端架子的翻译

Wenjer Leuschel wrote:


What about your political correctness in using such a word?

Wenjer Leuschel wrote:

Steve,

Do you really believe that you are the only one who is competent in English? Do you believe that I don't know what "lame" means? I was asking about your political correctness because of the connotation of the word. You know exactly what "lame" means originally, don't you?

Be assured, I am always nice to people when they are not ugly to me or others. This is a place where people may differ. How you and your fellows do to others is just outrageous. That is why I don't retreat fighting against such injuctice.

I will stay and see who is recognised as a contributing member in this community. Definitely not the ones who exercise authorities unduely.

Wenjer Leuschel wrote:


Graffiti翻译成“城市牛皮癣”当然要看语境，如果是指厕所里的那些“涂鸦”，那就可以翻译成“厕所文学”了。最经典的是这么一则涂鸦在男厕尿缸上方的厕所文学：“你尽管抖，最后一滴还是要掉到裤子里的。”

在台湾翻译字幕盛行取用流行语，但是规矩还是有的：不能太生僻。“劈腿”很形象，几乎人人懂，但“俗辣”、“机车”这类的词并不形象，它们若非来自于方言，就是无厘头创造出来的Kuso语言，无法普遍使用并让人人都懂。

我在这里还没看到大师，只看到某些人在某些方面有特别深厚的经验，所以他们在那一方面的翻译颇有成就。不过，他们愿不愿意把自己的经验提供给别人，那就是另一回事了。

其实，不必三人行才必有我师，有两个人对话起来，就很能互相学习了。这就是我主张翻译者必须与人交流的缘故，因为自己想的常常只是片面的理解，是否能达到翻译沟通的确切目的，没有别人的反应，自己永远不会知道。我承接的案件里有大量是必须经手多位翻译者验证的文本，还有一些更特殊的案件必须在完成翻译后进行市场测试，过了关才算完成任务。这类案子大多数翻译者都嫌烦，所以很少人肯做，但其实承接这种案子最能锻炼语言的理解和表达，而且给的预算高得惊人，但看承案者自己怎么支配，达到最有效的预算运用，在一定的时限里掌控流程的每个细节，完成所有的验证手续，也因此使人立即在业界打响名号，只要一有此类的案件出现，业者都会优先考虑那种不嫌麻烦的翻译者，开出再高的价钱也会愿意让他承案。翻译的经验就是这样来的：人家付钱请你学习。

一般的译者只想赖以赚钱，把翻译看成一种码字活，所以拼命承接没有锻炼作用的项目。不花脑袋的翻译就是专利申请书的翻译，难怪这种翻译的价码最贱。不过，话说回来，如果只为赚钱，一个萝卜一个坑地翻译，每天做几千字，挣个几百元，节省脑细胞，倒也是不错的。

如果真有大师，但他不把这个行业的玄机拆穿，不把经验告诉后来者，只是摆个大师的模样，那对谁都没有帮助。我宁可看到大师们经常吹吹牛，把本领拿出来让人检验，那就晓得他们是怎么锻炼出来的，后来者其实也做得到：不怕犯错就是了；尤其是犯了错还有办法湮灭证据，不必承担责任及后果，那么，人人都可以成为大师。

在西方语言里，同样经常出现新的流行词语，但会保留下来的并不多，因为语言毕竟是用来沟通的，超出大众沟通范围的东西，过一阵子就会消失，被另外的词语取代。江山代代有新人，卷土重来未足惜；长江前浪推后浪，前浪死在沙滩上。

拿那些流行词语来做翻译？够形象的，那还行；太抽象的，全世界到处都行不通。比方说“家家有本难念的经”，这样的言语从何时开始的？想来应该是佛教传入中土之后产生的表达法吧？那么西方世界就那本基督教圣经，圣经可不能当成那本难念的经来翻译呢。比较接近的译法是这样的俗语：Everyone has some skeletons in the closet. 根据维基的解释：Skeleton in the cupboard, or closet, is a colloquial phrase used to describe an undisclosed fact about someone which, if revealed, would have a negative impact on perceptions of the person. "Cupboard" is usually used in British English and "closet" in American English.

这样的翻译够形象的，可轻易被接受。不过，“家家有本难念的经”真的等于"skeletons in the closet"吗？这还得看语境才能决定。

读我拉杂写的东西有时很累人。如果对某位读者没有帮助，那就请他略过，不必刻意花心思阅读，甚或据以做思想，还是算准了每天几个字、可得多少钱的翻译比较不花脑筋，利用来准备阿滋海默症发时能有个好照料的老本好些，免得年纪不到就先得了高血压之类的血液循环机能障碍。

How to create a credit card slave? Let someone have his credit cards to push up his outgo above his income for a period of time! He will soon be a credit card slave whose further income goes into paying off the never ending story. 卡奴就是这么来的：看到“好东西”就忍不住要刷一下，但其实买的几乎没有一项是有用的好东西。这有点像感情的奴隶：见色忘义，把自己给卷入没完没了的麻烦。我发现，大多数的卡奴在感情生活上也是缺乏节制的。香港那个B嫂“血拼”的结果，把阿B在财务上和感情上都给B了。


[Edited at 2008-09-30 02:21]

wherestip wrote:


Sorry, I really don't think your English quite passes the pass/fail test in my book. You had plenty of opportunity over the years to demonstrate to your fellow translators your English competency. Unfortunately, sometimes when people are too conceited and think too highly of themselves, they end up burning themselves. That's what I meant by 自己坑自己. You might be very competent at bidding for jobs and distributing the jobs among different colleagues to get the work done, but that is the work of a PM. I personally like to call a spade a spade.

BTW, I don't have any alliances here. There are no "me and my fellows" in existence. They are all in your imagination. I just give my honest opinion on different things. Your outrageous behavior towards others just happens to be one of them.

I like everyone in this forum, including you. But I don't condone some of things that you did and many things that you said.



[Edited at 2008-09-30 19:48]

wherestip wrote:

Just in case there is an investigation