下面引述一段【雷峰塔】中佣人们之间的对话,很有趣:
“People say high cheekbones kill off one's husband.”Dry Ho said.
“But take myself and Mrs Chin,we don't have cheekbones.Mrs Tung has high cheekbones but unlike us she has grown old together with her husband.”
“Tha old ghost of mine,” Dry Tung cursed.“He's better dead.”
“You just say that becuase you're angry.”Dry Ho said.“After all, old husband, old wife.”
“Companion in old age.”Sunflower said.
"Not my old ghost.”Dry Tung said half laughing embarrassedly.“The more you wish him to die the more he lives on, he's will plague you to death first.”
“Mrs Chin is the lukiest.”Sunflower said.“A son and grandsons and their own house and land, no worries.”
“Yes not like me.”Dry Ho said “At my age I still have a whole big
big family to support.”
“Really if I were you, Mrs Chin,I'd go home and enjoy myself.What for, at this age, still out here eating other people's rice?”Sunflower
said.
“Yes, not like us who have to.”Dry Ho said.
“I was born with the fate to toil.”Dry Chin said smiling.
试译如下:
“人家说颧骨高的人会克死她的丈夫。”何干说。
“但拿我跟秦太太(弟弟的保姆张干)来说,我们都没有高颧骨。童太太(童干)颧骨很高,却不像我俩,她与丈夫一起相伴到老。”
“我那个老鬼,”童干咒骂道“他最好死掉。”
“你在说气话。”何干说道“毕竟老夫老妻。”
“老来伴。”葵花说。
“我那老鬼才不是呢。”童干道,带着一半尴尬的笑容。“你越想他死,他活得越长,先把你烦死。”
“还是秦太太最有福气。”葵花说“有儿子孙子,还有他们自家的房子和田地,不用愁”
“真的,如果我是你,我宁愿回家享福。何苦呢?这把岁数,还出去吃人家的饭?”葵花说。
“是啊,不像我们,不得不做。”何干说。
“我生来命苦。”秦干微笑道。
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这是一段典型中国草根阶层的对话。关于颧骨高克夫这种迷信,外国人或许能理解,但吃人家饭(eat other people's rice)外国人未必领会。为什么不干脆用“当人家佣人( be sb's servant)呢?”以爱玲的英文造诣完全可以做到,为什么还坚持采用这种吃力不讨好的写法呢?有下列两种可能:
1)她虽然英文造诣高超,但毕竟不是母语,写作思维还是以中文为先,即便没有中文底稿,但心中有腹稿存在。
2)坚持直译方式据称是给外国读者保留些异国风情。(正如王德威所说)
对第二点,她的择善固执令我肃然起敬,但付出的代价太大,但愿不是当初给美国编辑退稿之原因之一。