大学跨文化英语-综合教程I-Unit-3-Are-They-Typical课文翻译

Reading&DigestingAreTheyTypical?CathyN.Davidson1UnlikemyAmericanstudents,studentsatKansaiWomen’sUniversityrarelyattendedmyofficehours.Tenonedayalocalnewspaperreporterinterviewedmeforacolumnaboutgaijins’impressionofthetypicalJapanesewoman.

2BeforemovingtoJapan,Icouldanswerwithouthesitation.IhadthesamepreconceptionsthatmostWesternershaveaboutJapanesewomen—submissive,flirtatiousandaccommodating.AfterteachinginJapanforseveralmonths,IwasunabletocharacterizetheJapanesewomenI’dmet.Iwasimpressed,ingeneral,bytheirstrengthandindependence,butIdidn’tknowhowtodescribe“thetypicalJapanesewoman.”

3“Isthereone?”Ifinallyaskedhelplessly.

4ItoldthereporterthatInowknewwhatwasnottypical(I’dseenonlytwogeisha),butIhadnocluewhatatypicalJapanesewomanwas.

5“IguessI’llhavetospendtherestofmyyeartryingtofindher!”Ijoked.

6Idon’tknowhowthisjoketranslatedbutaccordingtothearticle,Iwasdescribedasa“feminist”whohadcometoJapanpartlytolearnmoreaboutJapanesewomen.Suddenlystudentsbeganshowingupduringmyofficehours,asifmywordsinthenewspaperwereaninvitationforthemtocometodiscusspersonalmatterswithmeoraskmyadvicewithoutcompromisingtheirownlives.Apparently,IhadsaidpubliclythatIwasinterestedinlearningmoreaboutJapanesewomensostudentscametosharetheiropinions.

7“IamthetypicalJapanesewoman,”myneighbor,Mrs.Okano,insistsafewmorningsafterreadingthenewspaper.

8“I’mserious,”myneighborsays,“ifyouwanttoknowanythingabouttypicalJapanesewomen,youcanaskme.”

9“Whydoyouconsideryourself‘typical’?”Iaskher.10“BecauseIam,”shelaughs.“There’snothingunusualaboutmeatall!”

11“Ithinkit’sunusual,”Isayadmiringly,“forsomebodytoadmitthey’re

typical.Mostpeoplethinktheyareprettyspecial.”

12“Oh,maybeinAmerica,”shelaughs.“ButinJapan,everywoman

thinksthey’retypical.”

13Aswelaugh,themailwomanapproachesandMrs.Okanoexcuses

herselftomeether.

14Sheremindsthemailwomanthatfromnowonhermailshouldbe

deliveredtohernewaddress.

15“You’removingtoday?”Iask,surprisedathowdisappointedIfeel.

16“Gomennasai,gomennasai,”sheapologizes,realizingthatIwas

unaware.ProbablyeveryoneelseatMaisonShowahasknownforweeks.

17ItellherI’msorrytohearthatsheismoving,butthatIhopeshewill

enjoyhernewapartment.

18“It’sahouse,”shesays,unabletoconcealherpride.

19Sheisexpectingthemoverssoonbutinsistsoninvitingmetogive

meacopyofamapshehasneatlydrawn,markingthewaytohernewhouse.

20“Nowyoucancomeandvisitme,”shebeams,handingittome.“Ialsogavemyhusbandamapthismorningsohecanfindittonightafterwork.”Shesaysthiscasually.

21“Idon’tunderstand.Youmean,hedoesn’tremembertheway?”

22“He’sneverbeenthere.”

23“Idon’tunderstand,”Irepeat,thistimeinJapanese.“He’sneverbeen

there?”

24Nowshe’sconfused,andrepeatsagain,inherbestEnglish.

25“Excuseme,please,”Isay,uppingmypolitenesslevelinJapanese.“Idon’tunderstand,howhecouldhaveboughtahousewithoutseeingit?”

26“Hedidn’tbuythehouse,Idid.”

27“Andheneversawitbeforeyouboughtit?”

28“Ofcoursenot.That’swoman’swork.ItoldyouI’matypicalJapanesewoman.Isn’tthishowwomendoitinAmerica?”

