2024年2月27日发(作者：)

落花生三篇译文赏析

标题：落花生

译文一：Peanuts

译文二：The Peanut

译文三：The Peanut

赏析：the+单数名词：以个别别的、具体的实务来象征一些相关的综合的抽象事物。结合语境：“爹爹接下去说：‘所以你们要像花生，’‘要做有用的人。’”文章主要是赞扬花生这一物种的优良品格，The Peanut象征落花生的精神，所以The Peanut比Peanuts要好。

选段一：我们屋后有半亩隙地。母亲说，“让它荒芜着怪可惜，既然你们那么爱吃花生，就辟来做花生园罢。”我们几姊弟和几个小丫头都很喜欢——买种的买种，动土的动土，灌园的灌园；过不了几个月，居然收获了!

译文一：Behind our house there lay half a mu of vacant land. Mother said, "It's a

pity to let it lie waste. Since you all like to eat peanuts so much, why not have them

planted here. “That exhilarated us children and our servant girls as well, and soon we

started buying seeds, ploughing the land and watering the plants . We gathered in a

good harvest just after a couple of months!

译文二：At the back of our house there was half a mu of vacant land. "It’s a pity to

let it go to waste like that,” Mother said. "Since you all enjoy eating peanuts, let us

open it up and make it a peanut garden." At that my brother, sister and I were all

delighted and so were the young housemaids. Some went to buy seeds, some dug the

ground and others watered it and, in a couple of months, we had a harvest!

译文三：Behind our house there was a patch of land. "It would be a pity to let it go

wild.” said Mother. “I suggest that since you are all so fond of peanuts you should

grow some there.”

We children and the little maidservants were all delighted. Some of us

bought seeds, some dug up the plot and others watered it. In just a few months we had

a harvest.

赏析：“屋后”从逻辑上讲应该是房子的“后面”Behind，而不是房间的“后部”At the back of。“有一亩空地”通常人们会将其译成there be句型，用lay比用was更具动感。译文一和译文二都用It’s a pity to do sth符合英语表达习惯。

译文三“It would be a pity“语气太委婉不能很好地表达出人物的那种遗憾的心情。译文一“to let it lie waste“和译文二“to let it go to waste like that ” 地道而朴实地表达出原文的意思，而译文三“to let it go wild“表达更生硬，不能很好地表达出人物的那种遗憾心情。译文二和译文三分别将“Mother said”， “said Mother”作为插入语置于两句之间，使译文表达更流畅，很好地传达出原文的口语色彩。

相比之下，译文一将“Mother said”置于句首表达没有译文二和译文三更地道。

译文一、二、三分别用“like to eat peanuts” 、“enjoy eating peanuts” 、“fond of peanuts ”来表达“爱吃花生”。三者之中enjoy表达的喜爱程度最深，并且有享受的感觉，其次是fond of，而like表达的喜爱程度最平淡。所以译文二表达最好。译文一“why not”表示一种商量的语气，译文二“let us”和译文三“I suggest”则没有这种商量的语气，显得更平淡。“姊弟”用“we

children” or“ us children”来表达更简洁精炼，而译文二“brother, sister and

I”表达更啰嗦。小丫头未必就是小丫鬟，也许会是其他女孩子，因此译文一翻译成“servant girls”不妥，会给人造成误解。而译文二和译文三翻译成“the

young housemaids”同样也会给人造成误解，其实“us children”就是指“我们几姊弟和几个小丫头”。所以删去“servant girls”、 “the young

housemaids”。原文第二句中“买种的买种，动土的动土，灌园的灌园”，译文以是将其翻译成“we started buying seeds, ploughing the land and watering the

plants”明显要比译文二” Some went to buy seeds, some dug the ground and others

watered it ”和译文三“Some of us bought seeds, some dug up the plot and others

watered it”生动形象的多。因为starting doing sth更有立刻动手干起来的味道，所以译文一更能表达出我们几姊弟和几个小丫头听到母亲的话兴奋的心情。译文二将原文末句翻译成“in a couple of months, we had a harvest! ”虽然作者没有把“居然”翻译出来，但是却表达出“居然收获”的惊喜之情。译文一和译文三表达更平淡、简单。

选段二：妈妈说：“今晚我们可以做一个收获节，也请你们爹爹来尝尝我们底新花生，如何?”我们都答应了。母亲把花生做成好几样的食品，还吩咐这节期要在园里底茅亭举行。那晚上底天色不太好，可是爹爹也到来，实在很难得！

译文一：Mother said, "How about giving a party this evening to celebrate the harvest

and invite your Daddy to have a taste of our newly-harvested peanuts?”We all agreed.

