鑽石舞台

2017年5月24日，第71屆聯合國大會一致通過關於「專業翻譯在實現各國互聯互通及促進和平、了解和發展中的作用」的第A/71/L.68號決議，將每年9月30日正式確定為國際翻譯日（International Translation Day）。

今年的主題是：A World without Barriers（無障礙世界）。

無注釋原文：

International Translation Day 2022

NEWS18

International Translation Day is marked every year on September 30 on the feast of St. Jerome, the Bible translator who is regarded as the patron saint of linguists. The day aims to increase awareness about the translation industry and languages that play an essential part in our society’s growth. It also intends to honour the efforts of language specialists.

The UN says International Translation Day is a chance to honour the work of language specialists, who contributes significantly to fostering international understanding, improving communication and fostering cooperation among nations, as well as contributing to worldwide peace and security.

The theme this year is 「A World without Barriers."

HISTORY AND SIGNIFICANCE

Since its inception in 1953, the International Federation of Translators (FIT) has organised the day. The first formal ITD celebration took place in 1991. The United Nations General Assembly enacted Resolution 71/288 in May 2017 on the importance of language experts in linking nations and encouraging peace, understanding, and advancement, and designated September 30 as International Translation Day.

According to the UN’s website, 「St. Jerome was an Italian priest from the north-eastern region of the country who is most renowned for his efforts translating the New Testament from its Greek manuscripts into Latin. On September 30, 420, Jerome died near Bethlehem."

The role of translators rose dramatically as the world moved toward globalisation. Language specialists aid in the development of healthy public discourse and interpersonal communication.

Translators aid in the translation of literary, scientific, and technical materials from one language to the other, which aids in the advancement of a better world. They promote mutual respect for different cultures by assisting in the understanding of each other’s civilizations. They also aid translation, interpretation, and nomenclature, all of which are necessary for guaranteeing communication across countries.

The role of translators and language specialists will only become more vital as the globe becomes more linked.

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Found in Translation

The New York Times

In college in the 1990s, I happened upon a Brazilian writer so sensational that I was sure she must be a household name. And she was — in Curitiba or Maranhão. Outside Brazil, it seemed, nobody knew of Clarice Lispector.

My freshman year, I』d abandoned studying Chinese when our professor said it』d be 10 years before we』d be able to decipher a newspaper. I switched to Portuguese, despite zero knowledge of the language or culture.

Eventually we started reading short Brazilian works. One of these, a 1977 novella by Lispector called 「The Hour of the Star,」 changed my life. Though its nuances were lost on me, I sensed the strange beauty in the story of a poor girl in Rio de Janeiro. The author was the book’s most forceful presence, and I wanted to learn everything about her. Who was the woman who peered from the back cover like an exiled empress?

As I later learned, Lispector’s first name was enough to identify her to most Brazilians. But two decades after her death in 1977, she remained virtually untranslated; among English speakers, she was unknown outside some academic circles. One pleasure of discovering a great writer is the ability to share her work, and I was stymied. Lispector’s obscurity reinforced itself. People couldn’t care about someone they couldn’t read. And if they couldn’t read her, they couldn’t become interested.

It took me years to realize that this vicious cycle would not magically be broken. I started writing Lispector’s biography, a project that took five years. The result, 「Why This World,」 generated interest in a series of English translations of her novels. So far, these have taken another five years. In retrospect, Chinese would have been quicker.

The past decade has given me time to reflect on the main cause of Lispector’s obscurity: the increasing global dominance of English. An international tongue may help tourists, but it is turning literature into a one-way street. Not only does this make life harder for contemporary writers, the situation is even worse for those, like Lispector, who can no longer speak for themselves.

Writers who work in English can’t be faulted for profiting from a situation that has developed over centuries. But since we do profit from it, it’s partly up to us to try to remedy it.

In the United States and Britain, translations represent just 3 percent of the book market. In Russia, in contrast, translated titles accounted for 10.5 percent of the market in 2013; in China, they make up around 7 percent. In the Netherlands, some 75 percent of all books produced are translations, according to 2013 statistics — and about 10 percent of all general interest books sold are original, English-language versions. Not only do foreign writers face obstacles to being read abroad, then, they are being crowded out of bookstores in their own countries. The English language, like rats or kudzu, has become an invasive species.

