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2005 年四月某日 关于中国、台湾及全世界各位同伴们！ 我很高兴在此推出 Chinglish 。 |
On the move, April, 2005 Concerns: China, Taiwan, the world Fellow creatures! |
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| 「 Ching 什么？」 Chinglish ！ |
"Ching-what?" Chinglish! |
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| 有些人认为 Chinglish 来自中国人错误百出的英文口语。这说法基本上没错。我回想起满清末年，那时无论书面或口译的翻译人员都在公行里围着洋人乱转，协助他们进行贸易。他们发展出来的行话称为
Chinglish ，被写入史册流传了下来。 |
Some believe Chinglish is the form of incorrect English spoken by Chinese people. True enough. I recollect the time of the cohongs, when translators and interpreters scurried around the block to assist the big noses in trading. The lingo they developed went down the annals as Chinglish. | ||||||||||
| 这说法可真新鲜。从字面和语源着手，你就会发现这个字是由 Chin ese
和 En glish 缩短而成的。 |
Sweet paradox. Take a more literal and etymologically sound
approach and you will find it is a contraction of the words Chinese and
English. |
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| 我看得出你想说什么。 |
I can just read your minds. | ||||||||||
| 「中华文化？发明印刷术的那个？ 英式文化？发明因特网的那个？ 中文和英文，世界上两大优势语言？」 是的。 |
"Chinese? The culture that has given us the art of printing? English? The culture that has given us the internet? Chinese and English, the two prevalent languages of the world?" Yes. |
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| Chinglish 是语义上的火药。最近一位道士在寻找长生不老的青春灵药时 虚构了这个故事。它把野蛮人的心思引到相反的应用上。 |
Chinglish is semantic gunpowder. Myth had the latter invented by a daoist priest looking for an elixir of youth and eternal life . It took a barbarian mind to find a contrary application. | ||||||||||
| 弹药不能解决现今这世界所面对的各种问题，在上述的语言学领域中更没有用武之地。 照字面上说，它搞破坏。从喻义上来说，它提供意想不到的机会。它炸开山道上挡路的岩石；它挑战、激励、发出巨大的声响、煽风点火，却也具有减轻痛苦的疗效。 |
Ammunition is not the solution to the problems the world is facing today, less it be in the above-mentioned linguistic sphere. Taken literally, it destroys. Taken metaphorically, it offers unexpected opportunities. It will explode the rock that blocks a mountain track. It challenges, provokes, rattles, agitates, but also soothes with healing properties. | ||||||||||
| 就那方面来说， Chinglish 成了有力的武器。 |
Seen in that light, Chinglish becomes a powerful weapon. | ||||||||||
| 一块巨大的岩石，真的，许多个世纪以来一直妨碍了东西方之间的沟通。直到两三年前，我在偶然间遇到「为什么那块大石头会在那里」的问题而感到筋疲力尽，才开始仔细思考这件事。这块岩石驱使我做出决定，也就是走回去，在它附近找出一条路来，或者干脆把这该死的东西炸成碎片。炸掉它是满容易的，可是会弄得一片混乱。 |
A big rock, indeed, has been obstructing communication between East and West for many centuries. Never had I given this much thought until a couple of years ago, when I hit, feeling a bit run down, upon the ´why-is-that-rock-there´ question. The rock was prompting a decision, namely going back, finding a way around it, or simply blowing the damn thing to pieces, which was easy enough but would have caused a jolly mess. | ||||||||||
| 回顾我的脚步并不是个办法。它会把我带向昔日的足迹，而不是未知的崭新领域。在目前的情况下，爆破则似乎草率了些。因此我决定让我这把老骨头好好休息休息，仔细思考一会儿。 |
Retracing my steps was certainly not an option. It would have taken me to old trodden fields instead of undiscovered new lands. Dynamiting seemed a bit rash at the time. Thus I decided to rest my aged bones and ponder for a while. | ||||||||||
| 一会儿变成了一小时，一小时变成了无眠的一夜。那是上辈子的事了 |
A while became an hour, an hour a sleepless night. That was a lifetime ago. | ||||||||||
| 我开始跟那块大石头说话。我对它低声轻唱遗忘已久的摇篮曲直到睡着。我把自己的故事告诉它，也和它一起冥想。分享食物和饮料并没有什么用处。在顽固的冬季天空下，一阵风轻柔地拂过它的脸庞。在可悲的懒洋洋午后，它把头枕在我的膝上。深夜里，我试着跟它讲道理。在其它的时刻，我扬言要粉碎它。它丝毫不为所动。 |
I started talking to the rock. Whispered it to sleep with long forgotten lullabies. Told it my tales and joined in its contemplation. Shared food and drink to no avail. Blew gentle comfort to its face under diehard winter skies and rested its head in my lap on sad-lazy afternoons. Long, long hours did I try reasoning with it. On other occasions I threatened to pulverize it. It would not budge. | ||||||||||
| 我这样坐又那样坐，做了这个又做了那个，直到它的内部发出微弱的隆隆声。我把耳朵靠在它的肚子上。同情心。没错。那声音变大了。变成了震天价响的轰隆声。轰鸣震颤不断，震颤成一片浑沌。 |
And so did I sit and so did I sat. And so did I this and so did I that. Until a flimsy rumbling set out from within. I lay my ear to its stomach. Bowels of pity. No mistake. It grew louder. Loud became roaring. Roaring trembling and trembling chaos. | ||||||||||
| 它结束之后，我站起来继续朝东方前进。也有可能是西方吧 … 我老是忘记。幸运的是，我的叙述无关紧要。尽管如此，我仍以乐观的心境再次站上浪头。 |
When it was over I picked up my tail and continued towards the East. Or maybe it was the West – I tend to forget. Luckily, it is of no consequence to my telling. Be that as it may, I am on the surf again, in an optimistic frame of mind. | ||||||||||
| 我留下废墟和瓦砾。今天，人们开始在那里建造一座城市。我猜想那些居民会顺利地扩展他们的小区。一个系统，两种角色。相信我，我曾见它在我的时代引起过一些论战。 |
What I leave behind is ruins and rubble. Today, people started building a city there. I imagine its residents will succeed in expanding their community. One system, two characters. I have seen it cause some controversy in my days, believe you me. | ||||||||||
| 不要问它的确切位置在哪里。我所知道的只是它位于达康 (dot com) 地区。 再会。我敬礼致意，并署名 可可 事实上，他所做的一切只是摔倒在我吃剩的早餐上。 |
Do not ask for its exact location. All I know is that it is in the dot
com area. Farewell. I salute and sign, Ke Ke * In reality, all he did was stumble upon the remains of my breakfast. |
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