“手”的文化也丰富
发布者:cj_shiyannuo 发布时间:2011-08-31 13:37:56 点击数:
“手”的文化也丰富
原文:We forgot to bring any chopsticks, and you have to use your fingers.
原文:We forgot to bring any chopsticks, and you have to use your fingers.
译文:我们忘了带筷子,所以你们只好用你们的手指了。
译文并非有严格意义上的错误,但却显得别扭。除“你们的”应删除外,“用手”似乎比“用手指”更合乎习惯说法。所以原句可译为:我们忘了带筷子,所以你们只好用手了。
相比而言,英语中hand所指的范围比汉语的“手”要小。汉语中广义的“手”指整个上肢,如“手指、手腕、手臂”都带有“手”字,而英语中的finger, wrist, arm却相对独立于hand。又如,“手拉手”的英文表达是hand in hand, “手挽手”的英文表达却是arm in arm.“他手里拿着本书”的英文表达是He has /holds a book in his hand.而“她手里抱着个孩子”的英文表达是She has/holds a baby in her arms.汉语说“她手上戴着一枚钻戒”,用英语表达则是She wears a diamond ring on her finger.汉语说“他手上戴了一块进口表”,用英语却要表达为He wears an imported watch on his wrist.
从延伸意义上看,汉语的“手”和英语的hand都可以转而指人,汉语中有“好手、巧手、能手、新手”等,英语也说good hand, crack hand, new hand, old hand, green hand, deft hand等。The project needs more hands中的hands要译成“人手”。英语中还有一些习惯说法,如give somebody a big hand(热烈欢迎)和from hand to mouth(现挣现吃地,仅够糊口地),译成汉语时都用不上“手”。