The Japanese Extreme

∷林巍 文／譯

原 文

[1] 日本人做事極其認(rèn)真，對此我有著切身的體會。在澳大利亞，我為一個日本代表團做導(dǎo)游時，接到過兩個“私人”電話，聊過一陣。之后，一個團員走到我跟前說，“仕事は仕事です！分かりますか”（工作就是工作！你懂嗎？） 。對此我刻骨銘心。

[2] 無疑，日本人的這種工作態(tài)度是值得推崇的。他們不做則矣，做則要做到最好。當(dāng)然，這種民族性格，若用對了地方是好事，若方向錯了，也很危險。一位日本朋友對我說，對于日本人的這種極端性格，他們自己甚至也會懷疑自己，即需要某種外力加以約束。所以，二戰(zhàn)后取消了日本的軍隊，無疑是一種保險的做法。

[3] 就歷史淵源而言，日本人沒有中國人的“自我中心主義”，即認(rèn)識到自己沒有深厚的文化底蘊，所以必須以他人之先進，補自己之不足，但卻由此形成了“最新主義”。

[4] 日本人一般的對外借鑒原則是“守”、“破”、“離”?！笆亍笔侵富竟σ鷮?，“破”是要在此基礎(chǔ)上打破原有模式，而“離”則是要脫離原本，以達到更高的境界。

[5] 日本人并不滿足于一般的“拿來主義”，而是要在內(nèi)容、至少在外觀上加以改造，以制出有自己特色的made in Japan的產(chǎn)品，從而追求“最新”。

譯 文

[1] From my experience, I know the Japanese are very serious about their work. In Australia, I was once a tour guide for a Japanese group. After receiving two private phone calls for a few minutes, one of the team members came to me and said:“Shi go to wa shi go to de su! Wa ka ri ma su ka?”(“Business is business, do you understand?”) which left me an indelible impression.

[2] Surely, the Japanese work ethics is highly desirable.Once they decide to do something, they want to be the best.National characteristics of this kind can be both good and bad depending on their orientation. A Japanese friend of mine told me that they can’t even trust themselves since it is so easy for them to go to extremes if not confined by external forces. Abolishing Japan’s military troops after World War II was undoubtedly one of the safest ways to ensure peace.

[3] Historically, given the fact that the Japanese culture didn’t encourage egocentrism in the way the Chinese had profoundly, they developed “novelism” to embrace advantages of other nations to complement this cultural difference.

[4] The guiding principles for the Japanese to capture foreign advantages are summarized in three words: preservation, innovation and culmination. Preservation, is to firmly lay a solid national foundation; innovation, to break through the original pattern and create something new; and culmination, to reach the top of all achievements.

[5] Japanese borrowing is not an ordinary practice; it always pursues the highest standard of Japanese products, retaining their best qualities but adding new features.

譯 注

在[1]中，“日本人做事極其認(rèn)真，對此我有著切身的體會”，似可譯成 the Japanese way of doing things is extremely serious, for this I have personal experience. 但不如：From my experience, I know the Japanese are very serious about their work. “刻骨銘心”， 字面意思似可為be engraved on my bones and heart, 然而此處不妨變通為left me an indelible impression。 類似的如，“她確實給我留下了不可磨滅的第一印象”：She did leave me an indelible first impression；“那本書給我留下了不可磨滅的印象”：The book left an indelible impression on me；“香港的夜景繁華，令游客激動不已，久久難以忘懷”：The night scene in Hong Kong gives visitors an indelible impression of excitement，等。

在[2]中，“工作態(tài)度”，似可為working attitudes, 但這里主要是指一種品格，故work ethics 更宜?！巴瞥纭?，一般譯成hold in esteem / praise highly / have the greatest esteem for等，但此處指“值得提倡”，故可變通為 highly desirable；“這種民族性格，若用對了地方是好事，若方向錯了，也很危險”，可不必逐字對譯，如：...if it is on a wrong direction, it may also be very dangerous, 而是抓中心意思：...can be both good and bad depending on its orientation；“對于日本人的這種極端性格，他們自己甚至也會懷疑自己，即需要某種外力加以約束”，其中的“極端性格”未必譯成 the extreme character, 而可為 ...to go extremes; “懷疑自己”，也不必是 doubt about themselves, 而是更有分量的cannot trust themselves, 故整句可通融、整合為they can’t even trustthemselves since it is so easy for them to go extremes if not confined by external forces.同時，這里的“保險”也不是一般意義的，而是to ensure peace。

在[3]中，需將內(nèi)容融匯整合，打亂次序，以突出重點，符合譯語表達方式，特別是其中的“以他人之先進，補自己之不足……形成了‘最新主義’”，可將“novelism”（此詞為根據(jù)語境所臆造）提前，以不定式作補語：to embrace advantages of other nations in complementing this cultural difference.

在[4]中，對于三個關(guān)鍵詞“守”、“破”、“離”的翻譯，不妨分別以三個分號表述。其中的“破”，未譯成breaking,而其實質(zhì)則是innovation;“離”也未譯成leaving, 而是 culmination, 即從其達到的效果而言的。

在[5]中，對于“拿來主義”有許多譯法，如“鑒于中、西方政治體制、經(jīng)濟體制、經(jīng)濟發(fā)展水平等多方面存在的差異，不可能實行‘拿來主義’”：As the differences between China and the West in political system, economic system, economic development level and the other respects,we couldn’t just copy them；“要采用它，更要奉行‘拿來主義’，結(jié)合一國自身的國情慎重使用，才能發(fā)揮制度的優(yōu)越性，適應(yīng)并促進社會的進步和發(fā)展”：We should carry out the “use doctrine” according to our national situation so as to bring the advantages into full play and promote social progress and development；“有一些人只是‘拿來主義’，使用軟件，但不向其他人提供任何回報”：Some people just grab stuff,use it, and don’t make anything available to others等。此處，似可譯成takingism（也是個臆造詞），但為了平實，亦不妨譯為the Japanese borrowing; 這里的“最新”可能是內(nèi)在的，但至少是外在的，故此句不妨譯為 it always pursues the highest standard of Japanese products, retaining their best qualities but adding new features. 至于“至少在……”已盡揉其中，可不必特意譯出。