卡坦吉•布朗•杰克逊的自传体小说《可爱的人：回忆录》第二章翻译实践报告

vContentsTOC\o"1-3"\h\u5670Acknowledgments i5555Abstract ii18557摘要 iii14842Contents iv116211.Introduction 528661.1IntroductiontotheAuthorandtheBackground 5231801.2PurposeofTranslation 5162341.3TheSignificanceofTranslationPractice 5124132.Translationprocess 5299312.1PreparationfortheProcess 5155192.2MajorDifficultiesEncountered 6211782.2.1Culturalloadwords 610732.2.2Polysyllabicwords 687422.2.3Longanddifficultsentences 6184742.3ProcessofSolvingDifficultiesandProofreadingAfterTranslation 6208963.FunctionalEquivalenceTheory:TheoreticalFrameworkandCaseAnalysis 743973.1FunctionalEquivalenceTheory 749733.1.1LexicalEquivalence 730463.1.2CulturalEquivalence 879373.1.3StylisticEquivalence 9167823.2TranslationTechniques 1046003.2.1LiteralTranslation 10218753.2.2FreeTranslation 1156413.2.3Conversion 12306294.Conclusion 1223401References 1432322Appendix 151.IntroductionTheintroductionofthispartmainlyincludesthefollowingthreeaspects:introductionoftheauthorandherbackground,purposeoftranslation,andsignificanceoftranslationpractice.1.1IntroductiontotheAuthorandtheBackgroundKetanjiBrownJacksonisthefirstAfrican-AmericanwomanintheUnitedStatestobeappointedtoJusticeoftheSupremeCourt.Herlifeexperienceisfullofstrugglesandbreakthroughs.HermemoirLovelyOne:AMemoirisavividrecordofhergrowthfromthebottomoftheapartheideratoanimportantfigureintheAmericanjudicialcommunity.Thelanguagestyleofthisbookisbothauthentic,objectiveandvivid,whichtruthfullyshowstheauthor'stenacityandpersistenceinthefaceofvariouschallenges.1.2PurposeofTranslationThelanguagestyleofthenovelisauthenticandobjective.Whendescribingtheauthor'sgrowthexperience,itavoidsexaggerationandfiction.Atthesametime,itshowstheauthor'sexperienceandgrowthinvividandaccuratelanguage,sothatreaderscandeeplyfeelthedifficultyandfirmnessofherjourney.1.3TheSignificanceofTranslationPracticeOnonehand,translationpromotescommunicationandunderstandingbetweendifferentcultures,enablingreaderstotranscendculturalboundariesandexperiencethelivesandspiritualworldsofothers.Ontheotherhand,itvalidatesandadvancesthetheoryoffunctionalreciprocityintranslationpractice,offeringboththeoreticalsupportandpracticalguidanceforthetranslationofsimilartexts.2.TranslationprocessThetranslationprocessisacomprehensiveandsystematicprocessthatrequirescarefulplanning,execution,andrefinement.Thischapteroutlinesthepreparation,maindifficulties,andpost-translationresolutionandproofreadingprocessofthetranslationprocess.Thetranslationaimstoachieveaccuracyandreadabilitywhileretainingthecultureandstyleoftheoriginaltext.2.1PreparationfortheProcessBeforestartingthetranslation,conductin-depthresearchontheauthor'slife,thehistoryofAmericanapartheid,theAmericanjudicialsystemandotherbackgroundknowledge,collectrelevantinformation,andbuildaknowledgeframework.Atthesametime,selectprofessionaldictionaries,onlinetranslationtoolsandrelatedtranslationandresearchliteratureasauxiliarytoolstoprepareforthelanguageandculturalproblemsthatmaybeencounteredinthetranslationprocess.2.2MajorDifficultiesEncounteredThetranslationofLovelyOne:AMemoirpresentsseveralsignificantchallengesduetoitsrichculturalreferences,complexvocabulary,andintricatesentencestructures.Thesedifficultiesarecategorizedintothreemainareas:2.2.1CulturalloadwordsTherearealargenumberofwordsinthetextthatinvolvespecifichistoricalandculturalcontextsintheUnitedStates,suchas"JimCrowsegregation"and"HBCU",etc.Thesewordscarryprofoundculturalconnotations