《后浪》及其英文翻译(2020社会热点,主题班会,青春奋斗)

2020高考热点青春奋斗：《后浪》及其英文翻译

中英文版

后浪

Rising Waves①

翻译：许景城（广东外语外贸大学英文学院，英国班戈大学英语文学院）

那些口口声声“一代不如一代”的人，

Those who speculate about “humanity further doomed

generation after generation”

应该看着你们，

should take you into observation

像我一样，

like I am now

我看着你们，满怀羡慕。

eyeing you, admirable:

人类积攒了几千年的财富，

All the wealth, lore, insight, wisdom and art

所有的知识、见识、智慧和艺术，

having been mushrooming in human history for thousands of

years

像是专门为你们准备的礼物；

seem to be the prepared gifts for you;

科技繁荣、文化繁茂、城市繁华，

the booms in science, technology, culture, and urbanity,

现代文明的成果被层层打开，

the fruits of modern civilization are being peeled off

可以尽情享用。

for you to relish.

自由学习一门语言、学习一门手艺、

You can learn any language or any craft that suits your

interest;

欣赏一部电影、去遥远的地方旅行。

you can savor a film or embark on a journey to somewhere

remote.

很多人，从小你们就在自由探索自己的兴趣；

Many of you since childhood have been exploring your interest

freely;

很多人在童年就进入了不惑之年；

even many of you in childhood sensed your sensitivity fade

into sensibility,

不惑于自己喜欢什么，不喜欢什么。

no longer bemused by what you like and dislike.

人与人之间的壁垒被打破，

All barriers among humans are dismantled:

你们只凭相同的爱好，

Only by virtue of the same hobbies, can

就能结交千万个值得干杯的朋友，

you befriend droves of strangers who are willing to share your

sorrow and joy.

你们拥有了，

What you possess

我们曾经梦寐以求的权利——选择的权利；

is what we used to yearn for — the freedom of choice;

你所热爱的就是你的生活。

what grasps your passion is your life.

你们有幸遇见这样的时代，

You are blessed to dwell in such an epoch,

但是时代更有幸遇见这样的你们。

which in return is more fortunate to embrace you.

我看着你们，满怀敬意。

I’m gazing at you, respectful.

向你们的专业态度致敬，

My homage is vented to your adroitness,

你们正在把传统的变成现代的，

for you are turning something from traditional to modern,

把经典的变成流行的；

from classic to popular;

把学术的变成大众的，

from scholarly to public,

把民族的变成世界的；

from national to global;

你们把自己的热爱

you are forging your own passion and aspiration

变成了一个和成千上万的人分享快乐的事业，

into a happy enterprise that can be shared by tens of

thousands of people.

向你们的自信致敬。

My homage is registered here to your confidence.

弱小的人，才习惯嘲讽与否定；

The vulnerable are wont to jeer and smear;

内心强大的人，从不吝啬赞美与鼓励。

the strong are always generous in praise and encouragement.

向你们的大气致敬，

My homage is also paid to your generosity.

小人同而不和，

The wicked are always disagreeing to agree

君子美美与共，和而不同。

while the gentle are happy to see a diversification of differing

views, agreeing to disagree.

更年轻的身体，容得下更多元的文化、审美和价值观。

A younger soul allows for more diverse cultures, aesthetics,

and values.

有一天我终于发现，

One day, an epiphany struck me:

不只是我们在教你们如何生活，

It’s not simply that we have been teaching you how to live

your life,

你们也在启发我们，怎样去更好地生活。

but also that you have been updating our ways to live a better

life.

那些抱怨“一代不如一代”的人，

Those who speculate about “humanity further doomed

generation after generation”

应该看看你们，

should take you into observation,

就像我一样，

just like I am now,

我看着你们，满怀感激；

viewing you, grateful;

因为你们，这个世界会更喜欢中国，

thanks to you, the world is growing fonder of China,

因为一个国家最好看的风景，

for the best view of a country

就是这个国家的年轻人。

rests just upon the youth who inhabit it.

