聊一聊《射雕英雄传》英文版中的几处表达

原文:http://mp.weixin.qq.com/s?__biz=MzI5MzQ0NjMyMw==&mid=2247484904&idx=1&sn=18f59e308b4ba0c713b80c3821743821&chksm=ec70b234db073b22600d0ccf5cfbbac60bdbbb230c488abe283a1a51254dd39a62538717c274#rd

在3月9号发表的公众号文章《英语中的"out-"系列》中,我提到了《射雕英雄传》的英文版,从文章的反馈情况来看,大家还比较喜欢,于是今天和大家聊一聊这本武侠小说英文版中的几处表达。


这次主要聊一下“散布,遍布,星罗棋布”这一系列的表达。




一、be spotted with...


在《射雕英雄传》英文版的开头有一段有关时代背景的描写,旨在让老外能更好的理解故事发生的大环境:


The River Huai has long marked the psychological boundary between north and south China. The south is lush in comparison with the northern steppes and central plains, its landscape criss-crossed with rivers and spotted with lakes.


中文原版则没有这部分,我的译文如下:


淮河一直以来是南北方的心理分界线。同北方的干草原和中部平原相比,南方草木更加茂盛,河流交错,星湖点缀


spot作名词讲是“斑点”的意思,关于它有一个习语:The leopard cannot change its spots, nor can the tiger change its stripes. 字面意思是:美洲豹不能改变它的斑点,老虎也不能改变它的条纹。也就是“江山易改本性难移”的意思。


文中作动词,表示“(像斑点一样)点缀着”,文中,its landscape is spotted with lakes是指 江南被湖泊点缀着。换一种说法就是:江南星湖点缀。


2015年,印度第四大城市金奈遭遇洪水,《经济学人》对此进行了分析,里面有这么一句话:


Chennai used to be spotted with lakes, marshlands and traditional South Indian bunds, or tanks. As urban land has grown dearer, illegal “encroachment” has covered over all but 27 of 650 such basins.


曾经,湖水、沼泽以及传统南印度堤岸或水库遍布金奈。随着都市土地价格上涨,650处这样的水域中,只有27处没有被非法占据。




二、be dotted with...


在《射雕英雄传》第一回“风雪惊变”中,郭啸天和杨铁心与丘处机道长相识,丘处机杀宋金联军,并赠予郭杨两兄弟以两把匕首,随后,丘道长继续赶路,杨铁心把玩短剑:


杨铁心把玩短剑,自斟自饮, 不觉大醉。 包惜弱将丈夫扶上了床,收拾杯盘,见天色已晚,到后院去收鸡入笼,待要去关后门,只见雪地里点点血迹,横过后门。


YANG WAS SLUMPED AT THE TABLE, PLAYING WITH THE DAGGER, more drunk than he had realised. Charity helped her husband into bed and collected the dishes. The navy blue sky was dotted with stars, but there was still enough light for her to go outside and collect the chicken cages. Just as she was pulling the back door shut, however, she caught sight of some blood on the snow only a few metres from the house.


翻译的时候,“天色已晚”并没有翻译成"it's getting late",而是处理成了"the navy blue sky was dotted with stars",更具有画面感。


dot本是名词,表示“点”,写邮件时,×××××@163.com,"163"和"com"之间的点就读"dot"。

这里名词动用,表示“点缀,星罗棋布,遍布”,the navy blue sky was dotted with stars,深蓝色的天空繁星点点。


2012年《经济学人》有篇关于能源与环境的文章,文章开头这么说:


AMERICA’S energy landscape is dotted with new landmarks.


这句话比较有意思,一方面,landscape有“地形,景观”的意思,landmark指“地标,标志性建筑”,字面意思是“到处都是地标的地形地貌”;但另一方面,landscape可以比喻“形势(situation);领域,圈子(circle, field)”,landmark用来比喻具有标志性意义的事件。所以,这句话可以翻译成:美国能源产业不断实现新突破。


Btw, landscape的这一比喻用法也很常见,比如在2016年6月4日的《经济学人》中,有篇文章讲到了以沃尔玛为代表的美国传统零售业和以亚马逊为代表的美国电子商务行业之间的斗争,文章开头是这么写的:


FOR decades a titan has towered over America’s shopping landscape. Walmart is not just the world’s biggest retailer but the biggest private employer and, by sales, the biggest company


数十年来,美国的零售业一直矗立着一位巨人。沃尔玛不仅是世界上最大的零售商,也是最大的私人雇主,从销售额来看更是最大的公司。




三、be strewn with...


