散文翻译

散文翻译Translation of essays

什么是散文？

广义而言,凡是不属于韵文的文章都可称为散文。西方人甚至把小说也包括在散文之内;我国有些现代叙事性文章名为散文,但称之为小说也无不可。不过,严格说来,我们说的散文应相当于西方的Essay,与诗歌（poem)、小说(novel)、戏剧(drama)并起并坐,文字一般都比较短小精炼,如随笔、小品文、杂感、游记、日记、书信、回忆录、通讯报道等等。

英汉散文的特点

散文是一种最灵活、最自由的文体。它篇幅短小、题材广泛；结构散而不乱，形式灵活；散文的语言充分体现了汉语多辞藻华美，或文意浓郁，文采飞扬的特点；然而英语则措辞简洁、文意客观、文采朴素。英汉语言的天然差异给散文的翻译带来很大的困难，散文的翻译不能机械地直译。

散文翻译的特点

散文的特点决定了散文的翻译必须是灵活地将“形”与“神”统一。许渊冲在谈到文学翻译时说：“文学翻译不单是译词，还要译意：不单要译意，还要译味。”，并形象地用数学公式表达为：“译词：1+1=1（形似），译意：1+1=2（意似），译味：1+1=3（神似）”。

所谓“译味”，是指译者要注意作者的语言风格。下笔翻译之前先辨别文章的文体色彩，熟悉不同文体的语言风格；更重要的是，要善于运用译入语中不同文体的语言风格来再现原文的语言风格，使译文与原文的文体色彩相符合，达到形式与功能的对等。

注意汉英散文翻译中的民俗文化误译

他是趟着雾走的,步子很飘,他背着花篓,篓里装着粮食,鼓的。”(《家乡》)

译文: He went off walking on air, his steps fairly flew. On his back he lugged an embroidered basket，in the basket bags of grain-bulging-ones stood at attention.“花篓”翻译成“embroidered basket”是不恰当的。“embroider”的意思是“刺绣”，翻译成诸如“basket with patterns”之类的形式才正确。

朱自清《背影》英译例谈

《背影》是朱自清的早期散文作品。作者使用提炼的口语，文笔秀丽、细腻缜密，读来有一种亲切委婉、娓娓动听的感觉。

张培基先生的英译《背影》以保持原作的口语风格为要，遣词造句通俗简洁，朴实无华，最大限度地再现了原文信息，达到了与原文极其相似的功能。

词汇层面：理解到位，用词准确、简单、通俗

（1）那年冬天，祖母死了，父亲的差使也交卸了,……

译文：In the winter of two years ago, grandma died and father lost his job. …（2）……一半为了丧事，一半为了赋闲。

译文：Between grandma’s funeral and father’s unemployment, …

（3）父亲因为事忙，本已说定不送我，叫旅馆里一个熟识的茶房陪我同去。

译文：Father said he was too busy to go and see me off at the railway station, but would ask a hotel waiter that he knew to accompany me there instead.

（4）行李太多了，得向脚夫行些小费，才可过去。他便又忙着和他们讲价钱。

译文：

There was quite a bit of luggage and he had to bargain with the porter over the fee.

（5）大约大去之期不远矣。

译文：Perhaps it won’t be long now before I depart this life.

（6）他走了几步,回过头看见我,说,“进去吧,里边没人。”

译文：…he looked back at me and said, “Go back to your seat. Don’t leave your things alone.”

（7）他用两手攀着上面,两脚再向上缩;他肥胖的身子向左微倾。……过铁道时,他先将橘子散放在地上,自己慢慢爬下,再抱起橘子走。

译文：His hands held onto the upper part of the platform, his legs huddles up and his corpulent body tipped slightly towards the left, …In crossing the railway track, he first put the tangerines on the ground, climbed down slowly and then picked them up again.

（8）父亲说: “事已如此，不必难过，好在天无绝人之路! ”

译文：Now that things’ve come to such a pass, it’s no use crying. Fortunately, Heaven always leaves one a way out. (come to a pretty/sorry pass: 处境糟糕）（9）他只说,“不要紧,他们去不好”。

译文：

But he only said, “Never mind! It won’t do to trust guys like those hotel boys! ”

句法层面：句子短小精悍,结构简单

1）他望车外看了看,说,“我买几个橘子去。你就在此地,不要走动。”

译文：But he looked out of the window and said,“I’m going to buy you some tangerines. You just stay here. Don’t move around.”

（2）……于是扑扑衣上的泥土,心里很轻松似的,过一会说,“我走了;到那边来信! ”

译文：…he looked somewhat relieved and said after a while, “I must be going now. Don’t forget to write me from Beijing! ”

（3）他嘱咐我路上小心，夜里要警惕些，不要受凉。

译文：He told me to be watchful on the way and be careful not to catch cold at night.

（4）他再三嘱咐茶房，甚是仔细。但他终于不放心，怕茶房不妥帖，颇踌躇了一会。

译文：

He urged the waiter again and again to take good care of me, but still did not quite trust him.

（5）我与父亲不相见已二年余了，我最不能忘记的是他的背影。

译文：It is more than two years since I last saw father, and what I can never forget is the sight of his back.

关照英文形合（hypotaxis)巧作变动

（6）到南京时，有朋友约去游逛，勾留了一日。

译文：I spent the first day in Nanjing strolling

about with some friends at their invitation.

（7）那年冬天，祖母死了，父亲的差使也交卸了,正是祸不单行的日子，我从北京到徐州，打算跟着父亲奔丧回家。

译文：