例2:Initially they traded phone phreaking information. They then put theory into practice and pulled off what they declared to be some “totally moby” hacks. (Chap. 18)
例3: He keyed some commands and with an excited churning in his groin he heard the rising and falling whistle of his modem's sensual electronic handshake (most real hackers would never use dog-slow modems and telephone lines like this, rather than a direct connection, to get online. But Phate had to compromise; speed was far less important than being able to stay mobile and hide his tracks through millions of miles of telephone lines around the world). (Chap. 3)
例4:“Maybe he went Dumpster diving outside her house and got the information that way. ” Anderson explained to Bishop and Shelton,” He means going digging through trash bins to get information that'll help you hack—discarded company manuals, printouts, bills, receipts, things like that.” (Chap. 5)
例8: The other was dressed more conservatively but did have extensive body piercings and his crew-cut hair was green.(Chap.33)
另一個服裝倒還算保守,但臉上、身上到處穿了孔眼,掛滿各種飾物,小平頭染成了綠色。(第33章)
dead tree字面義為“死樹”,該新詞是環(huán)保主義者的杰作,指紙制品,翻譯時既要保留該詞的獨特新穎,同時要明晰、達意,照顧可讀性。
例9: Usually disorganized and slovenly in many ways, all serious hackers kept pens and battered steno pads or Big Chief tablets-any type of dead-tree stuff-beside their machines every minute they were online.(Chap.36)
例10: He'd represent the latest generation of hackers: athletic risk-takers, equally at home hacking together script at a keyboard and skateboarding half-pipes at extreme-sport competitions.(Chap.5)
social engineer/engineering原指“(應(yīng)用社會學原理達成某種特殊或認定的社會目標的)社會工程”,現(xiàn)常指一種網(wǎng)絡(luò)黑客攻擊行為,攻擊者利用人際關(guān)系間的互動特性假冒某人或某機,如給用戶發(fā)送一個郵件聲稱自己是系統(tǒng)管理員等,進行人為欺騙或攻擊,引誘用戶透露個人密碼或其他敏感信息。也指假冒他人或扮演偽社會角色。如:
例12: “He social engineered her,”...(Chap.2)
“他利用社交工程,扮演偽社會角色攻擊了她,”……(第2章)
例13: “The best social engineer I've ever heard of.” (Chap.10)
Larry King是美國CNN(有線新聞網(wǎng))著名訪談節(jié)目主持人,在美國可謂家喻戶曉,看到這個名字,原語讀者自然會對其內(nèi)涵心領(lǐng)神會。但在翻譯成漢語的過程中,如果譯者缺乏對這一文化現(xiàn)象的了解,用直譯簡單處理,語境因素的改變和背景知識的不同就可能阻礙漢語讀者對“賴瑞·金”這個名字引起相關(guān)聯(lián)想,原文信息就會因此流失缺損。這里要求譯者對該人名有充分了解,在譯文中增補必要信息。
例15: (She) Pulled the nail polish out of her Louis Vuitton purse again and opened it.(Chap.14)
例21: (This is) The land of King Midas, where the golden touch, though, isn't the sly trickery of Wall Street or the muscle of Midwest industry but pure imagination.(Chap.15)
這個例子中涉及的西方文化背景知識是“點金術(shù)”的傳說。原文用暗喻的手法,把賺大錢的網(wǎng)絡(luò)業(yè)發(fā)源地硅谷比作傳說中點物成金的邁達斯國王的國土。由于該典故是西方文化的一部分,原文只給了King Midas,與緊隨其后的“the golden touch”相呼應(yīng),其內(nèi)涵被認為“不言而喻”而沒有明示出來。為了幫助不諳西方歷史典故的譯文讀者在前后文中找到關(guān)聯(lián),更好地理解,譯者必須在了解原作意圖的基礎(chǔ)上,在必要時擴大作者話語的信息內(nèi)容,填補作者認為“不言而喻”而留下的信息空白。以上譯文通過必要的增益和明晰化處理,較好地解決了這一問題。
例22: Then Anderson realized that he'd forgotten the Miranda warning. He didn't want to blow an arrest like this by making a technical mistake.(Chap.9)
譯者如果對該例中the Miranda warning的內(nèi)涵不予深究或不考慮讀者擁有的背景知識,直譯為“米蘭達警告”,必然會造成缺乏相關(guān)文化背景知識的讀者在理解上出現(xiàn)盲區(qū),阻礙信息的接收。以上譯文通過加注,交代了相關(guān)背景,使讀者在了解的基礎(chǔ)上,同時獲得了新知。
例23: Wyatt Gillette was very pale-he had a “hacker tan,” as the pallor was ironically called-and quite thin. His hair was filthy, as were his fingernails. Gillette apparently hadn't showered or shaved in days.(Chap.2)
例24:“I wouldn't even call him that,” Gillette said “Crackers maybe steal and vandalize but they don't hurt people. I'd call him a `kracker' with a k. For killer.”
