滴,一声哨响,首届国际英译汉竞赛开幕了。只见【有道翻译】、【百度翻译】与【Google翻译】三家参赛单位鱼贯入场,主持人美美哒小姐稍后也登台亮相啦。主持人咳嗽了两声调侃道:“都到齐了吗?没来的请举手。”她装模作样地扫了下会场,看到没人举手,又道:“看来都到齐了。听说你们三家都说自己厉害,谁也不服谁,今天就通过竞赛比试比试,是骡子是马牵出来遛遛。竞赛规则是:对9道考题,在规定时间、规定地点给出答案,由吃瓜群众评判决定名次。现在,我宣布竞赛开始。”
1:
您吃晚饭了吗?
还没呢。
没吃回家吃去吧。
Have you had dinner yet?
Not yet.
Go home and eat it.
【百度翻译】:
Have you had dinner yet?
Not yet.
Go home without food.
【Google翻译】:
Have you eaten dinner?
Not yet.
Let ’s go home and eat.
2:
您吃晚饭了吗?
吃过了。
再吃点吧,再吃点能死啊?
Have you had dinner yet?
Eaten.
Eat some more. Eat some more and you"ll die.
【百度翻译】:
Have you had dinner yet?
Yes, I had my meal.
Eat more, and you"ll die if you eat more?
【Google翻译】:
Have you eaten dinner?
Ate.
Eat some more, can you die?
3:
屋里的味道咋这么难闻呢?
对不起,我刚才吃了几把炒黄豆。
Why does the room smell so bad?
I"m sorry, I had some fried beans just now.
【百度翻译】:
Why does the house smell so bad?
Sorry, I just had some fried soybeans.
【Google翻译】:
The smell in the house is so bad?
Sorry, I ate a few handfuls of fried soybeans just now.
4:
在疫情蔓延期间,别再追求盲目的自由啦。
这是为什么呢?。
因为这次新冠病毒专治各种不服。
In the midst of an epidemic, stop pursuing blind freedom.
Why is that? .
Because this time the novel coronavirus is against all kinds of disease.
【百度翻译】:
Stop pursuing blind freedom during the epidemic.
Why is that?.
Because this time, the new coronavirus was specially used to treat all kinds of people.
【Google翻译】:
During the epidemic, stop pursuing blind freedom.
Why is this? .
Because this time the new crown virus treats all kinds of dissatisfaction.
5:
别装牛叉啦!咱俩谁不知道谁呀。
Don"t pretend to be great! Neither of us knows the other.
【百度翻译】:
Don"t put on the pitchfork! Neither of us knows who.
【Google翻译】:
Don"t pretend a cow fork! Who doesn"t know who we are.
6:
别给那盆死掉的花儿做人工呼吸啦!我看你真是闲的那啥疼。
Don"t give that dead flower artificial respiration! I think you are really idle that what pain.
【百度翻译】:
Don"t give that basin of dead flowers artificial respiration! I don"t think you"re too busy.
【Google翻译】:
Don"t give artificial respiration to that dead flower! I don"t think it hurts you.
7:
一般一般,世界第三;很丑很丑,港姐第九。
Average, third in the world; ugly, ugly, Miss Hong Kong number nine.
【百度翻译】:
Generally speaking, the world is the third; ugly and ugly, Hong Kong sister is the ninth.
【Google翻译】:
Generally average, third in the world; very ugly and ugly, Hong Kong sister is ninth.
8:
我负责挣钱养家,你负责貌美如花。
I"m the breadwinner and you"re the beauty.
【百度翻译】:
I"m in charge of making money to support my family. You"re in charge of beauty.
【Google翻译】:
I"m in charge of earning money to support my family, and you are in charge of beauty.
9:
向前一小步,文明一大步。
One small step forward, one giant leap forward for civilization.
【百度翻译】:
A small step forward, a big step forward in civilization.
【Google翻译】:
A small step forward, a big step in civilization.
这三家都按时交卷了,吃瓜群众看完答案,一致认为这三家的翻译存在不够地道、不够信达雅、不知所云乃至完全错误的问题,其排名并列倒数第一。
我编上述段子的目的是,童鞋们写英文文章时,不要盲目相信五花八门的翻译软件,其只能作为参考;否则,会贻笑大方。
大部分人用母语写文章能比非母语表达的更为准确,毕竟母语是自己从小开始学习的语言。记得有人说过,英文在表述的严谨性方面要优于中文,我对此不敢苟同。我觉得只要学好了语文且善于使用,定能体现表述的严谨性,严谨性与何种语言无关。至于中文比英文的优势,则主要反映在表形和表意方面,其远胜于英文。
有歪果仁认为“SCI=Stupid Chinese Idea”,让诸多国人很不爽。不过,略微想想,就明白人家这么说确有一定道理,理由是:(1)对大多数国人而言,用中文比用英文写文章更得心应手,用自己的劣势PK人家的优势以在投稿英文期刊中胜出,除付出更多的时间成本外,一般还得付出直接金钱成本——如找翻译公司付费润色;(2)把大量时间用在英文翻译上而不是深度钻研上,功夫没用对地方。嗯,文章不管发在哪里,以何种语言发表,“货”还是那个“货”,只是传播力度不同而已。
武向平院士曾指出:“强盛的中国应该具有让中文统治世界的雄心和壮志,当中文成为(主流)科学语言的那一天,我们才能真的成为世界科技强国和世界科技的中心,才真的具有了我们民族的自信,我们文化的自信,我们道路的自信,我们制度的自信,我们理论的自信。”对此,我深以为然。