德國哲學家施勒格爾(Karl Wilhelm Friedrich Schlegel)說過: "認真閱讀真正的古老經典,今人對它們的評論沒有多大意義。" 叔本華曾言,自己有幸於年輕時讀到上述優美的格言-此後,便把這一格言奉為座右銘。 而我則同樣有幸於年輕時認識到這句箴言, 以及那更重要的-叔本華於本作中的整個思想。
如同那些簡介及wikipedia上所寫的,世人將作者跑到貝加爾湖畔隱居半年的行為稱作他的project之一; 即便被加諸並乘載了不少幻想,可或許面對書中的總總文句,人們終究從未以a way of living真正接納過吧! 且說來莞爾,將隱居的時日集結成冊與群眾分享,這舉措本身或許便與隱居一事背道而馳; 而如欲替作者稍稍開脫的話,大概僅有書寫上,內容至少係以日記的方式去呈現的。
下將以第一章、第二章為例,同時也列出一些甚為低級的翻譯問題! p.38 譯文:將浩瀚青綠蔗桿提煉成白糖結晶,賦予全世界的咖啡和蛋糕甜味,從數世紀前種植首批甘蔗田起,這就是繁重費力的工作。 原文:Turning oceans of green stalks into the white sugar crystals that sweeten coffee and cake around the world has been backbreaking work since the first cane fields were harvested centuries ago. 修正:自從幾世紀前開始種植首批甘蔗時,將海量般的青綠蔗桿提煉成帶給全世界蛋糕和咖啡甜味的白砂糖,就是件極費氣力的差事。 *直譯 p.43 譯文:菲德爾.卡斯楚與八十一位反叛同志把舊美國遊艇格拉瑪號(Granma)拉上岸,地點是古巴南部海岸一處視野受限的紅樹林沼澤。 原文:Fidel Castro and eighty-one of his rebels had beached an old American yacht called Granma in an almost impenetrable mangrove swamp on Cuba’s southern coast. 修正:菲德爾.卡斯楚和八十一位反叛同志將一艘名為格拉瑪號(Granma)的舊美國遊艇拉上古巴南部海岸一處幾乎難以穿越的紅樹林沼澤。 *錯譯 p.49 譯文:女兒就讀公立寄宿學校,她自己白天在蔗田工作、晚上讀書,下定決心搬回哈瓦那。 原文:With the girls in a government boarding school, working in the fields during the day and studying at night, she decided to return to Havana. 修正:當女孩們在一間政府的寄宿學校,白天在田裡工作,晚上讀書後,她下定決心要回到哈瓦那。 *亂譯 p.56 譯文:跟其他的商家一樣,熱火中心把名號自傲地鑲嵌於磨石子地板中。 原文:Like other businesses, El Fuego had its name proudly embedded in the terrazzo floor. 修正:就像其他的商家,熱火中心把自家的商號自豪地嵌於磨石子地板。 *亂譯,由此選詞用字,可見譯者之隨便 p.64 譯文:無論阿圖洛威脅羅倫佐再不放過這件事的後果,似乎發揮了效用。沒過多久,阿圖洛被共產黨青年團的區域會議傳喚,料到自己絕對會被踢出共青團且被攔阻去莫斯科。然而決策下達前會議就宣布休止。 原文:Whatever he threatened to do to Lorenzo if he didn’t drop the issue seemed to have worked. A short while later, Arturo was summoned to a regional meeting of young communists, fully expecting to be tossed out of the league and blocked from going to Moscow. But the meeting adjourned without reaching a decision. 修正:無論阿圖洛威嚇羅倫佐若不收手的話,將對他做些什麼,一切似乎都起了效果。不久後,阿圖洛被共產青年團的區域會議傳喚,他滿心以為將被踢出共青團,並遭禁止赴莫斯科出訪;可在未有定案前,會議便這樣草草結束了。 *整段亂翻 p.81 譯文:算是艱辛旅途所能期待的最好情況,在哈瓦那下船時晃動極其劇烈,導致尤絲托奎亞發誓絕不再搭上另一艘船。她的嫁妝大多在這場颶風中遺失,只剩下原本裝滿椰棗乾的橘色果醬瓶。 