口译法宝之二:脑记大意,笔记细节
意群提升了我们的记忆单元,大大加强了我们对英语句子的把握。但是,光把握句子是不够的,因为口译的最终目标是翻译篇章,因此还牵涉到一个"长时记忆"和"短时记忆"的问题。长时记忆主要是指对整个语篇意思的整体把握,主要包括:各句子的主语、谓语和语篇的整体结构。短时记忆是指对每个细节的准确把握,主要包括:数字、时间、地点以及并列信息。可以毫不夸张地讲,长时记忆是口译的基础,而短时记忆是口译的关键;前者用脑,后者用手;手脑并用,方能相得益彰。我们不妨来举几个例子:
1. Among 50,000 children aged 13 to 15 in 12 developing or transitional countries the finds are revealing: 24% of them had tried smoking, 9% they were current smokers. A quarter of those who smoked said they had started before they were 11 years old. It was really an encouraging fact that 68% of them said that they wanted to kick the habit. 虽然这段话只有62个单词,但是其包含的信息量非常大,具体表现是数字多,平行的信息多。因此,我们应该结合脑记和笔记。笔记部分可以交叉中英文,关键是抓住信息。
脑记部分:主题:关于吸烟状况的研究发现;整体结构:两组数据,有喜有忧。
笔记部分:50,000 aged13-15 12 developing/transitional countries
findings: 24% try smoking
9% current smokers
25% smokers start<11 // encouraging 68% kick
2. People are greeting the arrival of the new millennium, longing for peace, stability, happiness and success. But many watch it with distress, worry, misgivings and even terror. Indeed we are entering the new century laden with a multitude of unresolved issues left over from the 20th century. (47 words)
脑记部分:主题:进入新世纪的复杂心情以及现实。
笔记部分:新千年
人--long for: 平稳、幸福、成功
但又:忧抑(distress, worry)、惶恐(misgivings, terror)
进入New Century--多issues from 20th Century
当语篇信息密集且并列较多的时候,要尽量采用纵向记录,提高记录速度和分辨速度:
3.When the United States senate failed to pass a balanced budget amendment in 1995 the world's currency traders were panicked and started a run on the US dollar, which they believed was already undervalued at least 10% against the Japanese yen. At that time, the dollar fell from 106 yen to less than 80 yen in two weeks. The central banks of the United States, England, Germany, Japan, Switzerland and France, tried to reverse the trend but failed, losing billions in the attempt. It took the dollar more than a year to climb back to its original undervalued rate. (100 words)
脑记部分:美元对日元贬值,各国央行力图挽救,未果。
笔记部分:当:1995 美参 平衡预算修正X
炒家 惊--抛$ ∵ $ v.s. yen 贬 10%
∴两周 $ 106↓80
US
UK
Ger 央行 扭转 trend
Jap
Swis
Fran
But: X
& Bs loss
>1 yr.
$ 原低Rate v.s. yen
然后在脑记和笔记我们基础上,这段话可以译成:1995年美国参院没能通过一项平衡预算的修正案许多国际(货币)炒家惊恐万分,开始纷纷抛售美元,因为(他们)相信美元对日元已经贬值达10%。于是,美元汇率在两周内从1:106下跌至1:80以下。美国、英国、德国、日本、瑞士、法国央行想扭转美元的颓势,但不仅没成功还损失了几十亿。之后,美元汇率整整过了一年多才恢复到了原先对日元的低位。
要指出的是,做笔记不能简单地依靠文字,而是要文字符号并用。虽然,这些符号因人而异,但有些是约定俗成的,学员们应该熟练掌握。这些符号在《高级口译教程》中都能找到,笔者在此不再赘述。特别提醒,要娴熟地做到手脑并用并非一朝一夕,这需要大量的练习,在"先知"教学时我一直遵循:政治、经济、文化、教育、科普,五大板块,五十个段落--这一持之以恒的原则,可谓是受益匪浅。
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