因为你们，

Because of you,

这世上的小说、音乐、电影所表现的青春，

the youth represented by novels, melodies, and movies on

Earth

就不再是忧伤迷茫，

will be defined not by sadness or loss in any guise whatsoever,

而是善良、勇敢、无私、无所畏惧。

but by kindness, courage, selflessness, and dauntlessness

withal.

是心里有火，眼里有光。

Youth will see fire in your heart, and light in your eyes.

不用活成我们想象中的样子，

Never should you lead a life as we’ve envisioned,

我们这一代人的想象力

for our imagination is too meager

不足以想象你们的未来；

to tell what your future will look like.

如果你们依然需要我们的祝福，

If you still expect best wishes from us,

那么，

then we’re happy to hearten you:

奔涌吧，后浪，

Please surge, rising waves!

我们在同一条奔涌的河流。

We are all in the same surging river!

注释

① 标题Rising Waves暗含过程性动态哲学思维。Rising一词强调浪花涌起的动作过程。中文原词中不管是“后”浪还是“前”浪，侧重时间先后顺序，强调结果状态，是结束性静态哲学思维。什么年龄段算是青年人？联合国世界卫生组织认为，44岁以下为青年人，45岁至59岁为中年人。随着我国乃至全球人均寿命不断增长，在中年人甚至更年长的人心中，势必对青年这一概念有着另一方解读。他们始终还驻守着一颗年轻的心，认为自己或许不是前浪，也不会甘心作为前浪而被后浪拍死在沙滩上。所以，他们时刻准备着汹涌，准备rising奋起拼搏，而不是甘心于falling沉沦。译文如此处理也间接避免了原中文演讲词中一些歧义和不足之处，比如贬低前浪之嫌和过度强调精英主义思想等。或许有读者会觉得“后浪”在英文中找不到合适对等词。其实不然。通过查找发现，有短语Rising

Generation。这一概念是Joseph Smith在1843年4月宗教大会上提出。他当时预言耶稣基督或许在他快85岁之前也不会再次降临。他说到：“Were I going to prophesy, I would say the end [of the

world] would not come in 1844, 5, or 6, or in forty years. There

are those of the rising generation who shall not taste death till

Christ comes… I prophesy in the name of the Lord God, and let it

be written-the Son of Man will not come in the clouds of heaven

till I am eighty-five years old.” (History of the Church 5:336)。[ /rising-generation] 可见，Rising

Generation是与耶稣基督再次来临联系起来。具有宗教意味。据Mormon Apostle Bruce R. McConkie解读，该词指的是1843年4月6日出生的孩子，他们是第一批Rising Generation的成员，而此后出生的孩子皆属于这一概念范畴。[ 同上。]尽管该词带有宗教色彩，然而按常识来讲，该词便是指时间轴上后出生之人，即后代，或后起之秀之意。据Bing在线字典提供的同义词库来看，generation其中一个同义词是wave。wave同generation，具有隐喻功能，符合《后浪》原演讲词的隐喻效果。同时也为了避免使用Rising Generation所暗含的宗教意味，故此使用Rising Waves。Wave一词据牛津在线英语大辞典相关词条可知，亦指某一团体运动。原演讲词“后浪”的隐喻即是一代又一代青年团体的奋斗进取浪潮和创新思潮运动。故此，使用wave符合原演讲词所欲传达之意。

