何謂“Decent”？【漢譯推敲】

 

在美國，常聽見“decent”這詞，可以說某人很“decent”，某人住的街區、房子很“decent”， 某人的行為很“decent”， 某人找到一個工資很“decent”的工作，等等。這“decent”一詞相當於我們中國漢語中的什麽詞匯呢？我想最好聽聽漢語學得不錯的英美人士怎麽說。

 

英國駐澳門副領事Henry Bencraft Joly 把中國的名著《紅樓夢》譯成了英文。那大概是光緒年間的事，那譯本早就沒版權了，人人都可以在網上下載，想翻看的話，方便得很。《紅樓夢》中詞匯豐富，哪些詞匯在Joly看來表達了英語中“decent”一詞的意思呢？讓我們來翻翻Joly英譯的《紅樓夢》。

 

第七回

 

他自己又老了，又不顧體麵，一味的好酒，喝醉了無人不罵。

He is also advanced in years, and doesn’t care about any decent manners; his sole delight is wine; and when he gets drunk, there isn’t a single person whom he won’t abuse.

 

Joly認為這裏尤氏說的“體麵”就是英語裏的“decent manners”。

 

 

誰知昨日學房裏打架，不知是那裏附學的學生，倒欺負他，裏頭還有些不幹不淨的話，都告訴了他姐姐。

Yesterday, one would scarcely believe it, a fight occurred in the school-room, and some pupil or other who attends that class, somehow insulted him; besides, in this business, there were a good many indecent and improper utterances, but all these he went and told his sister!

 

Joly認為這裏尤氏說的“不幹不淨的話”就是英語裏的“indecent utterances”。

 

 

第二十三回

 

踟躕再四，單把那文理雅道些的，揀了幾套進去，放在床頂上，無人時方看；那粗俗過露的，都藏於外麵書房內。 

So after much wavering, he picked out only several volumes of those whose style was more refined, and took them in, and threw them over the top of his bed for him to peruse when no one was present; while those coarse and very indecent ones, he concealed in a bundle in the outer library.

 

Joly認為這裏的“粗俗過露”就是英語裏的“indecent”。

 

 

第二十七回

 

說著，又向小紅笑道：“好孩子，難為你說的齊全，不像他們扭扭捏捏蚊子似的。

While speaking, she again faced Hsiao Hung. “My dear girl,” she smiled, “what a trouble you’ve been put to! But you speak decently, and unlike the others who keep on buzz-buzz-buzz, like mosquitoes!

 

Joly認為這裏鳳姐說的“說的齊全”就是英語裏的“speak decently”。

 

 

第三十一回

 

晴雯聽了冷笑道：“姐姐既會說，就該早來呀，省了我們惹的生氣。自古以來，就隻是你一個人會伏侍，我們原不會伏侍。因為你伏侍的好，為什麽昨兒才挨窩心腳啊!我們不會伏侍的，明日還不知犯什麽罪呢？

Ch’ing Wen heard these remarks. “Sister,” she interposed smiling ironically, “since you’ve got the gift of the gab, you should have come at once; you would then have spared your master his fit of anger. It’s you who have from bygone days up to the present waited upon master; we’ve never had anything to do with attending on him; and it’s because you’ve served him so faithfully that he repaid you yesterday with a kick on the stomach. But who knows what punishment mayn’t be in store for us, who aren’t fit to wait upon him decently!”

 

Joly認為這裏晴雯說的“會伏侍”（即”伏侍得好“）就是英語裏的“wait upon decently”。

 

 

第三十六回

 

襲人紅了臉，笑道：“總不過是他們那些玩話，有什麽正經說的。”。

Hsi Jen blushed and laughed significantly. “They simply came out with some of those jokes of theirs,” she explained. “What decent things could such as they have had to tell me?

 

Joly認為這裏襲人說的“正經”就是英語裏的“decent”。

 

 

第四十五回

 

黛玉聽了不覺紅了臉，笑道： “人家把你當個正經人，才把心裏煩難告訴你聽，你反拿我取笑兒！”

At this insinuation, Tai-yue unconsciously blushed scarlet. “One treats you,” she smiled, “as a decent sort of person, and confides in you the woes of one’s heart, and, instead of sympathising with me, you make me the means of raising a laugh!”

 

Joly認為這裏黛玉說的“正經人”就是英語裏的“decent sort of person”。

 

 

第四十六回

 

因滿府裏要挑個家生女兒，又沒個好的，不是模樣兒不好，就是性子不好；有了這個好處，沒了那個好處。

That’s why we thought of choosing some home-born girl out of those which throng in our mansion, but then again we could find none decent enough; for if her looks were not at fault, her disposition was not proper; and if she possessed this quality, she lacked that one. 

 

Joly認為這裏邢夫人說的“好的”就是英語裏的“decent enough”。

 

 

第五十一回

 

鳳姐又道：“那襲人是個省事的，你告訴說我的話：叫他穿幾件顏色好衣裳，大大的包一包袱衣裳拿著，包袱要好好的，拿手爐也拿好的。臨走時，叫他先到這裏來我瞧。”

 “Hsi Jen,” she added; “is a person not fond of any fuss, so tell her that it’s I who have given the orders; and impress upon her that she must put on several nice, coloured clothes, and pack up a large valise full of wearing apparel. Her valise, must be a handsome one; and she must take a decent hand-stove. Bid her too first come and look me up here when she’s about to start.”

 

Joly認為這裏鳳姐說的“好的”（手爐）就是英語裏的“decent”。

 

 

第五十四回

 

寶玉笑道：“這兩個女人倒和氣，會說話。他們天天乏了，倒說你們連日辛苦，倒不是那矜功自伐的。”

“Those two dames are pleasant enough,” Pao-yue smiled, “and they know how to speak decently; but it’s they who get quite worn out every day, and they contrariwise say that you’ve got ample to do daily. Now, doesn’t this amount to bragging and boasting?”

 

Joly認為這裏寶玉說的“會說話”（也就是前麵鳳姐說的“說的齊全”）就是英語裏的“speak decently”。

 

 

第五十五回

 

平兒與眾媳婦等都忙告訴他原故，又說：“正要找幾處利害事與有體麵的人來開例，作法子鎮壓，與眾人作榜樣呢。

P’ing Erh and the other servants then promptly told her the various reasons. “She’s just bent,” they proceeded, “upon finding a few weighty concerns in order to establish, at the expense of any decent person who might chance to present herself, a precedent of some kind or other so as to fix upon a mode of action, which might help to put down expenses to their proper level, and afford a lesson to the whole household;

 

Joly認為這裏平兒說的“體麵的人”就是英語裏的“decent person”。

 

 

由此可見，“decent”就相當於漢語裏的“好”、“正經”、“會”（“能”）、“體麵”、“幹淨”等意思。雖然穀歌翻譯也會列出這些對應的漢語詞匯，但離開了上下文，還是讓人很難獲得很貼切的理解。做“英譯漢”工作的人，多讀讀Joly的“漢譯英”會有所受益。