林语堂译《扬州瘦马》赏析
王德福
(上海理工大学外语学院,上海200093)
摘 要:林语堂先生是我国著名的翻译家之一。他的译文传神、达意。分析译文《扬州瘦马》既能赏析林先生传神的译法,又能在教学翻译这一门课程中起到指导作用。本文就林先生在翻译时所采取的各种译法,特别是在处理动作动词和中文常用句式时的娴熟技巧作了透彻的分析。
关键词:传神达意;指导作用;翻译技巧
作者简介:王德福,讲师·
《扬州瘦马》是明清作家张岱(1597 - 1679)所写的一篇脍炙人口的散文(见《陶庵梦忆》卷五)。明清之际,扬州地处江淮要冲,由于其盐业执全国经济的牛耳,所以繁华异常富商巨贾,纷纷到此冶游寻欢,一个贩卖女子的市场因此应运而生,张岱用白描的手法对这种鄙风陋习进行了叙述和抨击。
著名翻译家林语堂先生翻译了这篇《扬州瘦马》。(见百花文艺出版社出版的林语堂中英对照丛书《扬州瘦马》)通过分析这篇译文,我们可以看到,林语堂先生在向西方人介绍东方文化时,是如何贯彻其“忠实、通顺和美”的翻译主张以及其炉火纯青的翻译技巧。
全文共有两处出现“瘦马”一词,一处在标题,另一处在首段中。先生的处理方法迥然不同:标题译为“The ConcubineMarket ofYangchow”,对“瘦马”做了阐释和意译。这是因为如果照字面直译的话,外国读者会产生误解,以为真是一个马的市场,甚至会失去阅读的兴趣。但是在首段中,先生则采用了直译的方法,借助上下文对“瘦马”进行了解释:AtYangchow, therewere hundreds ofpeoplemak-
ing a living from activities connected with the“leanhorses”. (扬州人日饮食于瘦马之身者数十百人)
这种处理,既保存了原文的内容,又保存了原文的形式。符合先生主张的“忠实必须传神”的原 则。应该指出,林语堂先生的译法并不矛盾,这种视不同上下文作不同处理更生动地译出了原文的涵义。接着,张岱描述了这帮人口贩子是如何像苍蝇一样盯上买主,极力促成买卖的:娶妾者切勿露意,梢透消息,牙婆驵侩咸集其门;如蝇附膻,撩扑不去。黎明,即促之出门,媒人先到者先挟之去,其余尾其后接踵伺之。原文中短句节奏紧凑,几个动作连贯发生,产生一种紧迫感,呈现了一幅栩栩如生的画面。
林语堂先生是这样翻译的:
One should never let itbe known thatonewas looking fora concubine. Once this leaked ou,t the profes-sional agents and go - bet - weens, both men andwomen, would swarm about his house or hotel likeflies, and there was no way of keeping them of.f Thenextmorning, hewould find many of them waiting forhim, and the matchmaker who arrived would hustlehim of,f while the rest followed behindwaited for theirchance.
在这里,林语堂先生把“即促之出门”译成“hewould findmany of them waiting forhim”,这不仅译出了动作上的先后,还生动地再现了当时的情景,比译成“the nextmorninghewas aboutto step outofdoors”更为精确。然后,“媒人先到者先挟之去,其余尾其后接踵伺之。”林先生的“thematchmakerwho arrivedwould hustlehim of,f while the rest followed behindwaited for their chance”也通过正确的用词充分表达出原文的紧迫感。
随后,张岱对买主如何挑选瘦马进行了绘声绘色的描述,他们像牲口贩子在挑选牲口一样鉴定瘦马的脸、手、臂、皮肤、眼神、声音和脚趾。那么,林语堂先生又是如何处理的呢:
至瘦马家,坐定,进茶,牙婆扶瘦马出,曰:“姑析娘拜客。”下拜。曰:“姑娘往上走。”走。曰:“姑娘转身。”转身向明立,面出。曰:“姑娘借手瞧瞧。”尽褫其袂,手出,臂出,肤亦出。曰:“姑娘瞧相公。”转眼偷觑,眼出。曰:“姑娘几岁了?”曰几岁,声出。曰:“姑娘再走走。”以手拉其裙,趾出。然看趾有法,凡出门裙幅先响者必大,高系其裙人未出而趾先出者必小。
Arriving at the house of the“lean horse”, thepersonwould be served tea as soon as he was seated.
