对红楼梦里的人名,最糟糕的莫过于这个了,黛玉(BlackJade,黑色的玉),从中文字面意义上来讲,黛玉,也有黑色的玉之意,不过,问题出在英文本身,Jade的引申义,有两个,一个是loosewoman 放荡的女人,另一个是horse,马,Black Jade的引申义就是a loosewoman of dark skin,或者blackhorse,这两个涵义都与《红楼梦》里的黛玉,差得太远!
I am happy toinform Her ladyship and Madam Lien that the little girl'sfever is simply to smallpox.(杨宪益译本)
译者用了“be happyto”(真高兴……),这个句式在英语中,必定后面接着的是高兴的事情,而天花是恶疾,用这样的喜悦表达方式,西方读者一定觉得不可思议。所以,译者对“道喜”仅仅是字面理解了。
再看第二种翻译,Conveymy congratulation to Her Ladyship andMadam.在霍克斯译本中,用了“congratulation”这个词,更是祝贺的意思,显然,比happy更加热烈,这些都是从字面上理解了。翻译过后,会造成西方读者极大的误解,其实,中国文化再不好理解,中国人也不至于给得病的人及其家属道贺。
The bride was helpedinto the bridal chamber,where that night she and Chia Lien enjoyedthe transports of love.
颠鸾倒风,大家都知道,是婉指男女之欢。译文中用“transports oflove”,其中,transports 是由此到彼,或由彼到此,而用了transports的复数形式,表示强烈的情怀,比如transports of joy,是狂喜的意思,在词语所带的感情色彩方面,和原文非常吻合,因此,transportsoflove,这个翻译是传神之笔,既生动准确,而且也很符合委婉的要求,并且,特别符合原著的情景和人物感情,这是英文译本对应中国的忌讳文化之中,不可多得的成功案例。
“Yourhandmaid,bearing yesterday that your exalted carriage would returntoday,prerared some watery wine by way ofwelcome.Will the Imperial Kinsman deign accept it?”
在英文译文中,Madam's health iswhat's important.Here she's been wearing herself out for days,andnot a bite to eat or a drop to drink has she hadyet.
not a bite to eat or a dropto drink,意思是茶饭不进,把“黄汤辣水”翻译成吃的和喝的,这是不准确的,王熙凤就是再累再忙,也会吃饭,至于饮酒,倒是可能放下,因为喝酒误事。所以,原文说黄汤辣水不吃,指的是戒酒数日,并非不吃不喝。外国人显然是把黄汤理解为“汤”了。而且,吃酒,也是喝酒,不是吃饭的“吃”。
“Now the yellow wine which GrannyLiu had been drinking did not agree with her;and to quench herthirst after eating all that rich food she had drunk so muchtea that her stomach was upset.She remaindesquatting for some time in the party. Whenshe emerged the wine had gone to her head.”
用When she emerged the wine had goneto herhead,来翻译酒被风禁,其实,只翻译了一半,酒力上头翻译出来了,可是“酒被风禁”,却没有完整地翻译出来。这是英文译本中的一个有关中国酒文化的最大盲点。