,anditisdifficulttoconveytheirexactmeaningbydirecttranslation.2.2.2PolysyllabicwordsTherearemanypolysyllabicwordsinEnglish,andtheirmeaningsvarygreatlyindifferentcontexts.Forexample,themeaningoftheword"bar"inthelegalcontextisdifferentfromthatinthedailycontext,anditisnecessarytoaccuratelyjudgeitssemanticsinthetext.2.2.3LonganddifficultsentencesTherearemanylonganddifficultsentenceswithcomplexstructuresinthebook,includingmulti-layeredmodifiersandsubordinateclauses.HowtosortoutthesentencestructureandaccuratelytranslatethemintosentencesthatconformtoChineseexpressionhabitsisabigchallenge.2.3ProcessofSolvingDifficultiesandProofreadingAfterTranslationForculturallyloadedwords,byconsultinghistoricalandculturalmaterialsandreferringtoauthoritativetranslationcases,annotations,interpretationandannotationsareusedtotranslate.Forpolysyllabicwords,carefullyanalysethecontext,andcombinethebasicmeaningofthevocabulary,themeaningofquotationandcollocationhabitstodeterminetheirexactmeaning.Whendealingwithlonganddifficultsentences,firstanalysethesentencestructure,dividethesentencecomposition,andthenusesplitting,merging,adjustingthewordorderandothermethodstotranslate.Whensolvingtheproblemofculturaldifferences,weneedtodeeplyunderstandtheculturalconnotationoftheoriginaltext,andusenaturalisation,alienationandotherstrategies,sothatthetranslationcannotonlyconveytheculturalcharacteristicsoftheoriginaltext,butalsoconformtothereadinghabitsofChinesereaders.Inthepost-translationproofreadingstage,firstcarryoutself-proofreadingtochecktheaccuracy,fluencyandstyleconsistencyofthetranslation;thenaskprofessionalstoreviewandmodifyandimprovethetranslationaccordingtothefeedbacktoensurethequalityofthetranslation3.FunctionalEquivalenceTheory:TheoreticalFrameworkandCaseAnalysisNida'sfunctionalequivalencetheoryemphasizesthatthetargetlanguagereader'sresponsetothetranslatedtextshouldbethesameasthatofthesourcelanguagereader.Thetheoryfocusesonthreekeyaspects:vocabularyequivalence,culturalequivalence,andstyleequivalence.Vocabularyequivalenceensuresthatthetranslationaccuratelycommunicatesthemeaningoftheoriginaltextatthevocabularylevel,whileculturalequivalencepreservestheculturalcontextofthesourcetext.Styleequivalenceaimstoreplicatethetoneandstyleoftheoriginal,ensuringthatthetranslationresonateswiththetargetaudience.Usingcasestudies,thissectiondemonstrateshowfunctionalequivalencetheorycanguidethetranslationprocess,ensuringthatthefinaltextisbothfaithfultotheoriginalandreadabletothereader.3.1FunctionalEquivalenceTheoryThetheoryoffunctionalreciprocitywasproposedbyEugeneNida,emphasisingthatthereactionofreadersofthetranslatedtexttothetranslationisbasicallythesameasthatofreadersoftheoriginaltext.Thistheoryincludesthreeaspects:lexicalequality,culturalequalityandstyleequality.3.1.1LexicalEquivalenceFindwordssimilartotheoriginalwordsintermsofsemantics,pragmaticandculturalconnotationsinthetranslation,sothatthetranslationconveysthemeaningoftheoriginaltextatthevocabularylevel.Example1SourceText:Ifmymotherrememberherearliestyearswithanostalgicglow,myfather’sstartinlifewasmuchrockier.TargetText:如果我的母亲用怀旧的光芒回忆起她最早的岁月，我父亲的人生起点则要坎坷得多。Analysis:Inthetext,thephrase"nostalgicglow"isusedtodescribethemother'srecollectionofherearlyyears.Toachievelexicalequivalence,atranslatormightchoosewordsinthetargetlanguagethatevokeasimilarsenseofwarmthandfondness,suchas"怀旧的温暖"inChinese,whichcapturestheemotionaltoneoftheoriginalphrase.Example2SourceText:Mydadvaguelyremembers

