学会对中式英语说Say “No”

1. 东施效颦。

[误] Doingshi imitates Xishi. 

[正] The ugly imitates the beautiful in such a distorted way that the ugliness of the ugly becomes 

worse. 

注：把原文按照字面意思直译过来，恐怕只有中国人能够理解。要想让外国人明白这个中国成语，就要对译文进行解释性加工了。同样，“情人眼里出西施”不是Xishi is in the eye of the beholder，而是Beauty is in the eye of the beholder。

2. 北京申奥成功的消息令我们热血沸腾。

[误] Beijing's winning the bid for the Olympics makes our blood boil.

[正] Beijing's winning the bid for the Olympics makes us excited.

注：Make one's blood boil是指“激怒某人”，而非“使人激动”。英语中“使人激动”的说法除了make one excited，还有较为口语化的make one's spine tingle。

3. 别听他们胡说八道，根本就没那回事。

[误] Don't listen to their babbling. Nothing of the sort.

[正] Don't be fooled by their babbling. Nothing of the sort.

注：原文中的“听”不能用listen to来表示，因为listen to指“听”的动作，而原文中的“别听”不是不让他“听”，而是劝告他“不要听信”，因此，用not be fooled by才更达意。

4. 学校里，那些长得人高马大的家伙常来找我的麻烦。

[误] At school, those big and strong guys always come to find my trouble. 

[正] At school, those big and strong guys always come to pick on me. 

注：Find my trouble是“发现我的难处”的意思，而英语中“找某人的麻烦”用短语 pick on sb. 它不仅表示“挑剔某人、找某人的碴”，而且还包含tease(取笑、戏弄)或bully(威胁、欺侮)的意思。

5. 别看别人不把她当回事，在家里她可是父亲的掌上明珠。

[误] Although other people never take her seriousy, she is the pearl on her father's hand at home.

[正] Although other people never take her seriousy, she is the apple of her father's eye at home.

注：中英文常用不同的喻体表明相同的喻义，“掌上明珠”与the apple of one's eye就是一个很好的例子。这种情况我们一般应尊重各国文化和习俗，翻译时取目的语的固定说法，而不必直译，这有助于将意思更有效地传达给读者。The apple of one's eye源自圣经《旧约》，当时人们用apple指人的瞳孔。尽管瞳孔现在已经用pupil来表示，不再是apple了，但这一用法却延续了下来。

6. 都十点钟了。起床了，懒虫！

[误] It's ten o'clock. Get up, lazy worm!

[正] It's ten o'clock. Get up, lazy bones!

注：“懒虫”并非真是一条虫，只不过被用来形容人很懒惰罢了。英语里与之对应的说法是lazy bones（懒骨头）。注意，这里的bone应以复数形式出现，也许是因为不会只有一根骨头懒吧！

7. 我唯一的资本就是勤奋。

[误] My only capital is diligence.

[正] My only means to success is diligence.

注：原文的“资本”是借喻，实际指“可以依靠并取得成功的手段”。而英语的capital指money used to produce more wealth or for starting a business，并没有中文那样的引申意思。所以，这里的“资本”不能与capital画等号。也有人用advantage来翻译“资本”，虽然不尽意，但至少可以让读者理解。

8. 这家商店开辟了休息处，受到顾客的称赞。

[误] This department store has set up a resting-place, much to the customers' appreciation.

[正] This department store has set up a lounge, much to the customers' appreciation.

注：英语的 resting-place虽然有“休息处”的意思，但更经常的是用来指“坟墓”，即“最后安息之处”。因此，把公共场所的“休息处”译为resting-place不很合适。也有人将它译为rest-room，但那更不妥当，因为英语中的rest-room是“厕所”的委婉说法，而“休息处”不是这个意思。Lounge指in a hotel, club, or other public place, a room where people can sit and relax，正是“休息室”之意。

9. 学校里，那些长得人高马大的家伙常来找我的麻烦。

[误] At school, those big and strong guys always come to find my trouble. 

[正] At school, those big and strong guys always come to pick on me. 

注：Find my trouble是“发现我的难处”的意思，而英语中“找某人的麻烦”用短语 pick on sb. 它不仅表示“挑剔某人、找某人的碴”，而且还包含tease(取笑、戏弄)或bully(威胁、欺侮)的意思。

10. 我们俩关系最好，他经常来我这儿蹭饭吃。

[误] We are best friends. He always comes here to have meals for free.

[正] We are best friends. He always comes here to bum meals off me.

注：第一句只表明“他常到我这儿来白吃白喝”，但朋友这间那种亲密关系没有体现出来。而 bum sth. off sb.指向非常熟的朋友要一些不起眼的小东西，而朋友也不会介意还不还。