《射雕英雄传》终于有英译版了!最难译的不是“九阴白骨爪”

“Translating Jin Yong is often a daunting task because of the complexity of his language, which integrates prose and poetry and makes extensive use of ‘four-character phrases’ and other Chinese idioms in order to recreate the ‘feel’ of traditional Chinese vernacular novels.”

“翻译金庸令人生畏。为了营造中国传统小说的感觉，他的语言复杂，作品里夹杂诗歌，还大量使用四字成语和民间俗语。”

The characters in Cha’s world — who have colorful names like the “Seven Freaks of the South” — operate in what is known as the jianghu, a term that is familiar to Chinese speakers and any reader of wuxia fiction but difficult to translate into English. The word literally translates as “rivers and lakes,” but is typically used to mean people who live in a world parallel to conventional society, one that operates by its own laws and code of ethics. It is closely linked to another wuxia term, the wulin, or “martial arts forest,” referring to a community of people practicing martial arts.

金庸小说中人物的名字极富特色，比如“江南七怪(Seven Freaks of the South)”等，这些人行走在 “江湖”之中。中国读者熟悉的“江湖”，字面意思为“江和湖”，但其意蕴很难翻译成英文，因为它常用来表示和古代传统社会平行存在的社会环境，其生存法规和道德自成一派。“江湖”和“武林”休戚相关，后者指代会武功的人组成的群体。

《雪山飞狐》 Fox Volant of the Snowy Mountain

《鹿鼎记》 The Deer and the Cauldron

《书剑恩仇录》 The Book and the Sword

“I already had an interest in China and Chinese history, but that trip proved to be formative for me. After two months seeing China from north to south and east to west, I came away feeling that the only way I would satisfy my curiosity about the country, its people and the culture would be to learn Chinese.”

“我在此之前就对中国与中国历史感兴趣，但是那次旅行对于我(学中文)起了决定性影响。两个月间我游遍了中国的东南西北。离开的时候我想，只有一种方法能满足我对中国、中国人与中国文化的好奇心，那就是学中文!”

“A lot of people are curious about the way I have translated the names of moves or elements of martial arts, but these aren't really the most crucial features of whether or not a translation is successful.”

很多人都很好奇我是怎么翻译那些武功招数的名称，但这些其实不是决定一个译文是否成功的最关键因素。

“It’s all about whether the English reader will be drawn into the emotions and the characters, that he or she will be amazed by the prowess of the fighting or caught up in the political intrigues.”

重要的是译文能否让英语读者被书中的情绪和人物吸引，能否让读者被超凡脱俗的武打所震撼，能否将书中的阴谋诡计翻得扣人心弦。

A northerly wind was blowing fierce as they left the inn. The boy shivered. “My sincerest gratitude. Farewell.”

出得店来，朔风扑面。那少年似觉寒冷，缩了缩头颈，说道：“叨扰了，再见罢。”

But Guo Jing could not stand to see the boy head into such a cold night wearing such scant clothing. He placed his black sable coat on the boy’s shoulders. “Brother, I feel as if I’ve known you my whole life. Take this against the wind.”

郭靖见他衣衫单薄，心下不忍，当下脱下貂裘，披在他身上，说道：“兄弟，你我一见如故，请把这件衣服穿了去。”

He slipped two ingots of gold into one of the pockets, leaving himself two more for his journey. The boy left without even saying thank you, and began to trudge against the weather, before turning around for one last look.

他身边尚剩下四锭黄金，取出两锭，放在貂裘的袋中。那少年也不道谢，披了貂裘，飘然而去。那少年走出数十步，回过头来。

Guo Jing was standing beside his bridled horse, watching him. The young man waved and Guo Jing ran over to him. “Does my brother need anything?”

见郭靖手牵着红马，站在长街上兀自望着自己，呆呆出神，知他舍不得就此分别，向他招了招手。郭靖快步过去，道：“贤弟可还缺少甚么?”

“I didn’t ask you your name,” he said and smiled. “Yes, we forgot. My family name is Guo, my given name Jing, meaning Serenity. And you?” “My family name is Huang, my given name Rong, meaning Lotus.”

那少年微微一笑，道：“还没请教兄长高姓大名。”郭靖笑道：”真是的，这倒忘了。我姓郭名靖。兄弟你呢?”那少年道：“我姓黄，单名一个蓉字。”

Many have considered Jin Yong’s world too foreign, too Chinese for an English-speaking readership. Impossible to translate. And yet this story of love, loyalty, honor and the power of the individual against successive corrupt governments and invading forces is as universal as any story could hope to be. The greatest loss that can occur in translation can only come from not translating it at all.

人们认为金庸的世界对于英语读者来说，异域风味太浓了，太中国了。译不了。但这个故事里的爱、忠诚、荣耀、对腐败官府和入侵者的抗争又是每一个故事都渴望拥有的。不译，才是最大的损失。