一.关于原作者爱默生:RalphWaldoEmerson(1803-1882):1.essayist,lecturer,poet,andrepresentativeofRomanticismin19thCenturyAmerica;2.leaderofTranscendentalisminAmerica:Hewasconvincedthateverythinginnaturehaditsexactcounterpartinthemind.Fromthisbasicconvictionflowedallhisideas:1)Natureisavastarrayofsymbols,whichcouldleadtheirindividualinterpretertowardtheeternaltruthofGodandthecosmos;2)Sincesuchultimatetruthtranscendsnatureorliesbehindit.Theintuitivemeansofdiscoveringitistranscendental;3)Themethodofinterpretationcallsforanintuitiveleapwithoutrationalanalysisfromthethingobservedinnaturetothespiritual(moral)truthitsymbolized.二.关于原作《论美国学者》:“TheAmericanScholar”:1.firstdeliveredatHarvardonAugust31,1837;2.Emersonchargedthatthescholar’sjobwastoleadhispeopleoutoftheirbondagetooldculturesandawayfromthe“popularcry”ofreceivedwisdomandeverydaymodesofthought;3.EmersonexhortedhisaudienceofnativeintellectualstorouseandleadAmericansocietyintomentalindependenceandself-reliance;4.Theaddressprovedtobeimmenselypopular,andOliverWendellHolmescalled“ourintellectualDeclarationofIndependence”.三.译文分析:Para1:Noneisquiteperfect.译文一:凡事皆无绝对之完美。译文二:万事皆无极致。Asnoair-pumpcanbyanymeansmakeaperfectvacuum,soneithercananyartistentirelyexcludetheconventional,thelocal,theperishablefromhisbook,orwriteabookofpurethought,thatshouldbeasefficient,inallrespects,toaremoteposterity,astocontemporaries,orrathertothesecondage.译文一:正如气泵无论如何也抽不出绝对真空一样,任何大师都不可能从其书中完全排除习俗、地域和应时应景的影响,或者说都不可能写出纯思想之书——那种在方方面面都能像对其同代人或下代人一样对遥远的后代也有直接作用的书。译文二:正如没有气泵能够抽出绝对之真空,任何大师都无法免受习俗之束缚,不受时空之桎梏,创作出体现纯粹思想之书。此书要能在方方面面都对同代、下代,乃至后代的后代产生相同的影响。译注:①常见词的不同含义,artist:apersonwhoseworkshowsexceptionalcreativeabilityorskill,高手,能手。Eg.Youareanartistinthekitchen.你是一位烹饪大师。②注意“the+常见形容词”的译法,常译为相应的名词。perishable定义为subjecttodecay,spoilage,ordestruction。而成、住、坏、灭乃一时间进程,故perishable在此指时间概念。而local指空间,故excludethelocal,theperishablefromhisbook合译为“不受时空之桎梏”。Eachage,itisfound,mustwriteitsownbooks;orrather,eachgenerationforthenextsucceeding.译文一:人们发现,每个时代必须写每个时代的书,更确切地说,每代人都必须为下一代人而写。译文二:但据发现,一个时代书写一个时代的书,一代人最多为下一代写书。译注:①注意根据上下文逻辑灵活翻译“rather”,表示转折,表示递进。Thebooksofanolderperiodwillnotfitthis.译文一:远古时代的书籍对当今时代也许并不合用。译文二:因此,历年经久之书在当代并不受用。译注:①注意根据上下文逻辑进行合理的增译,使译文逻辑更为明确。Para2:Yethencearisesagravemischief.译文一:不过一种苛弊也由此而生。译文二:一种顽疾由此而生。译注:①注意常用词的不常用含义mischief:1)Aninclinationoratendencytoplaypranksorcauseembarrassment,淘气,顽皮;2)Damage,destruction,orinjurycausedbyaspecificpersonorthing,弊端。Thesacrednesswhichattachestotheactofcreation,theactofthought,istransferredtotherecord.译文一:附于创作行为或思想行为的高贵神圣往往会被转换成历史纪录。