虎年过去兔年到来（虎年译虎）

九、龙怕揭鳞，虎怕抽筋，我来为大家科普一下关于虎年过去兔年到来?以下内容希望对你有帮助!

虎年过去兔年到来

九、龙怕揭鳞，虎怕抽筋。

(lit) Dragons are [most] afraid of [their] scales being scraped off [and] tigers are [most] afraid of pulling a tendon.

(fig)Everyone has a weakness which (s)he fears will be exposed; everyone has an “Achilles’ heel.” [Rhyme]

Gone are scales and tendons instead:

What dragons and tigers most dread.

原译之pulling a tendon措辞不够严谨，若以having their tendons pulled (out) 代之，想必与 [their] scales being scraped off更为合节拍；就编写体例来看，(s)he fears不如they fear可取；为确保译文两行音节等量，让Gone“分身”涵盖“揭/抽”两个动词，似乎取得了一定的效果（无鳞、无筋）。读者在多大程度上认可之，我们愿闻其详。

十、（龙游浅水遭虾戏，）虎落平原被犬欺。

(lit) (A dragon in the shallows falls victim to shrimps [and]) a tiger [down] on the plain

can be set upon by dogs.

(fig)The powerful in an unfavorable situation can be insulted by the weak. Out of one’s element or position, one can be bullied, just like everyone else.

(A dragon in the shallows is shrimps’ prey;)

A tiger down the plains is each dog’s play.

相信读者对原文并不陌生，我们英译时也尽力小心以待，私下以为prey有点意思，但愿熟悉双语的读者也有同感！

十一、没有打虎将，过不得景阳岗。

(lit) Without a leader with the strength and skill to kill a tiger, [one] cannot cross over Jingyang Ridge [where Wu Song killed a tiger in WM].

(fig) Only people of ability can solve problems.

Never ascend Jingyang, where tigers stay,

Unless one able to manage leads the way.

原文“岗”应为“冈”之误笔；译文未照搬原文，仅为“音意形”之故，好在原文大意犹存。需说明的是，“冈”没译出来，但有ascend一词加持，应该能蒙混过“冈”；“打虎将”英文措辞（a leader with the strength and skill to kill a tiger），似乎略显累赘，现译之one (who is) able to manage亦不够简洁，望读者周知。

十二、怕得老虎，喂不得猪。

(lit) [If one is too] afraid of tigers, one won’t raise pigs.

(fig) If one is too full of fears, one won’t be able to accomplish anything at all.

其一：

Who’s afraid of tigers

Can be no pig raisers.

其二：

As tigers you so dread

Never near a pig head.

老家一代有个类似歇后语的说法：“猪变老虎 — 又笨又恶”！这或可说明二者的相似点！译文一意为“怕老虎，不养猪”，唯恐英美人士不解其中关联，故想到译文二（其中near用作动词），仅供参考，敬请指正。

感兴趣的读者，继续关注加点赞，下期奉上英译汉。谢谢！

,