Mother made quite a few varieties of goodies out of the peanuts, and told us that the

party would be held in the thatched pavilion on the peanut plot.

It looked like rain that evening, yet, to our great joy, Father came nevertheless.

译文二："Let us have a party tonight to celebrate , " Mother suggested, "and ask Dad

to come for a taste of our fresh peanuts. What do you say?" We all agreed, of course.

Mother cooked the peanuts in different styles and told us to go to the thatched

pavilion in the garden for the celebration .

The weather was not very good that night but, to our great delight, Dad came all

the same .

译文三：Mother said, "Let' s have a harvest festival tonight and invite your father to

taste our fresh peanuts. ""

We all agreed. Mother made a variety of dishes using our peanuts and instructed

that the festival should be held in the thatched pavilion in the garden.

The weather was not very good that evening, but even Father put in an

appearance , which was a rare event.

赏析：译文一用"how about" , "invite"来表达母亲建议做一个收获节，语气比较柔和，给人以慈爱的感觉。而译文二"let’s"、"ask"、"What do you say? "则给人一种命令的感觉，译文三"let’s"用的不太恰当，"invite"用的不错。在表达“新花生”，译文一翻译成"newly-harvested peanuts"，显然比译文二，三用fresh表达更地道，fresh只是表示新鲜。“把花生做成好几样的食品”，译文一翻译成"made quite a few varieties of goodies out of the peanuts"，"made sth out of sth"准确译出“把”字。译文二"cooked the peanuts in different styles"则没有译出“把”字，译文三"made a variety of dishes using our peanuts""，虽然译出“把”字，但是"dish"没有"goodies"表达更贴切，因为"goodies"指的是好吃的东西，而"dish"指的是盘装的食品。原文末句，译文一和译文二分别用"to our great joy"，"to

our great delight"来表达喜悦的心情，joy和delight都有乐事的意思，但joy指的是欢乐，高兴，而delight还有欣喜，愉快的意思，所以用delight更能表达出那种喜悦之情。译文二"all the same" 表示仍旧，语气比译文一"nevertheless"和译文三" which was a rare event "更强烈。

选段三：爹爹说：“你们爱吃花生么?”我们都争着答应：“爱!”“谁能把花生底好处说出来?” 姊姊说：“花生底气味很美。”哥哥说：“花生可以制油。”我说：“无论何等人都可以用贱价买它来吃；都喜欢吃它。这就是它的好处。”

译文一："Do you like peanuts?”asked Father. "Yes, we do!” We vied in giving the

answer."Which of you could name the good things in peanuts?" "Peanuts taste good,

“said my elder sister. "Peanuts produce edible oil, " said my elder brother. "Peanuts

are so cheap,” said I, "that anyone can afford to eat them. Peanuts are everyone's

favourite. That's why we call peanuts good. "

译文二:

"Do you like peanuts?”Dad asked. "Yes! “we all answered eagerly ."But

who can tell me what the peanut is good for?" "It is very delicious to eat, “my sister

took the lead.”It is good for making cooking oil, “my brother followed. "It is

inexpensive,” I said. "Almost everyone can afford it and everyone enjoys eating it. I

think this is what it is good for. "

译文三："Do you all like peanuts?”asked Father."Yes! “We all clamoured to reply.

"Who can tell me what’s good about peanuts?" "They taste good,” said older sister.

"They can be made into oil, “said older brother.”Everybody can afford to buy them,

whoever they might be, and everyone likes them. That’s what’s good about peanuts,

“said I.