译文二:曾几何时,人们将创造、思辨之过程视为高贵神圣,如今却将创造、思辨之产物奉若神明。译注:①注意增译法“曾几何时”,根据来自于“transfer”,表示曾经的情况的转换;②record字面意思为文字记录,此处进一步理解为人们创造、思辨的产物;③对同一个英文单词sacredness,分译为两处汉语时,尽量避免重复,分别译为“高贵神圣”和“奉若神明”。Thepoetchantingwasfelttobeadivineman:henceforththechantisdivinealso.译文一:吟唱诗人曾被视为圣人,此后其吟唱之歌亦被视为圣歌。译文二:游吟诗人被视为圣人,其诗歌即被视为圣歌。Thewriterwasajustandwisespirit:henceforthitissettledthebookisperfect;asloveoftheherocorruptsintotheworshipofhisstatue.译文一:作者曾富有正义而智慧之精神,此后其书则被确认为完美之书,恰如对英雄的热爱蜕变成对其雕像的崇拜。译文二:作者是正义与智慧的化身,其著作即被定为极致之作;诚如对英雄精神的热爱已经堕落为对其色身雕像的膜拜。译注:①注意透彻地理解常见简单英文单词,spirit词源解释为thebreathofGod,意为“上帝的气息”或“灵气”,与soul,ghost等词大同小异。因此,此处理解为“作者是正义与智慧的精灵”,进一步转译为“作者是正义与智慧的化身”;②译文二采用了意译之法,灵活程度更高,hero译为“英雄精神”,statue译为“色身雕像”。Instantly,thebookbecomesnoxious:theguideisatyrant.译文一:结果书籍随即变成有害之物,思想导师随之沦为暴君。译文二:随之,书籍沦为流毒,思想导师变身暴政独夫。译注:①noxious词性转换;②tyrant灵活翻译,使说理性散文(essay)更有文采。Thesluggishandpervertedmindofthemultitude,slowtoopentotheincursionsofReason,havingoncesoopened,havingoncereceivedthisbook,standsuponit,andmakesanoutcry,ifitisdisparaged.译文一:大众迟钝而扭曲的头脑,那些不易为智慧之光开启的头脑,一旦这样被开启,一旦接受这种书籍,便会对其产生依赖,而倘若这种书籍遭人菲薄,他们就会大声抗议。译文二:冥冥大众迟钝歪曲的头脑,要想开启,达致理性已属不易。其一旦被流毒的书籍开启,一旦接受这样的书籍,便只能在其划定的界限内亦步亦趋。旁人稍加非议,还招来他们厉声抗议。译注:①注意简单短语的翻译,opento表示对什么开放,转换理解为以开放的态度来接受什么;②注意简单动词和动词短语的翻译,standuponsth意为拘泥于某事,不敢越雷池半步。此处译为“亦步亦趋”。(类似动词还包括:sell,buy,beat,look,see,watch,say,tell,speak,ask,answer,think,read,write,listen,hear,walk,run,sleep,drink,eat,play,agree,turn,return,like,love,jump,carry,catch,keep,take,bring,grow,change,begin,start,end,finish,blow,call,check,close,open,cover,count,cut,cost,getgive,help,make,kill,show,need,wait,clean,arrive,leave,work,drive,dig,fill,pick,throw,stand,sit,travel,move,feel,draw,break,hope,dream,prefer,learn,do,have,visit,come,go,meet,set);③注意被动句转换为主动句。Collegesarebuiltonit.译文一:我们的大学就建立在这样的基础上。译文二:我们的大学就建立在这样的基础上。Booksarewrittenonitbythinkers,notbyManThinking;bymenoftalent,thatis,whostartwrong,whosetoutfromaccepteddogmas,notfromtheirownsightofprinciples.译文一:书也是在此基础上由思考者写成,不是由善思者,而是由能干的思考者,即那些从错误的基础出发、以公认的教条为据,而不着眼于自己对原理法则之领悟的人。译文二:我们的书籍就是在这样的基础上写成。这些书的作者被称为思想家,却并非独立思考之人。他们天资凛然,却误入歧途、难脱俗套,创作并非出自他们独立之洞见。译注:①Books同样注意增译法;②注意thinkers和ManThinking的区别和格子翻译方法;③“他们”指的是thinkers,也对应翻译who引导的定语从句;Meekyoungmengrowupinlibraries,believingittheirdutytoaccepttheviewswhichCicero,whichLocke,whichBacon,havegiven;forgetfulthatCicero,Locke,andBaconwereonlyyoungmeninlibrarieswhentheywrotethesebooks.译文一:谦恭的后生在图书馆里成长,以为他们的义务就是去接受西塞罗、洛克和培根表达的观点,而忘了西塞罗、洛克和培根当年写这些书时,也只是图书馆里的后生。译文二:画地为牢的后生在图书馆里成长,误以为自己的任务就是接受西塞罗、洛克及培根的教条。却忘了当西