今天“高斋翻硕”给大家分享第18届韩素音国际翻译比赛英译汉原文和官方参考译文节选。

适合MTI翻硕文学翻译和专八翻译备考学习

原文

What is it that we mean by literature? Popularly, andamongst the thoughtless, it is held toinclude everything that is printed in a book. Little logic is required todisturbthat definition.

The most thoughtless person is easily made aware that in the idea of literature oneessentialelement is some relation to a general and common interest of man

—so that what applies only to a local, or professional, or merely personal interest, even though presenting itselfin the shape of a book, will not belong to Literature.

So far the definition is easily narrowed; and it is as easily expanded. Fornot only is much that takes a station in booksnot literature; but inversely, much that really is literature never reaches a station in books.

官方参考译文

我们所说的“文学”是什么呢？人们，尤其是对此欠考虑者，普遍会认为：文学包括印在书本中的一切。可这种定义无需多少理由便可被推翻。最缺乏思考的人也很容易明白，“文学”这一概念中有个基本要素，即文学或多或少都与人类普遍而共同的兴趣有关；因此，那些仅适用于某一局部、某一行业或仅仅处于个人兴趣的作品，即便以书的形式面世，也不该属于“文学”。就此而论，文学之定义很容易变窄，而它同样也不难拓宽。因为不仅有许多跻身于书卷之列的文字并非文学作品，而且与之相反，不少真正的文学著作却未曾付梓成书。

单词解析

第一、二句：

What is it that we mean by literature? Popularly, and amongst the thoughtless, it is held to include everything that is printed in a book.

我们所说的“文学”是什么呢？人们，尤其是对此欠考虑者，普遍会认为：文学包括印在书本中的一切。

1. Amongst [mst] （表示范围）在…之内；（表示位置）处在…中，相当于among。

2. Thoughtless [θtls] 不经思考的；粗心的；欠考虑的；轻率；没大脑，同义词是inconsiderate。

今天的the thoughtless是the+形容词表示一类人的用法。

3. it is held to include everything that is printed in a book这里面有一个句型it is held to，含义是“人们认为”，如经济学人上有这样一个句子：

Walking for walking's sake may be as highly laudable and exemplary a thing as it is held to be by those who practise it.

为散步而散步被那些习惯散步的人认为是非常值得称赞与效法的。

第三句：

Little logic is required to disturb that definition.

可这种定义无需多少理由便可被推翻。

1. Logic [lɑdk] 思维方式；解释方法；逻辑；(做某事的)道理，合乎情理的原因；理由；逻辑学，今天这里取义“理由”。

2. Disturb [dstrb] 打扰；干扰；妨碍；搅乱；弄乱；搞乱；使焦虑；使不安；使烦恼。

第四句：

The most thoughtless person is easily made aware that in the idea of literature one essential element is some relation to a general and common interest of man—so that what applies only to a local, or professional, or merely personal interest, even though presenting itself in the shape of a book, will not belong to Literature.

最缺乏思考的人也很容易明白，“文学”这一概念中有个基本要素，即文学或多或少都与人类普遍而共同的兴趣有关；因此，那些仅适用于某一局部、某一行业或仅仅处于个人兴趣的作品，即便以书的形式面世，也不该属于“文学”。

1. essential [senl] 完全必要的；必不可少的；极其重要的；本质的；基本的；根本的。

2. Be made aware that 意识到，明白，如中国日报例句：

Officials must be made aware of the fact that their power is granted by taxpayers.

必须让官员们意识到，他们的权力是由纳税人授予的。

3. In the shape of a book这里的in the shape of是一个固定表达，意思是“以……的形式”，相当于in the form of。

第五、六句：

So far the definition is easily narrowed; and it is as easily expanded. For not only is much that takes a station in books not literature; but inversely, much that really is literature never reaches a station in books.

就此而论，文学之定义很容易变窄，而它同样也不难拓宽。因为不仅有许多跻身于书卷之列的文字并非文学作品，而且与之相反，不少真正的文学著作却未曾付梓成书。

1. not only is much that takes a station in books not literature这部分not only放句首，句子是部分倒装，正常的语序是not only much that takes a station in books is not literature， that takes a station in books是much的定语从句。

2. Station 火车站；公共汽车站；长途汽车站；站；所；局，位置，今天的station取义位置。

3.Books [bks] 今天的books不是书籍的意思，而是指书卷。

4. Inversely [nvs.li] 相反地；逆向地；反之；成反比地。

今天就分享这么多啦。