Charlie’s Raven (Excerpt IV)《查理的渡鴉》（節選四）

瓊·克雷格黑德·喬治　吳文安/譯析

A knock sounded at his door.

門口傳來敲門聲。

“Its me， Singing Bird. Lets go fishing.”

“是我，歌唱鳥。我們去釣魚吧?！?/p>

Charlie opened the door a crack and peered out. There stood his very best friend， Singing Bird. The two of them had met in second grade when her parents bought land and built a ranch house across the irrigation ditch from Granddad. Her parents had seen the Grand Teton Mountains when they were first married and pledged that somehow， some way， they must live near those majestic snowcapped peaks. Although the Teton Sioux Nation had never lived in the valley below these mountains， Singing Birds parents felt a kinship with them. The Indian name Teton came from Tutonwan， one of the Teton Sioux tribes that lived along a river. It meant “people in community.”

查理把門打開一條縫，向外張望。外面站著他最好的朋友歌唱鳥。他們倆初次見面是在二年級。那時候歌唱鳥的父母購買土地建起了牧場大屋，與查理爺爺家隔著灌溉渠相望。歌唱鳥的父母剛剛結婚時，曾經看到過大提頓山脈，發誓要想方設法到這些雄偉的雪峰旁邊居住。雖然提頓蘇人從沒有在這些高山下的山谷里居住過，但歌唱鳥的父母覺得跟這些高山血脈相親。印第安人名字提頓來自圖頓灣，那是一個提頓蘇人部落，曾經沿河而居。這個詞語的意思是“聚族而居的人們”。

School separated Singing Bird and Charlie when Charlies family moved to Jackson and Singing Birds parents returned to the Standing Rock Reservation in South Dakota for the school year. But each spring Singing Bird and her family came back to Sagebrush Flats when school was out.

因為上學，歌唱鳥和查理彼此分開了。那時查理一家搬到了杰克遜鎮，而歌唱鳥的父母回到了南達科他州的立巖保護區，以方便孩子上學。但每個春天放假之時，歌唱鳥和她的家人都會回到山艾公寓。

“Hey，” Charlie said， his eyes almost closed by his big smile. “When did you get back？”

“嗨?！辈槔碚f。他笑得合不攏嘴，眼睛瞇成一條縫，“你什么時候回來的？”

“Yesterday，” said Singing Bird. “The balsamroot is blooming. We always come back when it blooms.”

“昨天，”歌唱鳥說，“香根開花了。香根開花的季節我們都會回來?！?/p>

Charlie was more than happy to see her. Not only was she a good fisherman and nifty storyteller， but she was also an observant naturalist. He needed her on his study.

看到歌唱鳥，查理高興極了。她不僅僅是一個釣魚好手，特別擅長講故事，還是一個善于觀察的博物學家。查理的研究需要她幫忙。

“The caddis flies are hatching，” she said. “The cutthroat trout will be biting in Cache Creek. Come on out.”

“石蛾開始孵卵了?！备璩B說，“卡什溪的克拉氏鮭魚即將咬鉤子。我們趕緊去?！?/p>

Singing Bird wore her long hair in two braids with beautiful black and brown feathers of the prairie chicken tied near their ends. Her bronze cheeks glowed， and her large eyes were as dark as Gentian Canyon in a storm. Slender eye brows arched over them， emphasizing her pretty face. Silver squash blossom earrings dangled from her lobes. This morning Singing Bird wore her fishing outfit， a pair of faded and frayed blue jeans and a T-shirt that said： STANDING ROCK MIDDLE SCHOOL GIRLS AND BOYS BASEBALL TEAM. Charlie stepped out the door and quickly closed it behind him.

歌唱鳥長長的頭發扎成兩條辮子，辮子末梢裝飾著漂亮的棕色和黑色相間的草原松雞羽毛。她棕色的雙頰泛著紅光，一雙大眼睛就像暴風雨中的龍膽峽谷一樣黝黑深邃。眼睛上面的眉毛細細彎彎，愈發凸顯出她漂亮的臉龐。耳垂上掛著銀色的西葫蘆花樣式耳環。今天早上，歌唱鳥穿的是釣魚套裝，下身一條褪色打磨的藍色牛仔褲，上身是T恤衫，T恤衫上寫著：立巖中學男女棒球隊。查理邁步出門，又快速地隨手帶上門。

“Where is your fishing rod？” Singing Bird asked. Charlie usually appeared at his door with his rod and creel when she called. Now he looked sneaky， as if he had been caught with his hand in the cookie jar. “Whats the matter？” she asked.

“你的魚竿呢？”歌唱鳥問。通常，歌唱鳥一喊，查理出門時都會帶著魚竿和魚簍。而現在查理看上去鬼鬼祟祟的，好像偷餅干時被抓現行一樣。“怎么了？”歌唱鳥問道。

“I cant come with you，” he said. “Im doing a scientific study.”

