首先,舍去原文中原有的具體形象,借用或套用本族語中為人熟知的形象或借喻,這是壹種值得重視的翻譯工作中富有創造性意義的勞動。實踐證明,漢語的形象詞匯浩如煙海,用之不竭。
Betty stands head and shoulder above her classmates in playing tennis.
名詞詞組head and shoulder作狀語,形象傳神,是否可以活用漢語成語“鶴立雞群”,而將原句譯成:貝蒂打網球的水平鶴立全班。
He gave up the sword for the plough.
The sword 和 the plough的內涵意義為:military service和agriculture.若將此句硬譯成“放下了刀劍,拿起來犁耙”則有悖於漢語習慣,是否可套用成語,譯成:他解甲歸農了。
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.
歷史老師說立出提綱可以壹箭雙雕,既可以幫助我們理解課文,又為我們復習應試提供材料。
We ourselves are separated from the wise desicion on these important issues by only the lightest curtain.
我們對這些重要問題作出明智的決定僅壹步之遙。
其次,運用“增補詞匯”的方法。
How do you expect me to fall in love with someone who speaks like a book all the time?
妳怎麽能指望我去鐘情於壹個專愛咬文嚼字的書呆子呢?
There is much woman about him.
他的舉止頗帶女人氣。
That peninsula tongues southward into the sea.
那個半島呈舌形伸入海中。
The discovery of penicillin was a monument in medical research.
青黴素的發現是醫學研究的壹塊豐碑。
He bombarded her with questions.
他連珠炮似的向她提出了許多問題。
說及以“變通”的方法來維系原文的具體性及形象性,英諺漢譯為我們提供了不少值得借鑒的有益經驗,如:
He who has a mind to beat his dog will easily find his stick.
欲加其罪,何患無辭。
Two dogs fight for a bone, and a third runs away with it.
鷸蚌相爭,漁翁得利。
Faults are thick where love is thin.
壹朝情義淡,樣樣不順眼。
He that will thrive must rise at five.
五更起床,百業興旺。
采取所謂“變通”的辦法,同樣不能停留在語言的表層結構做機械的轉換。
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貌似與漢語成語“如履薄冰”相吻合,但壹經斟酌,我們便發現,此成語用於弟弟同姐姐就其男友問題而開玩笑的情景,未免有點危言聳聽,言之過甚。不如將skating on the ice“虛”譯成“可不是鬧著玩的”。
文章的語體屬性也始終應在譯者的頭腦中占有壹席之地。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宜意譯:教會反對看手相,因為它源於異教。句b則可直譯:馬裏欲獨自去歐洲,對此其父母緊蹙雙眉。
以上所述是英語中以實喻虛的表達漢譯的問題,下面談壹下英語中以虛代實,即以抽象名詞指具體的人或物質的漢譯問題。
有人認為: 有必要把它們(指抽象名詞)譯的比較具體、明確來保證與原文相適應的可讀性。我們需要首先弄清的壹個問題是:將抽象名詞譯的比較具體、明確,究竟是指通過“譯”這壹手段將其“加工”成含義具體的名詞呢?還是此類抽象名詞本身即含有具體的意義?這是壹個涉及如何正確理解及認識英語中壹部分抽象名詞的帶普遍性意義的問題。客觀情況是:英語中的壹些抽象名詞在特定的上下文中的含義是具體的而並非是抽象的。以有人所引的例句為例:As a boy, he was the despair of all his teachers. 句中的despair的固有含義之壹是: somebody that causes loss of hope,令人失望的人。
以虛代實的抽象名詞能大大簡潔英語的表達,是壹種不為鮮見的語言現象。就其特征而言,此類抽象名詞可作何種分類呢?據筆者管見,似可分成兩大類。壹類是指形形色色的“人”的抽象名詞,如:
Is Jane a possibility (=a suitable person) as a wife for Richard?
簡是做理查德妻子的合適人選嗎?
Our son has been a disappointment(=someone dissapointing) to us.
我們的兒子成了令我們失望的人。
He's an influence (= the person that has the power to produce a good moral effect) for good in the town.
他是這城裏影響他人行善的人。
His skill at games made him the admiration (= a person that causes such feelings) of his friends.
他的運動技巧使他成為友人稱羨的人。
His new car made him the envy (= a person that makes someone wish to be like the person) of every boy in the neighbourhood.
他擁有壹輛新轎車,為此他成了鄰裏男孩們的羨慕者。
My dad has three dependents (= a person who depends on another for material support): my mother, my sister and I.
爸爸需養活三口人:媽媽、姐姐和我。
另壹類是指各種各樣具體物質的抽象名詞,如:
Have you read any humour (= something designed to induce laughter or amusement)recently?
近來妳讀了什麽幽默作品嗎?
The big house on the hill is my ambition. (= the object desired)。
山上的那間大屋是我企望得到的東西。
What's your greatest desire(= something longed for)?
妳最想得到的是什麽東西?
This is not a real gun, but it is a good imitation (= a thing that imitates something else)。
這不是壹支真槍,但卻是壹件極好的仿制品。
Have the party invitations (=a written request)been sent out?
晚會的請柬發出去了嗎?
Their transportation (= a means of transport)was camel.
他們的運輸工具是駱駝。
I'm reading all the chief criticisms (= a review or other article expressing such judgement and evaluation) of the play.
我正在閱讀有關此劇本的主要批評文章。
最後值得壹提的是:人類的語言在其豐富多彩的語言實踐中不斷發展變化著。比較而言,具體形象的表達總是更易博得人們的青睞。英語中若幹具體形象的表達也在影響著漢語,以至於漢語中也出現了若幹從英語脫胎而來的新鮮的形象詞匯。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 曾被先後譯作“長輩與年輕壹代之間的隔閡”以及“世代隔閡”,今天已被廣泛地譯成“代溝”。與此同時,“代溝”壹詞亦已始見於國內的書刊及報端,而1978年首版的《現代漢語詞典》尚未收入“代溝”壹詞。
壹個新的詞匯的出現及其使用是壹個復雜的約定俗成的社會性問題。在翻譯中切不可為求形象性而主觀杜撰令人誤解甚至大惑不解的冷詞澀字。