翻译技巧和经验第39期钱钟书经典美文《窗》翻译详解

钱钟书先生的这篇散文说的是窗子，但是其用意绝不仅仅是说说窗子而已，而是要以窗子来比喻生活、比喻人生。从语言上看，《窗》延续了一贯的钱派手法，用词平实、普通，没有长句，没有什么复杂结构，非常从容地叙述、说理，却又紧紧地扣住了主题。这样的特点对构成的难度不言而喻，翻译中应当时时充分考虑上述特点，尽量在译文中体现出来。下面我们就以《窗》这篇散文的前两段为例，来谈谈汉译英中可能遇到的问题。

汉译英翻译：

窗 Random Thoughts on the Window

又是春天，窗子可以常开了。春天从窗外进来，人在屋子里坐不住，就从门里出去。不过屋子外的春天太贱了！到处是阳光，不像射破屋里阴深的那样明亮；到处是给太阳晒得懒洋洋的风，不像搅动屋里沉闷的那样有生气。就是鸟语，也似乎琐碎而单薄，需要屋里的寂静来做衬托。我们因此明白，春天是该镶嵌在窗子里看的，好比画配了框子。

It is spring again and the window can be left open as often as one wo uld like. Asspring comes in through the windows, so people——unable to bear staying inside anylonger——go outdoors. The spring outside, however, is much too cheap, for the sunshines on everything, and so does not seem as bright as that which shoots into thedarkness of the house. Outside the sun-slothed breeze blows everywhere, but it is not so lively as that which stirs the gloominess inside the house. Even the chirping of thebirds sounds so thin and broken that the quietness of t he house is needed to set it off.It seems that spring was always mean t to be put behind a windowpane for show, justlike a picture in a fram e.

同时，我们悟到，门和窗有不同的意义。当然，门是造了让人出进的。但是，窗子有时也可作为进出口用，譬如小偷或小说里私约的情人就喜欢爬窗子。所以窗子和门的根本分别，决不仅是有没有人进来出去。若据赏春一事来看，我们不妨这样说：有了门，我们可以出去；有了窗，我们可以不必出去。窗子打通了大自然和人的隔膜，把风和太阳逗引进来，使屋子里也关着一部分春天，让我们安坐了享受，无需再到外面去找。

At the same time it also becomes clear that the door has a different si gnificance fromthe window. Of course, doors were made for people to pass through; but a windowcan also sometimes serve as an entrance or as an exit, and is used as such by thievesand by lovers in novels. I n fact the fundamental difference between a door and awindow has n othing to do with them being either entrances or exits. When it comes tothe admiration of spring, it could be put this way: a door makes it p ossible for one togo out, whereas a window makes it possible for one not to have to. A window helps topull down the partition between ma n and nature. It leads breezes and sunlight in, andkeeps part of the s pring in the house. It allows one to sit and enjoy the spring inpeace, a nd makes it unnecessary to go looking for it outside.

逐句分析：

窗

Random Thoughts on the Window（题目中的这个窗字，包含的意思较为丰富，使人有多种联想，因此译成Random Thoughts on the Window.）

又是春天

It is spring again

中文是无主句，英文没有这样的句子结构，因此用It is……句型。原文里“又”用在句首，但是英文如果也把again放在句首，这个词就太突出，分量太重了。所以again一词在译文中放在句末和原文“又”放在句首分量相当。

窗子可以常开了

and the window can be left open as often as one would like

用定冠词the 加单数名词window来代表所有的窗子。英语里表示“全部”可以有几种方法：1）复数名词，2）不定冠词a/an+名词，3）定冠词+名词。这里就是用的第三种，更侧重其一致性。“常开”不能译成can openoften或can be opened often.因为原文是从人的角度说的，人们什么时候想开窗都行，所以用了one wouldlike这样的说法。

春天从窗外进来

As spring comes in through the windows

这句把春天拟人化了，英文也用同样的结构就行。窗外：out of the window.但是，如果把“从窗外进来”理解成一个过程，用through表示就比较好。

人在屋子里坐不住，就从门里出去。

so people——unable to bear staying inside any longer——go outdoors

破折号之间的形容词短语说明人们在屋里坐不住的原因。bear：忍受，后面既可跟-ing动词，也可跟不定式动词。

不过屋子外的春天太贱了

The spring outside, however, is much too cheap

这里的“贱”，是说春天多阳光，以多为贱，中外同理，用cheap也就顺理成章了。