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本帖最后由 klwo2 于 2020-11-1 21:45 编辑
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过去我推牛津高阶4,主要是欣赏编译者李北达团队的汉译品质。有的朋友说,你这是故步自封、尊古卑今!这我倒不讳言,谁叫李北达团队做出来的活儿精细呢?没见后来的牛津高阶编译团队,翻译词典还要读《红楼梦》的呀!
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* F, s% W; g a$ Y! `推崇早期牛津高阶还有一层原因,我今天讲讲,那就是,早期的牛津高阶不那么像今天大家熟悉的ESL词典,反而更像真正的「高阶」,跟母语者用的词典思维更近。有人问,我怎样摆脱ESL思维快快用上母语词典?用牛津高阶三、四就好了呀!不信请看我举例:
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+ h; t7 j+ o2 V% [下面是某单词的ESL释义:
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6 {5 ?) Y% a! p8 o: h; e# aa large number of jobs that are waiting to be finished
. b4 ?& t$ C5 B# A# q0 u- Na large amount of work that you need to complete, especially work that should already have been completed u* K/ |% d' S) o) G
a quantity of work that should have been done already, but has not yet been done
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哦,这就是「一堆要干的活儿要做的事,之前本来要干来着,结果没干」,我们想一想啊,比如现在欧美封城了,大家什么都做不了,我本来要去旅游,要去度蜜月,要去拍婚纱照,结果都不能做了,泡汤了,计划中的事情只能延后啦
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有错嘛?没错,看着很合理嘛!可是我们对照一下汉译和例句:
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(工作、事情的)大量积压
! r' u, ]+ p/ }/ D We have a huge backlog of orders to be filled.
, i3 s! b- R1 k" T# I$ T我们有一大堆要交货的订单。
& r! |1 W) o( K! g咦?原来这是「过去积压的工作」,并不是「计划中想要做的事情」,差距怎么会这么大,不是说好的「ESL词典用简单的词语,把复杂的词语解释得清清楚楚」吗!' v# ^+ `, o7 N% x, N3 x
; s+ y/ Q& S8 B4 g/ R6 z: y/ g+ D/ J" J不知道大家注意了没有,ESL词典词汇是简单了,语法点可没简单!「should already have been completed」「should have been done already」这样的语法已经简单不下去了,不然真的没法解释准确了,而碰巧时间、情态的概念又是理解这个词的关键 —— 语法没留意,打个马虎眼,就能理解错句子,把「汉语思维」套上去。千万别说用了ESL词典就没汉语思维了啊。# O( P$ H; ]. G( x# _: c! k4 j
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来看母语词典,新牛津:
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backlog
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an accumulation of uncompleted work or matters needing to be dealt with7 j1 m2 q' {. J9 P5 m
积压 3 @& t, T1 a5 `2 {) u; e' a
韦氏:
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' ^) `% Y( \# `; c1. : a large log of wood forming the back of a campfire or hearthfire6 `$ f2 |1 F B4 H8 A+ [9 B0 v
2. : a reserve that promises continuing work and profit" t7 _+ a" B, u$ z
< a vast backlog of orders may soon make possible the greatest peacetime industrial activity that we have ever seen — H.S.Truman >: B; @1 I# V4 `, ^( o
3. : an increasing accumulation of tasks unperformed or materials not processed 8 d; z5 ?6 F- t# j
Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary:
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1. a reserve or accumulation, as of stock, work, or business: a backlog of business orders.
# F& C4 c: _ Y7 I2 x5 W& QVocabulary.com Dictionary:
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3 [' d: M2 f" D. ~: L4 f( LWhen you have extra work to do that keeps accumulating, you have a backlog. Sometimes people stay late at their jobs to take care of a backlog.% p1 z; d" Y3 x, u1 A
A backlog of tasks might slow down an ordinary day at an office or store, or require workers to come in on the weekend to catch up. In 1680, a backlog meant "a large log placed at the back of a fireplace," and by the 1880s it came to also mean "something stored for later use." It wasn't until the early 20th century that a backlog most often referred to "extra unfulfilled orders." # Y6 [/ z1 h' M! O' N
你发现没,母语词典不需要「避讳」难词,也不避讳「积压」「积攒」「累积」「储备」,这就是ESL词典里面汉译「积压」的来源。
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/ M- W o$ Q, \# D; C- p我们再仔细看看,backlog为啥叫backlog?原来它本指壁炉深处(back)的大木头(log),然后指堆积起来的储备物,再引申,就成了堆积起来的事情。
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* T" M0 p7 j6 F; S" j" r只要不避讳「堆积」,这个词很好理解嘛,犯不着乞灵什么词根词缀、什么逆序妙记巧记,这个词就是back加log想一下就OK咯!
