where I could make my hats, “就像他们给我一个玩具一样”the way they would have given me a toy. 礼帽店引发了轰动The hatshop caused a stir 因为可可的设计是如此的新颖because Cocos creations were so very different, 跟平常复杂累赘的果盘风格完全不同and not at all in the usual elaborate and cumbersome fruitbowl style. 可可崇尚朴素和现代性的设计Cocos passions were simplicity and modernity, 让女性时装兼具时尚性和实用性allowing women to be stylish and practical at the same time. “没有什么比身着名贵 华丽”Nothing makes a woman look older “又复杂服饰的女人更显老气的了”than obvious expensiveness, ornateness, complication. 礼帽店获得了巨大的成功 The shop was a huge success. 但对于可可来说 制帽仅仅只是开始But for Coco, the hats were just the beginning. 诺曼底南部的海滨小镇多维尔The seaside town of Deauville, in southern Normandy, 与巴黎相距六小时的火车车程was six hours by train from Paris. 因坐拥远近闻名数一数二的海滩With one of the best beaches for miles around, 多维尔是热门的度假胜地Deauville was a fashionable holiday resort. 它是皇室和君主们的最爱 非常国际化A favourite of royalty and emperors, it was cosmopolitan, 也是富人和名人展示自己的舞台and the place for the rich and famous to be seen. 而可可正是想要吸引那些人的关注And these were just the sort of people Coco wanted to attract. 就在此地 可可开始了她的下一步行动So it was here that Coco chose to take her next step. 1913年 在卡伯再一次赞助下In 1913, and once again with Boy Capels financial backing, 可可开了一家新的香奈儿店面the doors opened on a new Chanel store. 但这一次 开张的不仅是一家礼帽店But this time, it was not just a hat shop, 而是可可的首家时尚精品店but Cocos first fashion boutique. 可可的精品店是第一家Cocos was the first couture collection for women, 由女性专门设计高级女式时装的店铺designed exclusively by a woman. 她的设计没有褶边和紧身胸衣There were no frills, no ruffles or corsets. 简单时尚 但首先是实用It was simple, it was stylish but above all, it was practical. “我想让妇女尽可能地放声大笑和大快朵颐” “I want to give women the possibility to laugh and eat, “不再因为太紧或太饿而晕倒”without necessarily having to faint.没有人见过类似的东西No-one had seen anything quite like it. 整个系列取得了巨大的成功 The collection was a triumph 一时间 可可声名鹊起and Cocos reputation was sealed. 但在那之后 世界局势巨变But then the whole world changed. 1914年夏天 In the summer of 1914,欧洲陷入战乱Europe was plunged into a devastating conflict. 第一次世界大战中6500万士兵奔赴前线World War 1 saw 65 million men on the frontlines. 有超过800万人丧生 2100万人受伤Over 8 million were killed and 21 million wounded. 法国乡村的大片土地被挖成了战壕Swathes of the French countryside were 数英里长的战壕里 满是血腥泥泞churned into miles of bloody, muddy trenches. 到处都面临着物品短缺和艰难困苦Everywhere, there was scarcity and hardship.高级时装没有了市场This was no time for high fashion. 然而在一片悲惨和绝望之中Yet amid the misery and despair, 战争却给可可带来了商机the war revealed an opportunity for Coco. 法国的社会在战时发生着变化French society was changing. 原本赋闲在家的妇女With most of the men away at war 扮演起了她们离家打仗的男人们的角色it was left to women to pick up their mens working roles 比如送邮件 驾驶公交车与有轨电车 delivering mail, driving buses 以及制造军火and trams, and making munitions. 妇女们让整个法国团结在了一起Women were holding France together. 但她们传统的束胸女装并不实用But their traditional corseted dresses werent just impractical, 在工厂里操作机器的时候they were dangerous 穿着这类衣服是非常危险的to wear in factories with machinery. 战时妇女需要实用的工作服Wartime women needed functional working clothes. 而这正是可可女装的自然风格所倡导的This was Cocos natural style through and through. 她抓住机会开始进行新款战时服装的设计She grabbed her chance and began to create new wartime designs.不久便取得了突破And then came the breakthrough. 妇女们喜爱的面料很难找到Womens fancy fabrics were hard to find. 但针织布料的数量很充足But there was plenty of jersey这种毛料弹性足 以前常用来制作男性内衣the stretchy woollen fabric used to make mens undergarments. 可可决定把日常工作服做得更时尚Coco decided to transform necessity into style 她创作了一小系列针织面料的日间女装and create a small collection of jersey daywear for women. 这个系列很成功The collection was a success. 她找到了能发挥自己特长的合适职业She had found a niche, tapped into her natural talents and 并找到了成功的诀窍come out with a winning formula. “旧的世界消逝 新的世界诞生”“A world was dying, while another was being born. “我就在那儿 当机会来临时 我抓住了它” I was there, an opportunity came forward, and I took it”.战争期间 可可和“金童”卡伯的感情Through the war years Coco and Boy Capels romance grew 如同她的事业一样持续升温 as did Cocos business opportunities. 1915年夏天In the summer of 1915, 卡伯安排了一次度假he arranged a holiday for them both. 他带可可去海滨温泉城比亚里茨He whisked Coco off to the seaside spa town of Biarritz, 那里临近法国和中立国西班牙的国界near the border with neutral Spain. 比亚里茨是阔佬们的避难所Biarritz was a haven for the wealthy, 阔佬们来到这里躲避战乱的烦恼and those able to travel would flock to the town to forget their war worries. 但可可却没有完全放松But Coco didnt relax entirely. 她很快认识到这里可以成为第二个多维尔She soon realised that Biarritz could offer the same possibilities as Deauville. 尽管身边的一切都在战争中崩溃While all around her was collapsing under the pressures of war, 可可却努力扩张她的时尚帝国Coco was preparing to expand her empire. 1915年 比亚里茨的香奈儿精品店开业In 1915, Coco opened another Chanel couture boutique in Biarritz. 同时展示了她独立自主的精神And with it came a sense of independence. “我为自己做主 我只倚靠我自己”I was