今天「高齋翻碩」給大家分享第18屆韓素音國際翻譯比賽英譯漢原文和官方參考譯文節選。
適合MTI翻碩文學翻譯和專八翻譯備考學習
原文
What is it that we mean by literature? Popularly, andamongst the thoughtless, it is held toinclude everything that is printed in a book. Little logic is required todisturbthat definition.
The most thoughtless person is easily made aware that in the idea of literature oneessentialelement is some relation to a general and common interest of man
—so that what applies only to a local, or professional, or merely personal interest, even though presenting itselfin the shape of a book, will not belong to Literature.
So far the definition is easily narrowed; and it is as easily expanded. Fornot only is much that takes a station in booksnot literature; but inversely, much that really is literature never reaches a station in books.
官方參考譯文
我們所說的「文學」是什麼呢？人們，尤其是對此欠考慮者，普遍會認為：文學包括印在書本中的一切。可這種定義無需多少理由便可被推翻。最缺乏思考的人也很容易明白，「文學」這一概念中有個基本要素，即文學或多或少都與人類普遍而共同的興趣有關；因此，那些僅適用於某一局部、某一行業或僅僅處於個人興趣的作品，即便以書的形式面世，也不該屬於「文學」。就此而論，文學之定義很容易變窄，而它同樣也不難拓寬。因為不僅有許多躋身於書卷之列的文字並非文學作品，而且與之相反，不少真正的文學著作卻未曾付梓成書。
單詞解析
第一、二句：
What is it that we mean by literature? Popularly, and amongst the thoughtless, it is held to include everything that is printed in a book.
我們所說的「文學」是什麼呢？人們，尤其是對此欠考慮者，普遍會認為：文學包括印在書本中的一切。
1. Amongst [mst] （表示範圍）在…之內；（表示位置）處在…中，相當於among。
2. Thoughtless [θtls] 不經思考的；粗心的；欠考慮的；輕率；沒大腦，同義詞是inconsiderate。
今天的the thoughtless是the+形容詞表示一類人的用法。
3. it is held to include everything that is printed in a book這裡面有一個句型it is held to，含義是「人們認為」，如經濟學人上有這樣一個句子：
Walking for walking's sake may be as highly laudable and exemplary a thing as it is held to be by those who practise it.
為散步而散步被那些習慣散步的人認為是非常值得稱讚與效法的。
第三句：
Little logic is required to disturb that definition.
可這種定義無需多少理由便可被推翻。
1. Logic [lɑdk] 思維方式；解釋方法；邏輯；(做某事的)道理，合乎情理的原因；理由；邏輯學，今天這裡取義「理由」。
2. Disturb [dstrb] 打擾；幹擾；妨礙；攪亂；弄亂；搞亂；使焦慮；使不安；使煩惱。
第四句：
The most thoughtless person is easily made aware that in the idea of literature one essential element is some relation to a general and common interest of man—so that what applies only to a local, or professional, or merely personal interest, even though presenting itself in the shape of a book, will not belong to Literature.
最缺乏思考的人也很容易明白，「文學」這一概念中有個基本要素，即文學或多或少都與人類普遍而共同的興趣有關；因此，那些僅適用於某一局部、某一行業或僅僅處於個人興趣的作品，即便以書的形式面世，也不該屬於「文學」。
1. essential [senl] 完全必要的；必不可少的；極其重要的；本質的；基本的；根本的。
2. Be made aware that 意識到，明白，如中國日報例句：
Officials must be made aware of the fact that their power is granted by taxpayers.
必須讓官員們意識到，他們的權力是由納稅人授予的。
3. In the shape of a book這裡的in the shape of是一個固定表達，意思是「以……的形式」，相當於in the form of。
第五、六句：
So far the definition is easily narrowed; and it is as easily expanded. For not only is much that takes a station in books not literature; but inversely, much that really is literature never reaches a station in books.
就此而論，文學之定義很容易變窄，而它同樣也不難拓寬。因為不僅有許多躋身於書卷之列的文字並非文學作品，而且與之相反，不少真正的文學著作卻未曾付梓成書。
1. not only is much that takes a station in books not literature這部分not only放句首，句子是部分倒裝，正常的語序是not only much that takes a station in books is not literature， that takes a station in books是much的定語從句。
2. Station 火車站；公共汽車站；長途汽車站；站；所；局，位置，今天的station取義位置。
3.Books [bks] 今天的books不是書籍的意思，而是指書卷。
4. Inversely [nvs.li] 相反地；逆向地；反之；成反比地。
今天就分享這麼多啦。