中文版

后浪

那些口口声声“一代不如一代”的人，

应该看着你们，

像我一样，

我看着你们，满怀羡慕。

人类积攒了几千年的财富，

所有的知识、见识、智慧和艺术，

像是专门为你们准备的礼物；

科技繁荣、文化繁茂、城市繁华，

现代文明的成果被层层打开，

可以尽情享用。

自由学习一门语言、学习一门手艺、

欣赏一部电影、去遥远的地方旅行。

很多人，从小你们就在自由探索自己的兴趣；

很多人在童年就进入了不惑之年；

不惑于自己喜欢什么，不喜欢什么。

人与人之间的壁垒被打破，

你们只凭相同的爱好，

就能结交千万个值得干杯的朋友，

你们拥有了，

我们曾经梦寐以求的权利——选择的权利；

你所热爱的就是你的生活。

你们有幸遇见这样的时代，

但是时代更有幸遇见这样的你们。

我看着你们，满怀敬意。

向你们的专业态度致敬，

你们正在把传统的变成现代的，

把经典的变成流行的；

把学术的变成大众的，

把民族的变成世界的；

你们把自己的热爱

变成了一个和成千上万的人分享快乐的事业，

向你们的自信致敬。

弱小的人，才习惯嘲讽与否定；

内心强大的人，从不吝啬赞美与鼓励。

向你们的大气致敬，

小人同而不和，

君子美美与共，和而不同。

更年轻的身体，容得下更多元的文化、审美和价值观。

有一天我终于发现，

不只是我们在教你们如何生活，

你们也在启发我们，怎样去更好地生活。

那些抱怨“一代不如一代”的人，

应该看看你们，

就像我一样，

我看着你们，满怀感激；

因为你们，这个世界会更喜欢中国，

因为一个国家最好看的风景，

就是这个国家的年轻人。

因为你们，

这世上的小说、音乐、电影所表现的青春，

就不再是忧伤迷茫，

而是善良、勇敢、无私、无所畏惧。

是心里有火，眼里有光。

不用活成我们想象中的样子，

我们这一代人的想象力

不足以想象你们的未来；

如果你们依然需要我们的祝福，

那么，

奔涌吧，后浪，

我们在同一条奔涌的河流。

英文翻译版

Rising Waves

Those who speculate about “humanity further doomed

generation after generation”

should take you into observation

like I am now

eyeing you, admirable:

All the wealth, lore, insight, wisdom and art

having been mushrooming in human history for thousands of

years

seem to be the prepared gifts for you;

the booms in science, technology, culture, and urbanity,

the fruits of modern civilization are being peeled off

for you to relish.

You can learn any language or any craft that suits your

interest;

you can savor a film or embark on a journey to somewhere

remote.

Many of you since childhood have been exploring your interest

freely;

even many of you in childhood sensed your sensitivity fade

into sensibility,

no longer bemused by what you like and dislike.

All barriers among humans are dismantled:

Only by virtue of the same hobbies, can

you befriend droves of strangers who are willing to share your

sorrow and joy.

What you possess

is what we used to yearn for — the freedom of choice;

what grasps your passion is your life.

You are blessed to dwell in such an epoch,

which in return is more fortunate to embrace you.

I’m gazing at you, respectful.

My homage is vented to your adroitness,

for you are turning something from traditional to modern,

from classic to popular;

from scholarly to public,

from national to global;

you are forging your own passion and aspiration

into a happy enterprise that can be shared by tens of

thousands of people.

My homage is registered here to your confidence.

The vulnerable are wont to jeer and smear;

the strong are always generous in praise and encouragement.

My homage is also paid to your generosity.

The wicked are always disagreeing to agree

while the gentle are happy to see a diversification of differing

views, agreeing to disagree.

A younger soul allows for more diverse cultures, aesthetics,

and values.

One day, an epiphany struck me:

It’s not simply that we have been teaching you how to live

your life,

but also that you have been updating our ways to live a better

life.

Those who speculate about “humanity further doomed

generation after generation”

should take you into observation,

just like I am now,

viewing you, grateful;

thanks to you, the world is growing fonder of China,

for the best view of a country

rests just upon the youth who inhabit it.

Because of you,

the youth represented by novels, melodies, and movies on

Earth

will be defined not by sadness or loss in any guise whatsoever,

but by kindness, courage, selflessness, and dauntlessness

withal.

Youth will see fire in your heart, and light in your eyes.

Never should you lead a life as we’ve envisioned,

for our imagination is too meager

to tell what your future will look like.

If you still expect best wishes from us,

then we’re happy to hearten you:

Please surge, rising waves!

We are all in the same surging river!