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  3. A few weeks back, I asked a 14-year-old friend how she was coping with schoo

A few weeks back, I asked a 14-year-old friend how she was coping with schoo

游客2024-01-02  17
问题     A few weeks back, I asked a 14-year-old friend how she was coping with school.
    Referring to stress, she heaved a big sigh and said: "Aiyah, anything bad that can happen has already happened."
    Her friends nearby then started pouring out their woes about which subjects they found hard, and so on. Pessimism again, in these all-too-familiar remarks about Singapore’s education system, widely regarded as too results-oriented, and I wonder why I even bothered to ask.
    The school system of reaching for A’s underlies the country’s culture, which emphasizes the chase for economic excellence where wealth and status are must-haves.
    Such a culture is hard to change.
    So when I read of how the new Remaking Singapore Committee had set one of its goals as challenging the traditional roads to success, encouraging Singaporeans to realize alternative careers in the arts, sports, research or as entrepreneurs, I had my doubts about its success in this area, if not coupled with help from parents themselves.
    The new Remaking Singapore Committee is a brainchild of the Singaporean Prime Minister, formed to make Singaporeans look beyond the five C’s: cash, condos, clubs, credit cards and cars, to help prepare the nation for the future.
    It is good that the government wants to do something about the country’s preoccupation with material success. But it will be a losing battle if the family unit itself is not involved because I believe the committee’s success is rooted in a revamp of an entire culture built from 37 years of independence.
    This makeover has to start with the most basic societal unit -- the family.
    Parents should not drown their children in mantras of I-want-hundred-marks. Tuition lessons are not the be-all and end-all of life. And a score of 70 for a Chinese paper is definitely not the end of life.
    If ever I become a parent, I will bring my children camping. I will show them that cooking food in a mess tin over a campfire is fun. I will teach them that there is nothing dirty about lying on a sleeping bag over grass.
    In fact, it is educational because Orion is up there in the night sky with all the other bright stars whose shapes and patterns tell something more than a myth. For instance, they give directions to the lost traveler, I will say.
    And who knows, my child may become an astronomer years down the road. All because of the nights I spent with him watching the twinkles in the sky.
    That’s my point. Parents should teach their children that there’s more to life than studies. Better still if the nation’s leaders echo that idea as well.
