《宋氏快譯》英漢對照(31):幸福憂國的花旗仔
(2007-11-24 19:34:39)
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《宋氏快譯》英漢對照(31):幸福憂國的花旗仔
Happy in their personal lives, Americans worry about country
美國人個人生活幸福,但憂慮國家
By ALAN FRAM and TREVOR TOMPSON, Associated Press Writers
美聯社作家阿蘭。法拉姆、特萊佛。湯普森 文
宋德利 譯
WASHINGTON (AP) — Julie Murray says life is good. Yet gasoline prices are crimping her grocery budget, she can't afford a larger house, and she says President Bush is not focused enough on people's problems at home.
華盛頓(美聯社) - 朱莉葉。默裏說,生活不錯。但油價使她雜貨店的收支預算捉襟見肘,她買不起大一些的房子,她說布什總統對國內民眾的問題關注不夠。
"My husband and I are happy," said Murray, 46, a homemaker from Montpelier, Miss. "We just wish we could buy more into the American dream."
“我丈夫和我都感到幸福,”來自密西西比州蒙特皮利亞的一名家庭主婦,46歲的默裏說。“我們隻是希望能多買東西,以便實現美國夢” 。
注釋:
Happy,愉快、高興、幸福。三者之中權衡之後,我選用“幸福”一解,因為在民意調查中有“幸福感”、“幸福指數”之類的術語。為了保持全文的一致,此後行文中大多使用“幸福”一解。buy into,買進某公司的股份;成為某公司的股東;付錢成為某會的成員資格。這裏buy more into the American dream,是通過多付錢(買得多自然付出的錢就多)來圓美國夢。
Like Murray, most in the U.S. say they are personally happy and feel in control of their lives and finances, according to an extensive Associated Press-Yahoo! News survey on the mood of voters. Beneath the surface, though, personal and political discontent is bubbling.
根據美聯社- 雅虎對投票人情緒展開的一項廣泛調查發現,在美國,雖然透過表麵現象,個人的和政治的不滿意度正在提升,但是像默裏那樣,大部分人都說,他們個人都很幸福,隻是感到生活和財務要節製。
注釋:
這段一共有兩個完整的句子,應該是獨立的。但是第二句的轉折詞though,又決定這兩句的相互關聯。因此必須翻譯成一個“雖然。。。但是”的句型結構。而正是根據中國人把“雖然”置於“但是”之前的習慣,必須把原來整個句子的語序做一番很大的變動,才能順理成章。也就是說,要把原文第二句變成“雖然”引領的句子,放到原文第一句的前麵。
NOTE: Poll of 2,230 adults; 1,049 Democrats; 827 Republicans; taken Nov. 2-12, 2007; margin of error ± 2.1 percent for all adults; ± 3.0 percent for Democrats and ± 3.4 percent for Republicans.
注:2,230名成年人參加(調研)投票;其中包括1049名民主黨人;827名共和黨人;調查時間在2007年11月2日至12日;為成年人抽樣誤差在± 2.1 % , 民主黨人± 3.0 % ,共和黨人為± 3.4 %。
There is a widespread unease—shared by 77 percent—that the country has meandered off in the wrong direction. Nearly all Democrats and more than six in 10 Republicans think the country has taken the wrong course. And although almost half express interest and hope in the upcoming elections, a third voice frustration—particularly Republicans.
目前普遍存在一種不安- 占(人口的)77 % - 即國家正沿著錯誤的道路每況愈下。幾乎所有的民主黨人和超過六成共和黨人都認為,國家已經誤入歧途。雖然幾乎有一半的人都對未來選舉表現出興趣和希望,但是有三分之一的人卻大呼鬱悶- 尤其是共和黨人。
注釋:
six in 10,即10人中有6個,就是十分之六,也就六成。Frustration,受挫折,受挫感到心灰意冷。不過目前北京人的口頭語“鬱悶”,用在這裏實在是“蓋帽兒”了。
The AP-Yahoo! News survey will track voters' perspectives during the run-up to next year's election, interviewing more than 2,000 people repeatedly about their lives and views about the country, candidates and issues. The polling, conducted by Knowledge Networks, will let the AP and Yahoo! track how and why opinions form and change during the campaign.
