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@ 40251 Translation Issues

A 你做了這麼久翻譯，一篇好的翻譯，最重要的標準是什麼？

nǐ zuò le zhème jiǔ fānyì, yī piān hǎo de fānyì, zuì zhòngyào de biāozhǔn shì shénme?

You've been doing translation for a long time. What is the ultimate standard for a good translation?

B 最著名的當然是翻譯家嚴復先生提出的“信、達、雅”理論。“信”就是說忠實原文，“達”則是說貼切地表達原文，而“雅”是指用優雅的語言表達。人們常把“信、達、雅”掛在嘴邊，其實，這是很難達到的文學翻譯最高境界。能夠達到這個黃金標準，當然是非常優秀的翻譯。不過，只有中英文水平極高，並且有豐富實踐經驗的人才能達到這一點。

zuì zhùmíng de dāngrán shì fānyìjiā Yán Fù xiānsheng tíchū de `` xìn, dá, yǎ" lǐlùn. `` xìn" jiùshì shuō zhōngshí yuánwén, `` dá" zé shì shuō tiēqiède biǎodá yuánwén, ér `` yǎ" shìzhǐ yòng yōuyǎ de yǔyán biǎodá. rénmen cháng bǎ `` xìn, dá, yǎ" guà zài zuǐ biān, qíshí, zhè shì hěn nán dádào de wénxué fānyì zuì gāo jìngjiè. nénggòu dádào zhège huángjīn biāozhǔn, dāngrán shì fēicháng yōuxiù de fānyì. bùguò, zhǐyǒu Zhōng Yīng wén shuǐpíng jígāo, bìngqiě yǒu fēngfù shíjiàn jīngyàn de rén cáiněng dádào zhè yīdiǎn.

The most well-known is of course translator Mr. Yan Fu's theories of 'faithfulness to the original text', 'communication of ideas' and 'literary elegance'. People always talk about these, but actually these standards mark only literary translation of the highest quality, which is extremely difficult to achieve. Translation that can meet these ideal standards is, of course, excellent. But only those with high command of both the Chinese and English language along with years of practical experience can consistently maintain such a standard.

A 那麼一般的翻譯要具備什麼條件呢？

nàme yībān de fānyì yào jùbèi shénme tiáojiàn ne?

What capacities does an average translator need to have then?

B 這要看哪種翻譯了。大致上分為筆譯和口譯。而翻譯又各自有不同的領域。比如說，筆譯有文學翻譯，專業翻譯，例如法律、醫藥、科技等等。而口譯除了專業的分別，還有同聲傳譯和交傳的根本區別。

zhè yào kàn nǎ zhǒng fānyì le. dàzhìshàng fēnwéi bǐyì hé kǒuyì. ér fānyì yòu gèzi yǒu bùtóng de lǐngyù. bǐrú shuō, bǐyì yǒu wénxué fānyì, zhuānyè fānyì, lìrú fǎlǜ, yīyào, kējì děngděng. ér kǒuyì chúle zhuānyè de fēnbié, hái yǒu tóngshēngchuányì hé jiāochuán de gēnběn qūbié.

That depends on which kind of translation you are talking about. There are two general types: written translation and oral interpretation, each of which has its own specific fields. For example, written translation involves literary and professional translation, which includes the fields of law, medicine, technology, and so on. There is also professional interpretation, which is also further divided up into simultaneous and consecutive interpretation.

A 同聲傳譯現在可是熱門職業啊！市場需求很大，而且薪水也非常高。我聽說，同傳一個小時可以賺2000塊錢，是真的嗎？

tóngshēngchuányì xiànzài kěshì rèmén zhíyè ā! shìcháng xūqiú hěn dà, érqiě xīnshuǐ yě fēicháng gāo. wǒ tīngshuō, tóngchuán yī ge xiǎoshí kěyǐ zhuàn liǎngqiān kuài qián, shì zhēndema?

Simultaneous interpretation is a hot profession right now! There is huge market demand and it's very well-paid. I've heard that a simultaneous interpreter can make 2000 RMB an hour. Is it true?

