Tasty Translations in China 中国餐馆里的神翻译

 　　通常情况下,做好翻译不仅得忠于原文和作者意图,而且得做到准确,让人容易理解.但是总有那么些翻译,让人哭笑不得.他们被称为"神翻译"下面就让大家为盘点一下中国饭馆的那些"神翻译".

　　If Michelin gave stars for unintentionally brilliant dish names, an eatery in Pingyao, China, might well be the world’s top restaurant. It has a large sign outside showing some of its tastiest dishes, with English translations: “In Bowl,” “You Flour Silk,” “Beef Cat’s Ear” and a noodle dish in broth¹ known as “Sauce on My Grandma.”

　　如果米其林给意外取下的绝妙菜名打星，中国平遥的一家餐馆很可能会是世界上的顶级餐厅。它的外面有一个大招牌，展示了店里最美味的菜肴名字，从英文来看，有“在碗里”、“你面粉丝绸”、“牛肉猫耳朵”，以及名为“浇在我姥姥上的汁”的面汤。

　　The Chinese and English languages are so completely different that you often see awkward translations like these. They may make English speakers chuckle², but Chinese officialdom is not amused: When major international events come to China, the state tries to clean up the most egregious³ ones. Before the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games, for example, 400,000 signs and 1,300 menus were revised.

　　中文和英文差异太大了，所以经常可以看到这类尴尬的翻译。它们可能会令英语使用者发笑，但中国官方并不觉得此事好笑：每当中国举行重大国际活动时，政府都会试图清理那些最荒诞的译名。例如在2008年北京奥运会前，就有40万个标识和1300道菜名进行了修订。

　　Still, a stroll through just about any Chinese city will reveal the joys of eating in China: A restaurant menu in Xian offers “The Smell of Urine Dry Noodles.” Shenzhen is proud of its famous “Gollum Shrimp⁴.” A Beijing restaurant serves “The Hand That Grasps the Cowboy Bone” and “Fried Swarm⁵.”

　　不过，直到现在，在任何一座中国城市漫步，都会让人对中华饮食忍俊不禁：西安一家餐馆菜单上写着“尿味的干面条”。深圳为其著名的“古鲁姆虾”感到自豪。北京的一家餐厅提供“握着牛仔骨头的手”和“炸蜂群”。

　　Public institutions don’t do much better with their signs: One warns travelers in Shanghai to “Beware Wallet/Carefully Slide” (it means to suggest that you should watch your wallet and your step on the slippery floor). In Beijing, some wheelchair-accessible bathrooms are marked “Deformed Person.”

　　公共机构的标志也不怎么样：上海有一个警告标识是“当心钱包咬你/小心翼翼地滑倒”（意思是，看牢你的钱包，在湿滑的地面上行走时要注意）。在北京，坐轮椅者的一些专用洗手间上采用的标识是“畸形人”。

　　And it is worth a visit to the Ecstasy⁶ retail⁷ clothing chain on the island of Taiwan just to see what is posted out front. Apparently⁸ unaware⁹ that its trademark¹⁰ is also a street name for the illegal drug MDMA, the store has signs saying, “Welcome to the Ecstasy World” and “The Ecstasy Family Make You Crazy.”

　　就算只是为了看看招牌，台湾岛上的象鼻人(Ecstasy)服装连锁店也是值得一逛。商家似乎没有意识到其商标也是非法毒品摇头丸的俗称，所以店里的招牌上写着“欢迎来到摇头丸世界”和“摇头丸家族让你疯狂”。

1 broth   

n.原(汁)汤(鱼汤、肉汤、菜汤等)

参考例句：

• Every cook praises his own broth.厨子总是称赞自己做的汤。
• Just a bit of a mouse's dropping will spoil a whole saucepan of broth.一粒老鼠屎败坏一锅汤。

2 chuckle   

vi.／n.轻声笑，咯咯笑

参考例句：

• He shook his head with a soft chuckle.他轻轻地笑着摇了摇头。
• I couldn't suppress a soft chuckle at the thought of it.想到这个，我忍不住轻轻地笑起来。

3 egregious   

adj.非常的，过分的

参考例句：

• When it comes to blatant lies,there are none more egregious than budget figures.谈到公众谎言，没有比预算数字更令人震惊的。
• What an egregious example was here!现摆着一个多么触目惊心的例子啊。

4 shrimp   

n.虾，小虾；矮小的人

参考例句：

• When the shrimp farm is built it will block the stream.一旦养虾场建起来，将会截断这条河流。
• When it comes to seafood,I like shrimp the best.说到海鲜，我最喜欢虾。

5 swarm   

n.(昆虫)等一大群；vi.成群飞舞；蜂拥而入

参考例句：

• There is a swarm of bees in the tree.这树上有一窝蜜蜂。
• A swarm of ants are moving busily.一群蚂蚁正在忙碌地搬家。

6 ecstasy   

n.狂喜，心醉神怡，入迷

参考例句：

• He listened to the music with ecstasy.他听音乐听得入了神。
• Speechless with ecstasy,the little boys gazed at the toys.小孩注视着那些玩具，高兴得说不出话来。

7 retail   

v./n.零售；adv.以零售价格

参考例句：

• In this shop they retail tobacco and sweets.这家铺子零售香烟和糖果。
• These shoes retail at 10 yuan a pair.这些鞋子零卖10元一双。

8 apparently   

adv.显然地；表面上，似乎

参考例句：

• An apparently blind alley leads suddenly into an open space.山穷水尽，豁然开朗。
• He was apparently much surprised at the news.他对那个消息显然感到十分惊异。

9 unaware   

a.不知道的，未意识到的

参考例句：

• They were unaware that war was near. 他们不知道战争即将爆发。
• I was unaware of the man's presence. 我没有察觉到那人在场。

10 trademark   

n.商标；特征；vt.注册的…商标

参考例句：

• The trademark is registered on the book of the Patent Office.该商标已在专利局登记注册。
• The trademark of the pen was changed.这钢笔的商标改了。