his

oldest

brotherasaspit-and-polishedmilitaryman,theoneonwhomeveryoneleaned,theclosestthingtoafatherfigureheandhissiblingshad.TargetText:我爸爸模糊地记得他最大的兄弟是个一丝不苟的军人，是家中的顶梁柱，是他和兄弟姐妹们最接近父亲形象的人。Analysis:Theterm"spit-and-polishedmilitaryman"isusedtodescribethefather'soldestbrother,Jimmy.Tomaintainlexicalequivalence,thetranslatorcoulduseaphraselike"一丝不苟的军人"inChinese,whichconveysthesameimageofadisciplinedandwell-groomedsoldier.Example3SourceText:A

stocky,dark-skinned,anddeeplyreticentwoman,shewasusuallysobone-tiredattheendofherworkdaythatshewouldwordlesslymakedinnerforthefamilyandthenretiretobed.TargetText:一位身材矮壮、皮肤黝黑、沉默寡言的女人，她通常在一天工作结束后筋疲力尽，会默默地为家人做晚饭，然后上床休息。Analysis:Thephrase"bone-tired"isusedtodescribeMamaQueenie'sexhaustionafterwork.Atranslatormightchoose"筋疲力尽"inChinese,whichsimilarlyconveysextremefatigue,ensuringtheemotionalweightoftheoriginaltextispreserved.3.1.2CulturalEquivalenceConsiderthedifferencesbetweendifferentcultures,adoptappropriatetranslationstrategies,avoidculturalmisunderstandings,andenablethetranslationtoaccuratelyconveytheculturalinformationoftheoriginaltext.Example1SourceText:Asmydadhadbeenamongthetopstudentsintheirclassandwasanathletetoboot,hehadwonafull-tuitionscholarshiptotheHBCUofhischoice.TargetText:由于我父亲是他们班上最优秀的学生之一，而且是一名运动员，他获得了他选择的HBCU的全额奖学金。Analysis:Theterm"HBCU"(HistoricallyBlackCollegesandUniversities)isusedinthetext.Inatranslation,thetranslatormightneedtoexplainthesignificanceofHBCUinthecontextofAfricanAmericanhistory,perhapsbyaddingabriefnoteorusingadescriptivephraselike"历史上为黑人学生设立的高等学府"inChinese.Example2SourceText:still,Iimaginethatthenationalheartbreakinwhich

my

parentssharedmust

have

coexistedwithanewandgiddysenseofthe

freedomtheythemselveswerefeeling,astheymovedbeyondthedemoralizingrealitiesof

theJimCrowsegregationthathadmarked

theirearlylives.TargetText:尽管如此，我想，我父母分享的国家情怀，一定与他们自己所感受到的新的自由感共存，因为他们超越了他们早期生活的吉姆克劳种族隔离制度令人沮丧的现实。Analysis:Thephrase"JimCrowsegregation"referstoaspecificperiodofracialsegregationintheUnitedStates.Atranslatormightneedtoprovideadditionalcontextoruseaculturallyequivalentterminthetargetlanguage,suchas"种族隔离制度"inChinese,toensurethereaderunderstandsthehistoricalandculturalimplications.Example3SourceText:Fortunately,althoughtheneighborhoodMamaQueenie

hadmovedthemtowasseparated

fromthemoreprosperousWhitepart

of

townbysurroundinghighways,LibertyCityinthe1950sofferedeverythingaboylikeJohnnyneededtoimprovehimself.TargetText:幸运的是，尽管奎妮妈妈把他们搬到的社区被周围的高速公路与城镇中更繁荣的白色地区分隔开来，但20世纪50年代的自由城提供了像约翰尼这样的男孩改善自己所需的一切。Analysis:"LibertyCity"isaneighborhoodinMiamiwithhistoricalsignificanceforAfricanAmericans.Thetranslation"自由城"(LibertyCity)retainsthenamewhileprovidingcontextinthesurroundingtexttoexplainitsculturalimportance.3.1.3StylisticEquivalenceMaintaintheconsistencyofthelanguagestyleofthetranslatedtextandtheoriginaltext,includingformality,stylecharacteristics,rhetoricaltechniques,etc.Example1SourceText:Mydadvaguelyremembers