“Cracker with a c, kracker with a k,” Shelton muttered. “What the hell difference does it make?”(Chap.6)
8。原文:He keyed some commands and with an excited churning in his groin he heard the rising and falling whistle of his modem's sensual electronic handshake...
原譯:他敲進一些指令。隨著腹股溝處一陣激情翻滾,他聽到調(diào)制解調(diào)器用先高后低的鳴叫聲通過令人興奮的電波向他握手問好。
改譯:他敲進一些指令,隨著腹股溝處傳來一陣因情緒激動引發(fā)的痙攣,他聽到調(diào)制解調(diào)器發(fā)出了先高后低的電子握手鳴叫信號。
說明:那種因激動而從腹股溝處傳來陣陣痙攣的體會,我想不單單是寫程序的人有過,任何因激動而發(fā)顫的人大概都有過吧?原譯把它說成是什么“激情翻滾”,起碼是表意不確吧?另外,調(diào)制解調(diào)器發(fā)出的先高后低的鳴叫聲,是一種表示個人電腦跟網(wǎng)絡(luò)連通的訊息,它的名稱就叫握手信號。不應(yīng)該把它譯作電波,當然,它也不會跟人握手。^_^
《藍色虛擬空間》的原著The Blue Nowhere是2001出版的,可能考慮到普通讀者對書中具體語境中的一些計算機術(shù)語不熟悉,原著中專門附上了Glossary(注釋詞表),以下摘錄相關(guān)部分的注釋:
Code: Software.
Freeware: Software made available by its developers at no charge.
Script: Software
Hack: Originally this word meant to quickly write a software program for a limited purpose though it evolved mean the study and writing of innovative software programs. Increasingly the term is used by civilians to mean breaking into computer systems for malicious purposes, a practice more properly referred to as cracking. The word is also used as a noun to mean a clever piece of programming.
文中列舉的幾個詞語均根據(jù)以上注釋譯出。Code作為“代碼”義,應(yīng)該是比較普通的,但作者在書中有時確實將其作“軟件”解。如Code cruncher,作者用它來指“日復(fù)一日從事簡易、單調(diào)的編程任務(wù),缺乏想象力的軟件程序編寫員”(An unimaginative software progrmnmer who performs simple or mundane programming tasks.)當然,譯者也并沒有把文中所有code譯為“軟件”,而是根據(jù)具體語境給出不同譯文,包括譯為“代碼”。Script一詞也一樣,它可以指“軟件”(如英文解釋),但譯者在文中也還是根據(jù)具體語境給出不同譯文。如例10中hacking together script就譯為“編寫創(chuàng)新程序腳本”。至于Hack together原譯文的根據(jù),見以上英文解釋。
這個問題應(yīng)該屬于“仁者見仁,智者見智”的范疇?!端{色》是一本通俗文學作品,而不是計算機教科書。作者用Chip-jock(A computer industry worker who specializes in hardware development or sales).而不用chip engineer,用Demon而不用guarding program自然是想表達生動,獲得某種修辭效果,吸引大眾眼球。作為譯者,要盡可能保留原文的文體特色。直譯加上必要的解釋以及書中電腦專業(yè)知識與故事情節(jié)有機結(jié)合的巧妙安排,相信普通讀者不會有閱讀上的困難。
廢話少說,回到正題。就拿Code和Script這兩個詞來說吧,在有些地方的確可以含糊地稱之為軟件,例如你可以說“寫代碼”和“寫軟件”事實上就是一回事,但是在很多情況下二者卻又不同,尤其是后者。
再來看hacking together script的譯法,盡管朋友joychen給出了上面的“mean the study and writing of innovative software programs”的解釋,但是請注意,那并不意味著它的意思就是什么“編寫創(chuàng)新軟件”(或“編寫創(chuàng)新程序腳本”)。結(jié)合后面的英文釋義,我們知道這種軟件其實是軟件中的“另類”、“搗蛋鬼”和“作惡者”,既然如此,你難道不覺得稱它為“創(chuàng)新軟件”,其含義并不確切?
