汉英翻译实践第四讲(《我对于运动会的感想》胡适)

第8课(Lesson 8)

I. 原文(Source Text)

我对于运动会1的感想

胡适

我到美国入大学后，第一次去看我们大学和别的大学的足球竞争(Football，此系另一种很激烈的足球，与中国现行2的不同)。入场券卖每人美金二元3，但看的人竟有几千人之多。每到紧要关头，几千人同声喊着本校的“呼声”(yell)以鼓励场中的武士4。有受伤的球员，扶下场时，大家也喊着“呼声”祝贺5他，安慰他。我第一次观场，看见那野蛮的奋斗6，听着那震耳的“呼声”，实在不惯；心里常想：这真是罗马时代的角抵和斗兽7的遗风，很不人道的。

但是场中叫喊的人，不但是少年男女，还有许多白发的老教授，——我的植物教习罗里教授就坐在我的附近，——也拼命的喊着助威的“呼声”! 我心里更不明白了!

但是我以后还去看过几次，看到第三次，我也不知不觉的站起来，跟着8我们的同学们拼命的喊那助威的“呼声”!

难道我被那野蛮的遗风同化了吗? 不是的；我渐渐把我从中国带去的“老人意态”丢开了；我也变少年了!

我在北京大学住9了五年，不知不觉的又被中国学生的“斯文样子”同化了，我的“老人意态”又差不多全回来了。

今天忽然听说北京大学要开一个运动会，这个消息使我很高兴。我的记忆力使我回到十二年前跟着大家10大呼大喊的时候11，我很想再有同样的机会使我弹去一点“老态”。我希望许多同学都来这运动会场上尝尝少年的高兴，——把那斯文的老景暂时丢在讲堂上或寄宿舍里!

II. 理解难点提示(Suggestions for Comprehension)

1.“我对于运动会的感想”中的“运动会”，是泛泛而谈，还是就某一次运动会而谈？看下文提到的写这篇文章的缘起。

2. “现行”是什么意思？考虑“行”的对象是什么。

3. 作者认为这个价是高还是低？看这个分句与下个分句形成什么关系。

4. “武士”指什么人？为什么称之为“武士”？

5. 运动员受了伤，为什么要“祝贺他”？想想除了安慰之外，观众对受伤的运动员还会说些什么？

6. 这里的“奋斗”实指什么？

7. “角抵”与“斗兽”有什么不同？

8. “跟着”是否意味着同学先喊，自己后喊？

9. 作者是否仅仅把北京大学作为居住地？

10. 这“大家”具体指什么人？

11. 作者想起的是否仅仅是时间？

III. 译文(Target Text)

Reflections on the Sports Meet1

Hu Shih

After entering an American University2, I watched, for the first time, an intercollegiate football match on the campus3. Unlike the football we now play in China, American football is a very tough game4. Though admission cost as much as two US dollars per person5, yet there was a large attendance of several thousand6. At the critical moment, the stadium would be echoing with the spectators‟ chorus of wild yells for their own athletic heroes7. Whenever a player of their side

was injured and helped out of the football field, they would also yell by way of saluting and comforting him8. At first I just couldn‟t get used to the rough play and deafening roar9, inwardly calling it an inhuman modern version of the bloody fights of men with men or with wild animals in the arena of the Roman amphitheater10.

Among the yelling crowds11 were not only young boys and girls, but also many hoary-headed old professars. I was very surprised to see my professor of botany, Mr. Rolly, who happened to be sitting nearby, also shouting frantically12.

I went to watch football several times. The third time, however, found me rising to my feet in spite of myself to join my fellow students in cheering like mad13.

Can I have been assimilated into the barbarous modern version of the ancient Roman practice14? No. The fact is, I gradually threw away the “old-age mentality” that I‟d brought with me from China. I became rejuvenated.

Now, after spending five years teaching at Peking University15, I‟v e been assimilated into the “scholarly dignity” of my students16, so that my erstwhile “old-age mentality” has revived by and large17.

Today I was very happy to hear that Peking University was about to schedule a sports meet18. That reminds me of how twelve years ago I joined the football crowds in giving loud yells19. I‟m looking forward very eagerly to the new opportunity for me to regain some of my youthful spirit20.

I hope all my students will be present at the playing field to taste the joy of youthfulness and temporarily leave behind their “scholarly dignity” in the classroom or dormitory21.

(Translated by Zhang Peiji)

IV. 表达解说(Explanation of Expression)

1.“运动会”特指引起作者写本文的北大运动会，不译Sports Meets, 而译the Sports Meet。

2. 汉语有联动式，动词用得多；比较起来，英语动词用得少。汉译英时，要设法减少动词。办法一般是化次要动词为介词，故“到美国入大学校”可译为：entering a university in America (比较：拿块荷叶包了——wrap it up in a lotus leaf[Ex04])。但a university in America 等于an American university。

3. “(我们)大学和(别的)大学的”就是intercollegiate，“我们(大学)”则由on the campus 表达。

4. 本句为美国足球分类。照常理，“A是(一种)B”中的B应是一个上位概念，故第二个“足球”译为game。“现行的”跟“足球”搭配，具体化为we now play。

5.“入场券”译为admission，实是(发生于两种语言之间的)旁代手法：以行为代替与行为相关的物。也可照译为admission tickets。“卖”译为cost，经历了这样一个转换过程：对主办方：“卖”→“被卖”→对观众：“被买”→“花费”。从下个分句来看，每张票两美元是高价，故加as much as(数量达到……)。

6. an attendance意为“在场者人数”，类似于audience。汉语说“看的人多”，英语则说“看的人数目大”。说明汉语习惯用以“以人为本”的表达法：直接说某人做某事，某人怎么样；英语则往往要说得抽象一点。用语言学的术语来说，就是汉语的表层结构更接近于深层结构。Attendance既是一种数目，就说large或small，而不说many或few。

7. 本句原文说人在场中干什么，译文说场中发生什么情况，也表明汉语的表层结构更接近于深层结构。chorus of wild yells等于simultaneous wild yells，作“同声狂呼”解；their own athletic heroes也可改为the warriors of their own team，更接近于原文。

8. “祝贺他”实指“向他致敬”，故译为saluting...him。“喊着‘呼声’”与“祝贺他，安慰他”之间是手段与目的的关系，译文以“喊着‘呼声’”为谓语，以by way of…表示目