英语专业八级翻译Lesson 9

英语专业八级翻译Lesson 9

 

原文呈现

 

今年上市的苹果品种格外地多,我独爱皮儿青青、似乎尚未熟透的那种。周末和女友逃水果店,她挑最红最大的买,生怕春色不够似的;我则逗留在顶边上的柜台,那儿不起眼地堆着我一个冬天未见的青苹果。相争不下,索性各按自己的偏好买了一网兜,都很不服气的样子,暗笑对方不会享受真正的生活。

 

小时候吃苹果,我也爱挑红润的,因其意味着成熟,而熟透的水果必然甜美爽口。年岁渐增,熟悉了生活中诸般滋味之后,反倒偏爱上青苹果的那种清甜——带着点酸涩的甜、饱含水分的甜,咬一口有清脆的声响。也许,成熟、甜蜜乃至完美,并非生命的终极意义,更重要的倒是向这一目标趋近过程中万般况味的体验;唇齿之间的那一分青涩在不断转变着,反倒显得生动、真实。正如稚齿孩童可能认定糖果是世界上最好的东西,成人之后反而学会并且喜好品味茶或咖啡——其底蕴更切近于生活的本质。

 

参考译文

 

In fact I also liked red apples when I was a little child because red apples are ripe ones, and fully ripe apples are bound to taste sweet. I am acquainted with the different flavors of life, however, in the long process of maturity, making me quite unexpectedly fall in love with the plain sweetness peculiar to green apples, which are crisp and juicy, and taste slightly sour and puckery. It seems to me becoming mature and living a happy and even perfect life is not life's ultimate goal. What is more meaningful is the undergoing of various experiences and the savoring of diverse tastes in the trudge to that destination. The harshness or bitterness on the tongue constantly renews and therefore remains forever vivid and realistic. Similarly,children may conclude candy is the nicest thing in the world. However, arriving at adulthood, these same persons will learn to appreciate tea or coffee, which tastes,so to speak, like life itself.

 

难点注释

 

1.画线部分第一句中的“红润的”翻译时宜采用red,不宜用ruddy或者rosy,因为这两个词一般用来指脸色红润;“成熟”一词宜用ripe,mature则不太合适,因后者多用来指人;“甜美”指的是味道好,并非指外观,所以仅翻译为sweet就可以了。

 

2.翻译画线部分第二句破折号后面的部分时,应根据其意思和上下文间的逻辑关系翻译为which引导的定语从句,修饰greenapples,且考虑到英语的行文习惯,应稍对语序进行调整再翻译;其中“饱含水分”用juicy一词表达即可,“咬一口”翻译时可以省去,“有清脆的声响”可以使用crisp来表达。

 

3.画线部分第三句中的“成熟、甜蜜乃至完美”,根据上下文,这里可理解为人生的不同阶段。这里的“成熟”指变得成熟,译为becoming mature即可,“甜蜜”应理解为生活的甜蜜,可译为a happy life,而“乃至完美”指比happy的程度更甚,超出了happy,我们可以用perfect来表达,因此该句可译为becoming mature and living a happy and even perfect life。

 

4.画线部分最后一句较长,翻译时宜采用拆分法处理,将译文分为两句,用However 连接,表明“孩童”和“成人”之间的对比之意。