[英语学习][7][Word Power Made Easy]的精读与翻译优化

[序言]

这次翻译, 遇到非常细微的短语, 让我差点翻车. 我从7点半开始思考到10点, 才恍然大悟.

[英文学习的目标]

提升自身的英语水平, 对日后编程技能的提升有很大帮助. 希望大家这次能学到东西, 同时加入我的社区讨论与交流英语相关的内容.

[原著英文与翻译版对照][第19]

All normal human beings are born with a powerful urge to learn. Almost all of them lose this urge, even before they have reached maturity. It is only the few... who are so constituted that lack of learning becomes a nuisance. This is perhaps the most insidious of human tragedies.
所有正常人类出生时都具有巨大的学习欲望. 后来, 几乎所有人又都失去了这个欲望, 甚至在他们尚未成熟时就失去了. 只有少数人...他们如何塑造自己, 以至于不学习成为一种烦心事. 这恐怕是人类最隐含不露的悲剧.

[我认为翻译不好的地方]

maturity: 成熟 (太直白了, 应该翻译为成年)
It is only the few... who are so constituted that lack of learning becomes a nuisance: (完全翻译错误, 这句话也是最难翻译的)

[上面的It is only the few...语句为什么难翻译?]

重点是: "who are so constituted", 一开始我以为这个是被动句, be动词(are) + (过去分词). 然后就按照这个思路套进去, 结果老是词不达意. 最后把"constituted"过去分词当作形容词就豁然开朗.

[语法分析]

It is only the few... who are so constituted that .
先调整从句的顺序并还原为简单句
[lack of learning becomes a nuisance] is the only the few. the few [are so constituted].
生硬强制翻译: (不学习是一种讨厌的事情)是少数人. 少数人就是这样被视为的.
这里大家就有疑问了: (不学习是一种讨厌的事情) 怎么可能是人呢？这就是西方国家英语思维的重点核心了：在英语中, 万物万事都是平等, 也就是说人=物=事反过来事=物=人都是等价的. 因此上面的生硬强制翻译是逻辑没错的.
理清上面所说的前后逻辑关系后, 可以这样理解原话: 把(不学习视为一种讨厌的事情)的人, 归类为少数派.