最近,清華食堂的一張菜單引起了熱議。
圖源:小紅書截圖
網(wǎng)友紛紛評(píng)論:“差點(diǎn)把價(jià)格看成了影響因子。”
有網(wǎng)友提出了“修改意見(jiàn)”:“這邊建議改成Table 1.1清芬園午餐價(jià)目表。”“做成三線表就更像了。”
A canteen menu at Tsinghua University has sparked online discussions for its uncanny resemblance to an academic paper. Netizens joked about mistaking the price column for "impact factors", with some suggesting the menu should be reformatted as "Table 1.1: Qingfenyuan lunch price list" to complete the scholarly aesthetic.
菜單上除菜品名稱和價(jià)格外,還清晰地列出了主輔料和過(guò)敏原,更貼心配上了英文翻譯。不少網(wǎng)友表示意外學(xué)到了原來(lái)它們的英文譯名是這樣。
比如,八寶粥的英文名就是字面組合“八”“寶”“粥”(Eight-treasure Porridge);豆腐腦則被譯為“Bean Curd Jelly”,讀著十分形象。
Beyond listing dish names and prices, the menu provides detailed ingredient breakdowns, allergen information, and English translations, revealing some delightfully literal interpretations.
圖源:小紅書截圖
這也讓網(wǎng)友不禁聯(lián)想起一些中國(guó)美食的“靈魂翻譯”,比如……
重慶毛血旺,“Chongqing is full of blood”。
加油麥菜,“Come on, Mai Cai”。
圖源:小紅書截圖
隨著越來(lái)越多外國(guó)游客來(lái)到中國(guó),一些外國(guó)朋友在碰到中餐廳菜單上的“神翻譯”時(shí),也不免舉著菜單陷入沉思,甚至產(chǎn)生了“這真的能吃嗎”的疑惑。
The discussion revived memories of other infamous "creative translations", such as "Chongqing is full of blood" for mao xue wang, a spicy blood stew, or the motivational "Come on, Mai Cai" for stir-fried greens.
在美國(guó)有線電視新聞網(wǎng)(CNN)刊發(fā)的一篇探討中國(guó)菜名英語(yǔ)翻譯的文章中,多年來(lái)專注研究中餐的英國(guó)美食作家扶霞·鄧洛普(Fuchsia Dunlop)提到,盡管現(xiàn)在翻譯軟件進(jìn)步不少,但她在中國(guó)旅行時(shí)還是會(huì)遇到一些令人發(fā)笑的誤譯。
In a CNN article exploring Chinese culinary translations, Fuchsia Dunlop, a British food writer specialized in Chinese cuisine, noted that despite advances in translation technology, she still encounters unintentionally humorous menu mistranslations during her travels in China.
炒包菜(stir-fried cabbage)就是其中最典型的一個(gè)例子。
菜單上,“炒包菜”被翻譯成了“手提包食物”(handbag food)。包菜被拆分成了單獨(dú)的兩個(gè)字,“包”翻譯成“hangbag”(手提包),“菜”則對(duì)應(yīng)為“food”(食物)。
鄧洛普認(rèn)為,之所以翻譯這些食物的名稱如此困難,很大程度上是因?yàn)橹胁屠锏暮芏嘣~匯在英語(yǔ)中根本沒(méi)有對(duì)應(yīng)詞匯。比如,英語(yǔ)中用“dumpling”這個(gè)詞泛指各種帶有餡料的面食,但中文里餃子、云吞、燒麥、湯圓等卻各有其名。
Dunlop says much of the problem with translating the names of these foods stems from the fact that certain words don't even exist in English. For example, in English, the word "dumpling" is a catchall phrase, referring to everything from jiaozi and wonton to xiaolongbao .
鄧洛普建議,英文翻譯可以直接借用中文原本的說(shuō)法,就像是英文中沿用了法語(yǔ)詞匯“chef”(廚師)和“omelet”(煎蛋卷)那樣。
Dunlop suggests borrowing terms in Chinese, similar to how they use French words like "chef" and "omelet".
▌夫妻肺片(Husband-and-wife lung slices)
圖源:視覺(jué)中國(guó)
在這道名為“夫妻肺片”的四川名菜中,既沒(méi)有夫妻,也沒(méi)有肺片。它實(shí)際上是一道辣味切片牛雜,因一對(duì)經(jīng)常走街串巷叫賣涼拌小菜的夫妻而得名。
鄧洛普認(rèn)為如果將其譯為“Sliced beef offal in a spicy sauce”(辣味牛雜切片)會(huì)缺乏特色,也削弱了用餐體驗(yàn),不如把“夫妻肺片”直譯成英文“husband-and-wife lung slices”,再單獨(dú)解釋這道菜的成分。
One could easily translate it to be "sliced beef offal in a spicy sauce", but this would lack flair and take away from the experience. Dunlop recommends it's fun to keep the original meaning in the translated name — husband-and-wife lung slices — but a description would be a nice menu addition.
“隨著外國(guó)人越來(lái)越熟悉這些菜,他們也會(huì)逐漸熟悉這些菜名 。 ”
▌魚香茄子(Fish-fragrant eggplant)
圖源:視覺(jué)中國(guó)
魚香茄子也是相似的情況,很多時(shí)候這道菜里并沒(méi)有魚,而是因?yàn)槭褂昧艘贼~為原料的菜肴中常使用的調(diào)料而得名。
鄧洛普說(shuō),有時(shí)人們會(huì)將其直譯為“spicy Sichuan eggplant”(川味麻辣茄子),但這樣會(huì)失去當(dāng)?shù)氐奈幕厣K偸菍⑵浞g為“fish-fragrant eggplant”(魚香茄子),既好聽(tīng),還能讓人們?nèi)チ私饷直澈蟮墓适隆?/p>
"Sometimes people just translate it as 'spicy Sichuan eggplant', which is helpful, but loses the local cultural flavor. I always translate it as 'fish-fragrant eggplant' anyway because it sounds lovely, and I hope English speakers will get to know this dish," says Dunlop.
▌獅子頭(Lion's head)
圖源:視覺(jué)中國(guó)
對(duì)于這道因形狀酷似獅子頭而得名、實(shí)際是豬肉做成的大肉丸的菜肴,鄧洛普建議在保留“l(fā)ion's head”的表述的基礎(chǔ)上,注明其烹飪方法,翻譯為“紅燒獅子頭”(braised lion's head)。
美國(guó)有線電視新聞網(wǎng)這篇文章中,另一位來(lái)自香港大學(xué)翻譯學(xué)專業(yè)的副教授則認(rèn)為:“無(wú)論是譯作‘中式肉丸’(Chinese meatball),還是直譯成‘紅燒獅子頭’(braised lion's head),都無(wú)法完全體現(xiàn)這道菜的精髓和文化背景。”
"You can translate
shizitoufiguratively as 'Chinese meatball' or literally as ' braised lion' s head' but neither fully captures the dish's essence or cultural context," said an associate professor of translation at the University of Hong Kong and a scholar of Chinese gastronomy literature.
編輯:李金昳
實(shí)習(xí)生:韓沐辰
來(lái)源:21世紀(jì)英文報(bào)
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