So this piece will pick up what I have left at December 17th and I will try to discuss a little bit about translation. With a professional translator sitting next door and many more would-be translators roaming about the HJ blogsphere, you can be assured how conscientious I must feel about this subject. Worse yet, I don’t know anything worth saying. The theory of translation has been well discoursed on by what seems like an endless stream of scholars, some great, some unknown. I don’t have any secrets with me that enable one to effortlessly cross the linguistic barriers, though I do try my hands on some translation and help one of my friends to edit translation from time to time in order to earn some pocket money to buy a few bottles of milk. At times I was appalled by the quality of some translations. But there isn’t much I can do. Time is short and work is urgent, so I often have to turn to the other way and let small errors slip by. It is not entirely a joke that we have lousy or even vulgar translations cropping up here and there. Good translations are the result of many things, among which three are standing out as the most significant factors: correct understanding of the original text, good command of the second language and a willing heart to get to the bottom of a question.
Theoretically speaking, translation is simple. Pluck the meaning out of the original text and put it in another language. The trick is to throw away the shackle of the body (the form) and deliver the essence (the meaning). There is nothing new about it. However, like so many other things we do, it is the most minute work that determines the outcome. It is nice to have the big picture in mind, yet only through painting well one broke at a time can the big picture be finished. Take the first factor for instance. In my opinion, this is the most fundamental and important step. As a translator, one often has to deal with information coming from various domains, such as architecture, mechanical engineering, fashion, and finance. Lack of knowledge in these areas is the first and most critical hurdle to cross over. This can be helped by extensive reading and diligent use of search engine. It is a painstaking process to dig out the true meaning hidden in the words. Not an easy job.
At this moment, my thought seems to jump back to what I have said at the start of my last piece. Hard work, boys and girls. Hard work, nothing else. I am not smart, but I was considered smart by some people. And lucky for me, I have been able to study and live with those who also have been considered smart by other people, including some of the most talented young programmers in China and some who speak English so well at their first college year that I can only dream of becoming. Close observation sheds light on why they become what they are. Yes, there are difference in people’s interests and dispositions, but their achievements are mainly due to their consistent devotion and strenuous efforts, sometimes dating back to kindergarten years. I still remember the scene when I saw the girl who had scored the highest mark in English test came to a new-year celebration with Liuyi’s wordbook “22000 words” (and that’s the freshman period). One of my roommates who is fulfilling his doctor degree in finance in Yale University reads English books every night before going to sleep. Their stories make me believe that everyone has the potential to become a master in a particular area, if only we can redeem our dream with solid work, sometimes extreme work. These days niubility can be achieved either through long years of normal hard work, or a shorter period of BT-level hard work, which means the total amount of input will always be the same. No bargain is allowed and no cheat is possible. Both Mr. Liyang and Prof. Zhong’s way of learning English would undoubtedly seem extreme to many, to the extent of pervert. But as Mathilde de la Mole from The Red and the Black put it: “What great deed isn't extreme when it's first begun?”
posted @ 2008-01-27 01:09
starryskycn 阅读(116)
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