不再迷信大牌，學(xué)不好英語(yǔ)連看童書(shū)都要打折扣——評(píng)《阿文的小毯子》

初讀《阿文的小毯子》，就被這個(gè)故事打動(dòng)。很多孩子都有他們自己的“小毯子”，所以我的孩子也馬上就把這本書(shū)列為最愛(ài)之一。該書(shū)獲得過(guò)凱迪克獎(jiǎng)，翻譯是童書(shū)界大名鼎鼎的方素珍。直到有一天，找到了該書(shū)的英文原版《Owen》的動(dòng)畫(huà)，完美的印象破滅了。（英文原版的文字我附在書(shū)評(píng)最后，感興趣的讀者可以自行研究。）

雖然我自己平時(shí)看小說(shuō)的時(shí)候，對(duì)故事的興趣遠(yuǎn)大于文字。但我一向認(rèn)為兒童書(shū)的語(yǔ)言非常重要，尤其是對(duì)正在學(xué)說(shuō)話的低齡兒童，不能缺少好的文字的熏陶。先看中文版的文字時(shí)，因?yàn)榇笕说某墒?，和故事的精彩，并沒(méi)有覺(jué)得文字有什么不對(duì)。等到看過(guò)英文版時(shí)，才發(fā)覺(jué)譯者的發(fā)揮抹去了原文語(yǔ)言上的很多特色。下面我就簡(jiǎn)略的列出我的一些感想。

英文版中提到小毯子時(shí)，特別給它起了一個(gè)名字“ Fuzzy”（我覺(jué)得可以翻譯成“絨絨”）。相信很多家長(zhǎng)都有體會(huì)，很多小孩子對(duì)他們特別喜歡的東西都會(huì)起個(gè)名字，書(shū)中的阿文也不例外，可是譯者卻把這一很能體現(xiàn)小孩子的心理特點(diǎn)的稱呼給省略了，代之以很普通的”小毯子“。

接下來(lái)，談到阿文到哪都帶著小毯子，小毯子沾滿了污漬時(shí)，英文版用了兩次“ And Fuzzy did”（還有后面的“ And Fuzzy was”）。這里小小孩的自我中心的思維方式和特點(diǎn)躍然紙上?？墒亲g者卻把它們略去了。另外，我覺(jué)得英文版中這兩段的行文次序也體現(xiàn)了小孩子的思維特點(diǎn)。譯者重新組織的文字顯得略有平淡。

等到隔壁的阿姨出場(chǎng)時(shí)，英文版專門給她起了個(gè)名字“ Mrs. Tweezers”。Tweezers是鉗子，鑷子的意思，這里我覺(jué)得有些諷刺的意味。小孩子是很喜歡給人起醒目的外號(hào)。譯者的“隔壁的阿姨”就略有平淡。另外，Mrs. Tweezers的“ filled them in”也很有意思，譯者也略掉了。

阿文的爸媽講毛毯小精靈的禮物時(shí)，英文版中用到了“ an absolutely wonderful, positively perfect, especially terrific big-boy gift”，這一串排比的形容詞，把父母為了安撫孩子不停許愿的場(chǎng)面表現(xiàn)的很生動(dòng)。英文版中這串排比形容詞在后面還出現(xiàn)過(guò)一次，與前面的相呼應(yīng)對(duì)比，很有意味。譯文中把這串排比形容詞簡(jiǎn)化了并分拆成句子，在后面也沒(méi)有了重復(fù)。

整體而言，英文版的語(yǔ)言簡(jiǎn)潔，句式重復(fù)性高，很適合小孩子學(xué)語(yǔ)言。而中文版的語(yǔ)言重組，常常句式略長(zhǎng)，行文更成人化些。譯者為了譯文的流暢性，犧牲了不少英文版的有特色的文字。譯者有時(shí)還自行加入了英文版中沒(méi)有的很多描述畫(huà)面的文字，使得文字更加略顯冗長(zhǎng)，讓人想起了很多繪本里夾帶的頗有中國(guó)特色的導(dǎo)讀文章。對(duì)比《Owen》 一書(shū)的原文和翻譯時(shí)，讓我想起以前看過(guò)的一篇討論著名法國(guó)小說(shuō)《紅與黑》的譯本比較的文章，提到有的譯本為了譯文的流暢，對(duì)原文重組的很厲害，甚至抹去原文中的好多有文化特色的典故和專有名詞卻不留注釋，可以稱作是再創(chuàng)作了。舉個(gè)極端的例子，就好比面對(duì)一首傳世的唐詩(shī)和詩(shī)后常見(jiàn)的現(xiàn)代語(yǔ)言的翻譯，僅僅明白意思和原版文字的魅力之間還是相差很大的。所以說(shuō)，文字順暢的譯本，也不一定就是很好的反映了原作，要想仔細(xì)品味原版的精彩，還是要學(xué)習(xí)語(yǔ)言，哪怕是對(duì)簡(jiǎn)單的童書(shū)而言。

目前的童書(shū)市場(chǎng)，對(duì)一些已經(jīng)版權(quán)過(guò)期的外國(guó)經(jīng)典作品，版本簡(jiǎn)直多的讓人眼花。有時(shí)看到翻譯大為不同的兩個(gè)譯本時(shí)，不禁疑問(wèn)到底哪個(gè)是原作者的故事，哪個(gè)是譯者的轉(zhuǎn)述。對(duì)于英文的作品，我就忍不住想看看原文?！禣wen》的原文不難，有興趣者可以自己咀嚼一下味道。

Owen had a fuzzy yellow blanket.