29Mrs.OkanoisshockedwhenItellherthatfewAmericanmarriedwomenmakemajorfinancialdecisionswithoutconsultingtheirhusbands.Theremightbesome,butIdon’tknowany30“Really?”Sheshockinglyresponds.

31“Never.”

32“Whataboutacar?”sheasksme.

33Ishakemyheadno.

34“Appliances—refrigerator,television?”

35“Notusually.”

36“Furniture?”

37“Probablynot.MostAmericanhusbandswouldbemadtocome

homeanddiscovertheirwifehadjustboughtanewcouchordiningroom

setwithoutconsultingthem.”

38“IthoughtallAmericanwomenwork,earntheirownmoney?”She

strangelyreplies.

39“It’struethatmanyAmericanwomenworkoutsidethehome,”Ireply,

slowly.“Buteventheoneswhoearntheirownmoneyoftenconsulttheir

husbandsaboutbigpurchases.”

40“ThisiswhatAmericanscall‘women’slib3’?”Mrs.Okanolaughsbut

quicklyapologizesforherrudeness.

41Bynoon,everyoneinourapartmentcomplexwillhaveheardabout

howthepoorgaijinwomanisafull-timecollegeteacher,butcan’tbuya

sofawithoutaskingherhusband’spermission.

42“Kawaiso!”shesaysfinally,exchangingherlaughterforanexpression

ofsympathy(Howridiculous!).Shereachesoutandpatsmyback,asifI’m

asmallchildbadlyinneedofcomforting.

43“NowonderyoulikeJapansomuch!”shesays.参考译文她们够典型吗？凯西·N·戴维森关西女子大学的学生与我在美国的学生不同，她们很少在答疑时间露面。一天，一位地方报纸记者来采访我，是有关“外国人”眼中的典型日本女性这一栏目。去日本之前，我可以毫不犹豫地回答这个问题。我对日本女性的印象和大多数西方人的观点没有两样：顺从、妩媚、热情。在日本执教几个月后，我却没法说清我遇到的日本女性究竟有何特点。我对她们的毅力和独立印象深刻，但不知该如何描述“典型的日本女性”。“真的有吗？”最后我很无助地问道。我告诉记者，我现在知道非典型的是什么样的(我只见过两名艺伎)，但对什么是典型的日本女性毫无头绪。“估计这一年在日本余下的时间得用来寻找她了！”我开玩笑道。不知道这句玩笑话是怎么翻译的，反正这篇文章将我描述成一名“女权主义者”，更多地了解日本女性是我此次日本之行的目的之一。一下子，学生们开始在答疑时间来找我，好像我在报纸上的言论是对她们发出的邀请，希望她们在不影响自己生活的前提下，前来和我探讨个人的事情，或者向我寻求建议。显然，我在公开场合说过自己有兴趣更多地了解日本女性，因此，学生们纷纷前来分享她们的想法。“我就是典型的日本女性，”我的邻居冈野太太看完报纸后，几个早晨都这么说。“我是认真的，”她说，“如果想了解任何有关典型的日本女性的事，您尽可问我。”“为什么你认为自己很‘典型’呢？”我问道。“因为我就是，”她笑道。“我没有任何特殊的地方！”“如果有人承认自己很典型，我觉得这就不同寻常了，”我钦佩地说，“大多数人都认为己很特别。”“哦，那或许是在美国吧！”她笑道。“但是在日本，每一位女性都认为自己很典型。”我们正说笑着，一个女邮递员过来了，冈野太太表示抱歉，转身去招呼她。她提醒这位女邮递员，从今往后，她的邮件都要投到新住址去。“你今天要搬家？”我问的同时，没想到自己竟如此失落。“对不起，对不起，”她连忙道歉，意识到我对她搬家并不知情。住在昭和公寓的其他人可能几周前就知道这个消息了。我对她说，她要搬家真的很可惜，但我希望她喜欢她的新公寓。“那是一幢小别墅，”她说着，难以掩饰自己的自豪感。她正在等待搬家公司来人，但还是再三请我去她家，拿她亲手画的一幅地图，上面清楚地标出了去她新家的路线。“这样你就可以来找我了，”她微笑着把地图递给我。“今天早上我也给了我先生一幅地图，这样今晚下班他就能找到新家了。”她轻松地告