美国人为何如此不安分 翻译练习

第五讲 翻译练习：

Why the Americans Are So Restless1

In certain remote corners of the Old World2you may sometimes stumble upon little places which seem to have been forgotten among the general tumult and which have stayed still while all around them moves. The inhabitants are mostly very ignorant and very poor; they take no part in affairs of government, and often governments oppress them. But yet they seem serene3 and often have a jovial disposition.

In America I have seen the freest and best educated of men in circumstances the happiest to be found in the world; yet it seemed to me that a cloud habitually hung on their brow, and they seemed serious and almost sad even in their pleasures.

The chief reason for this is that the former do not give a moment’s thought to the ills they endure, whereas the latter never stop thinking of the good things they have not got.

It is odd to watch {《with what feverish （发热的，极度兴奋的）ardor （狂热） the Americans pursue prosperity（繁荣，成功）》and《 how they are ever tormented（折磨，痛苦 纠缠） by the shadowy （虚无的，有阴影的） suspicion （怀疑）》}that they may not have chosen the shortest route to get it.4 Americans cleave（坚持，粘着，披荆斩棘的前进） to the things of this world as if （犹如，好似） assured that they will never die5, and yet are in such a rush（急流） to snatch （夺得。抢走）any that come within their reach, as if expecting to stop living before they have relished （品味，喜爱）them. They clutch（抓住，紧握）everything but hold nothing fast, and so lose grip as they hurry after some new delight. 6 An American will build a house in which to pass his old age and sell it before the roof is on; he will plant a garden and rent it just as the trees are coming into bearing; he will clear a field and leave others to reap the harvest; he will take up7 a profession and leave it, settle in one place and soon go off elsewhere with his changing desires. If his private business allows him a moment’s relaxation, he will plunge at once into the whirlpool of polities. Then, if at the end of a year crammed with work he has a little spare leisure, his restless curiosity goes with him traveling up and down the vast territories of the United States. Thus he will travel five hundred miles in a few days as a distraction from his

happiness.

Death steps in （来临）in the end and stops him before he has grown tired of this futile（无用的，琐碎的） pursuit（追求，工作） of that complete felicity （幸福） which always escapes him. 8

(From an English translation of Democracy in America by Alexis de Tocqueville)

注释：

1．本篇选自法国政治学家、历史学家托克维尔的《美国的民主》。在美国的高中课本中， Why the Americans Are So Restless 也常是教师喜欢选用的名篇。

2．这里的 the Old World 是针对 the New World 而说的。后者指的是美洲（ The Americas ），即常说的“新大陆”。

3．在这里 serene 译成“安然处之”或“泰然处之”合适吗？

4．本段只有一句话，处理起来不大容易。是否可以考虑信息焦点的调整？

5．此句中的 assured 容易理解错。有人译成“美国人抓住这个世界上的东西不放，就保证了他们将永远不死”，这样的理解对吗？

6．本句似可译成“他们抓住每一样东西，但却都没有把握得十分紧，并且当他们追逐一些新的乐趣时，就放松了对原有事物的把握。”但这样的说法并不十分符合汉语行文的习惯。是否有更好的译法？

7．这里的 take up 是“接受”的意思吗？

8．如果按原文的思路译成“在 …… 之前”不易处理的话，是否可以考虑换个角度从反面着笔呢？

为什么美国人如此不安

在某一个旧世界的偏僻角落，你可能对一些小地方感到困惑，那些地方似乎被遗忘在大众的喧嚣之中。当周围的一切都在变化之时，只有那些地方依旧保持原样。当地居民大多是愚昧而贫穷，他们无法参与政府事宜，而政府也经常压迫他们。然而，他们看似是无所谓的，常常显露一种快活的性情。