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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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+ v# e5 U5 \- W7 m5 h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:* x. r8 p3 g7 K/ y
( f5 s- S2 W' H下面是某单词的ESL释义:! E9 v0 |9 |( {2 E' p+ {
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a large number of jobs that are waiting to be finished
8 f6 u5 z4 ?. E/ f$ s, c; h+ X5 Ba large amount of work that you need to complete, especially work that should already have been completed
+ c- Q* R" Y4 `6 ya 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:4 X# \# b" `/ } n
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(工作、事情的)大量积压
) m2 f( w# w- _5 m( p" H: [/ L We have a huge backlog of orders to be filled.
- ] V+ j) V% ?# d我们有一大堆要交货的订单。
6 x9 B- Z9 k2 B2 M1 G$ I7 f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!; X5 u+ m7 _3 ?+ e( Y9 u- B
3 {* v" P1 x) N, n7 W5 ^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。3 r% ]' z) U# }
5 M4 B* t2 J# e* q( m; n来看母语词典,新牛津:4 I5 B/ e1 d% I0 i3 Y
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backlog/ \* t, m1 q7 T1 ?. `0 d
NOUN
. j. g. x- E; y4 san accumulation of uncompleted work or matters needing to be dealt with) w9 g, }8 ]$ g* }$ [% x2 T, L
积压
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1. : a large log of wood forming the back of a campfire or hearthfire" K% D# N% j- J: v
2. : a reserve that promises continuing work and profit
# _( I) ?5 R. `- r! k < a vast backlog of orders may soon make possible the greatest peacetime industrial activity that we have ever seen — H.S.Truman >+ R# N0 U% ]% E, i& u. @
3. : an increasing accumulation of tasks unperformed or materials not processed : R4 e( P8 x4 b* J3 F X4 V' g
Random House Webster's Unabridged Dictionary:
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n." O6 f9 C1 Y" t5 P8 }
1. a reserve or accumulation, as of stock, work, or business: a backlog of business orders. ; N. D3 Y4 T3 F7 |
Vocabulary.com Dictionary:
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" R! M; M/ r( a% N8 x. \When 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., c, X A. n; [. }
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." ( C7 g4 n% c0 t8 h. X0 D% J$ \
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。2 t* Q8 m6 P% [5 d) e
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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。. X( [3 g" G9 f6 Q3 j. ?" _
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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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( ?: v+ X2 @0 Y a& Z# t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!$ A' B3 B" q6 \1 e+ z
6 E: t: O' ^. v6 z7 h; l, A6 {% l# F: U7 K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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————————————————————————————————————# _" I1 L8 y& ?: x* [- q D$ Z
: m' C% g/ \2 S8 m2 E7 ~好在早期的牛津高阶,还没有这么夸张,请看:
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; x- @, A* w6 ~牛津高阶双解(第四版)
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$ C$ _& c6 ]9 p- a$ _3 l* x(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:- r4 D; ^$ ^2 V9 e7 F: z
a backlog of work, unanswered letters积压的工作[待覆信件]6 Q0 S. Y0 N* J% r
After 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。 " b4 O* t" N+ t2 `6 t
没有避讳accumulation,跟母语词典完全一致。" q8 T, a2 m& b5 Z ]& G0 D
, d5 M) f; U3 r再看第三版《牛津现代高级英汉双解辞典》:
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, M' U- J7 p# L& b+ 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!5 U* C5 U* a' l l/ _5 c7 ?# O
0 Y, {# g# d+ N' k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。4 M L) \% \; I. ~- `
: S( L: D* ~% G7 s: CConcise Oxford Dictionary 9th. j s i: ]2 A- s2 ]: d
backlog /ˈbaklɒg/ n.; e% D, f8 f- h
1 arrears of uncompleted work etc.8 @% P3 |9 q* q, q9 A
2 a reserve; reserves
) Y7 m% m: T, H5 @" ~$ W, |2 \(a backlog of goodwill). " k0 ?0 M5 U: x: H8 J" Y" O- I6 G" @, K
除了COD,OED,别的词典释义里面没有arrears。/ i$ X/ z) }& l- T+ J1 P+ N. e3 Q
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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:
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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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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:0 o$ i/ h" q/ j
( o9 B) I/ v0 R: O8 _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”。 9 ]/ F" m& a9 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。5 z G# e7 v9 [ v# w" a1 v+ z
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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」。7 D* J `3 Z: e- u2 R1 Z7 c
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