问答题 China has long fretted that it lacks a great modern literary voice with international appeal. In 1917 Chen Duxiu, an influential intellectual and later founding member of the Communist Party, asked: "Pray, where is our Chinese Hugo, Zola, Goethe, Hauptmann, Dickens or Wilde?" In recent years this has developed into a full-blown "Nobel Complex". For a period in the 1980s the quest for a Nobel Prize in literature was made official policy by the party, eager for validation of its growing power and cultural clout.
Now, at last, the Chinese have something to crow about. On October 11th Mo Yan, a Chinese writer, won the 2012 prize. The Nobel committee lauded what it called the "hallucinatory realism" of his works, which mix surreal plots with folk tales and modern history.
Mr. Mo writes within a system of state censorship. He is widely read and respected within China. He is also a Communist Party member and vice-chairman of the state-run China Writers" Association. When the Nobel award was announced, Chinese television channels interrupted their programming to announce the news. Thousands of China"s microbloggers congratulated Mr. Mo. A publisher under the Ministry of Education says it was already planning to include a Mo Yan novella in a school textbook.
【正确答案】
【答案解析】长期以来中国人因没有一位具有国际号召力的现代文学巨匠而苦恼。作为一名知识分子的陈独秀,后来的共产党创始人之一,曾于1917年问道:“请问,中国的雨果、左拉、歌德、豪普特曼、狄更斯或王尔德身处何处?”这似乎已经成了全中国近几年的“诺贝尔情结”。在20世纪80年代曾有过一段时间,共产党把获得诺贝尔文学奖作为官方政策确定下来,渴望世界认可其蒸蒸日上的国力和文化影响力。
如今,中国人终于有了可以自鸣得意的谈资。就在10月11日,中国作家莫言获得了2012年的诺贝尔文学奖。诺贝尔委员会称赞其作品中体现出来的“魔幻现实主义”风格,该风格将离奇的民间故事和当代历史融为一体。
莫言在国家审查制度下搞创作,在中国广为人知并备受尊重。此外,他还是一名中共党员,同时是中国作家协会副主席。诺贝尔文学奖获得者一公布,中国各电视频道便插播莫言获奖的消息,许多人开始发微博祝贺莫言获奖。一家隶属于中国教育部的出版商声称他们早就打算将莫言的一篇中篇小说纳入教科书了。 [解析] In 1917 Chen Duxiu, an influential intellectual and later-founding member of the Communist Party, asked, "Pray, where is our Chinese Hugo, Zola, Goethe, Hauptmann, Dickens or Wilde?”
“an influential intellectual and later founding member of the Communist Party”是陈独秀的修饰语,按照中文表达习惯应放在主语的前面,用作前置修饰语。这句话中陈独秀列举了众多世界知名的文学大家的名字,包括雨果、左拉、歌德、豪普特曼、狄更斯或王尔德,这些作家在大学的英美文学课上都有所涉及,考生需要掌握一些文学大家的名字翻译以及他们的代表作品的中英文对照翻译,这些在考试中都可能会用到。
作为一名知识分子的陈独秀,后来的共产党创始人之一,曾于1917年问道:“请问,中国的雨果、左拉、歌德、豪普特曼、狄更斯或王尔德身处何处?”
In recent years this has developed into a full-blown "Nobel Complex".
“complex”一词源自希腊神话中的俄狄浦斯情结。“情结”是一心理学术语,指的是一些重要的无意识组合,或是一种强烈而无意识的冲动。后来表示“对某种事物的向往”。在平时的写作中,考生也可以使用这个表达。
这似乎已经成了全中国近几年的“诺贝尔情结”。
For a period in the 1980s the quest for a Nobel Prize in literature was made official policy by the party, eager for validation of its growing power and cultural clout.
这句话前半句是被动结构,中文若直接译为“获得诺贝尔文学奖这一需求被共产党定为了官方政策”,虽然语言上并没有错误,但是读起来不够自然,不是地道的中文。原句中体现了动作的发出者,因此翻译时可将被动转换成主动结构。“eager for”后是名词,可以译为“渴望获得世界对其……的认可”,也可以像参考译文那样将认可转化为动词。
在20世纪80年代曾有过一段时间,共产党把获得诺贝尔文学奖作为官方政策确定下来,渴望世界认可其蒸蒸日上的国力和文化影响力。
Now, at last, the Chinese have something to crow about.
“crow”名词是“乌鸦”的意思,作动词时是“啼叫”的意思,这里用的是其动词形式。参考译文加上了“自鸣得意”这一修饰成分,将人们最终看到中国人获得诺贝尔文学奖时那种骄傲的心情翻译了出来。原文中这一含义较为隐蔽,参考译文将其显现出来,便于读者更好地理解原文。
如今,中国人终于有了可以自鸣得意的谈资。
The Nobel committee lauded what it called the "hallucinatory realism" of his works, which mix surreal plots with folk tales and modern history.
这句话中包含了“which”引导的一个定语从句,参考译文将这部分独立出来进行翻译,符合中文的表达习惯。在翻译英语定语从句时,经常会用到这种翻译手法。
诺贝尔委员会称赞其作品中体现出来的“魔幻现实主义”风格,该风格将离奇的民间故事和当代历史融为一体。
Mr. Mo Writes within a system of state censorship. He is widely read and respected within China.
这两句话句子结构较为简单且每句话的含义也很单一,因此参考译文将其合并为了一个句子,使文章的结构更为紧凑。
莫言在国家审查制度下搞创作,在中国广为人知并备受尊重。
When the Nobel award was announced, Chinese television channels interrupted their programming to announce the news. Thousands of China"s microbloggers congratulated Mr. Mo. A publisher under the Ministry of Education says it was already planning to include a Mo Yan novella in a school textbook.
这部分主要阐述了莫言获得诺贝尔文学奖这一消息发布后,中国各界对此事的反应和态度,为了使译文更加紧凑,参考译文将三句话合并为了一句话。在翻译时我们经常会遇到类似的情况,为了使译文更加紧密,通常需要使用合并的手法。
诺贝尔文学奖获得者一公布,中国各电视频道便插播莫言获奖的消息,许多人开始发微博祝贺莫言获奖。一家隶属于中国教育部的出版商声称他们早就打算将莫言的一篇中篇小说纳入教科书了。