杨宪益-《红楼梦》英译中的零指示词

杨宪益-《红楼梦》英译中的零指示词 ,对于想了解历史故事的朋友们来说,杨宪益-《红楼梦》英译中的零指示词是一个非常想了解的问题,下面小编就带领大家看看这个问题。

原文标题:《红楼梦》英译中的零指示词


中文句子里常出现零指示词这种特殊的语法现象,新加坡国立大学中文系的李子玲先生1990年在美国伊里诺大学香槟分校完成的博士论文即以此为研究内容,联系《红楼梦》英译的实际情况,提出了许多启发读者思考的见解。例如她说:“阅读中文小说时我们经常遇到带有许多从句的长句,这些从句通常都是没有主语的,读者必须自己找出与谓语动词相关的主语是什么,而这对中国读者来说几乎是一个下意识的过程。……由于英语里句子通常是有主语的,因此考察这种差异如何在翻译中得到调和是很有趣的。” [1]当然,汉语的句子中主语缺省的情况并不仅限于从句,有时主句的主语也有缺省的情况。省略主语的句子对中国读者的理解并不构成障碍,似乎通常情况下我们靠的是一种直觉:“汉语读者在判断零主语究竟所指为谁的时候似乎通常很少有问题,这种推断过程好像是母语的直觉的一部分。”[2]但这并不意味着以汉语为母语的读者就完全没有问题了,我们在以下的分析中将加以说明。本文借鉴李子玲所做的研究进行分析,但目的稍有不同。我们尽量不重复她举过的例子,着重考察的是零指示词究竟给译者的翻译造成了什么样的困难。
第一类是两位译者的解释都可通,显然原文本身就有歧义,因此导致不同的理解,但这种情况比较少见,比如:
例1
第十四回,
卯正二刻我来点卯,巳正吃早饭,凡有领牌回事的,只在午初刻,戍初烧过黄昏纸,我亲到各处查一遍,回来上夜的交明钥匙。
At half past six I shall come over to hear the roll-call. At ten o’clock I take my lunch. H 1, 274
I shall call the roll at half past six, you will have your meal at ten, and application for stores or reports should be handed in punctually before half past eleven. Y 1, 188[3]
此处凤姐是说谁吃早饭?按文意应该是凤姐自己,但杨宪益解作众家人,似乎也不能算错。这两种解释应当都是可以接受的,至少对理解小说没有太大的影响。我们只需知道凤姐在处理家庭事务的时候无论做什么事都喜欢严格按日程表进行,表现了她精明强干的一面,就可以了。
第二类是霍克思显然理解错了的例子,比如:
例1
第二十一回,
“绊倒了!哪里就赶上了!”(64版)
She’s tripped: you needn’t worry! She’ll never catch up with you now! H 1, 414
湘云开黛玉玩笑,怕她追来,笑着跑出去。宝玉在湘云后面追着说了这句话。此处霍克思的译文意思似乎是:“她早绊倒了,你不用担心了。”但其实宝玉的意思是“你自己小心别绊倒了”,不是“黛玉绊倒了”。参看庚辰本:
“仔细绊跌了!哪里就赶上了!”(82版)
所以杨宪益的译法:Mind you don’t fall! She can’t catch you. Y 1, 297才是对的。
例2
第二十四回,
就便回来有人带信儿,也不过嘴里答应着罢咧。
Even if I succeed in getting word through to him as soon as I get back, he’ll probably only send an answer to the message. I don’t expect he’ll actually come over. H 1, 481
小红在这里说“不过嘴里答应着罢咧”指的不是宝玉,而是送信的人,庚辰本和有正本此处均作:“便是回来有人带信,那都是不中用的。他不过口里应着,他倒给带呢!”可为佐证。所以杨宪益翻成:Because even if someone promised to take a message, he mightn’t deliver it. Y 1, 350这就对了。
例3
第四十二回,
恨的我没法儿,常把他老子叫来骂一顿,才好些。
I have to call his Dad in and give him a good talking-to and then I feels a bit better. H 2, 391
赖嬷嬷说的是I feels, 霍克思模仿的是她没受过多少教育的口吻,这很妙。但她说的是谁才好些?按上下文应该是指她儿子或者孙子收敛了点,不是她自己觉得好些。因为她长篇大论的就是在说如何管教小孩子们。所以杨宪益的译文才更合适:
When I get too provoked, I often call in his father and give him a good dressing-down, to make them behave a bit better for a while. Y 2, 65
例4
第五十一回,
你拿这大红猩猩毡的。把这件顺手拿将出来,叫人给邢大姑娘送去。
‘Just pack the felt one,’ said Patience. ‘You can carry the other one on your arm and on your way out get someone to take it over to Miss Xing. H 2, 518