Some prominent English-language writers are already fighting this trend. Jonathan Franzen has translated 「Spring Awakening,」 by the fin-de-siècle German dramatist Frank Wedekind, and the essays of Viennese satirist Karl Kraus. Lydia Davis alternates between French translation and her own writing. Elizabeth Kostova, an American novelist, started a foundation in 2007 to bring Bulgarian writers into English.

Because there are so many English-language readers, reaching this market has a powerful effect. Thanks to Ms. Kostova, contemporary Bulgarian writers have a chance at being known internationally. Once Lispector was translated into English, she could be read in other countries, including by editors from China to Ukraine who are trying to get her published locally.

It shouldn’t be assumed, as I long did, that all great foreign writers will eventually reach English-language bookstores. As publication in English becomes more important, even editors open to translations are overwhelmed. (And few read Norwegian.) For every Karl Ove Knausgaard or Elena Ferrante, who are translated almost as soon as they appear in Norwegian or Italian, there are many Lispectors.

Taking them on, after all, is an act of faith. At my first publishing job, in New York, I tried to convince my boss that a manuscript that seemed to blend sci-fi with bad porn was the work of an important new writer causing a stir in France. Though unable to read French, one editor took my word for it. The manuscript was 「Elementary Particles,」 by Michel Houellebecq. Every translation represents a similar leap.

The dream of a global literary community is not new. But as globalization has not meant greater political or economic equality, cultural cosmopolitanism has not been guaranteed by instant communication and inexpensive travel. These do, however, present significant new opportunities for literary activism.

Writers working in English who know another language can help make connections and advocate for their foreign colleagues. Contacts are perhaps writers』 most valuable assets. Only a few people know everybody, but most of us know somebody. Just one or two contacts — an editor, an agent — can make a difference for a foreign writer. This includes links to fellowships, writing programs, and retreats that non-English-language writers haven’t heard about.

Even writers who beat the odds and are published in English face difficulty finding an audience, largely because they don’t have the networks they do at home. Since translations are less frequently reviewed, people who might be interested are less likely to hear about them. English-language writers can help by reviewing foreign works that make it into English, or interviewing their authors, taking advantage of the amplifying effects of social media.

Few things are lonelier than the solitary task of confronting the blank page for years on end. Literature, on the other hand, is made by a community: present and past, dead and alive. Everyone loses when books become yet another commodity, produced by a few big names. It’s one thing if everyone wears the same shoes or drinks the same soda. But the world of literature is the last place in which globalization should mean homogeneity.

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註：中文文本為機器翻譯+紐約時報官方譯文，僅供參考

含注釋全文：

International Translation Day 2022

NEWS18

International Translation Day is marked every year on September 30 on the feast of St. Jerome, the Bible translator who is regarded as the patron saint of linguists. The day aims to increase awareness about the translation industry and languages that play an essential part in our society's growth. It also intends to honour the efforts of language specialists.

每年9月30日為國際翻譯日，這天是聖傑羅姆日，聖傑羅姆是《聖經》譯者，被視為語言學者的守護神。國際翻譯日的目的是提高對翻譯行業和語言的認識，這些語言在我們的社會發展中發揮着重要作用。它還意在表彰語言專家的努力。

表示「（宗教）節日」，英文解釋為「a day on which a religious event or person is remembered and celebrated」如：a Muslim feast day 一個穆斯林節日。

📍Jerome (/dʒəˈroʊm/), also known as Jerome of Stridon, was a Latin priest, confessor, theologian, and historian; he is commonly known as Saint Jerome. Jerome is recognised as a saint and Doctor of the Church by the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Lutheran Church, and the Anglican Communion. His feast day is 30 September.

哲羅姆，也譯作聖傑羅姆，是古代西方教會領導群倫的聖經學者，以研究聖經（Bible）和注釋經文聞名，完成了聖經拉丁文譯本《武加大譯本》。

表示「基督教《聖經》（包括《舊約》和《新約》）；猶太教《聖經》（包括《律法書》、《先知書》以及《聖錄》）」，英文解釋為「(a copy of) the holy book of the Christian religion consisting of the Old and New Testaments, or the holy book of the Jewish religion consisting of the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings」

表示「守護聖人，主保聖人」，英文解釋為「a Christian saint who is believed to give special help to a particular place, activity, person, or type of object」舉個🌰：

St John Bosco is the patron saint of Turin.

