本篇推送原文源自网络,译文为机器翻译基础上修缮而成,笔记由译群人翻译团队原创。
Queen's platinum jubilee: the royals must span the social divides
英国女王伊丽莎白二世“白金禧年”庆典:王室家族必须弥合社会裂痕
platinum n. /ˈplætɪnəm/ [U] a chemical element. Platinum is a silver-grey precious metal , used in making expensive jewellery and in industry. 铂;白金
jubilee n. /ˈdʒuːbɪliː/ a special anniversary of an event, especially one that took place 25 or 50 years ago; the celebrations connected with it (尤指25周年或50周年的)周年纪念,周年大庆,周年庆祝
divide: ~ (between A and B)a difference between two groups of people that separates them from each other 不同;差异;分歧
the North/South divide 南北分歧
the divide between Catholics and Protestants in Northern Ireland 北爱尔兰的天主教徒和新教徒之间的分歧
弥合divide,动词除了搭配span之外,还可以是bridge: bridge the gap/gulf/divide (between A and B) to reduce or get rid of the differences that exist between two things or groups of people 消除(甲、乙间的)隔阂╱鸿沟╱分歧
The jubilee is seen as the most important event of the year, though that vote of confidence in the monarchy comes with future challenges. The monarchy should resist all attempts to turn it into a symbol of tradition to see off "woke" younger generations — and instead respond to the public appetite for a Crown that bridges divides.
“白金禧年”庆典被英国视为这一年中最重要的活动,尽管对王室的信任投票表明,未来会面临重重挑战。因而,王室不应将这场庆典视作传统的象征、告别“觉醒的”年轻一代,而应借此机会面对公众对王室弥合社会分歧的诉求。
小小总结一下这篇新闻中“王室”的表达。
首先是标题里的the royals,注意用复数。接着就是本段中的the monarchy [sing.] the king or queen of a country and their family 君主及其家庭成员,注意是单数。再者就是crown,通常用单数,比如:
She refused the crown (= refused to become queen) . 她拒绝接受王位。
his claim to the French crown 他拥有的获得法国王位的权利
see off: When you see someone off, you go with them to the station, airport, or port that they are leaving from, and say goodbye to them there. 为…送行
Ben had planned a steak dinner for himself after seeing Jackie off on her plane. 本已计划好在把杰基送上飞机后自己吃顿牛排晚餐。
appetite: [C] ~ (for sth)a strong desire for sth 强烈欲望
可以搭配形容词insatiable,表示无法满足的欲望,比如:
The public have an insatiable appetite for scandal. 公众对丑事总是喜闻乐道。
还有voracious, undiscriminating也可以修饰:
经常追剧的小伙伴会说预告很吊胃口,这个“吊胃口”就是whet your appetite。
之前翻译群讲过一个增译的技巧时,有提到一个例句:
It catered to large appetites and modest purses. 它迎合胃口大而囊中羞涩的顾客。
It feels as if half a century of change has been packed into the volatile decade since the last jubilee summer — the diamond and, indeed, Olympic summer of 2012. Brexit, Covid and the Black Lives Matter protests all illuminated social divides.
自2012年夏天英国女王的“钻禧庆典”(还有奥运会)以来,这动荡不安的短短十年仿佛塞进了半个世纪的变化。英国脱欧、新冠疫情和“黑命贵”抗议活动都是社会分歧的例证。
illuminate: /ɪˈluːmɪneɪt/ ( formal ) to make sth clearer or easier to understand 阐明;解释
This text illuminates the philosopher's early thinking. 这篇课文解释了这位哲学家的早期思想。
关注一下pack into sth.这个词组:to put a lot of things or people into a limited space 在(有限空间里)塞进(大量的人或物);塞满
They've managed to pack a lot of information into a very small book.他们设法把大量的信息编进了一本很小的书中。
近义词组cram in.
pack into还可以表示在有限的时间里做很多事,比如:
You seem to have packed a lot into your life! 你生活中好像有做不完的事情!
还可以表示爆满,比如:
Over 80 000 fans packed into the stadium to watch the final. 8万多名球迷涌入了体育场观看决赛。
It is also a decade since British Future launched — to make our contribution to a more inclusive Britain. There has been a 30-point swing towards seeing immigration as positive rather than damaging for economic recovery — a view held by 53% to 23%, a direct reversal of the 24% to 55% finding in 2012.
