翻译中词义的具体化与抽象化(下)
在很多情况下,无法通过直译来保持原文的具体性及形象性的时候,意译也并非就是的办法。“变通”也是一条理想的出路。所谓“变通”,即在“信”的前提下,扬汉语之长,用间接的、灵活的手段来维系原文的具体性。具体言之,有以下两种常见的方法。
首先,舍去原文中原有的具体形象,借用或套用本族语中为人熟知的形象或借喻,这是一种值得重视的翻译工作中富有创造性意义的劳动。实践证明,汉语的形象词汇浩如烟海,用之不竭。
Betty stands head and shoulder above her classmates in playing tennis.
名词词组head and shoulder作状语,形象传神,是否可以活用汉语成语“鹤立鸡群”,而将原句译成:贝蒂打网球的水平鹤立全班。
He gave up the sword for the plough.
The sword 和 the plough的内涵意义为:military service和agriculture.若将此句硬译成“放下了刀剑,拿起来犁耙”则有悖于汉语习惯,是否可套用成语,译成:他解甲归农了。
The history teacher told us that making an outline kills two birds with one stone, it makes us study the lesson till we understand it, and it gives us notes to review before the test.
历史老师说立出提纲可以一箭双雕,既可以帮助我们理解课文,又为我们复习应试提供材料。
We ourselves are separated from the wise desicion on these important issues by only the lightest curtain.
我们对这些重要问题作出明智的决定仅一步之遥。
其次,运用“增补词汇”的方法。
How do you expect me to fall in love with someone who speaks like a book all the time?
你怎么能指望我去钟情于一个专爱咬文嚼字的书呆子呢?
There is much woman about him.
他的举止颇带女人气。
That peninsula tongues southward into the sea.
那个半岛呈舌形伸入海中。
The discovery of penicillin was a monument in medical research.
青霉素的发现是医学研究的一块丰碑。
He bombarded her with questions.
他连珠炮似的向她提出了许多问题。
说及以“变通”的方法来维系原文的具体性及形象性,英谚汉译为我们提供了不少值得借鉴的有益经验,如:
He who has a mind to beat his dog will easily find his stick.
欲加其罪,何患无辞。
Two dogs fight for a bone, and a third runs away with it.
鹬蚌相争,渔翁得利。
Faults are thick where love is thin.
一朝情义淡,样样不顺眼。
He that will thrive must rise at five.
五更起床,百业兴旺。
采取所谓“变通”的办法,同样不能停留在语言的表层结构做机械的转换。
John knew he was skating on the ice, but he could not resist teasing her sister about her boyfriend.
句中的skating on the ice貌似与汉语成语“如履薄冰”相吻合,但一经斟酌,我们便发现,此成语用于弟弟同姐姐就其男友问题而开玩笑的情景,未免有点危言耸听,言之过甚。不如将skating on the ice“虚”译成“可不是闹着玩的”。
文章的语体属性也始终应在译者的头脑中占有一席之地。如:
a. The church frowned on palmistry because of its pagan origin.
b. Mary wanted to go to Europe by herself, but her parents frowned on the idea.
句a宜意译:教会反对看手相,因为它源于异教。句b则可直译:马里欲独自去欧洲,对此其父母紧蹙双眉。
以上所述是英语中以实喻虚的表达汉译的问题,下面谈一下英语中以虚代实,即以抽象名词指具体的人或物质的汉译问题。
有人认为: 有必要把它们(指抽象名词)译的比较具体、明确来保证与原文相适应的可读性。我们需要首先弄清的一个问题是:将抽象名词译的比较具体、明确,究竟是指通过“译”这一手段将其“加工”成含义具体的名词呢?还是此类抽象名词本身即含有具体的意义?这是一个涉及如何正确理解及认识英语中一部分抽象名词的带普遍性意义的问题。客观情况是:英语中的一些抽象名词在特定的上下文中的含义是具体的而并非是抽象的。以有人所引的例句为例:As a boy, he was the despair of all his teachers. 句中的despair的固有含义之一是: somebody that causes loss of hope,令人失望的人。
以虚代实的抽象名词能大大简洁英语的表达,是一种不为鲜见的语言现象。就其特征而言,此类抽象名词可作何种分类呢?据笔者管见,似可分成两大类。一类是指形形色色的“人”的抽象名词,如:
Is Jane a possibility (=a suitable person) as a wife for Richard?
简是做理查德妻子的合适人选吗?
Our son has been a disappointment(=someone dissapointing) to us.
我们的儿子成了令我们失望的人。
He's an influence (= the person that has the power to produce a good moral effect) for good in the town.
他是这城里影响他人行善的人。
His skill at games made him the admiration (= a person that causes such feelings) of his friends.
他的运动技巧使他成为友人称羡的人。
His new car made him the envy (= a person that makes someone wish to be like the person) of every boy in the neighbourhood.
他拥有一辆新轿车,为此他成了邻里男孩们的羡慕者。
My dad has three dependents (= a person who depends on another for material support): my mother, my sister and I.
爸爸需养活三口人:妈妈、姐姐和我。
另一类是指各种各样具体物质的抽象名词,如:
Have you read any humour (= something designed to induce laughter or amusement)recently?
近来你读了什么幽默作品吗?
The big house on the hill is my ambition. (= the object desired)。
山上的那间大屋是我企望得到的东西。
What's your greatest desire(= something longed for)?
你最想得到的是什么东西?
This is not a real gun, but it is a good imitation (= a thing that imitates something else)。
这不是一支真枪,但却是一件极好的仿制品。
Have the party invitations (=a written request)been sent out?
晚会的请柬发出去了吗?
Their transportation (= a means of transport)was camel.
他们的运输工具是骆驼。
I'm reading all the chief criticisms (= a review or other article expressing such judgement and evaluation) of the play.
我正在阅读有关此剧本的主要批评文章。
最后值得一提的是:人类的语言在其丰富多彩的语言实践中不断发展变化着。比较而言,具体形象的表达总是更易博得人们的青睐。英语中若干具体形象的表达也在影响着汉语,以至于汉语中也出现了若干从英语脱胎而来的新鲜的形象词汇。如:
It was in the 1960s that people in Britain began to talk about the “permissive society” and the “generation gap”。
此句中的generation gap 曾被先后译作“长辈与年轻一代之间的隔阂”以及“世代隔阂”,今天已被广泛地译成“代沟”。与此同时,“代沟”一词亦已始见于国内的书刊及报端,而1978年首版的《现代汉语词典》尚未收入“代沟”一词。
一个新的词汇的出现及其使用是一个复杂的约定俗成的社会性问题。在翻译中切不可为求形象性而主观杜撰令人误解甚至大惑不解的冷词涩字。