“This is a puestion which I hardly know how to answer. We all love to instruct, though we can teach only what is not worth knowing. Forgive me, and if you persist in indifference, do not make me your Confidante.”
“但是,你為甚麼非想要壓服我,讓我承認我冇有說出我的全數內心話呢?”
“伊麗莎白聽到父親如許答覆固然並冇有是以竄改主張,卻也隻得表示對勁,悶悶不樂地走開了。以她那樣脾氣的人,也不會儘想著這些事自尋煩惱。她信賴她已經儘了本身的任務,至於要她為那些冇法製止的壞處去憂愁,或者是過分焦炙,那她可辦不到。”
“聽到父親這番答覆,伊麗莎白不得不表示附和,但她並冇有竄改主張,便心灰意冷地分開了父親。但是,她生性不愛多想煩惱的事,免得越想越費事。她堅信本身儘到了任務,決不會為那些無可製止的不幸而煩惱,或者因為憂心忡忡而增加不幸。”
3.With this answer Elizabeth was forced to be content; but her own opinion Continued the same, and she left him disappointed and sorry. It was not in her nature, however, to increase her vexations, by dwelling on them. She was confident of having performed her duty, and to fret over unavoidable evils, or augment them by anxiety,was no part of her disposition.
孫致禮先生的譯文:
吉英和伊麗莎白是情深意篤的一對姐妹,又是最知己的朋友,現在在這件極其奧妙的情事上,吉英一時難於開口,伊麗莎白出於對姐姐的體貼,想逗弄她說出真情,她們這一對話的基調仍然是溫婉的。筆者以為這段譯文中的劃線部分的語氣,較之原文都有些重了。這裡提出了直譯和意譯的題目,凡能直譯處則對峙直譯是我所遵守的原則,而綜觀王科一先生和孫致禮先生的譯文,他們根基上遵循的是意譯的原則。兩種翻譯的原則各有所長,各有所短,不過就這兒的劃線部分而言,他們的意譯是與原文的語氣有些背叛了。筆者以為直譯能較好地再現原文的說話、情勢和藹概特性,固然如果譯者措置得不好,或許會使譯文顯得不是那麼活潑活潑。