《射雕英雄傳》終于有英譯版了!最難譯的不是“九陰白骨爪”

“Translating Jin Yong is often a daunting task because of the complexity of his language, which integrates prose and poetry and makes extensive use of ‘four-character phrases’ and other Chinese idioms in order to recreate the ‘feel’ of traditional Chinese vernacular novels.”

“翻譯金庸令人生畏。為了營(yíng)造中國(guó)傳統(tǒng)小說(shuō)的感覺(jué)，他的語(yǔ)言復(fù)雜，作品里夾雜詩(shī)歌，還大量使用四字成語(yǔ)和民間俗語(yǔ)。”

The characters in Cha’s world — who have colorful names like the “Seven Freaks of the South” — operate in what is known as the jianghu, a term that is familiar to Chinese speakers and any reader of wuxia fiction but difficult to translate into English. The word literally translates as “rivers and lakes,” but is typically used to mean people who live in a world parallel to conventional society, one that operates by its own laws and code of ethics. It is closely linked to another wuxia term, the wulin, or “martial arts forest,” referring to a community of people practicing martial arts.

金庸小說(shuō)中人物的名字極富特色，比如“江南七怪(Seven Freaks of the South)”等，這些人行走在 “江湖”之中。中國(guó)讀者熟悉的“江湖”，字面意思為“江和湖”，但其意蘊(yùn)很難翻譯成英文，因?yàn)樗Ｓ脕?lái)表示和古代傳統(tǒng)社會(huì)平行存在的社會(huì)環(huán)境，其生存法規(guī)和道德自成一派。“江湖”和“武林”休戚相關(guān)，后者指代會(huì)武功的人組成的群體。

《雪山飛狐》 Fox Volant of the Snowy Mountain

《鹿鼎記》 The Deer and the Cauldron

《書劍恩仇錄》 The Book and the Sword

“I already had an interest in China and Chinese history, but that trip proved to be formative for me. After two months seeing China from north to south and east to west, I came away feeling that the only way I would satisfy my curiosity about the country, its people and the culture would be to learn Chinese.”

“我在此之前就對(duì)中國(guó)與中國(guó)歷史感興趣，但是那次旅行對(duì)于我(學(xué)中文)起了決定性影響。兩個(gè)月間我游遍了中國(guó)的東南西北。離開的時(shí)候我想，只有一種方法能滿足我對(duì)中國(guó)、中國(guó)人與中國(guó)文化的好奇心，那就是學(xué)中文!”

“A lot of people are curious about the way I have translated the names of moves or elements of martial arts, but these aren't really the most crucial features of whether or not a translation is successful.”

很多人都很好奇我是怎么翻譯那些武功招數(shù)的名稱，但這些其實(shí)不是決定一個(gè)譯文是否成功的最關(guān)鍵因素。

“It’s all about whether the English reader will be drawn into the emotions and the characters, that he or she will be amazed by the prowess of the fighting or caught up in the political intrigues.”

重要的是譯文能否讓英語(yǔ)讀者被書中的情緒和人物吸引，能否讓讀者被超凡脫俗的武打所震撼，能否將書中的陰謀詭計(jì)翻得扣人心弦。

A northerly wind was blowing fierce as they left the inn. The boy shivered. “My sincerest gratitude. Farewell.”

出得店來(lái)，朔風(fēng)撲面。那少年似覺(jué)寒冷，縮了縮頭頸，說(shuō)道：“叨擾了，再見罷。”

But Guo Jing could not stand to see the boy head into such a cold night wearing such scant clothing. He placed his black sable coat on the boy’s shoulders. “Brother, I feel as if I’ve known you my whole life. Take this against the wind.”

郭靖見他衣衫單薄，心下不忍，當(dāng)下脫下貂裘，披在他身上，說(shuō)道：“兄弟，你我一見如故，請(qǐng)把這件衣服穿了去。”

He slipped two ingots of gold into one of the pockets, leaving himself two more for his journey. The boy left without even saying thank you, and began to trudge against the weather, before turning around for one last look.

他身邊尚剩下四錠黃金，取出兩錠，放在貂裘的袋中。那少年也不道謝，披了貂裘，飄然而去。那少年走出數(shù)十步，回過(guò)頭來(lái)。

Guo Jing was standing beside his bridled horse, watching him. The young man waved and Guo Jing ran over to him. “Does my brother need anything?”

見郭靖手牽著紅馬，站在長(zhǎng)街上兀自望著自己，呆呆出神，知他舍不得就此分別，向他招了招手。郭靖快步過(guò)去，道：“賢弟可還缺少甚么?”

“I didn’t ask you your name,” he said and smiled. “Yes, we forgot. My family name is Guo, my given name Jing, meaning Serenity. And you?” “My family name is Huang, my given name Rong, meaning Lotus.”

那少年微微一笑，道：“還沒(méi)請(qǐng)教兄長(zhǎng)高姓大名。”郭靖笑道：”真是的，這倒忘了。我姓郭名靖。兄弟你呢?”那少年道：“我姓黃，單名一個(gè)蓉字。”

Many have considered Jin Yong’s world too foreign, too Chinese for an English-speaking readership. Impossible to translate. And yet this story of love, loyalty, honor and the power of the individual against successive corrupt governments and invading forces is as universal as any story could hope to be. The greatest loss that can occur in translation can only come from not translating it at all.

人們認(rèn)為金庸的世界對(duì)于英語(yǔ)讀者來(lái)說(shuō)，異域風(fēng)味太濃了，太中國(guó)了。譯不了。但這個(gè)故事里的愛、忠誠(chéng)、榮耀、對(duì)腐敗官府和入侵者的抗?fàn)幱质敲恳粋€(gè)故事都渴望擁有的。不譯，才是最大的損失。