聖約翰‧博斯科是都靈的主保聖人。

表示「語言學家，語言學者；通曉數國語言的人」，英文解釋為「someone who studies foreign languages or can speak them very well, or someone who teaches or studies linguistics」。

The UN says International Translation Day is a chance to honour the work of language specialists, who contributes significantly to fostering international understanding, improving communication and fostering cooperation among nations, as well as contributing to worldwide peace and security.

聯合國表示，國際翻譯日是一個向語言專家的工作致敬的機會，他們為促進國際理解、改善溝通和促進國家間的合作，以及為世界和平與安全做出了巨大貢獻。

The theme this year is 「A World without Barriers."

今年的主題是「A World without Barriers（無障礙世界）」。

HISTORY AND SIGNIFICANCE 歷史和意義

Since its inception in 1953, the International Federation of Translators (FIT) has organised the day. The first formal ITD celebration took place in 1991. The United Nations General Assembly enacted Resolution 71/288 in May 2017 on the importance of language experts in linking nations and encouraging peace, understanding, and advancement, and designated September 30 as International Translation Day.

自1953年成立以來，國際翻譯工作者聯合會（FIT）一直在組織這一天的活動。第一次正式的國際翻譯日慶祝活動是在1991年舉行的。聯合國大會於2017年5月通過了第71/288號決議，強調語言專家在連接各國和鼓勵和平、理解和進步方面的重要性，並將9月30日定為國際翻譯日。

表示「（機構、組織等的）開端，創始」，英文解釋為「the start of an institution, an organization, etc.」舉個🌰：

The account has grown rapidly since its inception in 2015.

這個賬號自從2015年成立以來發展迅速。

1）表示「通過，實施，制定（法律）」，英文解釋為「When a government or authorityenactsa proposal, they make it into a law.」舉個🌰：

The authorities have failed so far to enact a law allowing unrestricted emigration.

當局到目前為止還未能通過一項允許自由移民出境的法律。

2）表示「表演」，英文解釋為「If peopleenacta story or play, they perform it by acting.」舉個🌰：

She often enacted the stories told to her by her father.

她經常把父親講給她的故事表演出來。

3）表示「發生（尤指過去已發生的事件或情況）」，英文解釋為「If a particular event or situationis enacted, it happens; used especially to talk about something that has happened before.」舉個🌰：

It was a scene enacted month after month for eight years.

這是8年來月復一月出現的場景。

1）表示「決議」，英文解釋為「Aresolutionis a formal decision made at a meeting by means of a vote.」舉個🌰：

He replied that the UN had passed two major resolutions.

他回覆說聯合國已經通過兩項重大決議。

2）表示「決心，決定」，英文解釋為「If you make aresolution, you decide to try very hard to do something.」舉個🌰：

They made a resolution to lose all the weight gained during the Christmas holidays.

他們下了一個決心要減掉聖誕節期間增加的全部體重。

designate /ˈdezɪɡneɪt/ 1）表示「命名；指定，劃定（特徵、用途）」，英文解釋為「When you designate someone or something as a particular thing, you formally give them that description or name.」舉個🌰：

There are efforts under way to designate the bridge (as) a historic landmark.

人們在努力把這座橋定為歷史地標。

2）表示「指定，選定；委派」，英文解釋為「When you designate someone as something, you formally choose them to do that particular job.」舉個🌰：

Designate someone as the spokesperson.

指派某人為發言人。

📍designated作形容詞，表示「指定的；特指的，劃定的」。

📍類似的有個詞dedicated，表示「專用的，專門的」（designed to be used for one particular purpose）舉個🌰：

Such areas should also be served by dedicated cycle routes.

這些地區也應該可由自行車專用路線到達。

According to the UN's website, 「St. Jerome was an Italian priest from the north-eastern region of the country who is most renowned for his efforts translating the New Testament from its Greek manuscripts into Latin. On September 30, 420, Jerome died near Bethlehem."

根據聯合國的網站，「聖傑羅姆是一位來自意大利東北部地區的牧師，他因將《新約》（New Testament）從希臘手稿翻譯成拉丁文而聞名。420年9月30日，傑羅姆在伯利恆（Bethlehem）附近去世。」

priest /priːst/ 1）表示「（聖公會教的）牧師；（天主教、東正教的）神父」，英文解釋為「Apriestis a member of the Christian clergy in the Catholic, Anglican, or Orthodox church.」舉個🌰：

He had trained to be a Catholic priest.

