总理的记者会大白话多,但其实要用英语翻译出汉语原文的韵味来也不容易,因为李总理特别喜欢“打比方”。
比如说下面这几个句子的现场翻译,有直译,比如“壮士断腕”;也有意译,比如“天大的事”,也有半直译半意译,如“打断骨头连着筋”:
——(政府削权)“我们要有壮士断腕的决心”= We should have the determination to cut the wrist like brave warriors.
——“腐败和我们政府的信誉应该说水火不容”= Corruption is incompatible to reputation of the government, like fire to water.
——(两岸同胞)“打断骨头还连着筋”= Bones may be broken, but they are not split, because we are compatriots.
——(两岸关系)“使其花团锦簇,我想花好总有月圆时”= ...so that it will be full of flowers. When flowers are in full blossom, there will be a time for the moon to be full again.
——“至于食品安全,那可以说是天大的事”= Food safety is of utmost importance.
——(查处)“假冒伪劣和黑心食品”= punish the heartless producers of substandard and fake food
——“绿水青山贫穷落后不行,但殷实富裕环境恶化也不行”= It is no good to be poor in a beautiful environment, nor is it good to be well-off and live with environmental degradation.
....
这么多比喻中,最难翻译的应该是“(改革贵在行动)喊破嗓子不如甩开膀子”,翻译很巧妙地借用了英语Talking the talk is not as good as walking the walk的习惯说法,很自然,外国人一下子就能听懂,应该是本次记者招待会上最出彩的翻译之一。