his

oldest

brotherasaspit-and-polishedmilitaryman,theoneonwhomeveryoneleaned,theclosestthingtoafatherfigureheandhissiblingshad.TargetText:我爸爸模糊地记得他最大的兄弟是个一丝不苟的军人，是家中的顶梁柱，是他和兄弟姐妹们最接近父亲形象的人。Analysis:Thephrase"theoneonwhomeveryoneleaned"isusedtodescribeJimmy'sroleinthefamily.Tomaintainstylisticequivalence,atranslatormightuseasimilarlymetaphoricalexpressioninthetargetlanguage,suchas"家中的顶梁柱"inChinese,whichconveysthesamesenseofrelianceandsupport.Example2SourceText:MamaQueenie'sfirstborn,Jimmy,hadbeenstationedatanarmybaseinColorado.TargetText:奎妮妈妈的长子吉米就驻扎在科罗拉多州的一个陆军基地。Analysis:Thesentenceisstraightforwardandfactualinboththesourceandtargettexts.Thetranslationmaintainsthesameformaltoneandstructure,ensuringstylisticconsistency.3.2TranslationTechniquesToaddressthechallengesencounteredintranslatingLovelyOne:AMemoir,severalkeytechniquesareemployed.3.2.1LiteralTranslationRetainthevocabulary,grammaticalstructureandexpressionoftheoriginaltextasmuchaspossibleunderthepremiseofnotviolatingtheexpressionhabitsofthetargetlanguageandnotcausingmisunderstandings.Example1SourceText:MamaQueenie'sfirstborn,Jimmy,hadbeenstationedatanarmybaseinColorado.TargetText:奎妮妈妈的长子吉米就驻扎在科罗拉多州的一个陆军基地。Analysis:Thetranslationretainstheoriginalstructureandmeaning,asthesentenceisclearanddoesnotrequireadaptation.Example2SourceText:Myfatherrecallsgrowingupfeelinglikeanonlychild.TargetText:父亲回忆起，感觉自己像个独生子女。Analysis:Thetranslationcloselyfollowstheoriginalsentencestructure,preservingthemeaningandtone.Example3SourceText:Hevisitedhomeduringfurloughsanddidwhathecouldtohelphismothermakeendsmeet.TargetText:他在休假期间回家，并尽其所能帮助母亲维持收支平衡。Analysis:Thetranslationmaintainstheoriginalstructureandmeaning,ensuringclarityandaccuracy.3.2.2FreeTranslationWhentheliteraltranslationcannotaccuratelyconveythemeaningoftheoriginaltextordoesnotconformtotheexpressionhabitsofthetargetlanguage,itisflexiblytranslatedaccordingtothemeaningoftheoriginaltexttoconveythemaininformationoftheoriginaltext.Example1SourceText:Mydadvaguelyremembershisoldestbrotherasaspit-and-polishedmilitaryman.TargetText:我父亲模糊地记得他的哥哥是一个精练的军人。Analysis:Thetranslationsimplifiesthephrase"spit-and-polishedmilitaryman"to"精练的军人"(refinedmilitaryman)toensurethemeaningisclearandnaturalinChinese.Example2SourceText:Shewasusuallysobone-tiredattheendofherworkdaythatshewouldwordlesslymakedinnerforthefamilyandthenretiretobed.TargetText:在工作日结束时通常都非常疲惫，她会一声不吭地为家人做晚饭，然后上床睡觉。Analysis:ThetranslationrephrasesthesentencetomakeitmorenaturalinChinesewhileretainingtheoriginalmeaning.Example3SourceText:Mydaddoesn’trecallhismothereveraskinghimabouthomework.TargetText:我爸爸不记得他的母亲曾经问过他关于家庭作业。Analysis:ThetranslationadjuststhesentencestructuretofitChineseexpressionhabitswhilepreservingthemeaning.3.2.3ConversionAccordingtotheexpressionhabitsofthetargetlanguage,thepartofspeech,sentencestructure,tone,etc.oftheoriginaltextareconvertedtomakethetranslationmorenaturalandfluent.Example1SourceText:Myfatherwasanathleteandastaronthebasketballteam.TargetText:我爸爸是一名运动员，也是篮球队的明星。Analysis:ThetranslationconvertsthesentencestructuretomakeitmorenaturalinChinese,whileretainingtheoriginalmeaning.Example2SourceText:Hesavedeverypennyofhiswagessothathecouldpayhisownway.TargetText:他节省了每一分钱的工资，以便他可以自由花费。Analysis:ThetranslationadjuststhesentencestructuretofitChineseexpressionhabits,makingitmorefluent.Example3SourceText:Mymotherdidthis,inpart,bylettingallherstudentsknowthatshesawtheirfullhumanity.TargetText:我母亲这样做，在某种程度上，让她所有的学生知道她看到他们的人性。