他接受培訓成了一名天主教神父。

2）表示「（非基督教的）祭司」，英文解釋為「In many non-Christian religions apriestis a man who has particular duties and responsibilities in a place where people worship.」

表示「有名的；聞名的；受尊敬的」，英文解釋為「famous and respected」舉個🌰：

She is renowned for her patience.

她的耐心是出了名的。

表示「《聖經‧新約》」，英文解釋為「the second of the two main parts of the Christian Bible, containing the books written after the birth of Jesus Christ」。

📍有新約就有舊約：the Old Testament.

表示「手稿；原稿」，英文解釋為「the original copy of a book or article before it is printed」舉個🌰：

He sent the 100-page manuscript to his publisher.

他將100頁的手稿寄給了他的出版商。

The role of translators rose dramatically as the world moved toward globalisation. Language specialists aid in the development of healthy public discourse and interpersonal communication.

隨着世界走向全球化，譯者的作用急劇上升。語言專家有助於發展健康的公共話語和人際交往。

1）表示「論文；演講」，英文解釋為「a long and serious treatment or discussion of a subject in speech or writing」，如：a discourse on issues of gender equality 關於性別平等的論文。

2）表示「語篇；話語；對話；交流」，英文解釋為「the use of language in speech and writing in order to produce meaning; language that is studied, usually in order to see how the different parts of a text are connected」。

Translators aid in the translation of literary, scientific, and technical materials from one language to the other, which aids in the advancement of a better world. They promote mutual respect for different cultures by assisting in the understanding of each other's civilizations. They also aid translation, interpretation, and nomenclature, all of which are necessary for guaranteeing communication across countries.

譯員協助將文學、科學和技術材料從一種語言翻譯成另一種語言，這有助於推動一個更美好的世界。他們通過協助了解對方的文明，促進對不同文化的相互尊重。他們還協助進行翻譯、口譯和命名，所有這些都是保證國家間交流的必要條件。

表示「文學的，與文學相關的」，英文解釋為「connected with literature」如：a literary style 文學風格。

nomenclature /nəʊˈmɛnklətʃə/ 表示「（尤指某一科學領域的）命名法」，英文解釋為「a system for naming things, especially in a particular area of science」。

The role of translators and language specialists will only become more vital as the globe becomes more linked.

隨着全球的聯繫越來越緊密，譯員和語言專家的作用只會變得更加重要。

- ◆ -

翻譯，讓文學走出單行道

Found in Translation

The New York Times

In college in the 1990s, I happened upon a Brazilian writer so sensational that I was sure she must be a household name. And she was — in Curitiba or Maranhão. Outside Brazil, it seemed, nobody knew of Clarice Lispector.

1990年代就讀大學期間，我偶然讀到一位令我驚為天人的作家，我以為她的名字肯定家喻戶曉。的確如此——但只是在巴西的庫里蒂巴或馬拉尼昂。出了巴西，似乎就沒人認得克拉麗賽‧利斯佩克托（Clarice Lispector）了。

sensational /senˈseɪ.ʃən.əl/ 1）表示「極好的；絕妙的；出眾的」，英文解釋為「very good, exciting, or unusual」如：a sensational sports car/dress 極好的跑車/連衣裙。

2）表示「（新聞報道或文章）意在引起轟動的，聳人聽聞的」，英文解釋為「Sensational news reports and articles are intended to be shocking and exciting rather than serious.」舉個🌰：

Some of the more sensational newspapers have given a lot of coverage to the scandal.

一些更聳人聽聞的報紙以很大篇幅報道了這一醜聞。

My freshman year, I』d abandoned studying Chinese when our professor said it』d be 10 years before we』d be able to decipher a newspaper. I switched to Portuguese, despite zero knowledge of the language or culture.

由於教授說我們得花上十年功夫學習才能解讀中文報紙，我在大學一年級便放棄學習中文，轉到了葡萄牙語專業，雖然我對這門語言和文化一無所知。

Eventually we started reading short Brazilian works. One of these, a 1977 novella by Lispector called 「The Hour of the Star,」 changed my life. Though its nuances were lost on me, I sensed the strange beauty in the story of a poor girl in Rio de Janeiro. The author was the book’s most forceful presence, and I wanted to learn everything about her. Who was the woman who peered from the back cover like an exiled empress?

