《宋氏快译》英汉对照(17):不得死在议会!英国最臭法律

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《宋氏快译》英汉对照(17):不得死在议会!英国最臭法律



Die and you're under arrest! Britain's most stupid laws
AFP - Tuesday, November 6

死也逮捕!英国最臭法律




LONDON (AFP) - Queen Elizabeth II's speech in the parliament Tuesday may have been routine but at least nobody got bored to death. That would have been against the law.

伦敦(法新社)
女王伊丽莎白二世周二在议会发表讲话也许一直是例行公事,然而至少没有人感到过厌烦透顶。(否则)那将会是违法的。


Dying in parliament is an offence and is also by far the most absurd law in Britain, according to a survey of nearly 4,000 people by a television channel showing a legal drama series.

死在议会是犯法,一个播放法律系列剧的电视频道对近4,000人所做的一项调查显示,这也是英国至今最荒唐的法律。

注释:
Dying in parliament is an offence and is also by far the most absurd law in Britain,
死在议会是犯法,这也是英国至今最荒唐的法律,这两个分句本来是一个大句的两个组成部分,而且是全句核心,像原文那样同时放在句首是合乎道理的。但是根据汉语习惯,according to a survey of nearly 4,000 people by a television channel showing a legal drama series,一个播放法律系列剧的电视频道对近4,000人所做的一项调查显示,却应该放在句首。而英文句的初衷是突出“死在议会是犯法,这也是英国至今最荒唐的法律”,也就是想让读者一眼就看到这个信息,但是如果按照汉语造句习惯就要将其置于一大串的调查显示之后,这自然就无法突出最核心部分。如何解决这一矛盾,我采取折中的办法,将最核心,最有趣的“死在议会是犯法”依然置于句首,然后再根据汉语习惯将根据调查那一长窜置于句中,把原来核心句的第二部分置于句末。这样处理似乎两者兼顾,双全其美。像这种英汉语言习惯发生冲突的情况在翻译中经常会遇到,有时处理起来相当棘手,这就需要在翻译时随机应变,即兴发挥。


And though the lords were clad in their red and white ermine cloaks and ambassadors from around the world wore colourful national costumes, at least nobody turned up in a suit of armour. Illegal.

虽然上议院的全体议员都身穿红白貂皮大氅,来自世界各地的使节也都身着五颜六色的民族服装,但至少(有一点值得一提),那就是没有任何人身穿盔甲亮相。非法。

注释:
Lord,英国上议院的全体议员。Ermine,貂;标志法官职位及贵族身份的貂皮长袍。如:He has worn the ermine for ten years. 他出任法官已有十年。turn up,抵达,到达。如:He’ll turn up next week.他下周就能到。


Other rules deemed utterly stupid included one that permits a pregnant woman to urinate in a policeman's hat and murdering bow-and-arrow-carrying Scotsmen within the city walls of York, northern England.

其它一些被认为是愚蠢至极的法规包括这样一条,即,既允许一名孕妇在一名警察的帽子里撒尿,也准许在位于英格兰北部约克城的城墙之内杀掉身佩弓箭的苏格兰人。

注释:
a policeman's hat,似乎既可理解为“一名警察的帽子”,也可以理解为“一顶警察帽”。前者更加生动一些,因为在读者的眼前似乎既见物,又见人。


A law stating that in Liverpool, only a clerk in a tropical fish store is allowed to be publicly topless, was also ridiculous, said a poll of 3,931 people for UKTV Gold television out Tuesday.

有一条法律规定,在利物浦,只有热带鱼商店里的员工才允许公开不穿上装,周二为英国电视黄金时段(UKTV Gold)所做的一项有3,931人参加的民意测试表示,这也是非常荒唐的。


Nearly half of those surveyed admitted to breaking the ban on eating mince pies on Christmas Day, which dates back to the 17th century and was originally designed to outlaw gluttony during the rule of the Puritan Oliver Cromwell.

