繽FUN英語/Canton-English─Part 1
大約10多年前已經有學生要求我開辦一個工作坊，就是把港式廣東俗語／俚詞翻譯成英語。
如果翻譯合邏輯，讀者也清晰明白譯者／原文的意思，我也贊成翻譯廣東話。可以給外語人士了解多一點我們的文化，也不一定要做到傳統翻譯「信、達、雅」。很多廣東俗語／俚詞的確可以有神韻地翻譯成英語。
大家試試猜猜以下中英對照的句子是什麼意思？
1.在網上買二手電動單車要小心，你這樣隔山買牛，風險很大。
Be careful about buying a second-handed bicycle on the internet, it might turn out to buying an ox from the other side of the mountain.
2. 風水佬呃你十年八年，我們不會。時間可以證明。
A Fungshui master may fool you for ten or eight years, we would not. Time can tell.
3. 狗咬呂洞賓，不識好人心。Molly好心送贈三文治給這乞兒，乞兒反而罵她不給錢。
Molly gave some sandwiches to the beggar, who was really like a dog to bite Lu Dongbun. He cursed her for not giving him money！
4.不好意思，你剛才說得一嚿嚿，我完全不理解。
I beg your pardon. What you just said was too 199, I was clueless.
1）所謂「隔山買牛」就是形容別人沒有認知實際情況，便大膽地購買東西。英語字面翻譯不能清楚，其實英語也有相同的成語：a pig in a poke。可改成：Be careful about buying a second-handed bicycle on the internet, it might turn out to be a pig in a poke.
2）以英語直譯未能表達正確意思，「風水佬呃你十年八年」主要強調這個人是說實話，沒有欺騙成分。可改成：We are telling you the truth. / Time will witness the truth.
3）中國民間神話八仙之一的呂洞賓心地善良，但要收復哮天犬，最後放走牠，反被牠咬了一口。於是有人就要以這一句比喻一個人「以惡報善，不分好歹」。可改成：
Molly, who was cursed by an ungrateful beggar for not giving him money, gave him some sandwiches.
4）「一嚿嚿」的意思就是形容別人不能把話語表達清晰。如果照字面拼音或是用數字顯示，實在比較難明。可改成：I beg your pardon. I am afraid that I couldn't quite understand what you just said; it was a bit incoherent.
下集討論一些未必可能以英語翻譯的廣東詞彙、成語及慣用句。
Miss Carol 資深英語老師、國際英文考試主考官；前大專院校導師及企業培訓導師。