後來我們開始閱讀巴西的短篇作品。在這當中，利斯佩克托的《星辰時刻》（The Hour of the Star）改變了我一生。雖然我想不起詳細內容，但我從這位里約熱內盧貧苦女孩的故事中，感受到奇異的美。作家本人是這本書中最有力的存在，我想要了解她的一切。這個如同被流放的女王一般在封底凝視一切的女人，究竟是誰？

novella /nəʊˈvel.ə/ 表示「短篇小說」，英文解釋為「a short novel」

nuance /njuːˈɑːns/ 表示「（聲音、感覺、外貌或意義等方面的）細微差別」，英文解釋為「A nuance is a small difference in sound, feeling, appearance, or meaning.」

你是否認為十幾歲的女孩子不如同年齡的男孩子自信？

As I later learned, Lispector’s first name was enough to identify her to most Brazilians. But two decades after her death in 1977, she remained virtually untranslated; among English speakers, she was unknown outside some academic circles. One pleasure of discovering a great writer is the ability to share her work, and I was stymied. Lispector’s obscurity reinforced itself. People couldn’t care about someone they couldn’t read. And if they couldn’t read her, they couldn’t become interested.

後來我知道，就算不提利斯佩克托的姓氏，許多巴西人也認得出她的名字。但在她在1977年去世後20年間，她的作品基本上沒有被翻譯過；英語世界對她有了解的僅限於學術圈內的一些人。發現一個偉大作家的樂趣之一，就是可以分享她的作品，但我遇到了障礙。利斯佩克托晦澀的文風提高了門檻。人們不會關心自己無法閱讀的作品，而讀者若不去讀，更不可能對作者有興趣。

stymie /ˈstaɪ.mi/ 表示「阻止，妨礙，阻撓」，英文解釋為「to prevent something from happening or someone from achieving a purpose」舉個🌰：

In our search for evidence, we were stymied by the absence of any recent documents.

缺乏近期的文件為我們搜尋證據造成了障礙。

obscurity /əbˈskjʊə.rə.ti/ 表示「費解，晦澀；模糊，朦朧」，英文解釋為「the state of being not clear and difficult to understand or see」舉個🌰：

The story is convoluted and opaque, often to the point of total obscurity.

這則故事晦澀難懂，常常令人一頭霧水。

2）表示「無名；鮮為人知；默默無聞」，英文解釋為「the state of not being known to many people」舉個🌰：

He was briefly famous in his twenties but then sank into obscurity.

他在20來歲時曾一度小有名氣，但隨後便湮沒無聞了。

It took me years to realize that this vicious cycle would not magically be broken. I started writing Lispector’s biography, a project that took five years. The result, 「Why This World,」 generated interest in a series of English translations of her novels. So far, these have taken another five years. In retrospect, Chinese would have been quicker.

我花了好幾年才明白，沒有什麼魔法可以打破這個惡性循環。我花了五年寫作利斯佩克托的傳記。過了五年以後，這本傳記作品《為何生於此世》（Why This World）讓人有興趣將她的作品譯成英文。回想起來，學中文可能更快。

表示「傳記」，英文解釋為「the life story of a person written by someone else」。

表示「回顧；回想」，英文解釋為「thinking now about something in the past」舉個🌰：

In retrospect, I think my marriage was doomed from the beginning.

現在回頭看，我覺得我的婚姻從一開始就註定要破裂。

The past decade has given me time to reflect on the main cause of Lispector’s obscurity: the increasing global dominance of English. An international tongue may help tourists, but it is turning literature into a one-way street. Not only does this make life harder for contemporary writers, the situation is even worse for those, like Lispector, who can no longer speak for themselves.

這十年來我得以思考出利斯佩克托作品艱澀難懂的原因：在全球日漸取得主導權的英文。這個國際語言可以讓旅客獲益良多，卻也將文學導向單行道。這不僅讓現代作家生活更加困苦，對於像利斯佩克托這類無法發聲的已逝作家，更是一個窘境。

Writers who work in English can’t be faulted for profiting from a situation that has developed over centuries. But since we do profit from it, it’s partly up to us to try to remedy it.