平儿不可能会使唤袭人送东西,况且此时袭人赶着回家去。她说顺手拿将出来,叫人给邢大姑娘送去,自然是派她自己手下的丫头婆子,不用让袭人叫人。因而此处杨宪益的译文才是对的:
“The felt’s for you,” chuckled Ping-erh. “I’ve brought the other at the same time to send to Miss Hsiu-yen. Y 2, 164
例5
第五十四回,尤氏打趣凤姐的话:
听见放炮仗,就象“吃了蜜蜂儿屎”的,今儿又轻狂了。
Normally when you hear fireworks you get so excited I’d sooner eat a bee’s turd than stand by and watch you! H 3, 42
霍克思的译文意思似乎是尤氏“宁肯吃蜜蜂屎也不愿意看凤姐的轻狂样”。但“吃了蜜蜂儿屎”只是形容凤姐撒娇,不可能是说话的尤氏“吃了蜜蜂儿屎”,霍克思显然没有搞清楚这里从句的主语应该是熙凤。杨宪益的译文则是:
The sound of fireworks has sent you off your head, just as if you’d eaten bees’ wax. Y 2, 229
例6
第六十一回,
连太太在家我们还拿过,各人去送人,也是常有的。
Even when Her Ladyship was here I often used to steal things for him, so that he could give them away to his friends. H 3, 180
霍克思译文的意思是彩云经常偷了东西,给贾环去送人,但其实“各人去送人”显然指的不是贾环,而是丫头们。因此杨宪益译作:
Even when the mistress is at home, we often take this or that to give to friends. Y 2, 344
例7
第七十七回,
回去好生念念那书!仔细明儿问你;才已发下狠了。
Go back—and get on with your studies! Then next time your father asks you about them, you will at least be able to say that you have made a start. H 3, 537
后半句霍克思译文的意思是:“你才可以说发下狠了。”但原文中王夫人是说谁发下狠了?她指的当然是贾政,虽然也许不过只是吓唬吓唬宝玉。但“才”指的是“刚才”,表示事情刚发生不久,书中有多处其他例子,比如第五十五回平儿语:“你太把人看糊涂了,我才已经行在先,这会子又反嘱咐我。”第七十四回尤氏语:“你倒好,才是才子,这会子又作大和尚了。”都不是“才可以”或“才对”的意思。杨宪益的译文添了主语,可为例证:
Go back and apply yourself to your books. You may be questioned tomorrow. Your father was fuming just now. Y 2, 639
例8
第七十五回,
不到半月工夫,贾赦贾政听见这般,不知就里,反说这才是正理,文既误矣,武事当亦该习,况在武荫之属。
When this had been going on for a couple of weeks or so, Jia Zheng and Jia She got to hear about it. The report that reached them cannot have been a very accurate one, however, for, far from being critical of these goings-on, they spoke of them with approval.
‘Since Rong obviously has no aptitude for book-learning,’ Jia Zheng observed, ‘Cousin Zhen does right to encourage him in the martial arts. The boy does, after all, hold a military commission.’ H 3, 492
贾赦贾政所说的“文既误矣,武事当亦该习,况在武荫之属”,所指恐怕并非只是贾蓉一人。此外,“武荫之属”说的也不是贾蓉当了“五品龙禁尉”,而是宁荣二公以军功受封爵,指的是他们祖先的业绩。杨宪益的译文才是正确的:
Chia Sheh and Chia Cheng did not hear about this until it had gone on for a fortnight or so, and not realizing what was involved they judged it quite right and proper for these young men not versed in literature to practise military arts, the more so as they belonged to families of hereditary generals of noble ranks. Y 2, 602