包惜弱顺着血迹找过去,救了完颜洪烈。没过多久,段天德带着宋兵杀回牛家村,杀掉郭啸天,并掳走其怀有身孕的妻子。丘处机得知,一路追到了法华寺,几经周折,中了段天德之计,和方丈在法华寺大打出手:


法华寺中众僧都不会武艺,也不知方丈竟身怀绝艺,突见大殿中打得天翻地覆,早就个个吓得躲了起来。过了好一阵,听得殿上没了声响,几个大胆的小沙弥探头张望,见地下躺了人,殿上到处是血,大惊之下,大呼小叫,跌跌撞撞的忙去找段天德。


THE OTHER monks of Fahua Temple were not practised in kung fu and had been ignorant of their Abbot’s skills, choosing to flee rather than take part. But since silence had descended upon the Great Hall, the bravest among them ventured to peek inside, only to see the floor strewn with bodies and the hall painted in blood. Horrified, they ran to find Justice Duan.


文中,strewn with是过去分词作floor的后置定语,完整的表达是be strewn with,布满。《诗经·蒹葭》中有这么一句话:“溯洄从之,道阻且长。溯游从之,宛在水中央。” 其中,“道阻且长”用英文就可以说:The way ahead is long, and strewn with difficulties.




四、be scattered with...


方丈自知不是邱道长对手,便请了江南七怪相助。江南七兄弟相遇时,金庸插入了一段环境描写:


这醉仙楼正在南湖之旁,湖面轻烟薄雾,几艘小舟荡漾其间,半湖水面都浮着碧油油的菱叶。……其时正当春深,碧水翠叶,宛若一泓碧琉璃上铺满了一片片翡翠。


THE GARDEN OF THE EIGHT DRUNKEN IMMORTALS SAT ON THE banks of South Lake. It was late spring and the water was clear like a sheet of blue-green jade. A light mist clung to the water’s surface, which trembled as leisure boats scored ripples across it. The lake too was scattered with the emerald leaves of the water chestnut.


中文喜欢把总结、概括性的语句放在最后,而英文恰恰相反,通常会把总结、概括性的语句放在最前,正是因为中英文语言层面的这一差异,译者在翻译的时候,把中文中“其时正当春深,碧水翠叶,宛若一泓碧琉璃上铺满了一片片翡翠”这一总结概括性的环境描写移到了开头"It was late spring and the water was clear like a sheet of blue-green jade."


scatter一词比较常见,是“撒”的意思,如图,我们可以说:The wet floor is scattered with fallen flowers.



文中The lake too was scattered with the emerald leaves of the water chestnut.的意思是,湖面上也飘撒着碧绿的菱叶,金庸的文笔就比较优美了:半湖水面都浮着碧油油的菱叶。“半”对应着"be scattered with".


2015年《经济学人》上有篇文章分析了萨尔瓦多犯罪团伙对该国GDP的影响,里面有句话也用到了be scattered with:


Mr Flores, the ex-Sureños gangster, whose back, chest and arms are scattered with tattoos and scars from bullet wounds, became an evangelical Christian after he left prison in 2010.


弗洛雷斯之前是苏莱尼奥黑帮的成员,他的后背、胸口和手臂上有多处纹身和枪伤留下的疤痕。但2010年出狱后,成了福音教派基督徒。


同其它表达相比,scatter更侧重“零散”之意。《射雕英雄传》中,段天德挟持郭靖母亲李萍,在战火中东躲西藏,一路就到了蒙古,后失散,李萍产子郭靖,几年后被铁木真收留。后铁木真遭遇桑坤和札木合的陷害,两军交战,金庸是这么描写交战场景的:


桑昆见众人冲下,正要指挥人马拦截,见都史这等模样,不禁呆了,不知如何是好,转眼之间,铁木真等已冲到了眼前。哲别看准桑昆脑门,发箭射去。桑昆突见箭到,急忙闪避,那箭正中右腮,撞下马去。众兵将见主帅落马,登时大乱


Senggum was about to send men to intercept the attack when he caught sight of his son in the general’s grip. This moment of hesitation allowed Temujin’s best men to descend the hill. Jebe aimed an arrow at Senggum’s head and released. Senggum ducked but the arrow caught him in the cheek and he fell from his horse. With their commander-in-chief injured, Senggum’s men scattered.


“乱”我们能想到的有in a mess, in chaos, 这些虽能传递意思,但缺少一种画面感,而译者用动词scatter就把混乱的场景描述的淋漓尽致,让人脑海中浮现出桑坤收下的士兵四散而逃、溃不成军的画面。




五、be peppered with...


第四期精读写作课的第9单元中,我们一起读了有关乱砍乱伐的文章,《经济学人》里有这么一句话:


Family farmers lament that trees obstruct the big machinery needed to keep their land productive. They know that empty fields are worth perhaps five times more than those peppered with vegetation.


农民抱怨森林妨碍了大型机械的应用,不利于生产力的提高。他们知道空旷田地的价值是林地的五倍。


pepper本是“胡椒粉”的意思,名词动用,表示“(像撒胡椒粉一样)撒满,(像撒胡椒粉一样)密密麻麻的散布在...”,如图:



文中those peppered with vegetation是说,到处都是植被的土地,也就是“林地”的意思。




今天我们通过《射雕英雄传》英文版和《经济学人》,学习了五个有关“散布,遍布,星罗棋布”的表达,如果你有补充,欢迎写在留言区,我们一起交流、学习。

感谢阅读!