Upper-Intermediate - Translation Issues (D0251)

你做了这么久翻译，一篇好的翻译，最重要的标准是什么？
nǐ zuò le zhème jiǔ fānyì ，yī piān hǎo de fānyì ，zuì zhòngyào de biāozhǔn shì shénme ？
You've been doing translation for a long time. What is the ultimate standard for a good translation?

最著名的当然是翻译家严复先生提出的“信、达、雅”理论。“信”就是说忠实原文，“达”则是说贴切地表达原文，而“雅”是指用优雅的语言表达。人们常把“信、达、雅”挂在嘴边，其实，这是很难达到的文学翻译最高境界。能够达到这个黄金标准，当然是非常优秀的翻译。不过，只有中英文水平极高，并且有丰富实践经验的人才能达到这一点。
zuì zhùmíng de dāngrán shì fānyìjiā Yán Fù xiānsheng tíchū de “xìn 、dá 、yǎ ”lǐlùn 。“xìn ”jiùshì shuō zhōngshí yuánwén ，“ dá ”zé shì shuō tiēqiède biǎodá yuánwén ，ér “yǎ ”shìzhǐ yòng yōuyǎ de yǔyán biǎodá 。rénmen cháng bǎ “xìn 、dá 、yǎ ”guà zài zuǐ biān ，qíshí ，zhè shì hěn nán dádào de wénxué fānyì zuì gāo jìngjiè 。nénggòu dádào zhège huángjīn biāozhǔn ，dāngrán shì fēicháng yōuxiù de fānyì 。bùguò ，zhǐyǒu Zhōng Yīng wén shuǐpíng jígāo ，bìngqiě yǒu fēngfù shíjiàn jīngyàn de rén cáiněng dádào zhè yīdiǎn 。
The most well-known is of course translator Mr. Yan Fu's theories of 'faithfulness to the original text', 'communication of ideas' and 'literary elegance'. People always talk about these, but actually these standards mark only literary translation of the highest quality, which is extremely difficult to achieve. Translation that can meet these ideal standards is, of course, excellent. But only those with high command of both the Chinese and English language along with years of practical experience can consistently maintain such a standard.

那么一般的翻译要具备什么条件呢？
nàme yībān de fānyì yào jùbèi shénme tiáojiàn ne ？
What capacities does an average translator need to have then?

这要看哪种翻译了。大致上分为笔译和口译。而翻译又各自有不同的领域。比如说，笔译有文学翻译，专业翻译，例如法律、医药、科技等等。而口译除了专业的分别，还有同声传译和交传的根本区别。
zhè yào kàn nǎ zhǒng fānyì le 。dàzhìshàng fēnwéi bǐyì hé kǒuyì 。ér fānyì yòu gèzi yǒu bùtóng de lǐngyù 。bǐrú shuō ，bǐyì yǒu wénxué fānyì ，zhuānyè fānyì ，lìrú fǎlǜ 、yīyào 、kējì děngděng 。ér kǒuyì chúle zhuānyè de fēnbié ，hái yǒu tóngshēngchuányì hé jiāochuán de gēnběn qūbié 。
That depends on which kind of translation you are talking about. There are two general types: written translation and oral interpretation, each of which has its own specific fields. For example, written translation involves literary and professional translation, which includes the fields of law, medicine, technology, and so on. There is also professional interpretation, which is also further divided up into simultaneous and consecutive interpretation.

同声传译现在可是热门职业啊！市场需求很大，而且薪水也非常高。我听说，同传一个小时可以赚2000块钱，是真的吗？
tóngshēngchuányì xiànzài kěshì rèmén zhíyè ā ！shìcháng xūqiú hěn dà ，érqiě xīnshuǐ yě fēicháng gāo 。wǒ tīngshuō ，tóngchuán yī ge xiǎoshí kěyǐ zhuàn liǎngqiān kuài qián ，shì zhēndema ？
Simultaneous interpretation is a hot profession right now! There is huge market demand and it's very well-paid. I've heard that a simultaneous interpreter can make 2000 RMB an hour. Is it true?

那是最顶尖的翻译在最顶尖的场合。其实，大多数同传没有这么高的薪水。不过，翻译的确是个不错的行业。但是相应的，好的翻译必须经过很多努力，而且要不断地进步。掌握新词汇，不断扩展不同领域的知识。
nà shì zuì dǐngjiān de fānyì zài zuì dǐngjiān de chǎnghé 。qíshí ，dàduōshù tóngchuán méiyǒu zhème gāo de xīnshuǐ 。bùguò ，fānyì díquè shì ge bùcuò de hángyè 。dànshì xiāngyìng de ，hǎo de fānyì bìxū jīngguò hěn duō nǔlì ，érqiě yào bùduàn de jìnbù 。zhǎngwò xīn cíhuì ，búduàn kuòzhǎn bùtóng lǐngyù de zhīshi 。
That's only the best interpreters at top events. Actually, most simultaneous interpreters don't get that kind of pay. However, translation is indeed a good profession. But at the same time, a good translator must work very hard and keep improving. They need to master new words, keep up with new developments and expand their knowledge of different professional fields.

