文 、譯 / 林巍

與細菌共生存

文 、譯 / 林巍1

Living with Bacteria

每當聽到有人說要消滅我們身體中的細菌或戰(zhàn)勝疾病時，便會感到不那么準確2這里的“準確”不妨與后面的“事實并非如此”結合起來翻譯，并加上“感到”之意（annoys）。，因為事實并非如此。

[2]地球上有4000多萬種細菌，它們先于人類很久來到這個世界。細菌繁衍3將“繁衍”分為 evolved as…和 multiplied into…兩個詞組譯出。了生物，進而是各種類型的生命，而任何生物都離不開細菌，包括人類。當人類在地球上消失之后，細菌還會生存很久。在這個意義上，是細菌把我們帶來，又把我們送走。

[3]據(jù)科學發(fā)現(xiàn)，人體中的菌細胞比人體自身的細胞多約10倍，而人體本身所寄生的細菌病毒微生物的總量大約1.5公斤到3公斤，主要分布在腸道，同時也大量存活于皮膚及其他器官。這些細菌在體內，由于免疫系統(tǒng)效應，大都對身體是有益的，它們通過輸送溶解了的化合物向身體提供營養(yǎng)。換言之，人體正常生理功能的運轉，完全依賴于這些細菌微生物的作用4沒有按其字面意思譯成 the micro-organic function of bacteria, 而是根據(jù)其性質譯為by converting dissolved compounds。。

[4]當然，細菌也會引起疾病，如霍亂、梅毒、炭疽熱、麻瘋病、 黑死病等都是有名的細菌病。其根源是細菌變成了病菌。二者的區(qū)別在于，細菌是細胞間微生物，而病菌是細胞內微生物，它們對原細胞中基因物質的正常功能產生影響，引起病變。

[5]既然細菌于體內無時無刻不在，那么如何會在某一時刻發(fā)生病變？這主要由身體條件的變化所造成。在正常條件下，兩個陣營和平共處、相安無事，而一旦身體免疫力下降5未用通常的 decline、fall、drop、decrease 等，而是更準確的 impair，以說明其性質。，強的一方便會攻擊過來，產生“異?！睜顟B(tài)，這便是“得病6一般譯成fall ill、be ill等，但考慮到這里是因一方“入侵”導致失去平衡而出現(xiàn)的癥狀，故用了manifesting as “illness”?！?。所謂“治病”，就是將“入侵者”推回去，各就各位，回復原態(tài)。 在西方，近來也形成了“與癌細胞共生存”的理念。

[6]根據(jù)中醫(yī)理論，人類與微生物是共生共存、和諧平衡的關系。這些細菌組成了體內的微生態(tài)，是人體不可或缺的一部分。具體而言，就是人體中正氣與邪氣的關系，“正氣不存，邪氣入內”?！罢龤狻笔钦{節(jié)陰陽及虛實狀態(tài)的物質，“邪氣”是其對立面，在某種意義上是“毒”的概念；“邪之所湊，其氣必衰”。因而中醫(yī)理解的健康機制就是在體內不斷“扶正祛邪7關于“正” 和 “邪” 的中醫(yī)概念，這里用了多種詞匯，如vital / evil，resistance /malignant factors 等，下面還有（healthy）/ unhealthy 等?！钡倪^程。

[7]然而，“養(yǎng)正氣，祛邪毒”并不是一味地88一般多用 blindly、do far more than just …、obstinately等，如：“他終于意識到一味地追求虛榮是毫無意義的”（He fi nally realized that blindly pursuing vanity was meaningless）；“對于學生來講，學習并不只是一味地上課”（In terms of learning, students do far more than attend classes）；“他只是一味地強調 GDP 而不顧環(huán)境保護”（He obstinately emphasizes GDP at the cost of environmental protection）。這里用了 indiscriminately, 語氣稍重，但卻是積極意義方面的，類似的，如“我們不能一味照搬別人的經驗”（We should not copy indiscriminately the experience of others）等。要“消滅”什么，例如亂吃抗生素等藥品，那樣會打破人體固有的微生物平衡，使“風，寒，暑，濕，燥，火”乘虛而入（中醫(yī)概念），造成免疫力的進一步下降；而新的具有抗藥性細菌和病毒對人體健康會造成更大的危害。須知，“病”不是被戰(zhàn)勝了，而是被平衡了。