“我不能跟你去?！辈槔碚f，“我在進行一項科學研究呢?！?/p>

Singing Bird smiled. “You are？ Whats it about？”

歌唱鳥微微一笑?！笆菃?？什么研究？”

“Ravens. I am studying ravens for Granddad.”

“渡鴉研究。我在為爺爺研究渡鴉。”

“Ravens.” Her eyes brightened. “Can I help？ I love ravens. Theyre magical.”

“渡鴉?！备璩B的雙眼閃閃發光，“我能幫忙嗎？我喜歡渡鴉。渡鴉很神奇的?！?/p>

Charlie frowned. She sounded like Mr. Spinder—magical， supernatural， all that unscientific stuff—then he remembered that it was she who had inspired him to get a raven because it could cure， and he opened the cabin door to her.

查理皺了皺眉。歌唱鳥怎么聽起來像斯賓得先生——什么神奇、超自然等不科學的話——然后查理想起來，正是歌唱鳥啟發他抓了一只渡鴉呢，因為渡鴉能治病。于是查理打開了木屋門。

Blue Sky was sitting contentedly in his basket. He wagged his tail and backed up toward Singing Bird.

藍天正舒舒服服地坐在自己的籃子里?？匆姼璩B，藍天搖搖尾巴，倒退著靠近她。

“He likes you，” Charlie said. “His tail is wagging.”

“鳥兒喜歡你呢，”查理說，“他在搖尾巴?！?/p>

“That means he wants to give me his little diaper bag so Ill carry it far from the nest. Baby birds do this to keep their nests clean of whitewash so predators wont find them.”

“搖尾巴的意思是把他的小糞便包給我，讓我從窩里拿走。小鳥這么做，是為了保持鳥窩干凈，沒有糞便，這樣獵食者就找不到他們?！?/p>

【背景知識】這一選段的翻譯難度較大。里面有專有地名、文化知識、生態知識、生態術語等，需要譯者詳細查證之后提供準確的譯文。另外，這一段有精彩的人物外貌和行為描寫，文學性較強。一些英文句子句式繁復，需要用恰當的方法來翻譯。

【第一段】第三小節中有幾個印第安文化的地名，需要仔細查證，確保準確。另外，幾個長句句式復雜，不宜完全調整語序變換為符合中文習慣的句子，那樣，一來譯文會有翻譯腔，二來會打亂原文的信息結構，使得譯文語義不連貫，影響閱讀效果。譯文采取了順句驅動方法，通過斷句切分、適當添加連接成分等技巧，在保持原文信息結構的同時，盡力讓譯文文通字順，沒有閱讀障礙。最后一句的代詞it被明晰化為名詞短語，目的是讓譯文清楚易懂，同時也是基于英漢語言之間的代詞使用頻率之差異。

【第二段】第一句原文簡潔，比如school只是一個詞，而譯文轉換為一個短語“因為上學”，這樣意思才清楚。最后一句句末的時間狀語也在譯文中轉換到句首，如此譯文更加簡潔。

【第三段】第一句的人物行為描寫極為生動（“Hey，” Charlie said， his eyes almost closed by his big smile.），但不能按照字面意義翻譯，比如“查理的眼睛因為大大的微笑幾乎閉上了”。譯文按照中文文學作品中常見的描述轉換為“查理笑得合不攏嘴，眼睛瞇成一條縫”。原文Charlie was more than happy to see her也不能直譯，需要把原文的意義具體化為“看到歌唱鳥，查理高興極了”。

【第四段】這一段是人物外貌描寫，原文很精彩。譯文應該參照中文文學作品的寫作方式，用文學化的語言再現。其中第二句和第三句尤其要用心翻譯。第二句中的glow以及第三句中的arch不能按照字面意義翻譯或者簡單地照搬詞典意義。譯文把glow擴展為“（雙頰）泛著紅光”，而原文的動詞arch被轉化為修飾短語“細細彎彎”。

【第五段】第二句的時間狀語被提前為“歌唱鳥一喊”，是為了譯文更生動。第三句原文的比喻很有意思，譯文也稍作變通，翻譯為“偷餅干時被抓現行一樣”而不是“手在餅干罐里”。因為中英文的習慣用語不同，譯文選用了更明白易懂的中文表達。

【第六段】原文句子Her eyes brightened被擴展為“歌唱鳥的雙眼閃閃發光”，補足了原文的意義。

【第七段】第二句原文很長，是有關查理的意識流描寫。譯文添加了語氣詞，使中文表達更像是心理活動。最后一節中的代詞that被明晰化為“搖尾巴”，這樣中文更清楚明白。

【小結】在該選段的譯文中，譯者嘗試保留原文一些長句的信息結構，讓上下文之間語義更加連貫。此外，針對原文文學性很強的描寫性文字，譯者也用相應的文學性語言予以對應，保證中文譯文的文學性。譯文中還有幾處語序調整，以及根據中英文表達習慣不同而做的表達方式改變。