广外翻译专业英译汉翻译练习：禁酒_Prohibition

Prohibition

Now Prohibition, whether as a proposal in England or as a pretense in America, simply means that the man who has drunk less shall have no drink, and the man who has drunk more shall have all the drink. It means that the old gentleman shall be carried home in a cab drunker than ever; but that, in order to make it quite safe for him to drink to excess, the man who drives him shall be forbidden to drink even in moderation. That is what it means; that is all it means; that is all it ever will mean. It means that often in Islam; where the luxurious and advanced drink champagne, while the poor and fanatical drink water. It means that in modern America; where the wealthy are all at this moment sipping their cocktails, and discussing how much harder labourers can be made to work if only they can be kept from festivity. This is what it means and all it means; and men are divided about it according to whether they believe in a certain transcendental concept called “justice”, expressed in a more mystical paradox as the equality of men. So long as you do not believe in justice, and so long as you are rich and really confident or remaining so, you can have Prohibition and be as drunk as you choose.

禁酒

如今，禁酒令不管是在英国作为一个提案，还是在美国作为一个托词，都仅意味着少喝酒的

人不沾酒，经常喝酒的人则可酗酒。这意味着老绅士只要坐出租车回家，就可以醉得更厉害。但是，他喝得酩酊大醉了，为确保他的安全，载他回家的人禁止喝酒，哪怕适量喝酒也不行。这就是禁酒令的全部意义，一直都是这样的意义。禁酒令在伊斯兰地区通常意味着贵富人喝香槟，穷教徒喝水，在美国则意味着富人此时此刻都在抿一口鸡尾酒，讨论着如果不让工人参加这些欢宴，能驱使多少更卖力的工人去工作。这就是禁酒令的全部意义。因为禁酒令，“公正”如同人类的品质一样，以一个更加神秘的悖论出现，因此人群中出现两极分化。这个取决于他们是否相信这个相当抽象的概念。只要你不相信公正，只要你一直富有并且相当自信或者一直保持这样，你就可以掌控整个禁酒令，还可以喝醉。