難以避免的翻譯 - 房屋建築街道布局
剛接了一部中文小說的翻譯，今天抽空翻譯了開頭一部分。這部分十分麻煩，因為都是街道房屋建築的布局，需要非常仔細。不過翻譯小說，這類文字是難以避免的。不知道譯的效果如何。現在把它晾在這裏，有對翻譯感興趣的朋友可以練習一下。我的譯稿還沒核對，裏麵一定有錯，歡迎大家指正。
序
親愛的女兒，當你看完這本書後，你將會知道你有一個怎樣的爸爸。無論你是否喜歡他，不可改變的是，他都是你的爸爸。
也許別人的爸爸留給他們的是財產，而我隻想留給你這本書。
它會告訴你在那個年代爸爸是怎樣長大的，你才會珍惜你的現在，爭取你的未來，做一個對社會有用的人。
這就是爸爸對你的期待，也是爸爸最大的心願！
Prologue
My dear daughter,
After reading over this book, you’ll know what kind of a father you have. Love him or love him not, it cannot be changed that he is your father.
Whatever other fathers leave their children may be property, yet what I want to leave you is only this book.
It’ll tell you how your father was brought up and lived in that age. Only by knowing this can you cherish what you enjoy today and strive to win a brilliant future so as to be a useful person to the society.
This is what I expect from you and it’s also the largest aspiration of your father!
*** *** ***
北京市西城區銅鐵廠是一個東西向的胡同。長約二百來米，不寬，也就是容一輛小臥車兒進出。南邊兒是從東至西的一溜兒灰磚高牆，這高大的圍牆內是北京市第十三 中學，也就是解放前的輔仁中學。北麵兒共坐落著七個宅院兒。隻是光五號六號就占了胡同全長的一大半兒，剩下才是那五個小院兒的領地。胡同的西口兒是鬆樹 街，東口兒是柳蔭街。這柳蔭街是後改的名兒，原本是叫李廣橋，是以漢代保家衛國的民族英雄飛將軍李廣的名字而命名的。讓北京人一說就加了個親切的“兒”音 成“李廣橋兒”了。這條街從南至北有五百來米，正中路東坐落著恭王府。銅鐵廠胡同就是在恭王府的斜對麵兒。
Copper-Iron-Factory was the name of an east-to-west lane, located in Xicheng District, Beijing. About 200 meters long, not wide, the lane had a space which allowed only a car to get in and out. On the south side, there stood a tall grey-brick wall stretching from east to west, within which was The Thirteenth High School, Beijing, namely, Puren High School which was set up before liberation. While on the north side, there were altogether seven houses with courtyards. No.5 and No.6 occupied more than half of the whole length of the lane. And the rest was the whole area of the other five houses with courtyards. Pine Street was located to the west exit of the lane, while Willow Shadow Street, to the east exit of the lane. Willow-Shadow Street was actually the original Li Guang Bridge Street, named from the well-known national hero General Li Guang in Han Dynasty who was famous for his heroic deeds of home protecting and motherland defending. Beijing citizens usually added a sound of “er” to the end of the street name’s pronunciation, namely Li Guang Qiaoer. From south to north, this street was about 500 meters. At the middle on the east side, there was located Prince Gong's Mansion. And Copper-Iron-Factory Lane was located slantingly opposite Prince Gong's Mansion.
銅鐵廠五號是一個深宅大院兒。這院落坐北朝南，三階大青條石的台階，門樓兒高大，門板厚重。奇怪的是這麽氣派的大宅子門口兒卻沒有鎮宅的石鼓，門楣上也是光禿禿的，沒加以任何裝飾及表示戶主身份的標誌。
5 Copper-Iron-Factory was a rich house with a large compound. Facing south, with a three-step-stair made of black stone, this compound had a tall arch over the gateway wherein a door was set, thick and heavy. Oddly enough, grand as it was, the compound should have no house garrisoning stone drum at the gate, and worse of all, the horizontal wood bar above door frame was completely naked without any decorations and marks indicating the owner’s status.
原來這不是正宅而是花園兒，真正的正宅是六號，也就是在它的西邊兒三四十米處兒那更高的一座深宅。不過我出生時這六號正宅已不屬於我家了，咱們還是從五號說起吧。
In fact, this wasn’t the formal compound but a garden and the formal compound was No.6, namely the taller mansion three or four dozens of meters to the west of No.5 which was once my home. But it no longer belonged to my family when I was born. We’d better start from No.5.
五號宅院兒一進大門對麵兒豎著一個高大的影壁，上麵是青灰雕刻的仙鶴荷花。右手兒有一棵大棗樹，旁邊兒是自來水管兒和水井。左手兒是一溜兒三間青磚灰房，前 兩間相通有倆門兒，一個朝東一個朝北。第三間屋門兒單開朝西。對麵兒十多米處兒也就是這院兒的西南角兒又是一間同樣兒的灰房，屋門兒朝北。這幾間屋以前是 門房兒和花兒匠的住處兒。
Entering the gate of compound No.5, you’ll see a tall screen wall facing you which was decorated with cranes and lotus carved out of grey plaster. On the right side, there was a big date tree beside which there were some water pipes and a well; while on the left side, there stood three grey-brick houses standing in a line. The first two houses opened into each other with two doors, one facing east, the other facing north. The third house opened separately to west. Opposite, a dozen meters from here, that was the southwest corner of this compound wherein there was another grey-brick house of the same kind with a door to north. These were previously the places for doormen and gardener to live in.
進門兒繞過影壁向北走是一溜兒坐北朝南的青磚大瓦房，共四間。正麵兒這三間相通，高大豁亮，冬暖夏涼。進屋要上三階青石台階兒， 以前是作為養花兒的暖房。最東邊兒那間矮小一些是存放雜物的倉房兒。這些房屋如今都已成為居室。
After entering the gate and bypassing the screen wall, one could see several large grey-brick houses in a line, all tile-roofed, altogether four. Facing south, three of them opened to each other, tall, bright and spacious, warm in winter, while cool in summer. Only after climbing three black stone steps could one enter the houses which previously served for green houses to grow flowers. The lower one at the farthest east end was a storage room in which miscellaneous things were deposited. But later on, all these houses had become residences.
這八間房分布在這一千多平方米的大院兒裏顯得零零散散，不成格局。要不是這滿園兒的桃梨杏李，假山花卉，尤其是那分布在院兒內堅挺茂盛的七棵棗樹，這院兒裏就顯得冷清凋零了。
Scattered within a large compound of over one thousand square meters, these eight houses seemed rather disorderly and no general layout could be seen. The compound would appear quiet and isolated if without being full of peaches, pears, apricots, plums, rockeries, flowers, specially the seven luxuriant tall date trees.