B 那是最頂尖的翻譯在最頂尖的場合。其實，大多數同傳沒有這麼高的薪水。不過，翻譯的確是個不錯的行業。但是相應的，好的翻譯必須經過很多努力，而且要不斷地進步。掌握新詞彙，不斷擴展不同領域的知識。

nà shì zuì dǐngjiān de fānyì zài zuì dǐngjiān de chǎnghé. qíshí, dàduōshù tóngchuán méiyǒu zhème gāo de xīnshuǐ. bùguò, fānyì díquè shì ge bùcuò de hángyè. dànshì xiāngyìng de, hǎo de fānyì bìxū jīngguò hěn duō nǔlì, érqiě yào bùduàn de jìnbù. zhǎngwò xīn cíhuì, búduàn kuòzhǎn bùtóng lǐngyù de zhīshi.

That's only the best interpreters at top events. Actually, most simultaneous interpreters don't get that kind of pay. However, translation is indeed a good profession. But at the same time, a good translator must work very hard and keep improving. They need to master new words, keep up with new developments and expand their knowledge of different professional fields.

A 你覺得做口譯和筆譯的時候，最重要的和最難的是什麼？

nǐ juéde zuò kǒuyì hé bǐyì de shíhou, zuì zhòngyāo de hé zuì nán de shì shénme?

What do you think are the most important and the most difficult things when doing written translation and interpretation?

B 不論是書面還是口頭，最重要的就是準確和通順。這兩個詞包含了許多深層次的意義，更需要不斷地學習。而最難的是遇到沒有對應的表達。可是即使這樣，也一定要儘量忠實原文，而且翻譯得自然、漂亮。

bùlùn shì shūmiàn hái shì kǒutóu, zuì zhòngyāo de jiùshì zhǔnquè hé tōngshùn. zhè liǎng ge cí bāohán le xǔduō shēncéngcì de yìyì, gèng xūyào búduàn de xuéxí. ér zuì nán de shì yùdào méiyǒu duìyìng de biǎodá. kěshì jíshǐ zhèyàngde, yě yīdìng yào jǐnliàng zhōngshí yuánwén, érqiě fānyì de zìrán, piàoliang.

For both written and spoken translation, the most important thing is accuracy and fluency. These two words have many in-depth implications. Moreover, they require constant learning as a foundation. The most difficult is when there is no exact match for an expression you encounter. But even so, you must endeavor to stay faithful to the original text and translate in a natural and eloquent way.

A 聽起來真累！怪不得你都得強迫症了，每天買中英文兩份報紙，把相同的新聞對照看一遍。

tīng qǐlai zhēn lèi! guàibude nǐ dōu dé qiǎngpòzhèng le, měitiān mǎi Zhōng Yīng wén liǎng fēn bàozhǐ, bǎ xiāngtóng de xīnwén duìzhào kàn yī biàn.

It does sound painstaking! No wonder you've got an obsessive compulsive disorder -- every day you get both the Chinese and English newspaper and read the same story in both languages.

B 是呀。而且我只要看到一個詞，就會本能地想到對應的翻譯。不過，當我翻譯出一篇文章，或是一次會議後，感覺就像解開了密碼，所有的辛苦都值得。

shì yā. érqiě wǒ zhǐyào kàndào yī ge cí, jiù huì běnněng de xiǎngdào duìyìng de fānyì. bùguò, dàng wǒ fānyì chū yī piān wénzhāng, huò shì yīcì huìyì hòu, gǎnjué jiùxiàng jiěkāi le mìmǎ, suǒyǒu de xīnkǔ dōu zhíde.

Yeah. Furthermore, whenever I see a word, I instinctively think about its corresponding translation. But when I complete a work of translation or a conference interpretation, I feel as if I have broken a secret code and all the hard work feels worthwhile.

Key Vocabulary

標準 biāozhǔn

翻譯家 fānyìjiā

理論 lǐlùn

忠實 zhōngshí

貼切地 tiēqiède

優雅 yōuyǎ

掛在嘴邊 guà zài zuǐbiān

境界 jìngjiè

豐富 fēngfù

實踐經驗 shíjiàn jīngyàn

具備 jùbèi

大致上 dàzhìshàng

筆譯 bǐyì

口譯 kǒuyì

領域 lǐngyù

同聲傳譯 tóngshēngchuányì

交傳 jiāochuán