2015年3月17日 星期二

Thief and Enemy 寇讎

譯者許瑞宋Thief and Encmy 中回應我的翻譯說明體的風險:以《譯藝譚》為例一文,點出thief and enemy是一個詞組,是我當初沒注意到的。這詞組的字面和意思和中文的「寇讎」很像。網路上有Time, which had been a thief and enemy的說法(Redeeming the Time: A Christian Approach to Work and Leisure),剛好和例題相呼應。

我把原文:

In places like Madumbi, time seems more of a thief and enemy than in crowded cities or even in circles where the months are frittered away in useless leisure.At Madumbi life was a packed routine; work began at half-past five or six in the morning; fatigue often precluded thought; and the tired eyes, turning towards clock or calendar, would close in sleep.

改譯成:

類似馬都比這種地方,時間就像強行入侵的小偷或敵兵;但在大城市甚或某些社會階層,時間卻是任人隨意排遣,大把揮霍在無所用的休閒上。在馬都比,生活就是沒片刻間斷的刻板工作,從早上五點半或六點開始。頭腦經常疲憊得無法思考,看著日曆或時鐘的眼睛,往往勞累得一闔上就睡著了。(131)

經過許先生的改譯,減少了24字,是一大改進:

在大城市以至某些圈子中,人們可以將大把時間耗費在無益的休閒上;在馬都比這種地方,時間卻有如生命的盜賊和敵人:生活是密集的刻板工作,早上五點半或六點便開始;人常累得無法思考,疲憊的眼睛看著日曆或時鐘,一合上便能睡著。(107)

假如不拘泥於原文thief and enemy的字面意思,也許可以改成:

時間似乎對馬都比這類地方特別不友善。在大城市甚或某些社會階層,時間可以大把揮霍在無益的休閒上;在馬都比,生活則是密集的刻板工作,早上五點半或六點就開始。頭腦疲憊得無法思考,看著日曆或時鐘的眼睛,往往累得一闔上就睡著了。(109)


3 則留言:

  1. 可考慮視"a thief and enemy"為修辭格 hendiadys 的應用,解讀時將其一轉換詞性修飾另一詞,由語境決定,中譯原則為除去連接詞「和」或「與」,如敵意的賊或鬼祟的敵人。

    這辭格常出現於聖經,近例為"a thief and a robber",省略 a 可視為共軛(zeugma)。這裡的"a thief and enemy"省略 an 為破格共軛,似乎仿引聖經。仿引是則奇妙的辭格,引用卻又避開,有其特別的目標讀者。若文中多次出現仿引應為蓄意如此,這時解讀者需由源頭尋找隱意。以上供參考。

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  2. "thief and enemy"似乎是英文習慣上成對出現的詞,以下的翻譯說明意者已知道怎麼用:是我而當者,吾友也;諂諛我者,吾賊也。(《荀子》) The one encouraging me of my merit is my friend. The one persistently flattering me is my thief and enemy. (Master Xun ). http://www.360doc.com/content/11/0527/22/627367_119887414.shtml

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  3. 其他實際的例子:
    Death is a thief and enemy of mankind, yet there is One who has the keys to death and hell.
    Catwoman (Selina Kyle) has been both super-hero and super-villain. Beginning her career as a thief and enemy to Batman, she later turned to crime-fighting and became part of the Batman Family.
    Eating disorders are not friends; they are the world's biggest thief and enemy.
    Procrastination is the thief and enemy of time.

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