翻译与修辞

修辞语翻译课程4

委婉语EUPHEMISM

定义

Euphemism: A figure of rhetoric by which an unpleasant or offensive thing is described or referred to by a milder term (CD);

A polite, tactful, or less explicit term used to avoid the direct naming of an unpleasant, painful, or frightening reality (WED);

英语Euphemism (委婉)一词源于希腊语euphemismos，意即good speech (吉利话或好的说法)。作为一种修辞格，Euphemism (委婉)指的是以较文雅、悦耳或温婉的说法来代替粗野、刺耳或直露的说法。它能借助语音、语法、词汇及其他修辞手段，得体地表达生活中那些使人尴尬、惹人不快、招人厌恶或令人恐惧的事物。其主要修辞作用是在语言表达上减少刺激性和敏感性，从而起到一种缓冲或美化作用。

英语委婉语数量众多，其运用范围涉及到社会各领域，大致可概括为以下四个方面：

1）有关疾病、残疾、衰老、死亡的委婉语

疾病

soft in the head头软了( 实指疯mad ); the big C大写的C、long illness长期之病( 实指癌cancer ); Hansen’s disease汉森之病( 实指麻风病leprosy ); irregularity不规则( 实指便秘constipation ); problem skin 皮肤有问题( 实指粉刺acne ); mental hospital / mental hospital精神病院/ 精神健康中心( 实指疯人院madhouse ); look off color气色不好( 实指身体有病); social disease社会病( 实指艾滋病)。

残疾

在学校里，把disabled students (残废学生)婉称为special students (特殊学生)；the crippled婉称为the handicapped (走路不方便的人)；blind students (盲学生)婉称为visually retarded students (视力有毛病的学生)；deaf (聋)婉称为hard of hearing (听力有困难)；stupid students(愚蠢学生)婉称为slow learners (学得慢的学生)或under-achievers (智力不发达的学生)；He is dull (foolish)(迟钝)婉称为He is a bit slow for his age；foreign students外国学生)称为international students，以避免把他们看成外人。

衰老

getting on years年岁增长; advanced in age高寿; elderly年岁大的; senior年事已高的; past one’s prime 过了鼎盛期; feeling one’s age感觉到上了年纪; sunset years日落之年。

死亡

joint the silent majority加入沉默的大多数; pass away走了，离开了; go to heaven上天堂了; fall asleep 睡着了; pass beyond过去了; fade凋谢了; be called to God被上帝召唤去了; safe in the arms of Jesus在耶稣怀里得到平安; be gone to a better 1and到一个更好的地方去了;to be no more 没了，不在了；to breathe one’s last 咽气，断气；

pop off (the hooks)突然蹬了腿(猝死，pop突然砰一声); go to his long home回到永久的家; kick the bucket 翘辫子; go to sleep forever长眠; go west西去; be at rest安息; go the way of all flesh走众生之路; join one’s ancestors加入祖先的行列; return to dust归之尘土; run one’ s race跑完自己的赛程; be no longer with us与我们永别了。

2）有关人体、排泄、性爱、生育的委婉语

人体

homely不好看、plain平常，婉指ugly丑；heavyset富态、weight watcher胖人、chubby胖乎乎的、plumy 丰满的、stout壮实的，婉指fat胖；苗条（slender、slim、willowy）、svelte亭亭玉立、lean精干、lithe灵活，婉指skinny瘦；in a state of nature 处于天然状态、in one’s birthday suit 身着生日服装表示“赤身裸体”；globes球体、apples苹果、curves曲线、charms迷人之处婉指“女性乳房”；

排泄

大便(defecate)和小便(urinate)：

go to stool去大便; pass water小便; go to the bathroom去盥洗室; answer nature’s call响应自然的召唤; make water小便; empty one’s bladder小便; Where is the restroom?休息室(附设盥洗间)在哪里?; go to W．C．去盥洗间; go to public lavatory去公共盥洗室; go to men’s(women’s)去男(盥洗间)女(盥洗间); go to washroom去洗手间; I have to pay a call.我必须付款应召; I would like to be excused.我请求原谅; go to the bank去银行; spend a penny去花点小钱; I have to retire for a moment.我得离开一会儿; I want to wash my hands.我要去洗洗手; see Johnny去看约翰尼; consult Mr. Jones咨询琼斯先生; power one’s nose擤鼻子; want to make one self comfortable想去使自己舒服点。

月经(menstruation)

My friend has come。我的朋友来了。

I’m a woman for a week. 当了一周的女人。

I’m having my friend with me. 我的朋友跟着我呢。

放屁（fart）

pass air (排气); 1et a breezer (刮一阵微风); make a noise等。

性爱

have relations with (与人有关系), go to bed with (与之共寝), make love (做爱), do it (干那事)等用于指“性交”；live together (住在一起)和married but not churched (结婚了但未去教堂举行仪式)表示“同居”，walk out (出去溜达)指“谈恋爱”；sleep around (到处睡觉)指“乱搞男女关系”。

生育

把She is pregnant或she is with child (她怀孕了)婉称为:

She has cancelled all her social engagement; She is in an interesting condition: She is in a delicate condition; She is knitting bootees宝宝衫; She is in the family way; She is expecting; she is eating for two; she swallows a watermelon seed;

3）有关社会职业、社会问题的委婉语

社会职业

tree-trimmer花木匠→tree surgeon花木外科医师；hair dresser (barber)理发师→beautician美容师；floor-sweeper 楼层清洁工→custodian engineer监管工程师；cobbler补鞋匠→shoe rebuilder鞋子复原师；dustman (garbage collector)垃圾清理工→street orderly街道清洁师/ sanitary engineer卫生工程师；hired girl女佣人→domestic help家务助手；maid女佣→day-help家务助手；head-waiter侍者领班→captain总管；butcher屠夫→meat technologist肉类技术专家；

社会问题

murder谋杀→take care of 处理/ dispose of处置/ remove除掉; prostitution卖淫→the oldest profession in the world世界上最古老的职业; prostitute妓女→a lady of the town城镇上的女人/ call girl应召女郎/ streetwalker街头女郎; prison监狱→the big house大房子/ correctional center改正中心; steal偷窃→take things without permission未经允许而拿走东西;

4）有关政治、经济、军事、外交的委婉语

政治也是委婉语盛行的领域，外交辞令、战争评述、罢工消息等等都广泛地用委婉语来淡化、掩盖、粉饰真相以达到某种政治目的，这是我们特别要注意的。为了掩盖事实真相，欺骗社会舆论，把economic crisis (经济危机)说成recession (经济衰退)或depression(经济不景气)；把attack (进攻)说成active defence (主动防御)；把aggression (侵略)说成involvement (介入)；把death penalty (死刑)说成capital punishment (主要惩罚)；把strike (工人罢工)说成industrial action (劳工行动)或industrial dispute (劳资纠纷)；把racial extinction (纳粹对犹太人的种族灭绝)说成final solution (最后的解决)；把nuclear accidents说成core rearrangement (原子核重排)；把electric chair(处死犯人的电椅)说成hot seat(热座)；

Euphemism (委婉)在口语和书面语里都时有运用，不可或缺，这是因为在日常生活和社会生活中都有不少人们不愿直接提及的事物，这就需要借助委婉语来表达。