原文:An arduous passage under the best of circumstances, the bobbing and rocking were so violent that when she disembarked in Havana, Eustoquia vowed never to board another ship. Most of her dowry was lost in the storm, all but the orange jar that originally had been filled with date preserves. 修正:船隻一路的劇烈顛簸,令尤絲托奎亞在哈瓦那下船時,便決心再也不踏上任何一條船,這可說是一趟艱鉅旅程所能帶來的最好情境了。當時她的多數嫁妝都在風暴中遺失了,只剩下這個原先裝滿椰棗乾的橘色罐子。 *整段亂翻 p.122 譯文:年輕的一家人在一九七○年離鄉背井,當時近乎所有健康的古巴人都被迫勞動,要達成菲德爾異想天開的一百萬噸收成目標。最後只產出八百五十萬噸糖,赫黑並不失望,他很高興可以回家。 原文:The young family was uprooted in 1970 when nearly every able-bodied Cuban was forced to work on Fidel’s quixotic 10-million-ton harvest. Jorge wasn’t disappointed that just 8.5 million tons of sugar were cut. He was just glad to go back home. 修正:1970年,這一家年輕口子被迫離鄉背井,並與同時期具勞動能力的每一位古巴人一樣,被迫工作以實現菲德爾異想天開的一千萬噸收成量。而當實際生產僅有850萬噸時,赫黑卻並不失望;他僅慶幸自己可以回家了。 *錯譯,低級譯者,一百萬和一千萬都可以翻錯 p.124 譯文:很快他就賺到足夠的錢,還給借錢蓋房子的那位朋友。 原文:Soon he was earning enough to pay back the friend who had loaned him the money for his house. 修正:很快,他就賺到夠多的錢,足以還錢給那位借錢給他蓋房子的朋友。 *亂譯 p.189 *1988年變成1998年 p.278 譯文:雖然不斷尋覓發臭的垃圾堆,如同關那巴科亞使她困擾的街角,然而卻從未見過任何一處。 原文:And although she kept a lookout for mounds of stinking garbage like the one that plagued her corner in Guanabacoa, she never encountered any. 修正:即便她不停留意是否有那些像在關那巴科亞街角困擾著她的發臭垃圾堆,卻始終尋覓不著。 *直譯 p.343 譯文:配給店鋪通常一顆蛋賣十五分錢,每個人每月限買五顆。有時能用較高的價格多買五顆蛋,一顆五分錢左右。 原文:Libreta stores usually sold them for fifteen centavos apiece, with a limit of five a month per person. Another five eggs sometimes could be purchased at a higher price of around a nickel apiece. 修正:配給店鋪一顆蛋通常賣十五分錢,每人每月限買五顆;有時也能用每顆加價五分錢的更高價格多買五個。 *直譯、亂譯 p.367 譯文:等政府來清運要隔三、四週,到那時候塑膠桶早就裝不下,深及膝的垃圾散溢至人行道和路面,甚至多條曾令關那巴科亞聞名的溪流。 原文:Three or four weeks might go by before the city came to empty them, and by then, the containers would be overflowing, the garbage knee deep and spreading into sidewalks, streets, even the many streams that once made Guanabacoa famous. 修正:等市府來清運至少需要三、四週,那時桶子早已滿出來,及膝的垃圾堆則四散在人行道、街道上,甚至形成那些令關納巴科亞臭名遠播的垃圾河。 *直譯、亂譯,語焉不詳 另也有如:常見的西班牙名“Alejandro”,在p.62被譯作“阿勒真德洛”,同樣一個名字,在p.358卻變成"阿雷安德羅";更遑論譯者自創的兩個爛音譯,與中文對此名慣常譯法“亞歷山卓”或西語實際音名“亞雷漢德羅”的差距。