Analysis:ThetranslationconvertsthesentencestructuretomakeitmorenaturalinChinese,whilepreservingtheoriginalmeaning.ConclusionThroughthetranslationpracticeofthesecondchapterofLovelyOne:AMemoir,mainlyintermsofculture-loadedwords,polysyllabicwords,longandcomplexsentences,aswellasculturaldifferences.Theseissuesnotonlyaffectedtheaccuracyofthetranslationbutalsoposedobstaclestothetransmissionoftheoriginalstyleandculturalconnotations.Toaddresstheseproblems,itisnecessarytoadoptscientifictranslationtheoriesandflexibletranslationtechniquestoensurethatthetranslationisbothfaithfultotheoriginalandacceptabletothetargetreaders.Inresponsetotheaboveproblems,thistranslationpracticemainlyusesfunctionalequivalencetheory,analyzingvariousaspectsoflexical,culturalandstylisticequivalence,andincorporatingavarietyoftranslationtechniquessuchasliteraltranslation,freetranslationandconversion.Forexample,whendealingwithculturallyloadedwords,thewayinwhichtheyaretranslatedpreservestheculturalidentityoftheoriginalandavoidsbarrierstounderstandingforthetargetaudience;Whentranslatinglonganddifficultsentences,theauthoradoptsthemethodoftransformationtobreakdownthecomplexsentenceintosimpleandclearexpressions,whichmakesthetranslationmoreinlinewiththeexpressinghabitsofthetargetlanguage.Throughthesestrategies,notonlyaredifficultiesintranslationeffectivelysolved,butalsonewideasandmethodsfortranslationofsimilartexts.Inresponsetotheaboveproblems,thistranslationpracticemainlyusesfunctionalequivalencetheory,analyzingvariousaspectsofvocabulary,cultureandstyleequivalence,andincorporatingavarietyoftranslationtechniquessuchasdirecttranslation,interpretationandtranslation.Forexample,whendealingwithculturallyloadedwords,thewayinwhichtheyaretranslatedpreservestheculturalidentityoftheoriginalandavoidsbarrierstounderstandingforthetargetaudience;Whentranslatinglonganddifficultsentences,theauthoradoptsthemethodoftransformationtobreakdownthecomplexsentenceintosimpleandclearexpressions,whichmakesthetranslationmoreinlinewiththeexpressinghabitsofthetargetlanguage.Throughthesestrategies,notonlyaredifficultiesintranslationeffectivelysolved,butalsonewideasandmethodsfortranslationofsimilartexts.ReferencesDaoyuH&ChangL.KennethRexroth’sTranslationofDuFuPoetryfromthePerspectiveofFunctionalEquivalenceTheory[J].EnglishLanguageandLiteratureStudies,2024.FengM&LuoR.AnAnalysisoftheUseofFunctionalEquivalenceTheoryinNovelTranslation—TakingEverythingINeverToldYouasanExample[J].LectureNotesonLanguageandLiterature,2024.GaoL.AStudyontheApplicationofFunctionalEquivalencetoBusinessEnglishE-CTranslation[J].TheoryandPracticeinLanguageStudies,2018.ZhangQ.ApplicationofFunctionalEquivalenceinEnglish-ChineseSubtitleTranslationinGreenBook[J].EnglishLanguageTeachingandLinguisticsStudies,2024.ZhongJ.InternationalPublicityTranslationBasedonthePerspectiveofEugeneNida’sFunctionalEquivalenceTheory:ACaseStudyof2022GovernmentWorkReport[J].JournalofEducation,TeachingandSocialStudies,2024.任彦卿.功能对等理论视角下中国特色表达的翻译策略——以电影《我和我的祖国》为例[J].中国民族博览,2024,(23):203-205.朱玉.功能对等理论视角下大学生翻译水平提升策略研究[J].长春大学学报,2024,34(08):58-61.张磊,包隽.功能对等理论视角下的科技文本翻译难点与策略分析[J].今古文创,2024,(38):93-96.黄静雅.英汉翻译中的文化差异及应对策略——评《新时期英语翻译理论与实践的多维度研究》[J].中国高校科技,2022,(Z1):146.吕娜.功能对等理论在英语翻译中的应用探讨——评《英汉翻译技巧》[J].热带作物学报,2021,42(06):1843.AppendixSourceTextTargetTextIF

