To be able to fill leisure intelligently is the last product of civilization

游客2023-12-14  14

问题     To be able to fill leisure intelligently is the last product of civilization, and at present very few people have reached this level. Moreover, the exercise of choice is in itself tiresome. Except to people with unusual initiative it is positively agreeable to be told what to do at each hour of the day, provided the orders are not too unpleasant. Most of the idle rich suffer unspeakable boredom as the price of their freedom from hard work. At times, they may find relief by hunting big game in Africa, or by flying round the world, but the number of such sensations is limited, especially after youth is past. Accordingly the more intelligent rich men work nearly as hard as if they were poor, while rich women for the most part keep themselves busy with innumerable trifles, of whose earthshaking importance they are firmly persuaded.

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答案     明智地利用空闲时间是文明社会里最难见到的事情①,目前没有多少人达到了这一水平。另外,选择这件事本身也 是够麻烦的。除了那些具有非凡主动性的人,大多数人都会乐意听从别人对他每个小时的工作安排.条件是工作不是太 不合人意②。大多数无所事事的富人免受艰辛劳作之苦,但是作为代价③,他们遭受到难以形容的烦闷。有时候,他们去非 洲猎捕猛兽,或乘飞机周游世界④,以此来排解苦闷。但是能获得这种美好感受⑤的次数有限,青春不再之后更是如此。因 而,那些比较明智的富翁仍会努力工作,仿佛他们仍是穷人⑥;而富婆们则大多忙于无数的琐碎小事,她们深信这些小事 有着极其重要的意义⑦。

解析     ①the last product容易被误译为“最终产物”,而实际上the last含有否定的意义,可以意译为“最难见到的事情”。
    ②为了将被动语态to be told that…译为主动语态,可以根据上下文添加主语“大多数人”,译为“大多数人都会乐意 听从……”。provided that的意思是“只要,条件是”。
    ③as the price of意为“作为……的代价”,所承接的关系在逻辑上是因果关系,按照汉语中喜欢先叙因后叙果的特 点,可以将freedom from hard work提前,并转译名词为动词,即“免于艰辛劳作”,再根据句意在其后适当添加转 折连词“但是”以承上启下。
    ④由于汉语中时间、地点、方式状语往往前置,所以原文的方式状语by hunting…与by flying…翻译时可以调整到句 子前部,而地点状语in Africa也宜前置。
    ⑤sensation意为“感觉,感受”,是本句的翻译难点,此处应结合句意,适当补充动词,译为“获得这种美好感受”。
    ⑥为了符合译文在表达上的需求,可以将形容词poor转译为名词,“(好像他们是)穷人”。
    ⑦keep themselves busy with…是英语特色的句型,其中的反身代词可以省略不译。被动语态they are firmly persuaded可 以译为主动语态,同时名词importance可转译为动词“具有(……的意义)”,意译为“她们深信这些小 事有着极其重要的意义”。
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