另外,hacking together script之所以不宜譯為“創(chuàng)新軟件”,就如我上面所強調(diào)的,是因為它不僅事實上與其本意并不符合,而且在我國的專業(yè)人員中,對這樣的表述也是聞所未聞的??赡躩oychen認為那是來自于彼岸的稱呼,不為國內(nèi)的專業(yè)人員所熟識。恰恰相反,如果說有哪個專業(yè)最沒有國界上的限制,這個專業(yè)必定非計算機莫屬;而在整個計算機行業(yè)中,又非計算機軟件莫屬;在寫軟件的人員當中,十之八九又非黑客莫屬。軟件人員通過網(wǎng)絡(luò)與國外專業(yè)人員的交流,尤其是閱讀國外最新計算機學科和技術(shù)文檔的數(shù)量和速度,在所有學科中,可能都稱得上是嘆為觀止。
至于Chip-jock和Demon,就算是“仁者見仁,智者見智”吧。不過我還是認為Chip-jock譯為“芯片技師”比“芯片騎師”要好;Demon譯為“守護程序”比“守護神”要好。因為我認為,在表意并無困難的前提下,清晰比刻意去營造一個生動的修辭效果更為重要。
但愿我下面續(xù)完的羅嗦評論不會讓原譯者生厭吧?
11。原文:“He social engineered her,”...
原譯:“他利用社交工程,扮演偽社會角色攻擊了她,”……
改譯:“他利用社會工程學的方法使她上當就范,”……
說明:原譯在這里是沒有什么問題的,只不過“社交工程”、“扮演偽社會角色”這樣的說法比較生疏和少見。因為如果有“偽社會角色”這個詞語存在,就必定還應(yīng)該有一個對應(yīng)的“正社會角色”存在,而這樣的說法,確屬鮮見。相應(yīng)地,下一句“The best social engineer I've ever heard of.”譯成“他是我所知道的最高明的偽社會角色?!?,就不如譯成“他是我所見識過的最高明的社會工程學大師(專家)?!焙谩?br />
12。原文:“Hacker's revenge is patient revenge.”原譯:“黑客報仇,十年不晚?!卑搭}頭“通俗文學翻譯對譯者的挑戰(zhàn)”一文的解釋:“如照字面譯為:‘黑客的復(fù)仇是耐心的復(fù)仇?!耐ㄟ^重復(fù)手段達到的強調(diào)和意味深長的效果在譯文里完全得不到體現(xiàn)?!倍业睦斫鈪s恰恰相反,我認為:譯為‘黑客的復(fù)仇是耐心的復(fù)仇。’才最貼切于原意。因為一則譯者忽視了計算機業(yè)界所特有的一日千年的時效性,二來黑客的報仇,確實也不是什么時間選擇早晚的問題,而實實在在是一件比耐心比恒心比定力的問題。原譯者如果與一名真正的黑客有過接觸,或者只需與一名計算機系統(tǒng)管理員有過接觸,就會明白道理何在。