以上所举各例说明母语非汉语的译者极容易在零指示词上出错,吕叔湘曾在《中诗英译比录》序中说过:“中文常不举主语,韵语尤甚,西文则标举分明,诗作亦然。译中诗者遇此等处,不得不一一为之补出。”他还指出过这种错误的缘由:“此等错误往往因涉上下文主语而来”。[4]吕叔湘论的虽然只是诗歌,其实小说、散文等无不如此,霍克思的误译更可说明这一点。我们要讨论的第三类则是杨宪益的失误之处,比如:
例1
第二十回,
宝玉见他才有汗意,不肯叫他起来,自己便端着就枕与他吃了,即命小丫头子们铺炕。
Then he told some of the younger maids to prepare his kang. Y 1, 288
这里铺的恐怕不是宝玉的炕。贾府里头主子睡的是床,丫头们睡的是炕。十九回袭人说过:“你替我剥栗子,我去铺床。”而后来宝玉“说着,便赌气上床睡去了。”可见宝玉睡的是床,不是炕。宋淇(林以亮)先生曾说“睡床抑或睡炕这种芝麻绿豆的小枝节,本来不值得大写文章……可是既然提到了这个问题,理应有一个全面的看法,总结一下以作补充,同时解释清楚几个基本的概念。”[5]虽是芝麻绿豆的小枝节,翻译的时候一不小心也容易出错。霍克思的译文才是对的:
Then he told one of the junior maids to make up a bed for her on the kang. H 1, 403
例2
第三十六回,因王夫人询问凤姐为何有人抱怨短了月钱,凤姐出门后在家人跟前冷笑:
“我从今以后倒要干几样尅毒事了。抱怨给太太听,我也不怕。糊涂油蒙了心,烂了舌头,不得好死的下作东西,别作娘的春梦!明儿一裹脑子扣的日子还有呢。如今裁了丫头的钱,就抱怨了咱们。也不想一想是奴几,也配使两三个丫头!”
With a grim smile she added, “Well, from today on, I mean to show how ruthless I can be, and I don’t care if they complain to Her Ladyship either. Rot those stupid, foul-mouthed bitches! They’ll come to no good end. How puffed up they are with their own consequence! But they’ll lose the lot, and sooner than they think. Blaming us, indeed, because their maids’ pay is cut. Who do they think they are? Do they deserve maids? ” Y 1, 522
听凤姐的口气,向王夫人抱怨短了月钱的不是别人,一定是赵姨娘。此处杨宪益用“they”,把周姨娘也包括进来,似乎不太妥当。后文探春说:“你瞧周姨娘,怎不见人欺他,他也不寻人去。”可见周姨娘一定不是惹事生非的人。因此霍克思的翻译才是对的:
From now on if I ever feel like doing something really spiteful, I shall do it. Let her complain to Her Ladyship if she has a mind to, I don’t care. Stupid woman! Stupid, chicken-witted, evil-tongued, sniveling, misbegotten bitch! She ought to wake up. One of these days they’ll make a clean sweep and take the whole lot away—then she’ll have something to shout about! Complain about me, would she, because her maid’s allowance had been cut? Who the Holy Name does she think she is? She’s only a bit of bought goods herself. What’s the likes of her doing with maids to wait on her any way? H 2, 200
以上三类,都说明了零指示词确实给译者造成了不少麻烦。除了第一类的情况因为两种解释均可接受可以保留各自的解释以外,二三类严格地说均属误译。母语非汉语的译者误解缺省主语的情况显然更多些,但母语为汉语的译者也未必就完全没有讹误。由此可见,零指示词这种中文特有的语法现象,是译者需要特别小心的。



[1] Lee Cher-Leng, Preface to Zero Anaphora in Chinese, Crane Publishing Co., Ltd. 2002.
[2] Ibid., p. 250.
[3]本文所引用的杨宪益、霍克思两种译文,Y 1, 188代表杨宪益译本,第1卷第188页;H 1,414代表霍克思译本,第1卷第414页。下同。
[4] 吕叔湘,“《中诗英译比录》序”,见《吕叔湘语文论集》,商务印书馆,1983年,第258、260页。
[5] 宋淇,《红楼梦识要——宋淇红学论集》,中国书店,2000年,第330页。
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原文出处:http://his.newdu.com/a/201711/04/511320.html

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