It was, as Bill afterwards expressed it, “during a moment of temporary mental apparition”, but we didn’t find that out till later. 恰如后来比尔说的那样,那阵子简直是“一时鬼迷心窍”。不过,我们直到后来才明白了这个意思。
apparition在原文中是鬼魂或幽灵出现的意思。mental apparition直译是“心中有鬼”,这就很容易给人造成误解,因此需要多少将原形象适当地转换一下。
They will be ice-skating in hell the day, when I vote the aid for them. 要我投票赞成给他们援助,除非太阳从西边出来。
ice-skating in hell如译成“在地狱里滑冰”就很难为中国读者所理解和接受。
“Until her husband won the pools, she was the most commonplace, dowdy, illiterate creature imaginable, but now that she dresses herself up like a society queen and nearly always remembers to sound her aitches, people are already beginning to forget what she was like before.” “Fine feathers make fine birds.” “过去没有比她更平平常常、无知无识而又邋邋遢遢的了,自从她男人赢得全部赌注以后,她打扮得像个社交皇后,总是记住发H的音,人们开始忘记她以前是什么样子了。”“人靠衣裳马靠鞍嘛。”
I’d much rather see her once or twice and not do anything about it – what could I do about it anyway? She’s a bit out of my class, don’t you think? If I did try to do anything, I’d only get sent off with a flea in my ear. 我宁愿见她一两面就算了——我还能干什么呢?你没看到她和我不怎么相称吗?我要干点什么,也只会碰一鼻子灰。
原文a flea in one’s ear的字面意思是“耳朵上有个跳蚤”用来比喻讥讽的话,刺耳的话send sb. off with a flea in one’s ear意思是“用讥讽的话气走某人”,与汉语“碰一鼻子灰”意思相近,但如译为“用讥讽话气走某人”,则过于平淡,远不如“碰一鼻子灰”生动、俏皮。
He was so fond of talking that his comrades nicknamed him “magpie”. 他如此唠叨,同伴们给他起了个“麻雀”的外号。
英语中“喜鹊”喻义唠叨、饶舌,但在汉语中“喜鹊”却象征着喜事、吉祥,而“麻雀” 表示唠叨、饶舌,所以用归化法。
There’s a people’s court waiting for him. His God-damned head is going to be separated from his God-damned neck. 人民法庭正等着他。狗头就要和狗脖子分家呢。
原文God-damned意为该死的,但如译成“该死的头”“该死的脖子”远不如“狗头”“狗脖子”痛快。
I’m a diplomat, a linguist, altogether a bespectacled cream puff. 我是个外交官,一个语言学家,总而言之,是个戴眼镜的银样邋枪头。
原文cream puff的字面意思是“奶油松饼”,比喻中看不中用的人,和汉语中的“银样邋枪头”意思相近。但如直译成“奶油松饼”,则不易为汉语读者所接受。归化后,既能保存原意,又能为汉语读者所接受。
采用归化时,要避免走极端,不要用汉语民族文化色彩太浓的词(如:历史人物、地理名词等)来归化英语习语,否则译文会让人感觉不伦不类。
Beauty lies in lover’s eyes. 情人眼里出美人。
此处就不宜归化为具有浓厚汉语文化色彩的“情人眼里出西施”。译者怎能把中国古代美女西施搬到西方作品中去呢?
Many heads are better than one. 一人不及众人计。
此处就不宜归化为具有浓厚汉语文化色彩的“三个臭皮匠,顶个诸葛亮”。如把历史人物诸葛亮搬到西方作品中去,总让人感到不伦不类的。
Never offer to teach fish to swim. 不要教鱼儿游泳。
此处也不宜归化为具有浓厚汉语文化色彩的“不要班门弄斧”“不要关公面前耍大刀”。