美聯社-雅虎!新聞調查人員,在目前磨合期至明年選舉之間這段時間裏,將跟蹤觀察選民的觀點,做法是對2,000人反複進行訪談,內容將涉及他們對自己生活、國家、候選人以及一些重大問題的看法。由Knowledge Networks主持的這次民調,將會讓AP and Yahoo!去跟蹤調查民眾意見在選舉過程中形成和變化的方式及原因。
注釋:
Run-up,飛機起飛前的試驗。 這個詞組用在選舉過程中,不妨譯成各方的“磨合期”。
People are paying attention to the 2008 presidential campaign. Solid majorities think their vote matters and say this wide-open presidential contest is more important than usual.
人們正在關注2008年總統競選。大多數認為他們的投票事關重大,並說本次廣泛公開的總統選戰比往年要重要。
Stirred in are warning signs for Republican candidates: Democrats seething after nearly seven years under President Bush are happier and more psyched up about this election than Republicans.
對共和黨候選人頗具警示意味的跡象已經咄咄逼人:在布什總統執政將近7年之後,民主黨人正摩拳擦掌,勢在必得,對本次大選,比共和黨人表現得更加興奮,更加振奮。
More Democrats than Republicans say they are hopeful about the voting, 54 percent to 39 percent, and more of them are interested in it. Republicans are more likely to say the election leaves them frustrated and bored.
與共和黨人相比,更多的民主黨人說,他們對選舉抱有希望,二者比例為59%比39%,更有甚者,民主黨人中有更多的人(對選舉不僅寄予希望,而且還躍躍欲試)表示很感興趣。而共和黨人很可能都會說選舉使他們感到心灰意冷,興味索然。
"There's no one out there to vote for," Rocky Belcher, 43, a Republican and college professor from Vandalia, Ohio, said about the GOP field. "That means a lot of Republicans may not get out there to vote."
“有沒有可選的人,” 來自俄亥俄州萬達利亞的一位共和黨人和大學教授,43歲的洛奇。貝爾徹在談到共和黨陣營是說。“這意味著許多共和黨人可能不會走出家門去投票。”
注釋:
GOP,Grand Old Party,共和黨的別稱。
Happy and unhappy people alike say they are likelier to vote for the Democratic nominee, with the unhappy—who are likelier to be lower-income and less educated—giving Democrats a bigger, 2-to-1 margin. When it comes to the candidates battling for those nominations, the two front-runners—Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., and former GOP New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani—are faring about equally among the happy and unhappy.
幸福和不幸福的人都表示,他們更有可能把選票投給民主黨候選人,因為那些不幸福者- 很可能收入較低,受教育少 - 以2比1的較大差距表示青睞民主黨人。為爭取提名而舉行的候選人大戰開火時,兩位選戰領先者- 紐約州民主黨議員喜萊麗。克林頓,與前共和黨人紐約市市長盧迪。朱利安尼 - 就會在幸福者與不幸福者之間雙管齊下,不會顧此失彼。
注釋:
Margin,差數;幅度。The vote was 50 to 30, a margin of 20. 表決結果是五十票對三十票,相差二十票。front-runner,賽跑中的領先者。
More Democrats than Republicans say the 2008 contest is unusually important, and they are likelier to describe themselves as excited, interested and hopeful. By wider margins than Democrats, Republicans say the election makes them feel frustrated and bored.
民主黨可能比共和黨有更多的人說, 2008年爭奪戰異常重要,他們更有可能自稱對選戰感到振奮,有興趣,並抱有希望。與民主黨人相去甚遠,共和黨人則會說,大選使他們感到沮喪和無聊。
注釋:
By wider margins than Democrats, 由於有一個比民主黨人更寬廣的差距,其實就是說與民主黨人之間有很大差距,不就是相去甚遠嗎?By,由於;依靠;憑借。譯成“由於”比較好。
Democrats and Republicans differ when defining the key issues. Democrats list the economy and health care followed by Iraq, while Republicans name three equally—terrorism, the economy and Iraq.
