一首诗的翻译|何小竹

某晚失眠，心血来潮，想做个游戏，便找来自己一首诗的两个英译版本，分别放进一个翻译软件里，将其译回汉语，看看会是一番什么模样？

【原诗】
《梦见苹果和鱼的安》

我仍然没有说
大房屋里就一定有死亡的蘑菇
你不断地梦见苹果和鱼
就在这样的大房屋
你叫我害怕

屋后我写过的那黑森林
你从来就没去过
你总在重复那个梦境
你总在说
像真的一样

我们不会住很久了
我要把所有的门都加上锁
用草茎锁住鱼的嘴巴
一直到天亮
你还会在那个雨季
用毯子蒙住头
倾听大房屋
那些腐烂的声音吗

【无名氏的英译】

Ann's Dream of Apples and Fish

I still haven't said
That deadly mushrooms must surely grow inside a large house
It's your endless dreaming of apples and fish
In a big house like this one
That scares me most

You have never gone behind the house
Into that black forest that I wrote about
You're constantly reaffirming the world you dream
Constantly saying
How much it's like the real world

We won't live here very long
I'll put a lock on every door
And lock shut the fishes' mouths with grass stalks
All the way up till dawn
Do you still expect to wrap your head
With a blanket during the rainy season
While you listen to those crackling sounds
Of a vast house rotting?

【某翻译软件对无名氏英译的汉译】

《安的苹果和鱼之梦》

我还没有说
这种致命的蘑菇一定会在大房子里生长
这是你对苹果和鱼的无尽的梦想
在这样的大房子里
我最害怕

你从来没有去过房子的后面
我写的那片黑森林
你不断地重申你梦想的世界
不断地说
这和现实世界有多相似

我们不会在这里住很长时间
我要在每扇门上放一个锁
用草杆锁住鱼的嘴
一直到黎明
你是否还想在雨季时
用毯子把你的脑袋包起来
当你在听那些噼啪作响的声音的时候
一个巨大的房子正在腐烂

【达恬地的英译】

Ann Dreaming of Apples and Fish

I have never said
that in big houses there were definitely
mushrooms of death
You endlessly dream of apples and fish
In this kind of big house
You make me scared

Youve never been to
that dark forest I once wrote behind the house
You are always in that reoccurring dreamscape
You always say
that it seems real

We wont stay long
I want to put locks on all the doors
Lock the fishs mouth with straw
until the morning comes
In that rainy season will you still
cover your head with a blanket
and listen closely to the houses
putrid sounds?

【某翻译软件对达恬地英译的汉译】

《安梦见苹果和鱼》

我从来没有说
在大房子里肯定有
蘑菇的死亡
你没完没了地梦见苹果和鱼
在这样的大房子里
你让我害怕

你从未去过
我曾经在房子后面写的那片黑森林
你总是在重复发生幻境
你总是说
看起来真实

我们不会呆太久
我想把所有的门都锁上
用稻草锁住鱼嘴
直到清晨来临时
在那个雨季，你还会
用毯子盖住你的头
仔细听房子的
腐烂的声音吗

无名氏的英译是我偶然在网上看见的，我不懂英文，但通过翻译软件将其“回炉”之后，发现与原诗差异较大。而达恬地的英译，“回炉”之后与原诗的差异就显得要小一些。作为不懂英文的我来说，感觉这个游戏很有趣。但翻译软件又是值得信任的吗？为此我又做了个实验，将一个中文诗句放进软件译成英文，然后又将这句英文再放进软件，译回中文，结果译回来的已经不是原来的模样了。

如下——

【原诗】
我仍然没有说
大房屋里就一定有死亡的蘑菇

【英译】
I still didn't say
There must be dead mushrooms in the big house

【对英译的汉译】
我还没有说
在大房子里一定有死蘑菇

看，同一个翻译软件，就这样倒腾了一下，回来后就走样了。

下面是某翻译软件对这首诗的英译——

Dream of apple and fish

I still didn't say
There must be dead mushrooms in the big house
You keep dreaming about apples and fish
It's in this big house
You scared me

The black forest I've written behind the house
You've never been there
You're always repeating that dream
You always say
Like real

We won't live long
I'm going to lock all the doors
Lock the fish's mouth with the straw
Till dawn
You'll still be in that rainy season
Cover your head with a blanket
Listen to big houses
Those rotten sounds?

懂英文的人看了这个英译会不会笑翻？

一首诗的翻译|何小竹

绘画=刘华忠