在接受调查者中,接近一半的人承认在圣诞日吃鼠肉馅饼是违反禁令的,这一规定要追溯到十七世纪,最初策划这一禁令的目的是在清教徒奥利弗克伦威尔统治时期限制暴饮暴食者。

注释:
which前有逗号,因此它是非限定性定语从句,修饰的不是紧在其前面的圣诞日(Christmas Day),而是逗号前整个一句话,即整个一件事。


The laws and other regulations were culled from published research into ancient legislation that has never been repealed although subsequent statutes have rendered them obsolete.

这些法律和其它法规都是从公开发布的调查结果中蒐集到的,而调查的内容就是一些虽然被新法规认定已被废弃,但事实上却从未被废除的古典法律。

注释:
published research,公开发布的调查,这一词组后面的修饰语简直就是一列火车,翻译成汉语时麻烦至极,很难摆布。只有拆开来译,否则无法动笔。不信请看硬译:这些法律和其它法规都是从公开发布的那些以虽然被后来的法规认定已被废弃但实际上却从来没有被废除的古典法律为内容的调查中蒐集到的。subsequent statutes,随后的法规,“随后的”,其实就是“新”,虽然只是省掉两个字,但在翻译中却会使句子凝练得多,不要小看一两个字的作用,它们在长句中的作用实在不可小觑。其实何止长句,短语又何尝不是如此呢?无论翻译何种句子,都应该一丝不苟,惜字如金。


Respondents were given a shortlist and asked to vote.

接受调查者每人给一份简短的单子,还要投票表决。

注释:
把原文的被动句式全部变成主动句式。这样改,中文读者并不会误解原文的实际含义。切记,英译汉要尽量避免被动句式。这样做才能符合汉语习惯,不信请比较直译:接受调查者都被提供一份简短的单子,并被要求投票表决。哪句比较贴近汉语习惯呢?不言而喻,是主动句式。再者,“并被要求”中的“并”,其实就是“还”,“还”不是比“并”更顺口吗?还是那句话,要“惜字如金”。须知,译文的优劣,有时就是从这极不显眼的小字上见功夫的。


Most ridiculous British law:

最荒唐的英国法律:

1. It is illegal to die in the Houses of Parliament (27 percent)
死在议院是非法的(27%)

2. It is an act of treason to place a postage stamp bearing the British monarch upside-down (seven percent)
把带有英国君主图像的邮票翻过来放,是一种叛逆行为(7%)

3. In Liverpool, it is illegal for a woman to be topless except as a clerk in a tropical fish store (six percent)
在利物浦,一个女人,除非她是一家热带鱼商店的员工,否则不穿上装是非法的 (6%)

4. Mince pies cannot be eaten on Christmas Day (five percent)
鼠肉馅饼不可在圣诞日吃(5%)

5. In Scotland, if someone knocks on your door and requires the use of your toilet, you must let them enter (four percent)
在苏格兰,如果有人敲你的门,要求使用你的厕所,那你必须让他们进去(4%)

6. A pregnant woman can legally relieve herself anywhere she wants, including in a policeman's helmet (four percent)
一位孕妇可以合法地,随心所欲地在任何地方方便,包括在一只警察头盔里(4%)

7. The head of any dead whale found on the British coast automatically becomes the property of the king, and the tail of the queen (3.5 percent)
在英国海边发现的任何死鲸鱼,脑袋自然要成为国王的财产,而尾巴自然要成为女王的(财产)(3.5%)

8. It is illegal to avoid telling the tax man anything you do not want him to know, but legal not to tell him information you do not mind him knowing (three percent)
你拒绝把自己不想让出租车司机知道的任何事情告诉他,这是非法,但是对于自 己并不在意让他知道的那些情况,你却没有告诉他,这个合法(3%)

9. It is illegal to enter the Houses of Parliament in a suit of armour (three percent)
身穿盔甲进入议院是非法(3%)

10. In the city of York it is legal to murder a Scotsman within the ancient city walls, but only if he is carrying a bow and arrow (two percent)
在约克城,在古城墙内杀死一名苏格兰人合法,但是只有在他身佩弓箭的时候才如此(2%)


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