你觉得做口译和笔译的时候，最重要的和最难的是什么？
nǐ juéde zuò kǒuyì hé bǐyì de shíhou ，zuì zhòngyāo de hé zuì nán de shì shénme ？
What do you think are the most important and the most difficult things when doing written translation and interpretation?

不论是书面还是口头，最重要的就是准确和通顺。这两个词包含了许多深层次的意义，更需要不断地学习。而最难的是遇到没有对应的表达。可是即使这样，也一定要尽量忠实原文，而且翻译得自然、漂亮。
bùlùn shì shūmiàn hái shì kǒutóu ，zuì zhòngyāo de jiùshì zhǔnquè hé tōngshùn 。zhè liǎng ge cí bāohán le xǔduō shēncéngcì de yìyì ，gèng xūyào búduàn de xuéxí 。ér zuì nán de shì yùdào méiyǒu duìyìng de biǎodá 。kěshì jíshǐ zhèyàngde ，yě yīdìng yào jǐnliàng zhōngshí yuánwén ，érqiě fānyì de zìrán 、piàoliang 。
For both written and spoken translation, the most important thing is accuracy and fluency. These two words have many in-depth implications. Moreover, they require constant learning as a foundation. The most difficult is when there is no exact match for an expression you encounter. But even so, you must endeavor to stay faithful to the original text and translate in a natural and eloquent way.

听起来真累！怪不得你都得强迫症了，每天买中英文两份报纸，把相同的新闻对照看一遍。
tīng qǐlai zhēn lèi ！guàibude nǐ dōu dé qiǎngpòzhèng le ，měitiān mǎi Zhōng Yīng wén liǎng fēn bàozhǐ ，bǎ xiāngtóng de xīnwén duìzhào kàn yī biàn 。
It does sound painstaking! No wonder you've got an obsessive compulsive disorder -- every day you get both the Chinese and English newspaper and read the same story in both languages.

是呀。而且我只要看到一个词，就会本能地想到对应的翻译。不过，当我翻译出一篇文章，或是一次会议后，感觉就像解开了密码，所有的辛苦都值得。
shì yā 。érqiě wǒ zhǐyào kàndào yī ge cí ，jiù huì běnněng de xiǎngdào duìyìng de fānyì 。bùguò ，dàng wǒ fānyì chū yī piān wénzhāng ，huò shì yīcì huìyì hòu ，gǎnjué jiùxiàng jiěkāi le mìmǎ ，suǒyǒu de xīnkǔ dōu zhíde 。
Yeah. Furthermore, whenever I see a word, I instinctively think about its corresponding translation. But when I complete a work of translation or a conference interpretation, I feel as if I have broken a secret code and all the hard work feels worthwhile.

Vocabulary

标准	biāozhǔn	standard
翻译家	fānyìjiā	translator
理论	lǐlùn	theory
忠实	zhōngshí	faithful to
贴切地	tiēqiède	properly
优雅	yōuyǎ	graceful
挂在嘴边	guà zài zuǐbiān	ofter say
境界	jìngjiè	extent
丰富	fēngfù	abundant
实践经验	shíjiàn jīngyàn	practical experience/
具备	jùbèi	to have
大致上	dàzhìshàng	approximately
笔译	bǐyì	written translation
口译	kǒuyì	oral interpretation
领域	lǐngyù	sphere
同声传译	tóngshēngchuányì	simultaneous translation
交传	jiāochuán	consecutive interpretation
热门	rèmén	in demand
市场需求	shìcháng xūqiú	market demand
顶尖	dǐngjiān	top
场合	chǎnghé	event
相应	xiāngyìng	correspondingly
掌握	zhǎngwò	grasp
扩展	kuòzhǎn	to expand
通顺	tōngshùn	clear and coherent
强迫症	qiǎngpòzhèng	obsessive-compulsive disorder
对照	duìzhào	to contrast
挑战	tiǎozhàn	challenge
理解	lǐjiě	to comprehend
清末民初	Qīngmò Mínchū	between later Qing Dynasty and early Republic of China
思想家	sīxiǎngjiā	ideologist
教育家	jiàoyùjiā	educationist
资讯	zīxùn	information
时政	shízhèng	politics
金融	jīnróng	banking
誓言	shìyán	oath