江娜
(江娜:中國藥科大學(xué)英語系,講師,碩士。研究方向:魯迅作品的譯介。)
魯迅一直主張“竭力將可有可無的字、句、段刪去,毫不可惜”,然而,我們發(fā)現(xiàn)在《吶喊》和《彷徨》里,這位語言大師使用了大量的重復(fù)手法。重復(fù)在其中扮演了其他辭格所不能替代的重要角色。當(dāng)然,這些重復(fù)手法的文體意義并非完全一致,而且其表現(xiàn)形式也并不單一。鑒于其在翻譯中的體現(xiàn),本文將僅考慮那些并非作為語篇銜接手段的具有文體意義的重復(fù),包括表現(xiàn)中心思想的關(guān)鍵詞語的重復(fù)以及在文中具有特殊意義的句子的重復(fù)。
小說《孤獨(dú)者》的第一部分,作者著重描寫在人們眼里的魏連殳的異樣?!爱悩印弊鳛橹黝}詞共出現(xiàn)四次:(1)但他們卻更不明白他,仿佛將他當(dāng)作一個(gè)外國人看待,說是“同我們都異樣的”。However, they understood him ever less, looking on him as if he were a foreigner. “He’s not like us!” they said.(2)但因?yàn)樗麤]有家小,家中究竟非常寂寞,這大概也就是大家所謂異樣之一端罷。Since he had neither wife nor children,however, his family was very quiet, and this presumably was one of the things considered freakish about him.(3)這又很出于他們的意外,大家的心的重?fù)?dān)都放下了,但又似乎反加重,覺得太“異樣”,倒很有些可慮似的。This was totally unexpected.A weight had been lifted from their minds, yet their hearts felt heavier than ever, for this was so “freakish” as to give rise to anxiety.(4)……所以從村人看來,他確是一個(gè)異類;…h(huán)ence in the villagers’ eyes he was an undoubted freak.
從以上四句原文以及其相對應(yīng)的譯文可以看出,“異樣”這個(gè)主題詞其中兩次都被處理成了“freakish”。鑒于異樣一詞在本部分中的重復(fù)具有作為主題詞的意義,筆者認(rèn)為將其仍然譯為“freakish”較為恰當(dāng)。試將該句改譯為“He’s freakish to us!”
在小說的第二部分中,作者五次描寫了魏連殳的“冷”以突出其桀驁不馴、蔑視世俗的個(gè)性,包括“素性這么冷”,(customary reserve )“冷冷的微笑”,(cold smile )“卻再不像平時(shí)那樣的冷冷的了”,(customary coldness) “冷冷的態(tài)度”(looked cold again)以及“詞氣的冷峭”(the cynicism of his remark”)等。譯者將其中三次處理為“cold”,另外兩次分別換用了“reserve”以及“cynicism”。雖然這樣的處理較好地體現(xiàn)了文章用詞的“variety”,符合英文的習(xí)慣,但是筆者認(rèn)為在此處首先應(yīng)該考慮的是對主題詞的體現(xiàn),因此,這兩處分別換成“customary coldness”以及“the coldness of his remark”似乎更好。
句子的重復(fù)在小說集《吶喊》與《彷徨》中出現(xiàn)頻率最高。例如:(1)一代不如一代!Each generation is worse than the last! (《風(fēng)波》8次)(2)我突然想到她的死,然而立刻自責(zé),懺悔了。The thought of her death occurred to me abruptly, but at once I reproached myself and felt remorse.(《傷逝》2次)(3)自己的,他們誰也沒有干涉我的權(quán)利!I’m my own mistress.None of them has any right to interfere with me.(《傷逝》2次)
以上所舉均為小說集中句子重復(fù)的實(shí)例,從其相應(yīng)譯文可以看出,譯者已經(jīng)注意到了這樣的重復(fù),基本上原文的重復(fù)形式在譯文中都得到了保留。當(dāng)然這些重復(fù)都較為明顯,只要譯者翻譯態(tài)度認(rèn)真,不隨意對原文進(jìn)行改動,一般不易忽略這樣較大規(guī)模,較多次數(shù)的重復(fù)。
以下討論幾例易于忽視的重復(fù):趙家遭搶之后,未莊人大抵很快意而且恐慌,阿Q也很快意而且恐慌。After the Zhao family was robbed most of the people in Weizhuang felt pleased yet fearful,and Ah Q was no exception.(《阿Q正傳》2次)
這句話的翻譯里面,譯者為了避免造成英語中的累贅乏味而將后半部分的重復(fù)進(jìn)行了處理。為了看看這樣的處理究竟對文體意義的傳達(dá)有沒有影響,不妨將譯文回譯:“趙家遭搶之后,未莊人大抵很快意而且恐慌,阿Q也不例外?!痹膶Π與未莊人作出了區(qū)分,意思是阿Q跟未莊人一樣的“很快意而且恐慌”。因此這里譯文的處理是不恰當(dāng)?shù)?,試改譯為:After the Zhao family was robbed most of the people in Weizhuang felt pleased yet fearful,and Ah Q also felt pleased and fearful.
下一例選自《阿Q正傳》的“優(yōu)勝紀(jì)略”以及“續(xù)優(yōu)勝紀(jì)略”部分。(1)才心滿意足的得勝的走了。…would the idlers walk away, satisfied at having won.(2)心滿意足的得勝的走了。Thereupon he too would walk away, satisfied at having won.(3)到十秒鐘,阿Q也心滿意足的得勝的走了……In less than ten seconds, however, Ah Q would walk away also satisfied that he had won, thinking that…(4)勝的躺下了。He lay down satisfied that he had gained the victory.
眾所周知,阿Q的思想核心是“精神勝利法”,“精神勝利法”是他在現(xiàn)實(shí)生活中忍受一切不堪忍受的壓迫的思想支柱?!熬駝倮ā痹谛≌f中也是作者著重刻畫的內(nèi)容。以上所列出的四句都是作者的敘述部分,是對人們使用精神勝利法后狀態(tài)的描述。這種狀態(tài)是相同的。前兩例譯者進(jìn)行了同樣處理,即“satisfied at having won”,第三例稍微作了些改動,但第四例卻換了一種說法,即“satisfied that he had gained the victory”。為了保持這種敘述的一致性,同時(shí)保留原文對這種描寫的加強(qiáng)作用,本文作者認(rèn)為將后兩例也改為“satisfied at having won”為佳。
申丹.敘述學(xué)與小說文體學(xué)[M].北京:北京大學(xué)出版社,2004.