    This way, when their children aspire to be the next Joscelin Yeo, they won’t feel like they are fighting a losing battle against a society that holds doctors and lawyers in awe.
    However, the culture that babysits economic excellence is deeply ingrained and so are the mindsets of many parents. But parents can take the cue from the new Remaking Singapore Committee and be aware of giving their children the right kind of education.
    It is now wait-and-see if, say, 10 years down the road, more would choose alternative careers. Hopefully, by then no one would think sportsmen or musicians as making too big a sacrifice in chasing their dreams.
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答案     几个星期前，我问一个14岁的朋友她如何应对自己的学业。
    谈到压力，她深叹一口气说：“哎呀，这儿事要多糟，有多糟。”
    随后，她周围的朋友便开始就他们认为那些难学的学科倾诉自己的苦恼。人们普遍认为，新加坡的教育制度过分注重成绩，而这些孩子耳熟能详的言语再次表现了对新加坡教育制度的悲观情绪。我不知道自己为什么还要费心一问。
    追求功课得优的学校体制构成了新加坡文化的基础，这一文化重在追求经济上的杰出成就，而这一成就则体现在一定要获得财富和地位。
    这种文化是难以改变的。
    新成立的改造新加坡委员会已将其目标之一确定为向传统的成功之路发起挑战，鼓励新加坡人去从事其它职业，如艺术、体育、研究或成为企业家。当我获知此情时，我怀疑如果没有家长的配合，这方面的改造可否成功。
    成立改造新加坡委员会是新加坡总理的设想，旨在帮助国家准备应付未来，使新加坡人不要只盯着钞票、公寓、俱乐部、信用卡和汽车。
    新加坡政府想针对本国物质成功为先的理念采取行动，这是件好事。但如果没有家庭单位的参与，这种行动将会是一场失败之战，因为我认为只有彻底改变独立37年来形成的一种整体文化，改造新加坡委员会才能取得成功。
    而这种改变必须始于最基本的社会单位——家庭。
    家长们不应当使孩子禁锢于“我要得100分”的约束。学科的课程决定不了生活中的成败。一篇中文论文得70分绝不意味着生活无望。
    如果有朝一日我成为家长，我要带我的孩子去露营，向他们演示用军用饭盒在篝火上煮饭是一种乐趣，告诉他们躺在草地上的睡袋里一点也不脏。
    实际上，这是有教育意义的，因为猎户星座与其它明亮的星星高挂夜空，它们的形态和图案诉说的不仅仅是一个神话。例如，我认为它们可以为迷路的旅行人指引方向。
    说不定我的孩子可能会在数年后成为一个天文学家，而这一切则源于我与他一起在夜晚观察空中闪烁的星星。
    这就是我的观点。家长应该教育自己的孩子，生活中除了学业外还有更丰富的内容。如果国家领导人也认同那种观点就更好了。
    由此，当孩子们渴望成为另一个杨玮玲(JOSCELIN YEO)时，他们就不会感到，在面对一个敬畏医生和律师的社会时，他们要进行一场失败之战。
    然而，这种呵护经济成就感的文化根深蒂固，许多家长的思想倾向也是如此。但家长们可以从改造新加坡委员会那里得到启示，意识到要给予自己的孩子正确的教育。
    咱们现在拭目以待，也许10年后，更多的人将选择其它职业。希望到那时，没人会认为运动员或音乐家在追求梦想时作出了太过巨人的牺牲。
解析 1．Referring to stress，she heaved a big sigh and said：“Aiyah，anything bad that can happen has already happened．”谈到压力，她深叹一口气说：“哎呀，这儿事要多糟，有多糟。”
    [分析] 用词选词采分点。
    heave举起，起伏，叹(气)；在此heaved a big sigh译作：深叹一口气；Anything bad that can happen has already happened．原意为：能发生的坏事都已发生了；言外之意：“事情糟得不能再糟了。”或“这儿事要多糟，有多糟。”
2．Her friends nearby then started pouring out their woes about which subjects they found hard，and so on．随后，她周围的朋友便开始就他们认为那些难学的学科倾诉自己的苦恼。
    [分析] 理解结构采分点。
    此句是根据汉语的语言习惯对原文的词序进行调整，使译文尽可能地通顺。将介词+关系代词构成的介词短语引起的定语从句放到被修饰的名词前，将表示时间、地点的副词提前。另外，短语pour out倾诉，倾吐；pour out their woes倾诉自己的苦恼。
3．Pessimism again，in these all-too-familiar remarks about Singapore’s education system， widely regarded as too results-oriented，and I wonder why I even bothered to ask．人们普遍认为，新加坡的教育制度过分注重成绩，而这些孩子耳熟能详的言语再次表现了对新加坡教育制度的悲观情绪。我不知道自己为什么还要费心一问。
    [分析] 理解结构采分点。
    此句是个很长的并列句，可用断句法将并列句分成两个句子来翻译。翻译前要仔细推敲，按逻辑顺序对全句进行综合处理。还要注意翻译中肯定与否定，主动与被动的互换。本句还应注意词的选用，如：pessimism泽成“悲观情绪”；all-too-familiar remarks译成“耳熟能详的言语”或根据上下文，意译成“牢骚”； results-oriented过分注重成绩。
4．The school system of reaching for A’s underlies the country’s culture，which emphasizes the chase for economic excellence where wealth and status are must-haves．追求功课得优的学校体制构成了新加坡文化的基础，这一文化重在追求经济上的杰出成就，而这一成就则体现在一定要获得财富和地位。
