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既然英语句子有“葡萄型”结构之喻，汉语句子有“竹竿型”结构之喻，是否可以说英汉互译便如“葡萄”与“竹竿”之间的转换？如：The boy, who was crying as if his heart would break, said, when I spoke to him, that he was very hungry, because he had had no food for two days．寥寥两行，竟然有六个分句，而主句（The boy said）很短，却悬挂着五个从句。而相应的汉语表达却是用节节短句逐层展开：那个男孩哭得似乎心都碎了，我问他的时候，他说他已经有两天没有吃东西了，他实在是饿极了。
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两译类比，前译用了六个短句，而后译仅用了三句。尤其是Upon hearing that he had been enrolled as a graduate, I was virtually dealt a heavy blow, believing reluctantly so painful a fact that I could never do well enough to win his favor, bitter tears streaming down my cheeks一句，是典型的“葡萄型”结构，主干很短，仅I was virtually dealt a heavy blow而已。而“挂结”其上的，有介词短语，有分词短语，分词短语中还含有状语从句，还有独立主格结构。洋洋洒洒，架床叠屋。须知，英语以此句型为美，而过多的短句的排列，被贬为baby English。
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二十岁的时候，随时随地向人透露我的年龄，答得比问得还快。三十岁之后，最恨别人问年龄，你要是非问不可，你猜啊。
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【原译】At the age of twenty, I was always ready to disclose my age on all occasions and could not wait to speak out the answer until the inquirer finished his words. After I have turned thirty, I hate any inquiry about my age. If you insist, have a guess.
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【改译】At the age of twenty, I was so ready to reveal my age, telling people about my age frequently before they inquired. After thirty, age became almost a taboo to me. If somebody is so nosy, I respond, “Guess.”
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英语运用词汇的转义可谓竭泽而渔，最常用的词汇也可用其转义，而令表达生辉，这就令汉语为母语者暗羡！因为，数千年来，汉语循规蹈矩，为词汇的本义所茧服，小心翼翼，不敢越雷池一步。“脚趾”，就是脚趾，还能派什么用场？一生中我们使用“脚趾”一词能有几次？然而，打开英语词典，我们见到了别样的风景！对tiptoe（脚趾）一词，英语也不轻易放过。tiptoe用作动词，转义渐生：踮着脚走；蹑手蹑脚地走。如：She tiptoed out of the room so as not to wake the baby.（为了不把婴儿吵醒，她蹑手蹑脚地走出了房间。）但是，这还不够，英语还要更竭泽而渔，对tiptoe进一步引申，于是产生了如下用法：1）用作形容词，如：He is a man of tiptoe caution.（他是做事战战兢兢的男子。）2）用作名词：The students are all on the tiptoe of expectation for the arrival of their foreign teacher.（学生们翘首盼望外籍教师的来临。）I was really on the tiptoe of excitement when I got to know that university enrolled me.（当我得知，我被那所大学录取的时候，我万分激动！）The children were on tiptoe for the vacation to begin.（孩子们急切盼望假期开始。）
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遗憾的是，国人学习英语常被英语词汇的转义弄得晕头转向，在汉英翻译中惯于运用英语词汇的本义，束手束脚，打不开思路。“三十岁之后，最恨别人问年龄，你要是非问不可，你猜啊”一句中的“恨”，必译hate，“非问不可”，必译If you insist。如果我们认识英语词汇的这个特点，我们的译文也许就生动活泼得多，地道精彩得多。比如改译中的taboo和nosy两词就值得我们思考。
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二十岁的时候，一心想和体育系、美术系的男生约会。三十岁之后，我简直认为自己当年是白痴。
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【原译】When in my twenties, I was only willing to date boys from sports or art department. After thirty, I even thought I had been an idiot before.
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【改译】At the age of twenty, I did long to date with boys from either the physical education or the art department. After thirty, it seems so unbelievable that I once idiotically possessed that thought.
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除了不善使用英语词汇的转义之外，对英语词汇构词的灵活性，我们只是局限于学习，至多是欣赏的层次上；在翻译中如何加以活用，我们也考虑较少。比如原句出现了“白痴”二字，译者只是照搬，将它译成idiot。译idiot固无不可，但是，若使用其副词形式（idiotically），岂不更佳？因为，它不仅显现一种暗示美，而且还折射了别样的强调意味。
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二十岁的时候，有书店必逛，有书必买。三十岁之后，对书店视而不见，直接去了隔壁的美容院。
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【原译】At the age of twenty, I frequented the bookstores and bought whatever I found. After thirty, I ignored them and went ahead into the nearby beauty parlor.
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【改译】At the age of twenty, bookstores were a must for me, and I was a big book buyer. While after thirty, paying no attention to the bookstore, I breeze into the beauty parlor next door.
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美学心理学认为，语言表达的精确和模糊既对立，又统一，各有各的审美价值。模糊，与精确一样，透现出一种美。如何通过模糊去获得精确美，是译者不能忘怀的。原句的“有书必买”译成bought whatever I found，似乎很精确，其实无美可言，甚至经不起逻辑的推敲。后改译的“有书店必逛，有书必买”，用了两个“小词”：a must和a big book buyer，既轻巧，又含糊，轻巧中透出幽默，含糊中体现了精确！
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另外值得一提的是，后译运用了动词breeze的转义，不仅动词本身很美，而且和名词beauty parlor构成了和谐美，其效果非went ahead into可比。
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二十岁的时候，老妈打电话，不等说完三句就恨不能挂了电话。三十岁之后，一听到妈的声音就禁不住哭出声来：“妈呀，您老的所有担心现在都应验了……”
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【原译】At the age of twenty, when mother phones me, I am anxious to hang up immediately. After the age of thirty, on hearing mother’s voice on the phone, I cannot help crying out, “Mom, all that you worried about have come true.”
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【改译】At the age of twenty, while talking with my mother over the phone, I wanted to hang up before my mother had finished a few words. After thirty the voice of Mom invariably triggers my crying, “Mom, your worries about my marrige have all come true.”
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东方人和西方人的思想方式有基本分歧。
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思想方式和文化取向必然影响语言。汉语表达的走向也是暗示与含蓄携手，模糊与朦胧拥抱。上段里的“您老的所有担心现在都应验了”就是一例。其中的“担心”指什么？悬念虽在，读者却不觉得解。汉语的模糊含蓄可见一斑。把话说白了，反而不美了。
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可是，英语表达却不然，挖掘需求“尽”，描写需求“周”，或者用杨振宁的话来说，必须“准确而具体”。换言之，“担心”的内容须得有所交代。Mom, all that you worried about have come true的译文令英语的native speakers茫然。为此，笔者曾与美国教授Bill Hofmann有以下email探讨：
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笔者：Bill, the Chinese text does not contain “my marriage”. If in the version I do not add “about my marriage”, could you native speakers understand the implied meaning?
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Bill: Ronggui, I think it is better to retain the marriage reference.
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故译文中应有所增译：Mom, your worries about my marrige have all come true.
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