一些翻译问题
# Oranges are not the Only Fruit.
1. what you think is the heart might well be another organ.
你以为在心里的说不定在别的器官里。
你以为是心的,也许只是另外一个器官而已。
2. Naturally, I am flattered.
“不用说,那是在恭维我。”
很自然地,我觉得受宠若惊。
3. Lord forgive me, but I did it.
”上帝宽恕我,但我没有那么做。“
”主啊,宽恕我吧,但是我做了那件事。“
4. And it was evening and it was morning; another day.
那是夜里,然后是早上,然后是新的一天。
有晚上,有早晨,这是头一日。(这是创世纪里的著名的开头一句,有很多种译法,如果觉得这么说太硬,可以换一种,但是请尽量保留这种语调。
5. Judges 士师记,而不是大审判。
6. To be fair he had given up the bad fight for the Good Fight, but as far as I was concerned he was revolting.
公平地来说,他已经放弃圣战这场恶战,但是据我所知,他还在抗争。
公平地来说,他已经放弃了坏的仗,去打那美好的仗了(典故出自圣经:那美好的仗我已经打过了,当跑的路我已经跑尽了,所信的道我已经守住了——提后4:7),但是对我而言,他令人恶心。
As far as I was concerned后面还有第二次理解错,不列出来了。
7. Not by nature discreet or guilty I had enough memory to know where that particular revelation would lead.
用不着谨小慎微的天性或罪孽感的提醒,足够多的回忆已经让我清楚:这种坦诚将导致什么后果。
我在天性上并不谨慎,也没有多少罪恶感,但是我有足够多的记忆去知道这种坦白会导致什么后果。
8. It all seemed to hinge around the fact that I loved the wrong sort of people. Right sort of people in every respect except this one; romantic love for another woman was a sin.
一切都似乎纠缠于一个事实,我爱错了一类人。不管从哪方面看,爱上谁都无所谓错,只有一点例外:对一个女人产生浪漫情愫是罪孽。
一切都似乎取决于这个事实:我爱上了错误的人。这个人在其他方面都很好,只有这方面是错的:对一个女人产生浪漫爱情是罪恶。
9. It didn't help that I had no intention of becoming a missionary
就算我决议要当传教士也无济于事。
就算我不想当传教士,也无济于事。
10. 最大的困惑是来自珍妮特·温特森的两面,一方面她有着极为抒情、细腻的地方,这方面译者处理得相对较好;另一方面,她有着圣经布道者的洪钟大吕的气势,在这点上译者处理得相当糟糕。似乎译者对这种抽象甚至于接近狂野的情感感到不安,极力想柔化之:
There are many forms of love and affection, some people can spend their whole lives together without knowing each other’s names. Naming is a difficult and timeconsuming process; it concerns essences, and it means power. But on the wild nights who can call you home? Only the one who knows your name. Romantic love has been diluted into paperback form and has sold thousands and millions of copies. Somewhere it is still in the original, written on tablets of stone. 。
世间的情爱何其多,有人可以虚掷一生却不知道彼此的姓名。命名是艰难而耗时的大事,要一语中的,并意寓其力量。否则在狂野的夜晚,谁能把你唤回家?只有知道你名字的人才能。浪漫的爱情已经被稀释成平装本煽情小说,出卖了成千上万次。但它依然在某处栩栩如初,刻画于石板之上。
有很多种形式的爱和情感,很多人可以共度一生,而不知道彼此的姓名。命名是件艰难而耗时的事,它涉及本质,也意味着权力。但在狂野的夜晚,谁能叫你回家?只有知道你姓名的人。浪漫的爱情已经被稀释成平装本,卖出了成千上万册。但在某个地方,它依然保留了最原始的形式,刻在石板上。
11. The unknownness of my needs frightens me. I do not know how huge they are, or how high they are, I only know that they are not being met.
我的渴望中有未知的一部分,那令我害怕。我不知道那部分有多庞大,或是多么高渺,我只知道那是无法企及的一部分。
我需求的未知让我害怕,我不知道我的需求有多么大,也不知道有多么高,只知道它们未被满足。
12. 补充一点,《申命记》那一段翻译有问题的地方较多。比如说:
People have never had a problem disposing of the past when it gets too difficult.
就算太难舍弃,人们抛弃过去时也从来不会有顾虑。
如果过去太难面对的话,人们抛弃它时从来不会有顾虑。