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《红楼梦》中委婉语的翻译

时间:2017-05-22 08:12:51

(单词翻译:单击)

   委婉语是用于取代禁忌词的另一个词或词组,或者用于避免提及令人感到害怕或可能引起不愉快的事物。禁忌语的形成和发展与社会风俗、文化传统、宗教信仰等有关。英语和汉语虽然存在极大差异,但在委婉语的使用上存在很多相同之处。

  一、避讳死亡
  死亡,可以说是所有文化中的禁地。对于死亡的表述,不同语言都有多种委婉的表述方式。汉语中有“长眠”、“逝世、去世”、“归西”、“了解尘缘”、“如土、归寂”、“崩、薨”等词,而英语也有多种表述方式“go to sleep”、“return to dust”、“pass away”、“demise”、“pay the debt of nature”等。
  例1、真是“天有不测风云,人有旦夕祸福”,人人都会归了西。
  译文:Truly, Storms gather without warning in nature, and bad luck befalls men overnight. Everyone will have ascended1 to the Western Paradise.
  解析:“归西”便是死亡的委婉语,译为“ascended to the Western Paradise”相较于“go west”,更形象表现出“归西”的因果内涵,更利于西方读者了解有关的宗教文化。
  例2、凤姐儿听了,眼圈儿红了半天,半日方说道:“...这个年纪,倘或就因这个病上怎么样了,人还活着有什么趣儿!”
  译文:Xi- feng’ s eyes became moist. She said at last, “ but she’s only a child still. If anything should happen to her as a result of this illness, I think all the fun would go out of life!”
  解析:凤姐与秦氏关系要好,面对好友重病,凤姐自然对“死”讳莫如深,文中的“怎么样了”,便是死亡的委婉语。译者采用“If anything should happen”这样模糊的表达,再现了原文的意图,也突显了凤姐对秦氏的不忍和怜惜之情。
  例3、几时我闭了这眼,断了这口气....
  译1:Once I’ve closed my eyes and breathed my last.
  译2:I’ ll be glad when I’ ve drawn2 my last breath and closed my old eyes for the last time.
  解析:原文“闭了眼”、“断了气”都是死亡的委婉语。两种译文分别使用“closed my eyes and breathed my last”和“ drawn my last breath and closed my old eyes for the last time”都很好得再现了原文的含义。
  二、避讳排泄物
  大多数文化都认为分泌物和排泄物是不雅和肮脏的,对其大多采用委婉语表达。
  例3、想毕,也装作出小恭,走至外面,悄悄滴把跟宝玉的书童茗烟换到身边,如此这般,挑拨他几句。
  译文:He left the room on the customary excuse and quietly got hold of Mingyan, one of Baoyu’ s pages, to work on his feelings with his account of the matter.
  解析:“出小恭”是古代排泄的委婉表达,译文将其翻译为“on the customary excuse”表达人类共同生理现象。
  三、避讳两性关系
  相对开放的西方在两性关系上也较为含蓄,而中国文化更加保守,两性关系的描述更具微妙。
  例4、妹妹的名声很不好听,连老太太、太太们都知道了,妹妹在家做女孩子儿就不干净,又和姐夫有些首尾。
  译: There is a nasty little story going around, my dear, that you weren’t all you should have beenbefore you were married. They say you were much too thick with Cousin Zhen.
  解析:这是王熙凤对尤二姐说的话,译者使用“weren’t all you should have been ”,说法虽然看似委婉,但充分展现了凤姐花言巧语,充满心机的性格。即使恶事做绝,也要做得滴水不漏,好名尽得。
  例5、(贾宝玉)......说着便把梦中之事细说与袭人听了。然后说至警幻所授云雨之情,羞得袭人掩面俯身而笑。
  译文:“It’s a long story, ”answered Baoyu, the told her his dream in full, concluding with his initiation3 by Disenchantment into the “sports of cloud and rain”. Xiren, hearing this, covered her face and doubled up in a fit of giggles4.
  解析:汉语常用生动的名词来说明两性之事,比如花草、杨柳、风月等高雅词语,但译者将“云雨之情”译为“sports of cloud and rain”,不免让西方读者一头雾水。可以翻译为“every act of love”或“the inevitable5 climax”等较为委婉却又能根据上下文理解出的短语。
  常言入乡随俗,说的是无论身处何处,都要注意当地的风俗习惯、语言禁忌等。在翻译中也要遵循这样的原则。委婉语的使用往往含有说话者或作者独特的用意。因此,委婉语的翻译不能是停留在语言层面的直译,必须将具体文化考虑在内。

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1 ascended ea3eb8c332a31fe6393293199b82c425     
v.上升,攀登( ascend的过去式和过去分词 )
参考例句:
  • He has ascended into heaven. 他已经升入了天堂。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • The climbers slowly ascended the mountain. 爬山运动员慢慢地登上了这座山。 来自《简明英汉词典》
2 drawn MuXzIi     
v.拖,拉,拔出;adj.憔悴的,紧张的
参考例句:
  • All the characters in the story are drawn from life.故事中的所有人物都取材于生活。
  • Her gaze was drawn irresistibly to the scene outside.她的目光禁不住被外面的风景所吸引。
3 initiation oqSzAI     
n.开始
参考例句:
  • her initiation into the world of marketing 她的初次涉足营销界
  • It was my initiation into the world of high fashion. 这是我初次涉足高级时装界。
4 giggles 0aa08b5c91758a166d13e7cd3f455951     
n.咯咯的笑( giggle的名词复数 );傻笑;玩笑;the giggles 止不住的格格笑v.咯咯地笑( giggle的第三人称单数 )
参考例句:
  • Her nervous giggles annoyed me. 她神经质的傻笑把我惹火了。 来自《简明英汉词典》
  • I had to rush to the loo to avoid an attack of hysterical giggles. 我不得不冲向卫生间,以免遭到别人的疯狂嘲笑。 来自辞典例句
5 inevitable 5xcyq     
adj.不可避免的,必然发生的
参考例句:
  • Mary was wearing her inevitable large hat.玛丽戴着她总是戴的那顶大帽子。
  • The defeat had inevitable consequences for British policy.战败对英国政策不可避免地产生了影响。