MY

MOTHERREMEMBERSherearliestyearswithanostalgicglow,myfather’sstart

inlifewasmuchrockier.如果我的母亲用怀旧的光芒回忆起她最早的岁月，我父亲的人生起点则要坎坷得多。Bornfivehundred

miles

northwestofMiamiinthe

townofFitzgerald,Georgia,JohnnyBrownwastheyoungestof

fivechildren,with

threebrothers,Jimmy,Thomas,andCornelius,andasister,Carrie.Mydad’soldestbrother,Jimmy,wasfifteenyearsolderthanhewas,andCarrie,thesiblingclosesttohiminage,wasthreeyearsolder.约翰尼·布朗出生在迈阿密西北500英里处的乔治亚州的菲茨杰拉德镇，是五个孩子中最小的一个，有三个哥哥，吉米、托马斯和科尼利厄斯，还有一个姐姐凯莉。我父亲的大哥吉米比他大15岁，而与他年纪最相仿的凯莉则比他大3岁。Myfatherrecallsgrowingupfeelinglikeanonlychild,asJimmyhadjoinedthearmedforcesrightoutofhigh

school,andmydad’sothersiblingswerefullyoccupiedwiththeirownactivities

bythetimehe

noticedhissolitariness.父亲回忆起，感觉自己像个独生子，吉米高中毕业就加入了军队，当他注意到自己的孤独时，他的其他兄弟姐妹都完全忙于自己的事业中。Ontopofthat,hehadweatheredafoundationallossatagetwowhenhisparentsdivorced.Hisfather,ThomasLoganBrown,disappearedfromhislife,andhismother,whogaveuphermarriednameofBrownandwentbacktohermaidenname,QueenAnderson,waslefttocareforthefivechildrenonher

own.最重要的是，在他两岁时经历了父母离婚的伤害。他的父亲托马斯·洛根·布朗从他的生活中消失了，他的母亲只能独自照顾这五个孩子，放弃了婚姻名字布朗，回到了她的娘家姓安德森女王。Whenmyfatherwasinelementaryschool,

MamaQueenie’sfirstborn,Jimmy,hadbeenstationedatanarmybaseinColorado.Hevisitedhomeduringfurloughsanddidwhathecouldtohelphismothermakeendsmeet.当我父亲上小学的时候，奎妮妈妈的长子吉米就驻扎在科罗拉多州的一个陆军基地。他在休假期间回家，并尽其所能帮助母亲维持收支平衡。Mydadvaguelyremembers

his

oldest

brotherasaspit-and-polishedmilitaryman,theoneonwhomeveryoneleaned,theclosestthingtoafatherfigureheandhissiblingshad.我爸爸模糊地记得他最大的兄弟是个一丝不苟的军人，是家中的顶梁柱，是他和兄弟姐妹们最接近父亲形象的人。ButonlytwoyearsafterJimmyenlisted,thenewscamethathehadbeenkilledwhenatransport

vehiclein

whichheandothersoldierswere

travelingoverturned

whiletryingtonavigateanicymountainnearthebase.IcanonlyimaginethedevastationMamaQueeniemusthavefeltatthelossofherson,evenasshetriedtorallyforthesakeofherfourremainingchildren.但就在吉米入伍两年后，有消息称，他和其他士兵在一辆运输车上驾驶基地附近一座结冰的山时翻倒。我只能想象奎妮妈妈在失去儿子时所遭受的伤害，即使她试图为了她剩下的四个孩子而团结起来。Thesummerbeforemydadwastoenterthefourthgrade,shedecidedtomovesouthtoMiami,wherehersisterandotherrelativeslived,andwhere,asasinglemother,shewouldbeabletogetmoresupport.在我父亲上四年级之前的那个夏天，她决定搬到迈阿密，她的姐姐和其他亲戚住在那里，作为一个单身母亲，在那里她可以得到更多的支持。Bythen,myuncle

