漢英翻譯八條“戒律”(7)

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七、戒語句重復
    漢語多重復,以強化語氣;英語則要盡量避免重復。
    先生曰:“狼負我,狼負我!”狼曰:“吾非固欲負汝。天生汝輩,固需吾輩食也?!?BR>    “ You are an ungrateful beast,” complained the man.
    “Not at all,” retorted the wolf, “it is not that I‘m ungrateful, but you men were created for us to devour.”
    (顏惠慶譯《馬中錫。中山狼傳》)
    王曰:“此鳥不飛則已,一飛沖天;不鳴則已,一鳴驚人?!?BR>    “ The bird may not have flown yet”, replied the King,“Once it does, it will soar to the sky. I may not have cried out yet, but once it does, it will startle everyone.”
    (楊憲益譯《史記?;袀鳌?BR>    阿凡提借了財主一錠金子,還他時給了他兩錠。
    Afanty borrowed a small ingot of gold from a moneybags, but repaid him two ones.
    (選自艾臨《幽默新大陸》)
    以上粗體字都是為了避免重復,下面兩句中的粗體字屬于省譯,當然也是為了避免重復。
    又斗爭,又團結,以斗爭的手段,達團結之目的。
    Unity, struggle, unity through struggle.
    中國人也好,外國人也好,死人也好,活人也好,對的就是對的,不對的就是不對的。
    What is right is right and what is wrong is wrong, no matter what it concerns, the Chinese or foreigners, the dead or the living.
    為了避免重復,還可將相同的漢字故意譯成不同的英文,如
    在78歲高齡的人的眼里,大多數人都顯得有點年輕。倘若美利堅對44歲以下的人抱有不信任態(tài)度的話,它必將阻止杰佛遜起草獨立宣言,阻止華盛頓領導獨立戰(zhàn)爭,阻止麥迪遜制訂憲法,甚至阻止哥倫布發(fā)現新大陸!
    In the eyes of a 78-year old person, most people seem to be little young. If the USA embraces mistrustful attitude to those who are under 44, it would clog necessarily Jefferson from drafting the Declaration of Independence, obstruct Washington from leading Independent War, prevent Madison from formulating the Constitution, and even keep Columbus from discovering the New Continent!
    從渲染藝術效果來講,重復并非絕對不允許的,如:
    行路難,行路難。
    多歧路,今安在?
    長風破浪會有時,
    直掛云帆濟滄海!
    Hard is the way, hard is the way.
    Don‘t go astray! Whither today.
    A time will come to ride the wind and cleave the waves,
    I‘ll set my cloudlike sail to cross the sea which raves.
    (許淵沖譯《李白。行路難》)