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接触《欲言又止》

  • 小小评论家小小评论家
  • 书评
  • 2023-03-26 03:59:38
  • 60

给中文版的《接触》打五星,有违我的本意;但不给《接触》打五星,又对不起萨根的巨著——我不知道这样的表述能否触动译者的一点自省之心。

译名的问题我不想多说。“arroway”译为“发利箭”,恐怕已经偏离了译法的基本原则,好在一个人名的问题好歹还不至于对阅读产生多大的障碍,但更大的问题却是在中文的行文表达之中。

且摘书中的一段如下,诸位可以自行评价:

那帮人企图控告他——说他在搞一种阴谋诡计,妨碍自由贸易。他们具有充分的政治势力方面的支持者,作为被告,他提出驳回诉讼的请求被否决了,可是他们的影响力还没有达到能操纵诉讼的程度,他们也并没有完全取得胜诉。这次审判迫使哈顿仔细地研究相关的法律条文和条款。很快,他通过麦迪逊大街一家著名的广告代理商,在商业电视上做广告,宣传自己的产品,双方经过几个星期的争论,哈顿的商业活动遭到拒绝。哈顿把所有的三家网络公司告上法庭,在这次审判中,证实了存在妨碍贸易的阴谋策划。他获得了一笔巨大的赔款,在当时,在这类案例中,是创纪录的数目,并以其温和的方式作出贡献,使得原有的网络经营商,不得不将他们的不动产进行转移。现在,哈顿已经成为麦迪逊大街那家广告公司隐名的主要合伙人。

无机同学提供的原文如下:

They tried to sue him--something about a conspiracy in restraint of trade. They had sufficient political muscle that his motion for summary dismissal was denied but insufficient influence to actually win the case. The trial had forced Hadden to investigate the relevant legal codes. Soon after he applied through a well known Madison Avenue agency in which he was now a major silent partner to advertise his own product on commercial television. After a few weeks of controversy his commercials were refused. He sued all three networks and in this trial was able to prove conspiracy in restraint of trade. He received a huge settlement that was at the time a record for cases of this sort and which contributed in its modest way to the demise of the original networks.

考虑到我的立场与身份,其余的话就不说了。无论如何,吴岩老师主编的这一套世界著名科学家科幻小说系列还是非常造福我们科幻迷的。翻译能更过硬一些就好了。

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