在這個進行了幾個世紀的過程中，英文作家無疑大為受益。但既然我們是獲利的一方，一定程度上就有責任去補救。

In the United States and Britain, translations represent just 3 percent of the book market. In Russia, in contrast, translated titles accounted for 10.5 percent of the market in 2013; in China, they make up around 7 percent. In the Netherlands, some 75 percent of all books produced are translations, according to 2013 statistics — and about 10 percent of all general interest books sold are original, English-language versions. Not only do foreign writers face obstacles to being read abroad, then, they are being crowded out of bookstores in their own countries. The English language, like rats or kudzu, has become an invasive species.

在美國與英國，書市中只有3%的譯著。而在2013年的俄羅斯，譯著占市場的10.5%。至於中國的比例，則在7%左右。而根據荷蘭在2013年的統計，他們有75%的書是翻譯作品，又有10%的一般圖書是直接販售英文原版的。外文作家不僅在廣泛閱讀上困難重重，也被自己國家的書店所排擠。英文就像老鼠與野葛一樣，成為侵略性的物種。

kudzu /ˈkʊd.zuː/ 表示「野葛，葛藤，葛根」，英文解釋為「a wild plant that spreads easily, quickly covering an area and often growing over other plants and killing them」

invasive /ɪnˈveɪ.sɪv/ 表示「侵襲的，侵入的」，英文解釋為「moving into all areas of something and difficult to stop」如：an invasive disease 侵襲性疾病。

也可以表示「（來自其他地區，對當地有危害的生物）侵入的」，英文解釋為「An invasive organism is one that has arrived in a place from somewhere else and has a harmful effect on that place.」

Some prominent English-language writers are already fighting this trend. Jonathan Franzen has translated 「Spring Awakening,」 by the fin-de-siècle German dramatist Frank Wedekind, and the essays of Viennese satirist Karl Kraus. Lydia Davis alternates between French translation and her own writing. Elizabeth Kostova, an American novelist, started a foundation in 2007 to bring Bulgarian writers into English.

許多著名的英文作家已經挺身抵抗這個趨勢。喬納森‧弗蘭岑（Jonathan Franzen）翻譯了十九世紀末德國劇作家弗蘭克‧魏德凱（Frank Wedekind）的《春之甦醒》（Spring Awakening），以及維也納諷刺作家卡爾‧克勞斯（Karl Kraus）的散文。莉迪亞‧戴維斯（Lydia Davis）輪番進行法文譯作與自身寫作的工作。美國小說家伊莉莎白‧柯斯托娃（Elizabeth Kostova）也在2007年成立基金會，將保加利亞作家的作品翻成英文。

fin-de-siècle /ˌfæn.də.siːˈek.lə/ 表示「（尤指藝術、文化、道德）具有19世紀末期特徵的；19世紀末的」，英文解釋為「relating to the end of the 19th century, especially the art, culture, and morals of the period」舉個🌰：

The novel begins with an evocative description of fin-de-siècle Paris.

小說開頭生動地描繪了19世紀末的巴黎。

satirist /ˈsæt.ɪ.rɪst/ 表示「諷刺作家」，英文解釋為「a person who writes satire」

Because there are so many English-language readers, reaching this market has a powerful effect. Thanks to Ms. Kostova, contemporary Bulgarian writers have a chance at being known internationally. Once Lispector was translated into English, she could be read in other countries, including by editors from China to Ukraine who are trying to get her published locally.

由於英文市場讀者眾多，與這個市場接軌後自然有龐大的效應。在柯斯托娃的努力下，當代保加利亞作家有了為全球所知的機會。利斯佩克托的作品譯成英文後，其他國家也得以閱讀她的作品，這其中也包括嘗試在中國、烏克蘭等地推廣作品的當地編輯。

It shouldn’t be assumed, as I long did, that all great foreign writers will eventually reach English-language bookstores. As publication in English becomes more important, even editors open to translations are overwhelmed. (And few read Norwegian.) For every Karl Ove Knausgaard or Elena Ferrante, who are translated almost as soon as they appear in Norwegian or Italian, there are many Lispectors.