赏析：“我们都争着答应”，三个译文中译文一翻译的最好。"vie"表示和某人争夺某物，该表达很符合语境。译文二"eagerly"表示渴望，极想，不能表达出“争”的感觉，译文三"clamour"是表示抗议、支持等的叫喊，完全没有表达出“争着答应”的感觉。说花生的好处，译文一"name the good things in peanuts"显然比译文二"what the peanut is good for"和译文三"what’s good about peanuts"表达更地道。在翻译气味很美时，译文一和译文三均用"taste good"来表达，而译文二"delicious to eat"相比之下表达明显没有"taste good"更地道，更简洁。选段末句说“用贱价买花生”，译文一和译文二都增译了“便宜”，cheap是廉价的，实惠的，而"inexpensive"则是廉价的，不贵的，所以相比之下用cheap更符合“用贱价买花生”的语境。译文三却没有增译“便宜”。“买得起”，译文二"afford it"相对译文一"afford to eat them"和译文三"afford to buy them"更简洁。译文一用"Peanuts are everyone's favorite"这一静态表达代替“都喜欢吃它”这一动态表达，更符合英语的的表达习惯。而译文二和译文三都是用动态表达去代替动态表达，显然没有译文一表达更好。“这就是它的好处”，译文一"That's

why we call peanuts good. "表达更符合人物语言的口语化。译文二和译文三相对来讲表达更平淡。

选段四：爹爹说：“花生底用处固然很多；但有一样是很可贵的。这小小的豆不像那好看的苹果、桃子、石榴，把它们底果实悬在枝上，鲜红嫩绿的颜色，令人一望而发生羡慕的心。它只把果子埋在地底，等到成熟，才容人把它挖出来。你们偶然看见一棵花生瑟缩地长在地上，不能立刻辨出它有没有果实，非得等到你接触它才能知道。”

译文一： "It's true that peanuts have many uses, " said Father, "but they're most

beloved in one respect. Unlike nice-looking apple, peaches and pomegranates, which

hang their fruit on branches and win people's instant admiration with their brilliant

colors, tiny little peanuts bury themselves underground and remain unearthed until

they're ripe . When you come upon a peanut plant lying curled up on the ground, you

can never immediately tell whether or not it bears any nuts until you touch them. "

译文二："Peanut is good for many things, " Dad said, "but there is one thing that is

particularly good about it . Unlike apples, peaches or pomegranates that display their

fruits up in the air, attracting you with their beautiful colors, peanut buries its fruit in

the earth. It does not show itself until you dig it out when it is ripe and, unless you dig

out, you can’t tell whether it bears fruit or not just by its frail stems above ground.”

译文三：Father said, "In fact the peanut has many uses, but the most valuable thing

about this little nut is this: it' s not like the apple, peach or pomegranate , flaunting

their bright , beautiful fruits on their branches for all to see and admire. The peanut

lies buried in the soil, waiting until it is ripe before letting people dig it up. If ever you

come across a shy peanut plant you cannot immediately tell whether or not it has any

nuts. You have to find them to be certain.”

赏析：“爹爹说”在英文中通常作为插入语放在句中，所以译文一和译文二比译文三翻译更地道，译文三则是按照中文的思维放置在句首。“固然”一词，译文一用It's true that句型来表达，非常符合英文的表达习惯。而译文二

"particularly"和译文三"In fact"显然没有译文一表达更地道。在表达“可贵”时，译文三表达最恰当，因为"valuable"是宝贵的意思，与可贵意思相近，译文一"beloved"是被爱的，与“可贵”意思不符，译文二"good"根本不能表达出可贵的意思。“鲜红嫩绿的颜色”，译文三" bright"表达最地道，因为" bright"指颜色鲜艳的，译文一"brilliant colors"并不是很恰当，因为" brilliant"指色彩鲜明的，而译文二"beautiful colors"表达也不是很恰当，"beautiful"只是指美丽的，并不指色彩方面的美丽。“发生羡慕的心”，仔细推敲前后文，这里是指高调吸引人们的注意，与后文花生的低调形成对比，因而译文一和译文二翻译比较准确，但从语言的风格来说译文二相对比较简洁，符合写作风格，而译文三"for

