贴点我以前写的轻松的,灌点水,睡觉了。
趣读红楼
今天我们笑读了英文《红楼梦》——《dream of red chamber》。笑读是因为实在我读的这个版本实在译得让我觉得可笑。比如说名字:黛玉被译为black jade,在西方有“黑皮肤荡妇”的意思。黛玉的两个丫环:雪雁被译为雪鹅snowgoose, 紫鹃更简单,被译为布谷鸟cuckoo. 凤姐就是黛玉的“your sister-in-low phoenix".弄得看起来大家都变成了鸟类。
更有意思的是,无法想象贾母见了黛玉大哭道:"My heart! My liver! Flesh and blood of my child!" 也就是原著里的“他外祖母一把搂入怀中,心肝儿肉叫着大哭起来。宝玉那句“我的老祖宗”也变成了:oh,dear, my grandmother! ”被译为想想这样的著作译为英文版着实难为了完全不同文化背景的西方人。单单宝玉头发的梳法就足以让译者呕心沥血了:头上周围一转的短发,都结成小辫,红丝结束,共攒至顶中胎发,总编一根大辫,黑亮如漆,从顶至梢,一串四颗大珠,用金八宝坠角,身上穿着银红撒花半旧大袄,仍旧带着项圈,宝玉,寄名锁,护身符等物,His front hair was dressed acound his head in single short pigtails interwoven with red braid, which were drawn up and joined on the top of his head to form a crown. He wore his back hair in a long jetblack
shining pigtail which was wound around a braid decorated with four big pearls and eight golden pendants representing the various emblems of the eight Taoist saints the Sword, the Flute, the Lotus Flower, and so on. |