2012年5月2日星期三

古德明: 中譯英、其實




問:一九七四年秋,我應徵《讀者文摘》職位,筆試須翻譯一段中文,文中「此人好大喜功,一生毀譽參半」、「只聞樓梯響,不見人下來」兩句,我至今還想不到該怎樣翻譯,先生可以談談嗎?

答:「此人好大喜功,一生毀譽參半」或可譯做Hankering after glory all this life, he was as much criticised as praisedHanker是「渴望」或「追求」,其後可用afterfor帶出所望所求的事物,例如to hanker after fame是「渴望出名」。

「只聞樓梯響,不見人下來」等於英文成語all talk and no action(只有說話,沒有行動)或great / much cry and little wool(叫得響亮,卻沒有羊毛)。據說,魔鬼學人剪羊毛,卻以豬代羊,羊毛當然剪不到,只是把豬弄得不停號叫,所以great cry and little wool是指「有空言,無實效」,例如:(1The premier says again and again that measures will be taken to help the poor, but he is all talk (and no action)(總理不斷說會有措施幫助窮人,但都是空言,不見行動)。(2Endless discussions were held on the matter, but there was much cry and little wool(這件事討論了不知多少次,但始終只聞樓梯響,不見人下來)。

問:「事實上」算是in fact的硬譯嗎?

答:有論者視「事實上」為in fact的硬譯,並認為應改為「其實」。但「事實上」和「其實」有點不同,我不認為是in fact的硬譯。