[8]依據(jù)這種平衡理念，是切忌亂投醫(yī)，而要少吃藥，或不吃藥，注重飲食養(yǎng)生、運動養(yǎng)生、心理養(yǎng)生，從而固本而正源，才有真正的健康。

[9]可見，關于細菌、病癥的理解，不只是個醫(yī)學問題，更是9一般表達為 it is even more so、 it is especially true 等，而這里用的句式是…is (are)as much…as it (they) is (are)…，強調的是前者。類似的，如：這是給我的、也更是給他們的榮譽。① This is as much an honor to them as (it is) to me. ② This is honoring them as much as it is (honoring) me.個哲學問題、認識論的問題；而中國傳統(tǒng)文化的理念，在此與西方的科學發(fā)現(xiàn)又是不謀而合的。 □

Whenever people say that we should eliminate bacteria from our body and defeat diseases, it annoys me since it’s not entirely correct.

[2] There are more than 40 million types of bacteria on the earth, which came into being much earlier than human beings. Bacteria evolved as organisms which subsequently multiplied into varied types of life; no life, including human beings, can survive without bacteria. Even when humans disappear from the earth, bacteria will still be there.In this sense, we were brought in and will be sent off by bacteria.

[3] According to scienti fi c discoveries,there are approximately ten times as many bacteria in human cells as there are cells in the human body, totaling 1.5 to 3 kg of various bacterial viral microorganisms, with the largest number of human flora being in the gut, and many others on the skin and in other organs. The vast majority of the bacteria in the body are rendered beneficially by the protective effects of the immune system, providing the nutrients needed to sustain life by converting dissolved compounds.

[4] Certainly, some species of bacteria can generate infectious diseases,including some once epidemic diseases,such as cholera, syphilis, anthrax,leprosy, bubonic plague and influenza,caused by bacterial-viral conversion lesions. The main difference between bacteria and viruses lies in their structures: bacteria are intercellular organisms, whereas viruses are intracellular and are infectious to the host cell’s genetically-normal functioning,resulting in pathological changes.

[5] Given the ubiquity of bacteria in our body, how do pathological changes take place all of sudden? Altered conditions in our body are to blame.Under normal conditions, the two equal partners peacefully coexist with each other. Once an immune system is impaired, the sturdier side will intrude and bring about an abnormal condition,manifesting as “illness”. In the treatment, the “invader” is repelled and once the balance is restored the illness will be cured. In the West, an idea of“coexisting with cancer cells” also recently emerged.

[6] According to traditional Chinese medicine (TCM), there are common bonds and harmonious relations between human beings and microorganisms which form an indispensable part of a micro-ecology within our body. In other words, there is a proper balance between vitalqi, which is the substance regulating Yin and Yang, de fi ciency and excess, and evilqi, which is the opposite,symbolizing the idea of poison to a certain degree. Whenever the former is vulnerable, the latter starts its aggression.In this sense of TCM, recuperation is a process of strengthening body resistance and conquering malignant factors.

[7] However, engaging this rejuvenating process is not meant to extinguish everything unhealthy by indiscriminately trying the whole hog, such as by taking excessive antibiotics. Once the subtle equilibrium is lost, all the evil elements proscribed by TCM, such as wind, cold,heat, damp, dryness, fire, will breakthrough at a weak point, further bringing down the immune system. And with antibiotic-resistant bacteria joining the attack, it will put our health at even greater peril. One should therefore note that sickness is not “defeated” as such,but ultimately “balanced out”.

[8] Based on this idea of a balanced mechanism, people should avoid blindly seeking treatment and lavishly using medicines; instead, more attention should be paid to the root causes, which are a healthy diet, sufficient exercise and mental cultivation in terms of genuinely keeping fi t.

[9] Apparently, things concerning bacteria and diseases are as much an issue of philosophy and epistemology as they are of medicine. On this point,however, traditional Chinese thought and modern western science happen to hold the same view. ■

1博士，暨南大學翻譯學院特聘教授。