    [分析] 理解结构采分点。
    本句是个带有非限定性定语从句的复合句，要分别采用换序译法和断句译法。主句主语带有一个定语，翻译时只需将之放到所修饰的名词之前即可；非限定性定语从句和其中where引导的从句都可当作并列句采用断句法来译。 must-haves译成“一定要获得财富和地位/必须获得财富和地位”。
5．So when I read of how the new Remaking Singapore Committee had set one of its goals as challenging the traditional roads to success，encouraging Singaporeans to realize alternative careers in the arts，sports，research or as entrepreneurs，I had my doubts about its success in this area，if not coupled with help from parents themselves．新成立的改造新加坡委员会已将其目标之一确定为向传统的成功之路发起挑战，鼓励新加坡人去从事其它职业，如艺术、体育、研究或成为企业家。当我获知此情时，我怀疑如果没有家长的配合，这方面的改造可否成功。
    [分析] 理解结构采分点。
    本句是个非常长的简单句，译前要仔细推敲它的含义。句首是个长长的时间状语从句，之中还包括一个宾语从句，宾语从句中还带有两个并列的现在分词短语作宾语补足语。译时可将句子断开，同时要按照汉语习惯，扩展词义，将话说完整。new译成“新成立的”；Remaking Singapore Committee译成“改造新加坡委员会”：challenging the traditional roads to success译戍“向传统的成功之路发起挑战”，realize实现，认识到，在此译为“从事”。
    本句主句中所说的“its success”指“实现”前面提到的“目标、”，后面有个条件句，翻译时要调整语序。
6．The new Remaking Singapore Committee is a brainchild of the Singaporean Prime Minister, formed to make Singaporeans look beyond the five C’s：cash，condos，clubs，credit cards and cars，to help prepare the nation for the future．成立改造新加坡委员会是新加坡总理的设想，旨在帮助国家准备应付未来，使新加坡人不要只盯着钞票、公寓、俱乐部、信用卡和汽车。
    [分析] 用词选词采分点。
    a brainchild脑力劳动的产物(如计划、作品等)，在此指(总理的)设想，理解结构采分点。to make Singaporeans look beyond the five C’s：cash，condos，clubs， credit cards and cars使新加坡人不要只盯羞钞票、公寓、俱乐部、信用卡和汽车。此处翻译要根据英语和汉语的习惯，将肯定变为否定。
7．But it will be a losing battle if the family unit itself is not involved because I believe the committee’s success is rooted in a revamp of an entire culture built from 37 years of independence；但如果没有家庭单位的参与，这种行动将会是一场失败之战，因为我认为只有彻底改变独立37年来形成的一种整体文化，改造新加坡委员会才能取得成功。
    [分析] 理解结构采分点。
    此句可用换序译法，同时将被动变主动，即将if the family unit itself is not involved译成“如果没有家庭单位的参与”，句首的it指的是上一句的the government wants to do something about the country’s preoccupation with material success，在翻译中要译全。the committee’s success is rooted in也要将被动变主动，译为“扎根于”，“在于”。
8．Parents should not drown their children in mantras of I-want-hundred-marks．Tuition lessons are not the be-all and end-all of life．家长们不应当使孩子禁锢于“我要得100分”的约束。学科的课程决定不了生活中的成败。
    [分析] 用词选词采分点。
    Mantra(印度教和佛教中的)曼特罗，祷文，符咒，在此drown their children in mantras可译成“把孩子禁锢在(紧箍咒中)”，本句中I want hundred marks是介词of的宾语，因此各词之间都加上了连字符号，译为“我要得100分”， be-all全部；end-all结尾，最终目标，因此第二句可译作“学科的课程决定不了生活中的成败”或“学科的课程并不是生活的一切”。
9．Orion[天]猎户星座
    [分析] 基本素质采分点。
    Orion是天文学专有名词，表示“猎户星座”。
10．However，the culture that babysits economic excellence is deeply ingrained and so are the mindsets of many parents．然而，这种呵护经济成就感的文化根深蒂固，许多家长的思想倾向也是如此。
    [分析] 理解结构采分点。
    本句是个并列句。前面一句的主语带有一个定语从句，翻译时可将定语从句放到它所修饰的名词前：后面一句是倒装句，翻译时要按倒装顺序来译。
11．It is now wait-and-see…咱们现在拭目以待……
    [分析] 用词选词采分点。
    wait-and-see等着瞧，等看清形势再说：在此译作“拭目以待”更恰当。
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