- 上一篇：《可爱的骨头》中的意象分析
- 下一篇：从《孙子从美国来》看中美文化融合
Here is another example:
The magi, as you know, were wise men--wonderfully wise men--who brought gifts to the Babe in the manger.
Wang’s translation: 那三位麦琪，诸位知道，全是有智慧的人——非常有智慧的人——他们带来礼物，送给生在马槽里的圣子耶稣。
Li’s translation: 那三位麦琪，如你们所知，是有智慧的贤人——无比聪明的博士——他们带来礼物，奉献给生在马槽的圣婴。
Magi, a term in Bible, means three wise man in Latin. Without understanding the Bible, nobody will know what Magi is and the origin of the title of this novel.
3.2 The Differences of Two Chinese Versions
Example 6: It did not exactly beggar description, but it certainly had that word on the look-out for the mendicancy squad.
Wang’s translation: 虽不能说绝对难以形容，其实跟贫民窟也相差不远了。
Li’s translation: 这个地方并不真的祈求你给它一个说法，但是对于寻找丐帮窝点的人来说，乞丐这个词儿，也确实已经到你嘴边了。
Wang’s translation tells us directly that the house of the young couple is very bad. It is Chinese mean of expression to tell fact directly. But, Americans often express their ideas in some indirect means. Thus, when translating, translators should take the difference of means of expression of Chinese and American into consideration.
Here is another example:
“no mortal finger could coax a ring”
Wang’s translation: 除非神仙下凡才能把门铃按响
Li’s translation: 没有活人能把它摁响
O Henry wanted to tell us that no one would come to this young couple’s house because they were so poor. But he attributed this to the ring. Obviously, it is a humorous and ironic expression.