今日翻译打卡第15天,完成Unit Ten汉译英的练习。这是老舍先生的一篇散文《养花》,语言通俗,翻译起来虽然比较顺手,可是英语的地道性还不够,继续加油~
1.我爱花,所以也爱养花。我可还没成为养花专家,因为没有功夫去作研究与实验。
一般译法:I love flowers and thus I love growing flowers. But I haven’t become an expert at flower growing because I don’t have enough time to do research and experiment.
优质译法:I love flowers and hence have taken to growing them. But, short of time to do research and experiment in flower cultivation, I am no gardener at all.
技巧点拨:take to 表示“喜欢上,开始从事”,更地道地表达了前后句的逻辑关系。“养花专家”直接翻译为gardener,“没有功夫”译为short of time比don’t have time 更增加了句式灵活性。
2.在我的小院中,到夏天,满是花草,小猫儿们只好上房去玩耍,地上没有它们的运动场。
一般译法:When summer comes, there are full of flowers and plants in my little garden and cats can only play on the roof because there is no room for them on the ground.
优质译法:In summer, flowers and plants growing in luxuriance in my small courtyard will leave little space for the little cats, so they have to sport about in our rooms instead.
技巧点拨:第一句简单用and并列,前后因果关系不够突出,而第二句翻译时首先用现在分词作定语growing in luxuriance来修饰“花草”,主干部分用will leave little space for紧密地联系了后半句,英文结构更清晰。另外,注意“上房”不是“去房顶”而是“去房间”。
3.北京的气候,对养花来说,不算很好。冬天冷,春天多风,夏天不是干旱就是大雨倾盆;秋天最好,可是忽然会闹霜冻。
优质译法:Beijing’s climate is more or less unfit for the growing of flowers, freezing in winter, windy in spring, and either too dry or too often visited by rainstorms in summer. While autumn is the best of all, it is often plagued by a sudden frost.
技巧点拨:注意“不算很好”的译法,一般直接译成not so good太口语化,这里译成more or less unfit。另外,“闹霜冻”不太好处理,译成be plagued by a sudden frost,plague一般意思为“n. 瘟疫,灾难,v. 使苦恼”。
补充:“闹笑话”make a fool of oneself;“闹别扭”be difficult with somebody
4.(花儿)有的喜荫,就别放在太阳地里,有的喜干,就别多浇水。
优质译法:Some flowers which are accustomed to growing in the shade should not be too much exposed to the sun. Those which prefer dryness should not be watered too often.
技巧点拨:注意“喜荫”一词的译法,另外“放在太阳地”译作be exposed to the sun,翻译时注意语言的准确与地道性。
5.要是赶上狂风暴雨或天气突变哪,就得全家动员,抢救花草,十分紧张。
一般译法:If a rainstorm drops by or the weather changes in a sudden way, the whole family will take actions to rescue the flowers and plants, which is quite pressing.
优质译法:In case of a violent storm or a sudden change of weather, the whole family will have to turn out to salvage the flowers and plants. Everybody will then feel keyed up.
技巧点拨:注意key up表示“使紧张不安”
6.有喜有忧,有笑有泪,有花有实,有香有色,既需劳动,又长见识,这就是养花的乐趣。
优质译法:Joy and sorrow, laughter and tears, flowers and fruit, fragrance and color, manual labor and increased knowledge --- all these make up the joy of flower cultivation.
技巧点拨:翻译时注意名词词组的并列。
7. 重难点词组表达积累
生活乐趣 a pleasure of life
奇花异草 exotic flowers and rare herbs
没那么大本事 beyond one’s capacity
任其自生自灭 abandon them to their own fate
一来二去 gradually / in the course of time / in the course of the contacts
掌握诀窍 get the hang of
三年五载 year in and year out
高存活率 enjoy a high survival rate
每天进步一点点,共勉~