在界定關鍵問題時,民主黨人和共和黨人表現不同。民主黨人列舉的首先是經濟和健保,爾後是伊拉克,而共和黨人則是三者並舉 – 恐怖主義、經濟和伊拉克。
Joseph Lyon, a 22-year-old Republican from Houston, is most troubled by a fear the U.S. will leave Iraq too soon and by immigrants who stream into the U.S. but do not learn English.
約瑟夫。裏昂, 22歲,一名來自斯敦的共和黨人,最令他感到困擾的有兩點,一是怕美國會過早地離開伊拉克,二是湧入美國但不學習英語的移民。
"That's ridiculous," said Lyon, who begins serving with the Marines early next year.
"They come here to live and expect us to assimilate to them. It's our country."
In Oshkosh, Wis., Jenny Walsh is most concerned about the failure to end the war and what she sees as a growing gap between rich and poor.
在oshkosh ,
“這是很荒唐的,”裏昂說。他明年年初即將開始到海軍陸戰隊服役。 “他們來到這裏生活,還期待我們被他們同化。這是我們的國家。” 威斯康辛州奧什可什的詹妮。沃爾什,最關心的是未能結束戰爭,以及在她看來是貧富之間一種與日俱增的差距。
"We need change, just something that's completely different," said Walsh, 28, a Democrat and convenience store manager. "It's just slowly going downhill."
“我們需要改變,就是一些截然不同的東西,”沃爾什說, 他今年28歲,是一名民主黨人和便利店經理。“(美國)目前正是在緩慢地走下坡路。 ”
With the limp housing and credit markets dominating recent headlines, financial problems are at the heart of many people's worries. Though three-quarters say they control their financial situation, most say they are having trouble getting ahead, including a third who say that has become very difficult.
隨著跛腳的住房和信貸市場在主導近期的頭條新聞,財經問題正是許多人擔憂的核心。雖然四分之三的人都說,他們控製著自己的財經狀況,但大多數人依然說,他們遇到的麻煩正一往無前地向前發展,其中包括三分之一的人說,這種狀況已經變得十分棘手。
"Something's gotten out of synch between what we make and what things cost," said Sandra Dempsey, 47, a child-care provider in Jonesboro, Ga. "Slowly but surely the middle class is becoming the lower class."
“有些東西並不是貨真價實,”桑德拉。迪姆波塞,這名來自治亞州瓊斯伯勒的47歲兒童保健 醫生說。 “中產階層正在緩慢地,然而十分肯定地成為更加低下的階層”。
注釋:
Something's gotten out of synch between what we make and what things cost, 直譯:“有些東西在我們所做的,與這些東西的成本之間,出現一些不同步的現象”。讀起來十分別扭,不仔細體會,簡直就不知所雲。其實仔細體會,這句話的含義就是說,有一些東西,在我們的付出與它們的成本(或價格)之間存在不協調現象,即不是貨真價實。
In a measure of the two parties' traditional strengths with income classes, people saying they are enjoying good financial times said they are slightly likelier to support next year's Republican presidential candidate over the Democrat. Those saying times are tough are less likely to vote, but back the Democrat by nearly a 2-to-1 margin, though they don't necessarily blame Republicans for their problems. "We have illegal immigrants coming in, they work for cheaper and that keeps black folks out of jobs," said Charlie Burnette, 56, a mechanic from Durham, N.C.
