网络语言常用夸张的说法,现在流行“坑爹”一词。“坑爹”的意思,泛指“坑人”或“骗人”,连父亲老子都敢骗,可见害人程度之深。如果说话人自己被骗,一气之下说出“坑爹”,意思就是“坑我”。说句占便宜的话,以解心头之恨。英语可以译为 cheating, deceiving me, just like kidding your father,例如:
1. 这样做,不是明摆着坑爹吗?Doing so is obviously cheating, isn’t it?
2. 你卖给我的这件衣服质量这么差,不是明显坑爹吗? You sold me such an inferior coat. Obviously, you are deceiving me.
3. 你连我都敢蒙,简直就是坑爹。You even dared to deceive me. It is just like kidding your father.
“坑”的原义是“地面凹下去的地方”,可能是自然形成的,也可能是人为造成的。英语可以译为 hole, pit, hollow, puddle,例如:
4. 炸弹在地面上炸了一个大坑。The bomb left a big hole/ blew a huge hole in the ground.
5. 这些废料被倾倒进这个深坑。The waste materials were dumped into the deep pit.
6. 这匹白马一跃跳过道路上的一个坑。The white horse took a great leap over a hollow in the road.
7. 猪喜欢在泥坑里溅水花。Pigs love splashing in the muddy puddles.
“一个萝卜一个坑”,比喻每人都有一个位置,没有多余。我们有如下译法:
8. Each radish grows in its own hole. (直译)
9. Each has his own work to do. (意译)
10. There is nobody to spare. (意译)
比较上面三种译法,我们可以看出:如果直译,英美人可能不解其义;如果译出比喻意义,原来的韵味就没有了。由于语言和文化差异,翻译俗语是件非常困难的事情。