2013年英語翻譯考試筆譯文章導讀(3)

We checked out town and headed to the airport to pick up the last straggler, who came in from San Francisco for one night. “I wouldn’t have missed this for anything,” she said, despite her 4 a.m. trip to the airport. That night we celebrated over margaritas and Southwestern fare, each of us gazing at the faces around the table as we wondered, who would have thought the bonds of childhood could last this long? Some of us have been friends since the age of five, some since age twelve and, yet, here we are approaching the age of thirty. Quite rapidly, I might add.

我們離開城里，去機場接最后一個“落伍者”。她來自舊金山，會來呆上一晚。“我怎么也不能錯過這次聚會。”她說。盡管她要凌晨四點趕到機場。那天晚上，我們喝著瑪格麗塔酒，吃著美國西南部的佳肴來慶祝。彼此都凝望著圍坐在桌子前的這些面孔，心生感慨：誰會想到孩童時的友誼可以維持這么長時間呢?我們其中一些人自五歲起便是朋友，有些是十二歲才開始成為朋友，然而，我們現(xiàn)在都接近三十歲了。真的過得很快，我不得不加上這句。

The weekend consisted of long talks by the pool, wonderful meals, and a hike that brought the entire group to tears. Not tears of sadness or anger, but an outpouring of emotion over the sheer wonderment that we can be this close-twelve years after graduation-with such physical distance between us. It’s heartbreaking that we can’t spend our days together in the same neighborhood, walking the same streets, reading the same newspaper at the same coffee shop. But that’s life. Grown-up life.

那個周末的活動包括在池塘邊長時間談心，享用美味的飯菜以及一次讓我們所有人淚濕衣襟的遠足步行。這些不是傷心或憤怒的眼淚，而是純粹驚嘆盡管畢業(yè)十二年了，彼此距離那么遙遠，但卻能保持如此親密的關(guān)系，眼淚是這種情感的迸發(fā)。我們不能在同一個社區(qū)里生活，不能每天走在同一條街道上，不能坐在同一間咖啡店里看同一份報紙，這都讓人感到悲傷。但，這就是生活，成年人的生活。

Most amazing is the group’s adaptability to one another. The months we spend apart are non-existent. No need to get reacquainted, we jump back in the saddle and it’s as comfortable as ever. Old friends-friends with an ever-present sense of support and sisterhood, friends that know each other innately-are hard to come by and yet we remain as tight today as we were, years ago, giggling in the back row of Mr. McKechnie’s 9th grade math class.

最讓人覺得不可思議的是我們這幫人對彼此的適應(yīng)性。仿佛我們分開的那些日子不曾存在過。無須重新了解熟悉對方，只要跳回各自的角色，舒心依舊。老朋友們——那些不斷給予支持，姐妹情深的朋友，那些命定知心的朋友——是很難遇到的。然而如今，我們親密如故，就像當年念九年級時在麥基奇尼先生教的數(shù)學課上我們在教室后排咯咯傻笑那樣。

Life today, however, is no math class. Our world, spinning slightlyoff its axis is full of doubt, full of fear. Yet it reminds me-now, more than ever-how vital it is that we stay in close touch. We may have questions about our future, but we have true faith in our past, and though this reunion of friends has come to a close, we are already drawing up plans for the next one.

雖然我們?nèi)缃褚巡挥迷偕蠑?shù)學課了。我們的世界稍微有點離軸，其中充滿了猜疑和恐懼。然而，這反而提醒了我——讓我現(xiàn)在比以前更清楚地知道，保持親密關(guān)系是多么的重要。我們可能會對未來充滿疑問，但我們對于過去有真正的信念。盡管這次的朋友聚會已接近尾聲，但我們已經(jīng)開始著手計劃下一次聚會了。