MTI备考之M君讲翻译㊵
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M君讲翻译系列，每周一练，本周带来一篇英译汉练习材料。上周，M君带来一篇关于第一个毕业于美国大学的中国留学生容闳的故事。本周，我们的翻译练习依旧是一篇描写人物的文章，主人公就是著名的作家、政治家、物理学家本杰明·富兰克林。赶快跟着M君一起来翻译新材料吧！
Day Day Up
原文：
Benjamin Franklin: The First American
How does one characterize Benjamin Franklin? Journalist, scientist, educator, politician, writer, administrator, philosopher he truly seemed to be able to do almost everything. His accomplishments and the talents and interests which he displayed during the course of his long life--1706 to 1790--have caused him to be called both "the first American" and "the last universal man".
Historian Samuel Eliot Morison gives this view of the man: "Franklin's secret, the thing that 'made him tick' and pulled every aspect of his mind together, was his love of people. He talked with English and French statesmen as an equal; he was as homely and comfortable as an old shoe." Morison even speculated that if we had been alive in 1776 and had made a call upon Benjamin Franklin, he would have made us feel at home. He would have asked about our parents, and probably would have known them, or at least about them; he would then have asked us about ourselves, drawn us out, and sent us away with some good advice, a handshake, and a smile.
Benjamin was one of 17 children, all of whom were expected to help support the large Franklin household. As a young child, he worked in the shop of his father, a soap and candle maker, but this work did. not appeal to a boy who loved to read and study. Therefore, when he was 12, Benjamin was sent to assist his half- brother James who had a printing shop. There, surrounded by books, young Ben would often stay up late into the night reading on a wide range of subjects; and as he read, he practiced improving his own style of writing.
（参考译文获取方式在文末等着你！）
翻译要点：
1. 这是一篇传记性文字，语言朴实无华、简洁明了，作者娓娓道来，没有藻饰和造作，一个可亲可敬，却又无比高大，须仰视才见的伟人形象跃然纸上。翻译时要注意作者的这种叙事风格，努力再现富兰克林既平易近人，又超凡脱俗的人格魅力。
2. His accomplishments and the talents and interests which he displayed during the course of his long life--1706 to 1790--have caused him to be called both "the first American" and "the last universal man".
本句的翻译需注意英汉语叙事方式的差异和不同搭配习惯两个问题。就叙事方式而言，一般说来，英语讲究开门见山，而后借助从句以及其它句法手段加以解释说明，整个叙述结构紧凑，逻辑严密；而汉语则往往按照时间顺序或逻辑顺序展开，借助动词，一项一项地交待，整个叙述明快简练，清晰明了。就搭配习惯而言，英汉语往往有很大差异，英语中自然的搭配到了汉语可能就不自然了。如，He has great ears and eyes。若译成“他有了不起的耳朵和眼睛”就不如译成“他耳聪目明”自然地道。因此，在参考译文中，以“在他漫长的生命历程中”引领全句，搭配上选用“取得成就”、“ 展现才能”、“赢得称号”等，都是从英汉不同叙事方式和搭配习惯出发处理译文的。
3. Historian Samuel Eliot Morison gives this view of the man: "Franklin's secret, the thing that 'made him tick' and pulled every aspect of his mind together, was his love of people.
本句需注意具体化和抽象化引申的问题。如:“gives this view of the man”译为“这样评价富兰克林”为具体化引申；“made him tick”译为“令他如此具有活力”则为抽象化引申。这是翻译实践中一对非常重要的技巧，应注意学习。
4. He talked with English and French statesmen as an equal; he was as homely and comfortable as an old shoe：talk在这里主要是指与英法政治家的“对话”。此外，本句的翻译还要注意词类转换技巧的应用。试比较：
A) 他就像一只穿旧的鞋子，让人感到普通而又舒适。
B) 他就像一只旧鞋子一样普通和舒适。
5. He would have asked about our parents, and probably would have known them, or at least about them：这里需注意区分know them和know about them的含义，在汉译时加以体现。
6. Benjamin was one of 17 children, all of whom were expected to help support the large Franklin household：本句可有两种处理方法，一是像参考译文那样，译成“本杰明家共有17个孩子”；二是译为“本杰明共有16个兄弟姐妹”。但应避免直译成“本杰明是17个孩子中的一个”，这样不太符合汉语的表达习惯。
7. Therefore, when he was 12，Benjamin was sent to assist his half-brother James who had a printing shop：富兰克林的母亲是继母，因此，这里有half-brother之说。此外，这里还应注意定语从句的译法。参考译文采取的是“顺译法”，即不考虑关系代词，由先行词与从句部分直接衔接，顺势而译。当然该句还可将从句单独译出，全句译为:“于是12岁的时候，本杰明就被送到同父异母的哥哥詹姆斯那里帮忙，詹姆斯开着一家印刷所。”但效果不如参考译文。
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