一元敲開的門(中英)

1、一元敲開的門一位剛畢業(yè)的女大學(xué)生來到一家公司應(yīng)聘財務(wù)會計工作。當(dāng)面試時，因公司想招聘有經(jīng)驗的資深會計，所以女大學(xué)生立即遭到拒絕。但她并沒有因此而灰心離開。她誠懇地對主考官說：“請再給我一次機會，讓我參加完筆試。”主考官拗不過她，就讓她參加了筆試。結(jié)果她很順利地通過了筆試。最后由人事經(jīng)理親自復(fù)試。由于這位女大學(xué)生的筆試成績最好，所以人事經(jīng)理對她頗有好感。但女大學(xué)生坦言自己沒有工作經(jīng)驗，唯一的會計經(jīng)驗是在學(xué)校管過學(xué)生會財務(wù)，這讓人事經(jīng)理有點失望。不得已，人事經(jīng)理只好對她說：“今天就面試到這里，如果有消息，我們會打電話通知你?！迸髮W(xué)生從座位上站起來，從口袋里掏出一元錢，雙手遞給人事經(jīng)理：“不管我是

2、否被錄用，都請您給我打個電話?！比耸陆?jīng)理一下子呆住了，不過他很快就回過神來問：“你怎么知道我們就不給沒有錄取的人打電話呢？”“您剛才說了，有消息就打，言下之意就是，沒有錄取就不打了?！比耸陆?jīng)理似乎對這個姑娘產(chǎn)生了濃厚的興趣，于是又問；“如果你沒有被錄取，我打電話的話，你想知道些什么呢？”“請告訴我，在什么地方我沒有達到貴公司的要求，我可以努力改進。至于那一元錢，給沒有錄取的人打電話不屬于公司的正常開支，所以這個電話費應(yīng)該由我付。請您一定打?！比耸陆?jīng)理馬上微笑地說：“請你把一元錢收回。我不會打電話了。我現(xiàn)在正式通知你：你被錄取了，明天就可以來上班?！本瓦@樣，女大學(xué)生用一元錢敲開了機遇的大門。Do

3、or Knocked Open with One Dollar作者：jiangxhA newly graduated university girl came to a company to apply for a job of accountant. At the interview, the girl was immediately turned down because what the company wanted was a senior accountant with experience. However, she did not therefore leave dejected

4、ly. She said to the interviewer in earnest, “Please give me an opportunity to take the written examination.” The interviewer, unable to dissuade her, allowed her to do so. It turned out that she passed the written examination successfully. Finally, the personnel manager interviewed her in person.The

5、 girls highest grade in the written examination won her the favor of the personnel manager. However, the personnel manager became a little disappointed when the girl said frankly that she had had no working experience as an accountant except that she had once taken care of the finance of the student

6、 union at the university. Unavoidably, the personnel manager had no choice but to say to her, “That is all for todays interview. We will call to inform you if there is a result.” The girl stood up from her seat, took out one dollar from her pocket and gave it to the personnel manager with both hands

7、, “Do give me a call please, whether I am employed or not.” The personnel manager was taken by surprise at the moment, but he regained his nerve immediately and asked, “Why do you think that we are not going to call those who are not employed?”“Just now you said that you would call to inform if ther

8、e were a result, which implied there would be no call for those not employed.” The personnel manager seemed to become greatly interested in the girl, and went on to ask, “ What would you like to know if I were to call and tell you the bad news?” “Then please tell me why I am not up to the requiremen

9、ts of your respected company, and I would try to improve. As regards the one dollar, it is the payment that I should make for the phone call, because it does not fall into allowable expenditure of the company to call those who are not employed. Please do give me a call.”The personnel manager smiled

10、at once, “Please take back your dollar. I will not make the call. Now I formally inform you that you are employed. You can come to work tomorrow.”Thus, the girl knocked the door of opportunity open with one dollar.翻譯用詞要準(zhǔn)確是一個重要原則這是一篇記敘文，有情節(jié)，相對而言應(yīng)該不太難，但是參賽的譯文（包括得了名次的譯作）還是有很多問題。比如時態(tài)的掌握和運用。敘述事件，一般用過去時，只

11、有圖片說明、電影說明書，或小說的故事梗概等采用“戲劇性現(xiàn)在時”。時態(tài)的接續(xù)也是一個問題，如He said之后的間接引語只能用某種過去時（如過去完成時，過去將來時等），而對話的直接引語部分，則可根據(jù)情況用不同的時態(tài)。翻譯用詞要準(zhǔn)確是一個重要原則，負(fù)責(zé)意思會大走樣。不少人從漢英詞典查到一個詞，不管意思是否適合拿來就用。其實英語和漢語所謂的“對應(yīng)詞”在語意范圍、用法等方面往往不對等。比如，原文說一開始女孩就遭到拒絕，其中的“拒絕”不能用refuse一詞；又如，女孩誠懇地求人事經(jīng)理再給她一次機會，這里的“誠懇”不少人譯為sincerely, cordially，都是不適合的；再如，人事經(jīng)理聽到女孩請她