all to admire"翻译得不太好，不能表达出“发生羡慕的心”。 “它只把果子埋在地底，等到成熟，才容人把它挖出来”，译文一增译了"tiny little "（“小小的”），译文将tiny和little放在一起，表现出小巧可爱的意思，与是原文的意思相符，准确而且生动。但是从整体上来讲，表达有点啰嗦，应该把"remain

unearthed"去掉。而译文二翻译的信息不够完整。译文三把花生拟人化，"waiting"一词赋予花生生命，使表达更生动形象。对于选段最后一句的翻译，从句式上来讲，译文一运用了条件状语从句，句式简洁而逻辑清晰，符合文章的语言风格，而译文二在句式上略显啰嗦，译文三"shy"一词很好地表达出“瑟缩”的感觉，但是"You have to find them to be certain"表达不是很地道，也不够简洁。此外，译文一翻译深含寓意，与原文平实而生动的风格相符合。所以，从整体上来讲，译文一翻译最好。

选段五：我们都说：“是的。”母亲也点头。爹爹接下去说：“所以你们要像花生，因为它是有用的，不是伟大、好看的东西。”我说：“那么，人要做有用的人，不要做伟大、体面的人了。”爹爹说：“这是我对于你们的希望。”

我们谈到夜阑才散，所以花生食品虽然没有了，然而父亲底话现在还印在我心版上。

译文一： "That's true," we said in unison. Mother also nodded. "So you must take

after peanuts," Father continued, “because they're useful though not great and nice-looking.”

"Then you mean one should be useful rather than great and nice-looking,” I said.

"That's what I expect of you,” Father concluded.

We kept chatting until the party broke up late at night. Today, though nothing is

left of the goodies made of peanuts, Father’s words remain engraved in my mind.

译文二：“That’s true,” we all said and Mother nodded her assent. “So you should try

to be like the peanut,” Dad went on, “because it is useful, though not great or

attractive.”

“Do you mean,” I asked, “we should learn to be useful but not seek to be great

or attractive?”

“Yes,” Dad said. “This is what I wish you to be.”

We stayed up late that night, eating all the peanuts Mother had cooked for us.

But Father’s words remained vivid in my memory till this day.

译文三：We all agreed with this and Mother nodded her head too. Father continued,

“So you should all try to be like the peanut, because it is neither grand nor beautiful,

but useful.”

“Does that mean that people should try to be useful rather than famous or

great?” I asked.

“That is what I hope of you all,” Father replied.

We talked late into the night before dispersing. Although we ate all the peanuts

that evening, Father’s words still remain embedded in my mind.

赏析：在英文中用"That's true"来代替“是的”，不仅表达地道，而且符合语境，所以译文一和译文二翻译较好，而译文三没有结合语境翻译，所以翻译较平淡。

"in unison"是一致的意思，从语境上来看表达比all更好，综合来看译文一翻译最好。“母亲也点头”译文一翻译最简洁，译文二和译文三翻译有点啰嗦。“接着说”翻译成"continue"会更简洁，更符合英语表达习惯。而译文二"went

on"表达没有译文一和译文三更简洁，更地道。“像”，译文一“take after”表示静态的像，符合英语的思维习惯，且文字简洁流畅。译文二和译文三均译成动词"like"，表达更不地道。文中两组形容词“伟大”、“好看”和“伟大”、“体面”的译法，译文一和译文二都翻译成一样的词汇，前部分用来形容物是没问题，但是形容人继续译成" nice-looking"欠准确，译文三对这两组形容词“伟大”、“好看”和“伟大”、“体面”译成" grand"、" beautiful"、"famous"、" great"比较贴切。在表达“希望”， " expect"、" wish"、" hope"三个词中，" wish"表达愿望最强，所以译文二翻译较好。“我们谈到夜阑才散”，译文二翻译最好，也最简洁，最地道，译文一和译文三翻译较啰嗦。“父亲底话现在还印在我心版上”，译文一" engrave"一词用得好，其意思是铭记于心，符合文中意思。译文二" vivid"表达则没有译文一更贴切。译文三"

embed"是深留记忆的意思，表达十分符合文中意思。