这也是“英国未来”(British Future)成立的10年,该组织旨在建设一个更加包容的英国。30%的人转而认为移民对经济复苏有利无害,现在持这一观点的人占53%,反对者占23%。而在2012年,这两派的人数刚好反过来,分别为24%和55%。
swing: [C] a change from one opinion or situation to another; the amount by which sth changes 改变;改变的程度
He is liable to abrupt mood swings (= for example from being very happy to being very sad) . 他的情绪易于大起大落。
Voting showed a 10% swing to Labour. 投票显示10%的人转而支持工党。
此句中swing的译法就可以参考这个词典的例句,转而……
reversal这里的词义很简单:/rɪˈvɜːsl/
[ CU] ~ (of sth)a change of sth so that it is the opposite of what it was 颠倒;彻底转变;反转;倒置
a complete/dramatic/sudden reversal of policy 政策的全面╱剧烈╱突然转变
the reversal of a decision 决定的撤销
The government suffered a total reversal of fortune(s) last week. 上星期,政府的命运发生逆转。
想要强调的是reversal在表示胜负的逆转时,一般是表示从胜到败,而不是从败到胜,看下面这两个例句:
the team's recent reversal 球队最近的失败
The company's financial problems were only a temporary reversal. 公司的金融问题只是暂时的挫折。
There is more confidence about the positive contribution of ethnic diversity, too. Today, 72% say that having a wide variety of backgrounds and cultures is part of British culture, while 28% believe it can undermine British culture. There is consensus that climate change will be taken seriously, but scepticism that "levelling up" will have made a difference.
人们愈发相信民族多样性能够发挥积极贡献。如今,72%的人认为拥有多样化的背景和文化是英国文化的一部分,而只有28%的人认为这会破坏英国文化。人们一致相信,政府会重视气候变化问题,但也怀疑政府的“升级”政策能否奏效。
[翻译技巧] 英文名词的动词化处理
英语中的抽象名词,特别是由动词加后缀变成的抽象名词,在翻译成中文的时候往往要变成动词,这种情况在政治文本和科技文本中很常见。
比如:
This law provides protection for threatened animals and plants. 这项法律保护了濒危动植物。
An increase in the December 2006 passenger volume by 13.3 percent versus the same month last year meant that the total for the full year (19.2 million passengers) was 7.6 percent higher than in 2005.
2006年12月的旅客人数较前一年同期增加了13.3%,这说明全年的旅客总数(1950万人)较2005年增加了7.6%。
英语中表示感觉、感情、意识、状态等的形容词,也要翻译成汉语的动词,比如confident, careful, aware, angry, certain, ignorant, doubtful, greatful, anxious...
The offer is only applicable to bookings for double rooms. 这个报价只适用于预订双人房。
These financial incentives can be conditional on specified levels of school participation, attendance or achievement. 这些财政激励措施可根据入学情况、出勤率或学习成绩而定。
本段中多次出现There is confidence/consensus/scepticism,这些抽象名词在翻译时处理成动词会更方便组句:越发相信、一致认为、怀疑。
So Britain heads into the jubilee with a mixture of hopes and fears. Pessimism about economic pressures dominates public perceptions today. That the dramatic volatility of the last decade did not derail our society should be grounds for confidence that we can face this uncertain future with a resilience that can get us through.
就这样,英国怀着既希望又恐惧的心情迎来了“白金禧年”。如今,公众普遍对经济压力持悲观情绪。过去十年的剧烈波动并没有扰乱社会进程,我们有理由相信,我们能够以一种韧劲度过难关,面对这个不确定的未来。
mixture: [ Cusually sing.] a combination of different things 混合;结合体
The city is a mixture of old and new buildings. 这座城市是新老建筑兼而有之。
We listened to the news with a mixture of surprise and horror. 我们怀着惊恐交加的心情收听了这则消息。
[语法] That the dramatic volatility of the last decade did not derail our society should be grounds for confidence that we can face this uncertain future with a resilience that can get us through.
这个大长句的主干是That should be grounds for confidence.
主语that后面跟了一个同位语从句: the dramatic volatility of the last decade did not derail our society
confidence 后面的that也是同位语从句;
resilience后面的that引导的是定语从句,修饰resilience。
derail本意是火车脱轨,这里是比喻义,破坏……的正常进程/秩序,比如:
This latest incident could derail the peace process. 最近这个事件可能会扰乱和平进程。
get through: PHRASAL VERB If you get through a difficult or unpleasant period of time, you manage to live through it. 熬过
It is hard to see how people will get through the winter. 很难想像人们将怎样熬过这个冬天。
本文完。