学会遗忘Learn to forget(标题大小写没注意, forget 首字母应该大写. 关于标题的大小写是有特定的规则的, 希望不清楚的同学自己查阅)(1)上天赐给我们很多宝贵的礼物，其中之一即是遗忘只是我们过度强调记忆的好处，却反而忽略了遗忘的功能与必要性网友译文: The gold rewards us lots of precious gifts, among which is oblivion. Just because we overstress the benefit of “memory”, we ignore the functions and necessaries of oblivion.我修改后的: The gold has rewarded us lots of precious gifts, among which is oblivion. Just because we often overstress the benefit of “memory”, we ignore the functions and significance of oblivion.点评: 首先要注意时态, 应该把第一句的 “rewards” 改为现在完成时 , 表示 “上帝已经赐给了我们很多礼物”. 另外, 原文最后的 “necessaries” 宜改为 “significance”. 这其实是大多数译者的通病对 “字” 入座. 这是一个译员的大忌. 这里的 “必要性” 根据原文的意思, 也就是重要性, 而如果你译成 “necessaries” , 尽管在意思上勉强可以接受, 可是却不能将原文的意思更加淋漓尽致地表达出来. (2) 例如：失恋了，总不能地址沉溺在忧郁与消沉的情境里，必须忙尽快遗忘。股票失利，损失了不少金钱，当然心情苦闷提不起精神。此时，也只有尝试着去遗忘。期待已久的职位升迁，人事令发布后竟然不是你！情绪之低落可想而知。解决之道无它，只有勉强让自己遗忘。网友译文: For example, when being lovelorn you should not always indulge in a depress and frustrated moods, In fact, you should forget it as soon as possible; When you lose lots of money in stock market, you may be justified to feel downhearted and unanimated, but you have no choice but choose oblivion; You are not the one for the long-expected promotion after personnel change notice, it is easy to imagine how frustrated you are, but the only resolvation is to force yourself to forget.我修改后的: For example, when you are lovelorn you should not always indulge in depression and decadence. Instead, you should forget it as soon as possible; When you lose lots of money in the stock market, you may be justified to feel downhearted and unanimated, but you have no choice but choose oblivion; When the promotion notice is released but you are not the one for the long-expected position, it is easy to imagine how discouraged you will feel. But the only resolution is to force yourself to forget.点评: 首先这位译者对于某些词的词性及用法把握不到位. 比如说, 原文的 depress 是个动词, 应该改为 depression 这个名词. 另外有个别句子衔接不顺畅, 比如说第一句的 “in fact” 被我改成 “instead”. 另外这段话作者前面几句都用了 “when” 来引导状语从句, 形成一种排比的架势, 可是当翻译 “期待已久的职位升迁，人事令发布后竟然不是你” 这句话时却突然改变了这种架构, 显得很不美观, 所以我把那句话也同样改为 when 来引导了. 这就需要译员们注意, 当你决定采用某种工整的句式来表达一段话的意思时 , 一定要 “工整到底”, 翻译是讲究美感的东西, 需要你在表达清楚原文意思的基础上让读者有一种舒畅的感觉. (3) 可见， “遗忘”在生活中有多么重要！然而想要遗忘，却不是想像中那么容易。遗忘是需要时间的。只不过，如果你连“想要遗忘”的意愿都没有，那么，时间再长也无济于事。网友译文: It is thus clear that how important the oblivion is in our life. However, it is much more difficult to forget than you have imagined. It needs to take a long time to forget. Moreover, if you even are not ready to forget. However much time it makes no sense.我修改后的: It is thus clear that how important the oblivion is in our life! However, it is much more difficult to forget than you have imagined. It needs time. But if you are not even ready to forget, time also makes no sense.点评: 这一段小小的译文反映出很多翻译学习者的通病: 罗嗦. 翻译要求在表达清楚原文意思的基础上尽量追求简洁与优美, 可是很多翻译学习者翻译出来的句子却是长篇大论, 让人读得很累. 比如说这段话中, “遗忘是需要时间的” 如果没有原文而单独译这句话, 那么原译者的句子是对的, 可是放在这篇文章背景中, 就不需要讲这么久了, 只需要说 “it needs time”就行了.(4)一般人往往很容易遗忘欢乐的时光，但对于哀愁的经历却经常忆起，这是对遗忘哀愁的一种抗拒。换言之，人们习惯于淡忘生命美好的一切，但对于痛苦的记忆，却总是铭记在心。为什么呢？难道我们真的如此笨拙？网友译文: The ordinary people often easily forget the pleasant time but remember clearly about the anguished experience. It is a kind of refusal to oblivion. In other words, people get use to forget pleasant things in life but remember painful experience deep in heart. Why it happens like that? Are we really so foolish?我修改后的: People often easily forget the pleasant time but remember clearly about the anguished experiences. It is a kind of refusal to oblivion. In other words, people tend to forget pleasant things in life but engrave painful experiences deep in heart. Why? Are we really so foolish?点评: 首先 , 这位朋友把 “经历” 译成 “experience”是错误的 , 正确的应该是其复数形式 “experiences”. Experience 作单数时表示 “经验”, 是不可数名词 , 其复数形式才是表示 “经历”. 很多译者没有清楚地区别某些名词的单数和复数的区别 , 以为全是一样的, 其实最后意思可能大相径庭. 比如说 , spirit 在表示 “精神”时是不可数名词, 可是表示 “心情, 情绪” 或者 “烈酒” 的时候, 却往往用复数形式. 这些细节性的知识虽然麻烦 , 可是作为一名优秀的英语学习者和译员是必须要掌握清楚的! 另一个例子是 compass,用单数时表示 “罗盘, 指南针”, 可是用作复数(compasses)时, 就表示 “圆规”了. 另外, 当翻译 “人们习惯于淡忘生命美好的一切 ” 这句话时, 这位朋友用了 “get used to”, 其实还是不太妥当的. Get used to 表示 “习惯性地做某事”, 这里的某事一般是一种生活习性或者习惯, 比如说 I get used to running in the morning. 而原文中的 “习惯” 是表示 “往往” 的意思, 和 get used to 还是有区别的, 所以我把它改为 tend to, 这样才更符合原文的意思. 另外, get used to 的 to 是作介词, 后面要加动名词, 而原译文中的 forget 却用了原形, 这在语法上也说不过去. (5) 不，当然不是。关键在于我们的“执著”。我们很少静下心来检查自己“已有的”或“曾经拥有的”，都总是“看到”或“想到”自己“失去的”或“没有的”。这，当然决定了难以遗忘。网友译文: No, of course not, the best explain is that we are too perseverant. We are seldom patient to examine what we have or had and we always see or think what we lose or do not possess. It is destined to forget difficultly.我修改后的: No, of course not. The key reason lies in our stubbornness. We are seldom patient to think about what we have or had, but always focus on those we have lost or did not possess. Then needless to say, we cannot forget the unhappy things.点评: 这位朋友对词性把握不清是他翻译的最大问题, 大家可以看到, 这里的 “执著” 其实是贬义词, 意为固执己见, 顽固不化. 可是译者却将其译为 perseverant 这个褒义词, 表 “坚持不懈” 的精神, 这显然是不妥的. 另外, 第二句中的 “检查”, 译者将其译为 “examine”, 是典型的逐字翻译.