我們不能只是想當然地以為，所有偉大的外文作家最終都進入英文書店，我有很長一段時間就是這麼想的。隨着英文出版的重要性與日俱增，就算是歡迎譯作的編輯都會喘不過氣。文壇上總會出現一位卡爾‧奧韋‧諾斯加德（Karl Ove Knausgaard）或是埃琳娜‧費蘭特（Elena Ferrante）這種母語作品一推出就被翻成其他語言的作家。但在此同時，也有許多作家像利斯佩克托一樣，湮沒於書海之中。

Taking them on, after all, is an act of faith. At my first publishing job, in New York, I tried to convince my boss that a manuscript that seemed to blend sci-fi with bad porn was the work of an important new writer causing a stir in France. Though unable to read French, one editor took my word for it. The manuscript was 「Elementary Particles,」 by Michel Houellebecq. Every translation represents a similar leap.

說到底，承擔這個任務是出於一種信念。我在紐約做第一份出版工作時，曾試圖說服老闆相信，一份似乎將科幻與色情融合在一起的手稿，出自一名在法國引起轟動的重要新作家之手。雖然不懂法語，一名編輯相信了我的話。這份手稿就是米歇爾·維勒貝克（Michel Houellebecq）的《基本粒子》（Elementary Particles）。每部譯作都是一個類似的跨越。

表示「科幻（science fiction的非正式說法）」。

stir作動詞，表示「激發，激起（強烈的感情）；引起（強烈的反應）」，英文解釋為「to make someone have a strong feeling or reaction」，舉個🌰：

形成全球文學社區的夢想並不新鮮。但正如全球化並不意味着更多的政治及經濟平等，即時通訊和廉價旅行並沒有為文化世界主義提供保障。然而這些確實為文學行動主義帶來了重要的新機會。

表示「世界主義；世界大同主義；四海一家」，英文解釋為「Cosmopolitanism is the idea that all human beings are members of a single community.」

Writers working in English who know another language can help make connections and advocate for their foreign colleagues. Contacts are perhaps writers』 most valuable assets. Only a few people know everybody, but most of us know somebody. Just one or two contacts — an editor, an agent — can make a difference for a foreign writer. This includes links to fellowships, writing programs, and retreats that non-English-language writers haven’t heard about.

那些用英語寫作並掌握另一門語言的作家可以幫助建立聯繫，支持他們的外國同行。人脈或許是作家們最具價值的資產。左右逢源的人是很少的，但我們當中的大多數人都認識某人。只要一兩個熟人——一名編輯，一名經紀人——就能讓一名外國作家大為不同。比如與協會、寫作項目及非英語作家從未聽說過的隱居處的關係。

Even writers who beat the odds and are published in English face difficulty finding an audience, largely because they don’t have the networks they do at home. Since translations are less frequently reviewed, people who might be interested are less likely to hear about them. English-language writers can help by reviewing foreign works that make it into English, or interviewing their authors, taking advantage of the amplifying effects of social media.

甚至連那些克服困難，出版英語作品的作家也很難找到讀者，這在很大程度上是因為他們沒有像國內那樣的關係網。由於有關翻譯作品的書評越來越少，那些或許會感興趣的人都不太可能聽說這些作品。英語作家可以通過為翻譯成英語的外國作品寫書評、或採訪作者、利用社交媒體放大效果的優勢來提供幫助。

這些故事徒增了她的恐懼感。

Few things are lonelier than the solitary task of confronting the blank page for years on end. Literature, on the other hand, is made by a community: present and past, dead and alive. Everyone loses when books become yet another commodity, produced by a few big names. It’s one thing if everyone wears the same shoes or drinks the same soda. But the world of literature is the last place in which globalization should mean homogeneity.

年復一年地面對一張白紙，寫作的清苦是世間鮮有能及的。另一方面，文學是由一個社群造就的：現在與過去，死亡與生存。如果書成為由一種由大品牌生產的商品，對每個人都是不利的。就跟每個人都穿同樣的鞋子或喝同樣的汽水一樣。但文學世界是全球化過程中最不應該同質化的領域。

homogeneity /ˌhɒm.ə.dʒəˈneɪ.ə.ti/ 表示「同種；同質」，英文解釋為「the quality of consisting of parts or people that are similar to each other or are of the same type」

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最後，祝大家國慶快樂！

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LearnAndRecord

2015年2月8日

2022年9月30日

第2792天

每天持續行動學外語