Thomashad

graduatedhighschoolandwasoutofthehouse,havingfollowedhislatebrotherintothearmy.MamaQueeniefoundamodestdwellingforherselfandherthreeyoungestchildreninLibertyCity,afewblocksfromwheremymother’sfamilywouldlaterlive.那时，我的叔叔托马斯已经高中毕业，离开了家，跟随他已故的兄弟加入了军队。奎妮妈妈在自由城为她自己和她的三个最小的孩子找到了一个简朴的住所，离我母亲一家后来住的地方只有几个街区。ButiftheRossfamilysocializedandplayedgamestogetherasamatterofcourse,mydadrecallshischildhoodhomeasaquietplace.MamaQueeniewasalwaysawayworking,firstasahousecleanerandlaterasanurse’saide,takingonasmanyshiftsasshecouldtoscrabbletogetheralivingforthefamily.

CarrieandCorneliuswerealsousuallyoff

somewhere,doingteenagethings,withmydadspendingmostofhistimealone.但如果罗斯一家理所当然地一起社交和玩游戏，我爸爸会想起他童年的家是一个安静的地方。奎妮妈妈总是外出工作，先是做家庭清洁工，后来做了护士助理，尽可能多地轮班，为家庭维持生活。凯莉和科尼利厄斯也经常在某个地方外出，做一些十几岁的事情，我爸爸大部分时间都在独处。MamaQueeniewasn’tgiventoinquiringabouther

children’s

activities.

A

stocky,

dark-skinned,anddeeplyreticentwoman,

shewasusuallysobone-tiredattheendofherworkdaythatshewouldwordlesslymakedinnerforthefamilyandthenretiretobed.Mydaddoesn’trecallhismothereveraskinghim

abouthomework,

havingaconversation

withanyofhisteachers,orattendinganyeventsathisschool.奎妮妈妈不去打扰她孩子们的活动。她是一位身材矮壮、皮肤黝黑、沉默寡言的女人，她通常在一天工作结束后筋疲力尽，会默默地为家人做晚饭，然后上床休息。我爸爸不记得他的母亲曾经问过他关于家庭作业，和他的老师交谈，或者参加过他学校的任何活动。Infact,heusedtosignhisown

reportcards,forginghismother’ssignatureratherthanengagingherforthisoranythingelserelatedtohiseducation.He

understoodinstinctivelythatMamaQueenieneededhimandhissiblingsto

fendforthemselves,todotheirworkandstayoutof

troublewhileshedidherutmosttokeeparoofovertheirheads.事实上，他曾经在自己的成绩单上签名，伪造他母亲的签名，而不是让她为此或其他与他的教育有关的事情。他本能地明白，奎妮妈妈需要他和他的兄弟姐妹们自谋生路，自己工作，远离麻烦，而她则尽最大努力来维持他们的生计。Fortunately,althoughtheneighborhoodMamaQueenie

hadmovedthemtowasseparated

fromthemoreprosperousWhitepart

of

townbysurroundinghighways,LibertyCityinthe1950sofferedeverythingaboylikeJohnnyneededtoimprovehimself.幸运的是，尽管奎妮妈妈把他们搬到的社区被周围的高速公路与城镇中更繁荣的白色地区分隔开来，但20世纪50年代的自由城提供了像约翰尼这样的男孩改善自己所需的一切。LibertyCityatthattimewasveryclose-knitandsupportive,”hetoldme,“soeventhoughwewereisolated