在一次以工薪階層為標準來衡量兩黨傳統實力的測試中,那些說自己財務實力雄厚的人表示,他們對明年共和黨總統候選人的支持度超對民主黨(總統候選人的支持度)的可能性很小。那些說日子不好過的人,參加選舉的可能性就更是微乎其微了,雖然他們並不一定會因共和黨的問題而抱怨他們,但是他們卻會以近乎二比一的差額去支持民主黨。“我們有入境的非法移民,他們工作起來不怕收入微薄,這就搶了黑哥們兒的飯碗,”一名來自北卡羅來納州多漢姆的56歲的機械師查理。本尼迪說。
注釋:
people saying they are enjoying good financial times said----,這句話有兩個“說”,第一個是saying,第二個是said,其實就是“people said”,saying是修飾people的,這是現在分詞作定語,其實就是定語從句的略縮形式,還原成定語從句就是people who say ---- said ,為了避免用此重複,第一個用“說”,第二個用“表示”。這句話的背後含義就是:說過那種話的人現在又說。類似的句子緊隨其後,Those saying times are tough are less likely to vote:說日子不好過的人投票的可能會更少。keeps black folks out of jobs,使某人脫離工作,就是搶了某人的工作,說俗了就是搶了某人的飯碗。
When it comes to the stressed out, they are as likely to vote Democratic or Republican as are those without such tension in their lives.The same is true for people who generally trust others and those who do not.
當談到那些精神緊張至極的人們時,他們在把選票投給民主黨還是共和黨問題上的表現,似乎與那些生活絲毫不緊張的人相似。而對於那些十分爽快就信任他人的人,情況也和那些不信任他人的人一樣。
While two-thirds said they approve of gambling, overwhelming majorities disapproved of heavy drinking, smoking marijuana, and using cable TV or a neighbor's Internet connection or sharing music or video files without paying. There are scant party differences in most, though Democrats were twice as likely as Republicans to approve of marijuana smoking, and young people are far likelier than their elders to assent to each one.
在三分之二的人表示讚成賭博的時候,壓倒性多數的人卻表示不讚成酗酒、吸食大麻,以及免費使用有線電視或一個鄰居的互聯網鏈接,或共享音樂和視頻文件。盡管民主黨人要比共和黨人有兩倍的可能去讚成吸食大麻,而且年輕人互相之間求得一致的可能要比他們的長輩小得多,但在多數情況下,黨派差異微乎其微。
The online survey of 2,230 adults was conducted Nov. 2-12 and had a margin of sampling error of plus or minus 2.1 percentage points.The survey included 1,049 Democrats, for whom the margin of sampling error was plus or minus 3 percentage points, and 827 Republicans, for whom the margin of sampling error was plus or minus 3.4 percentage points.
對2,230位成年人做的網上調查,是11月2日至12日進行的,抽樣誤差為正負2.1個百分點。這項調查包括1049民主黨人,其中抽樣誤差的差值為正負3個百分點,和827共和黨人,其中抽樣誤差的差值為正負3.4個百分點。
This Internet survey uses Knowledge Networks' online panel, which is nationally representative because people are first contacted using traditional telephone polling methods, and then followed with online interviews. People selected for the study who do not already have Internet access are provided with it for free.
這項網上調查利用了知識網絡在線事務委員會,本次調查在全國範圍內開展的,頗具代表性,原因是這些人都是第一次通過傳統的電話民調方法取得聯係,繼而進行網上訪談。在被選中參加這次調查的人中間,有些人還沒有互聯網接入渠道,對這些人這次都免費提供。
注釋:
People selected for the study who do not already have Internet access are provided with it for free.這句話裏的主語People其實有兩個定語從句,一個被動式,一個主動式,不過被動式被略縮成過去分詞作定語的形式,因此看上去顯得有點障眼,如果都用完整的定語從句,就會一目了然:People who was selected for the study, and who do not already have Internet access, are provided with it for free. 其實撤走兩個定語從句,主語就成了光杆司令,一看便知,那樣全句就會簡練成:People ( selected for the study, and who do not already have Internet access)are provided with it for free.
—Associated Press news survey specialist Dennis Junius contributed to this report.
-美聯社新聞調查專家丹尼斯。尤尼烏斯對本篇報道功不可沒。