“大水冲了龙王庙 – 自家人不认自家人”这个歇后语,直译过来确实会有点生硬,有点像“The flood washes away the Dragon King’s temple – our own people don’t recognize our own people.” 这种翻译虽然能传达字面意思,但那种微妙的戏剧性和讽刺感就丢失了。
"The flood washed away the Dragon King's temple – a case of kin fighting kin." 为什么好: "Kin fighting kin"(同类相残,亲人打亲人)非常精准地抓住了“自家人不认自家人”的核心。它直接表达了内部的冲突和伤害。前面的“The flood washed away the Dragon King's temple”作为铺垫,营造了一种荒谬和出乎意料的氛围。 "When the Dragon King's temple is flooded by water, it's like family members failing to recognize each other." 为什么好: 这更接近直译,但“failing to recognize each other”(未能互相辨认)比“don't recognize our own people”(不认我们自己人)更文雅一些,也更强调了“不认识”这个过程。前面的部分依然保留了原有的画面感。 "It's as absurd as the Dragon King's temple being flooded by water – meaning, we are fighting amongst ourselves." 为什么好: 直接加入了“absurd”(荒谬)这个词,点明了核心情感。后面的“we are fighting amongst ourselves”(我们自己在内斗)则非常简洁明了地解释了“自家人不认自家人”的含义。
2. 侧重“误会”和“内部的冲突”:
"Like a flood destroying the Dragon King's temple – we're turning on our own." 为什么好: “Turning on our own”(反戈一击,针对自己人)表达了那种主动的、带有敌意的行为,比“not recognizing”更进一步。这暗示了冲突的发生,而不仅仅是简单的“不认识”。 "When the Dragon King's temple is flooded, it's as if family members don't know their own." 为什么好: “Don't know their own”(不认识自己人)比“don't recognize our own people”更简洁,而且“know”这个词在这里可以包含“理解”、“认知”等更深层的含义,暗示了误解或认知的障碍。
3. 更口语化、更贴近英文习惯的表达:
"It's a case of the left hand striking the right – our own people causing trouble for ourselves." 为什么好: 这个有点像引入一个英文里类似的表达。虽然不是直接翻译,但“the left hand striking the right”(左手打右手)在英文里是用来形容内部冲突、自相残杀的常用比喻,非常生动。后面的解释“our own people causing trouble for ourselves”(我们自己人给自己惹麻烦)也很贴切。 "We're like the Dragon King's temple in a flood – our own people are the ones hurting us." 为什么好: 这个翻译更直接地将“龙王庙被冲”比喻成“我们自己人伤害我们”。“The ones hurting us”(伤害我们的人)直接点明了伤害的来源。
总结一下,选择哪个翻译取决于你想要强调的侧重点。
如果想突出荒谬和不可思议,可以选择带有“absurd”或类似描述的。 如果想强调内部冲突和自相残杀,选择“kin fighting kin”或“turning on our own”会更准确。 如果想侧重误会和缺乏了解,可以选择“failing to recognize”或“don't know their own”。
个人认为,最能传达那种“滑稽的内部矛盾”和“本来不该发生却发生了”的无奈感的,是:
"The flood washed away the Dragon King's temple – a case of kin fighting kin."
“大水冲了龙王庙 – 自家人不认自家人”这个歇后语,直译过来确实会有点生硬,有点像“The flood washes away the Dragon King’s temple – our own people don’t recognize our own people.” 这种翻译虽然能传达字面.............