fromtheWhiteneighborhoods,formeitwasagoodplacetoland.“自由城当时非常紧密和支持，”他告诉我，“所以即使我们与白人社区隔离，对我来说，这是一个着陆的好地方。”“ThecommunitywasasafeandaffirmingplaceforBlackchildren;alltheadultslookedoutforyou.这个社区是黑人儿童的一个安全和肯定的地方；所有的成年人都在照顾你。AfterintegrationcametoMiamiinthesixties,andthecitystartedbusingchildrentodifferentareas,therewasalotofturmoil.60年代来到迈阿密，城市开始用巴士送孩子去不同的地区，出现了很多混乱。ButbackwhenIwascomingup,itwasacalmertime.Andbecauseallourteachershadbeenatthetopoftheirclasses,theywereabsolutelyexcellent.但当我上来的时候，那是一段更平静的时光。因为我们所有的老师都是他们班上的第一名，所以他们非常优秀。SincenoneofthemwouldbehiredbyWhiteschools,theybroughtallofthattalentandbrilliancetokidslikemeintheBlackneighborhoods.”因为他们都不会被白人学校雇佣，所以他们把所有的才华和才华都带给了像我这样的黑人社区的孩子们。”ItwasatMiamiNorthwesternSeniorHighSchool,inLibertyCity,thatJohnnyBrownfirstseteyesonmymother.Mydadwasanathleteandastaronthebasketballteam,which

madehimsomethingofabigshotoncampus.Butthiswasn’tenoughtoimpresstheteam’sscorekeeperandstatistician,hisclassmate

ElleryRoss.在自由城的迈阿密西北高中，约翰尼·布朗第一次看到了我的母亲。我爸爸是一名运动员，也是篮球队的明星，这让他在校园里很有机会。但这还不足以让球队的记分员和统计学家，他的同学埃勒里·罗斯留下深刻印象。“Inoticedthatshewassmart,serious,good-looking,andveryclosetoherfamily,andIalsonoticedthatshebarelynoticedme,”hesaid,chuckling.“我注意到她聪明、严肃、漂亮，和她的家人很亲近，我也注意到她几乎没有注意到我，”他咯咯地笑着说。MydadwasalsoacquaintedwiththeyoungerRossbrothers,HaroldandCalvin;theboysnotonlyattendedthesamehighschoolbutalsoplayedpickupbasketballtogetheronneighborhoodcourts.Thisconnectionwouldsoonprovetobefortuitous.我爸爸还认识罗斯弟弟哈罗德和加尔文；这两个男孩不仅上了同一所高中，还在附近的球场上一起打小篮球。这种联系很快就会被证明是偶然的。Thoughmyparentsgraduatedfromhighschoolinthesameyear,andbothhadbeenadmittedtohistoricallyBlackcolleges,mymotherwentofftoTuskegeeUniversityayearbeforemyfatherstartedasafreshmanatKentuckyState.Asmydadhadbeenamongthetopstudentsintheirclassandwasanathletetoboot,hehadwonafull-tuitionscholarshiptotheHBCUofhischoice.虽然我的父母在同一年从高中毕业，而且都被历史上的黑人大学录取，但我的母亲在我父亲进入肯塔基州立大学一年级前一年去了塔斯基吉大学。由于我父亲是他们班上最优秀的学生之一，而且是一名运动员，他获得了他选择的HBCU的全额奖学金。ButheknewthatMamaQueeniewouldnotbeabletoaffordthe

additional

costsofattendance.Andso,after

deferring

hisacceptanceforayear,hetookajobwashingdishesandbusingtablesintheSears,Roebuckcafeteria,andanotheronepumpinggasforStandardOil.Hesavedeverypennyofhiswagessothathecouldpayhisownway.但他知道，奎尼妈妈将负担不起额外的出席费用。因此，在推迟了一年之后，他开始了在西尔斯、罗巴克餐厅洗碗和公共餐桌的工作，还有一份为标准石油加油的工作。他节省了每一分钱的工资，以便他可以自由花费。HefinallygottoKentuckyState,inFrankfort,in1964,andfoundtheschooltobecordialandnurturing.1964年，他终于到达了位于法兰克福特的肯塔基州立大学，并发现这所学校热情而有教养。Buthestillfeltrestless,isolated,andfarfromhome.AfterresearchinghisoptionshedecidedtotransfertoanotherHBCU,NorthCarolinaCentralUniversity,

in

Durham,becauseanumberof

notedBlacks