He'd had it since he was a baby.

He loved it with all his heart.

"Fuzzy goes where I go," said Owen.

And Fuzzy did.

Upstairs, downstairs, in-between.

Inside, outside, upside down.

"Fuzzy likes what I like," said Owen.

And Fuzzy did.

Orange juice, grape juice, chocolate milk.

Ice cream, peanut butter, applesauce cake.

"Fuzzy's messy!"

"Isn't he getting a little old to be carrying that thing around?" asked Mrs. Tweezers.

"Haven't you heard of the Blanket Fairy?"

Owen's parents hadn't.

Mrs. Tweezers filled them in.

That night,

Owen's parents told Owen

to put Fuzzy under his pillow.

In the morning Fuzzy would be gone,

but the blanket fairy would leave

an absolutely wonderful, positively perfect,

especially terrific big-boy gift in its place.

Owen stuffed Fuzzy inside his pajama pants

and went to sleep.

"No Blanket Fairy," said Owen in the morning.

"No kidding," said Owen's mother.

"No wonder," said Owen's father.

"Fuzzy's dirty," said Owen's mother.

"Fuzzy's torn and ratty," said Owen's father.

"No," said Owen, "Fuzzy is perfect."

And Fuzzy was.

Fuzzy played Captain Plunger with Owen.

Fuzzy helped Owen become invisible.

And Fuzzy was essential when it came to nail clippings

and haircuts and trips to the dentist.

"Can't be a baby forever," said Mrs. Tweezers

"Haven't you heard of the vinegar trick?"

Owen's parents hadn't.

Mrs. Tweezers filled them in.

When Owen wasn't looking, his father dipped Owen's

favorite corner of Fuzzy into a jar of vinegar.

Owen sniffed it and smelled it and sniffed it.

He picked a new favorite corner.

Then he rubbed the smelly corner all around his sandbox,

buried it in the garden, and dug it up again.

"Good as new." said Owen.

Fuzzy wasn't very fuzzy anymore.

But Owen didn't mind.

He carried it.

And wore it.

And dragged it.

He sucked it.

And hugged it.

And twisted it.
 

"What are we going to do?" asked Owen's mother.

"School is starting soon," said Owen's father.

"Can't bring a blanket to school," said Mrs. Tweezers.

"Haven't you heard of saying no?" 

Owen's parents hadn't.

Mrs. Tweezers filled them in.

"I have to bring Fuzzy to school," said Owen.

"No," said Owen's mother.

"No," said Owen's father.

Owen buried his face in Fuzzy.

He started to cry and would not stop.
 

"Don't worry," said Owen's mother.

"It'll be all right," said Owen's father.

And then suddenly Owen's mother said, " I have an idea!"

It was an absolutely wonderful, positively perfect,

especially terrific idea

First she snipped.

And then she sewed.

Then she snipped again and sewed some more

Snip, snip, snip.

Sew, sew, sew.

"Dry your eyes."

"Wipe your nose."

Hooray, hooray, hooray!

Now Owen carries one of his not so fuzzy handkerchiefs

with him wherever he goes...
 

And Mrs. Tweezers doesn't say a thing.

參考資料：

Owen 阿文的小毯子 孩子的安慰物，尊重，取舍，變通 - 愛(ài)樂(lè)娃玩英語(yǔ) -  愛(ài)樂(lè)娃澤媽 Elva（網(wǎng)文）

Scholastic Storybook Treasures - Owen

阿文的小毯子14366人有 · 評(píng)價(jià)8962 · 書(shū)評(píng)124[美]凱文·亨克斯 (Kevin Henkes) 文圖; 方素珍 譯河北教育出版社 / 2007-04 書(shū)給5星，翻譯給4星。整體而言，英文版的語(yǔ)言簡(jiǎn)潔，句式重復(fù)性高，很適合小孩子學(xué)語(yǔ)言。而中文版的語(yǔ)言重組，常常句式略長(zhǎng)，行文更成人化些。譯者為了譯文的流暢性，犧牲了不少英文版的有特色的很能體現(xiàn)小孩子心理的文字。譯者有時(shí)還自行加入了英文版中沒(méi)有的很多描述畫(huà)面的文字，使得文字更加略顯冗長(zhǎng)。詳細(xì)對(duì)比評(píng)論見(jiàn)我的日記。所以說(shuō)，不能迷信大牌(翻譯是童書(shū)界大名鼎鼎的方素珍)，學(xué)不好英語(yǔ)連看童書(shū)都要打折扣。

5級(jí)Owen444人有 · 評(píng)價(jià)196 · 書(shū)評(píng)7Kevin HenkesHarperCollins / 1993-09