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& z# S0 q0 Y2 ]. K/ i6 w7 [/ w今天的ESL词典,教条式的避讳「难词」,以为词汇简单了,学习者就轻松了,这是错误的观念,别忘了还有语法呢!8 p3 i8 G4 C& m& o
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更可怕的是,ESL词典的语言,跟母语词典的语言,完全是两个世界,这样的词典用多了,怎么培养所谓的「英语思维」?
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————————————————————————————————————( i2 w4 C% {' {/ `8 I6 r3 G
, W: E% R0 A; n% {; }( S0 _好在早期的牛津高阶,还没有这么夸张,请看:
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& `5 { }5 Z$ b5 p牛津高阶双解(第四版)( t! ~) B; d: P2 E9 N+ ~3 D8 a
backlog' l0 N: @5 D2 @6 c2 g7 \
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7 a4 n; S9 i4 ?7 Q$ ?1 z( U, C(usu sing 通常作单数) accumulation of work or business not yet attended to 积压的工作;待办的业务:, z- E; B( e& y5 L3 D7 ]3 k+ X
a backlog of work, unanswered letters积压的工作[待覆信件]
* N( D8 _- L; jAfter the postal strike there was a huge backlog of undelivered mail.邮政部门罢工以后,大量邮件积压下来。 & \; a% K! y7 e8 R
没有避讳accumulation,跟母语词典完全一致。' J; L1 G! L9 J; Z& M* [
: W: Q; }! }7 {) q- I H再看第三版《牛津现代高级英汉双解辞典》: `0 w: v8 w' a6 d& i, g1 Z
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% z7 e0 U4 F. a) i" E' Y我的妈呀!不仅没有避讳accumulation,还出了一个arrears!!arrears四六级单词都没收,放在今天,绝对是要发论文打板子的事情——用这么难的词,学习者怎么学得会呢!一点都不user-friendly!: c5 d! u( m% f8 [
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然而,第三版《牛津高阶》其实是原作者A. S. Hornby的遗作,他本人1978年去世。第四版《牛津高阶》由A. P. (Tony) Cowie修订。
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第三版《牛津高阶》为什么在backlog的释义里面用arrears?答案很简单,因为A. S. Hornby是大量参考Concise Oxford Dictionary的,编纂目的也是为了给学生铺路,开一个方便之门,让学生习惯用Concise Oxford Dictionary这样的母语词典。
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& s6 n. p9 h+ ^6 s$ dConcise Oxford Dictionary 9th- H1 K0 A8 c& J5 S2 J! C
backlog /ˈbaklɒg/ n.; l7 }2 o9 q/ O) E
1 arrears of uncompleted work etc." g# f3 Q" V2 C! Z3 F
2 a reserve; reserves# P# J E$ Q0 y0 o- }- e+ T1 H
(a backlog of goodwill). / [9 R2 v/ e- k5 L5 J, ~6 ^
除了COD,OED,别的词典释义里面没有arrears。
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9 _1 @% P0 q+ B( }- a6 h, f原本是得鱼忘筌的设计,如今ESL词典俨然成了独立王国,跟母语词典语言上老死不相往来。这是朗文开的坏头,朗文当代第一版:5 q- E$ X4 f& Y& m/ B
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% B) P% |; s+ l5 E4 H6 V朗文当代违反了用「累积」解释backlog的传统,可是说了「at the proper time」,之前我们设想的「要去旅游,要去度蜜月,要去拍婚纱照,结果都不能做了」依然不成立,那为什么现在的ESL词典,连proper这个词也不用了呢?因为proper也成了不够简单的词,Definition Vocabulary里面没有,释义里面不能用,只能用should!
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, j) [3 T0 J) c8 x! D那就稀奇了,proper是实词,should是虚词,虚词的用法比实词更活,更难掌握,更容易被学习者理解错,应该是优先用语法容易的才对啊!
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难怪有人说: ^2 M; j& \, L# M
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现在的ESL 这套游戏规则,一方面使更多人“脱了盲”,但另一方面又把成千上万个 non-native students 牢牢地绑在ESL的轨道上,捆得死死的,让其无法“跳槽”。 2 O$ r [' F; t+ S0 e2 ^5 D
放着原本的路不走,违背A. S. Hornby本人的编纂思想,片面追求「容易词」,让所谓的「高阶」(高阶的意思就是接近母语者嘛)硬生生变成了「中阶」「低阶」「超低阶」,「终身学习」真的变成了「终生学习」——反正就是学不会。
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我要声明:我没说新版牛津、朗文一钱不值、应该烧掉。我说的是,不要让教条、迷信遮蔽了双眼,英语学习资源这么多,应该开放心胸地理解、吸收、利用才是,切勿盲信盲从,相信什么「一本牛津一本朗文管一辈子」。' H' E5 n( V( O4 m
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