Atonce the woman agentwould come outwith a girland announce,“Kuniang (mademoiselle), curtsy!”
The girl curtsied. Nextwas said,“Kuniang, walk for-ward!”She walked forward.“Kuniang, turn around!”She turned around, facing the ligh,t and herfacewas shown.“Pardon, canwe have a look atyourhands?”The girl rolled up her sleeve and exposed herentire arm. Her skin was shown.“Kuniang, look atthe gentleman.”She looked from the corner of hereyes. Her eyeswere shown.“How old isKunbiang?”
She replied. Her voicewas heard.“Pleasewalk againa bi.t”This time the girl lifted herskir.t Her feetwereshown. There is a secret about judging a girl's fee.tWhen you hear the rustle ofher skirtswhen she comesou,t you may guess that she has big fee,t but if shewears her skirts relatively high and reveals her feet asshe takes a step forward, you already know that shehas a pair of small feet that she is proud o.f
张岱将这个挑选的过程刻画得维妙维肖,淋漓尽致。从拜客、往上走、转身、借手、到瞧相公、问几岁、再走走,这一系列的动作充分揭示了妇女作为商品在这个人肉市场上任人宰割的悲惨遭遇。我们可以从作者一连串的六个人体部位和七个“出”字上看到所谓的“康乾盛世”背后所隐藏的凄清悲凉的一幕。落选的瘦马肯定会有更加悲惨的遭遇,所以姑娘们心情复杂,始终抱着被选中的一丝幻想。
林语堂先生的译文紧扣原文,用词简洁,完全体现了原作的风格,传达了原文的神韵:
拜客- curtsy
往上走-walk forward
转身- turn round
借手瞧瞧- have a look atyourhand
瞧相公- look at the gentleman
几岁- how old
再走走-walk again a bit
对于原文中的七个“出”字,其中“声出”,译为“Her voicewas heard”;“手出,臂出”译成“exposed her entire arm”,用“entire arm”包括了手和臂。而其余的四个“出”字则作了相同的处理,全部译成beshown,这样处理,译文显得言简意赅,读者仿佛被带到了某个出卖奴隶的市场,看奴隶主在挑选奴隶:
转身向明立,面出-She turned round, facingthe ligh,t and her facewas shown.
尽褫其袂,手出,臂出,肤亦出- The girl rolledup her sleeve and exposed her entire arm. Her skin was shown.
转眼偷觑,眼出- She looked form the corner of her eyes. Her eyeswere shown.
曰几岁,声出- She replied. Her voice was herad.
以手拉其裙,趾出- This time the girl lifted her skir.t Her feetwere shown.
张培基先生在《英汉翻译教程》中指出,汉语中有大量的四字词组,是汉语的一大特点,因为四字词组精练上口,富有节奏。但是,英语之中并无相同的句式,所以,不能死套硬搬。林语堂先生对四字词组的翻译为我们提供了不可多得的范例:
1.牙婆驵侩咸集其门;如蝇附膻,撩扑不去。
The professional agents and go - bet - weens,bothmen andwomen, would swarm abouthis house or hotel like flies, and therewas noway ofkeeping them of.f
2.白面红衫,千篇一律。
Theywere all justaboutalike, with a painted face and a red dress.
3.新人拜堂,亲送上席,小唱鼓吹,喧阗热闹。
The bride came up and performed the wedding ceremony (by bowing to the groom and guests), and shewas ushered to take her place at the dinner table already laid. Music and song began, and there was much ado about the house.
显然,我们不能照搬汉语的句式,而必须像林先生一样用英语常用的表达方式和句式,娓娓道来,才能收到良好的效果。只有这样,不同文化之间的鸿沟才会在翻译作品中消弭于无形之中。
林语堂先生说:“理想的翻译家应当将其工作做一种艺术。以爱艺术之心爱它,以对艺术谨慎不苟之心对它,使翻译成为美术之一种。”潜心欣赏林语堂先生的《扬州瘦马》译文,我们看到的正是这么一幅栩栩如生的历史画面,封建时代中国妇女的悲惨遭遇因此得以大白于天下。
【参考文献】
[1] 林语堂.扬州瘦马.林语堂中英对照丛书[Z]·天津:百花文艺出版社, 2002·
[2] 罗新璋.翻译论集[C]·北京:商务印书馆, 1984·
[3] 张培基等.英汉翻译教程[M]·上海:上海外语教育出版社, 1980
(可见,林语堂喜欢张岱和红楼梦)