12、一定給她打電話，經(jīng)理一下子“呆住了”， 不少人譯做dumfounded, shocked，甚至還有人譯做was frozen，顯然太過分了（surprised就夠了，最多只能用stunned）。女孩給人事經(jīng)理一元錢，有人把“給”譯成deliver,說明這些位參賽者并沒有弄清deliver表示的take something somewhere的確切意思(還有人用pass一詞，也不對)；還有，女孩說；“請告訴我，我在什么地方?jīng)]有達到貴公司要求”，這里的“地方”其實指“方面”，可是有好幾位參賽者竟然譯做where I was not good enough（還有人譯成in which parts I

13、 do not令人忍俊不禁），說明沒有認(rèn)真思考。恐怕有不少人翻譯完了一篇東西，自己也說不清楚起內(nèi)容（我的許多學(xué)生就常有這樣的事，考試時尤其如此）。請大家想一想，當(dāng)面說“正式”通知為什么不能用officially一詞。至于把“女大學(xué)生”譯做female college student，female一詞可謂大剎風(fēng)景，很不禮貌；把公司的“正常開支”譯成daily expense也讓人覺得很滑稽。這樣的錯誤主要是由于許多人學(xué)英語單詞時不求甚解，錯誤地把一個個英語詞和漢語詞等同起來，腦子里形成了錯誤的對等概念，因此不管上下文，“以不變應(yīng)萬變”，這是要不得的。做漢英翻譯時，從漢英詞典找到一個詞后，最好再查

14、一下原版的英語詞典，看看這個詞的確切意思再決定是否合適，還可以查一下同義詞詞典，找一個更合適的詞，了解一下同義詞的區(qū)別再用。例如表示“負(fù)責(zé)”的in charge of和responsible for意思不一樣；表示“責(zé)任”的duty和responsibility也是兩回事；demand和requirement都可以譯為“要求”，但在英語里這兩個詞的意思完全不一樣（至于有人用request，更沾不上邊）。有的用詞涉及邏輯，就更要小心。比如主考官答應(yīng)讓女孩參加比試，下面一句說，“結(jié)果她很順利地通過了考試”，許多把“結(jié)果”譯做as a result，邏輯上顯然講不同，女孩“順利通過考試”并不是主考官

15、讓她參加筆試的“結(jié)果”，這里應(yīng)該用turn out這個短語。與選詞有關(guān)的另一個問題是習(xí)慣搭配（主要指形容詞和名詞、動詞和賓語的搭配），英語和漢語的搭配往往不一樣。大家都知道“參加”的英語是take part in 或join，可是“參加考試”用這兩個說法都不對；“主持面試”的“主持”譯成preside, host, perform, hold，都不符合英語習(xí)慣；而achieve the requirement, reach the standard等說法也是受漢語影響造成的錯誤搭配。英語特別講究簡潔，而不少譯文太羅嗦，比如finance一詞就夠了，無須說成financial affairs；s

16、uccessfully passed the exam中的successfully 一詞頗有蛇足之嫌；“有經(jīng)驗”沒有必要譯成sophisticated experienced（應(yīng)去掉sophisticated一詞）； made him disappointed顯然不及disappointed him簡單明了。不少人把“微笑”譯做with a smile on his face，請問：除了臉上，哪里還會有微笑？用“雙手”譯成with both hands就足夠了，沒有必要說成with both of her hands（她不可能用別人的手。有人譯成with her two hands也有點怪，好

17、像她不止兩只手）。當(dāng)然簡潔也要符合一定的語法規(guī)定，把“如果有消息”簡化成if any news就不通了（順便說一下，這里不能照字面譯，因為不錄用那個女孩也是news）。She didnt lose heart and thus leave最后三個詞讓人不知所云；而got into the examination process的說法，大家都看得出為什么羅嗦得幾乎煩人。如果一個句子包含兩個動作，將其中一個處理成分詞短語是個好辦法，但是分詞短語表示的相當(dāng)于狀語，因此必須是相對次要的動作。下面這兩個譯句顯然是本末倒置：She went to the company, applying for a j

18、ob. The human resources manager smiled, saying, “”英語和漢語的詞序也不太一樣，漢語比較講究邏輯順序，往往先因后果， 可是英語中認(rèn)為結(jié)果是重要信息，一般放在句首。比如文章的第二句安排成(However,) she was immediately turned down as that company wanted to hire a senior accountant with working experience. 將原因狀語從句后置，比放在句首更符合英語習(xí)慣。（但是第二段的第一句，因為有個時間順序的問題，as引導(dǎo)的從句安排在句首就比較自然。）做漢譯英練習(xí)，譯完