原文:
大多数学生瞧一下批的分数,就把卷子扔了,老师白改得头痛。那些学生虽然外国文不好,卷子上写的外国名字很神气。(钱钟书 - 围城 )
翻译关键词:卷子,白(费事),不好,神气
译文:
Most of the students took a look at their score, then threw away the assignment. The headache he had gotten from correcting them was all in vain. Despite their poor command of English, the students had impressive foreign names.(美 Jeanne Kelly, Nathan K.Mao <译> –Fortress Besieged)
翻译笔记:
卷子
这里说的“卷子”可不是指考试卷哦,它在这里指的是作业哈,所以我们只要译为assignment(被指定的功课)即可。当然,用homework或paper也是可以的。如:
改作业 correct students’ papers; correct homework等
做作业 do one’s assignment; do homework等
在assignment后面接in时,可以写作an assignment in physics这样的格式。
白(费事)
原文说“白改得头痛”,意思就是“白费事,白费劲,徒劳”,用于表达“白……”我们通常可以选择in vain哦,如:
我们白干了一场。
All our work was in vain.
这些勇士没有白死。
The deaths of these brave men were not in vain.
联想记忆提醒咱们学过一个短语“竹篮打水一场空”有木有?是哒是哒,赶快把新学的对等的英语短语用上,就是all in vain啦,书中自有颜如玉啊,得来全不费功夫啊是不是?
不好
我们来检查一下自己的active vocabulary有多少,这个“不好”除了not good at; bad at还有神马表达呢?还记得我们首次跟老外对话时害羞地说出My English is very poor吗?哈哈。是的啊,这里的译文用了poor command of,但是要注意这里的command指“应用能力”,不指“知识”哦,是说学生掌握外国语的能力哈。当然,如果是好,我们就可以说成a good command of。如:
他的法语口语很熟练。
He has (a) good command of spoken French.
神气
我们首先来认识一下中文里的“神气”通常包含了一个名词释义和两个形容词释义。
(1)名词:神情;神态 expression; air; manner等,如:
脸上显出得意的神气 have an air of complacency
他说话的神气特别像他爸爸。
He is very much like his father in the way he speaks.
(2)形容词:有精神,有气魄vigorous; impressive; spirited等,如:
小明带上红领巾多神气。
Xiaoming looks quite impressive with his red scarf on.
(注意,这个就是咱们今天所看这段译文里的用法了。)
(3)形容词:骄傲;得意 putting on airs; cocky; overweening等,如:
呵!他倒神气起来了。
Hump! What airs he gives himself!
你神气什么?
What makes you think you’re so wonderful? or
You’ve got nothing to be cocky about.