鷹翼如柱參差斷裂自血污的肩胛，
鷹翼曳地似敗北的旌旗，
再無以御虛長翔，只有忍著飢餓
與苦痛再活幾日：也沒山貓也沒土狼
來縮短待死的一周，沒了鷹爪就沒了獵物。
他站在橡樹葉下等待
救贖的跛足；夜間他想起自由，
振翅於夢裡，夢總教拂曉摧折。
他很剛強，偏對那剛強的，苦痛更加難受，傷殘無力更加難受。
白日的野犬來凌遲著他
從遠處，惟死亡那救主將讓他俯首，
一挫他的有備無畏和懾人雙眼。
造化之神狂野，時或向那尋求慈悲的
施捨慈悲，卻不常向那傲岸的。
你們不認識他，群居的人啊，又或者你們早忘了他；
那鷹，粗蠻無度，記得他；
群鷹，美而狂野，和垂死的人，記得他。

---第二十一屆梁實秋文學獎翻譯類譯詩組佳作
  刊於《中華日報》副刊 (2008.10.31)

好心而華髮的護衛
巡邏展廳穿輕軟的鞋子，
予藝術均等的看顧，雖
或有疑於土魯斯。

中一人倚牆打盹，
置身陪葬的座椅。
竇加的女伶踮足迴舞
於那人頭髮分際。

看她那迴旋！便得見高雅，
但肢體緊繃亦清晰可辨。
竇加就愛這兩項同列：
優美與力道並肩。

竇加買過葛雷科的畫，
好好一幅靠著床邊的牆，
充當竇加入睡時
懸掛長褲的地方。

---第二十一屆梁實秋文學獎翻譯類譯詩組佳作
  刊於《中華日報》副刊 (2008.10.31)

南飛烏鵲曰：
老貓部落格舉行翻譯協力活動，我也挑了一段試翻。

見人路途坎坷，
援手撫慰悲傷。
浮生禍福難測，
誰知來日景況。

南飛烏鵲曰：
湊韻之譯。

Way Down South in Dixie
(Break the heart of me)
They hung my black young lover
To a cross roads tree.

Way Down South in Dixie
(Bruised body high in air)
I asked the white Lord Jesus
What was the use of prayer.

Way Down South in Dixie
(Break the heart of me)
Love is a naked shadow
On a gnarled and naked tree.

給黑人女孩的歌
原作：蘭斯頓‧休斯 (1902-1967)

遙遙南方之南唷
(總教我心傷)
我年輕的黑人戀人
給吊死在十字路口樹上。

遙遙南方之南唷
(軀體瘀紫高懸天際)
我問白人的主耶穌
祈禱有何助益。

遙遙南方之南唷
(總教我心傷)
吾愛赤裸身影
在錯節赤裸樹上。

南飛烏鵲曰：
試譯短詩一則，更知譯詩之難，有過於譯文者。

The visit began in a whirl of compliments. Voltaire called Frederick "The Solomon of the North," Frederick declared that of all his victorious titles the most precious was Possessor of Voltaire. He made his guest a court official, housed him royally, gave him a handsome salary, and promised an extra salary to his niece, Madame Denis, if she would come to keep house for him. (We shall hear more of poor Madame Denis in a minute.) Witty conversation, philosophic discussion, delicious food-Frederick liked good food, though he was careful to get it cheap. Everything seemed perfect-but! Not long after his arrival, Voltaire wrote a letter to a friend in France in which the ominous little word "But" keeps occurring.

"The supper parties are delicious. The King is the life of the company. But, I have operas and comedies, reviews and concerts, my studies and books. But, but. Berlin is fine, the princesses charming, the maids of honour handsome. But."

E. M. Forster (1879-1970):
"Voltaire and Frederick the Great"

W. S. Maugham (1874-1965):
"How to Write Perfectly"

南飛烏鵲曰：
為著撰寫編者言，線上搜尋賈伯斯演講全文。他勉勵史丹佛畢業生的兩句話： "Stay Hungry. Stay Foolish"，網路上東傳西抄，多翻作"求知若飢，虛懷若愚"。譯句雅則雅矣，信達則未必。 前句"求知"譯得太死，後句"虛懷"純屬無稽。

我幾經斟酌，譯作"不饜，有愚"。拙譯還請朋友指正。

南飛烏鵲曰：
想起一名朋友。此公好學，往來系所，必雙手各提一布袋，袋中備有辭典若干，方便隨時查考。平素閒談，常聽他提及某師措辭講究，或是自己新學得一二生難字云云。用心語文之專之深，平輩中找不到第二個。

詳見：The Man Booker Prize

南飛烏鵲曰：
從Moments of Being部落格得知這則消息，覺得有趣，於是連上曼布客獎網站一觀究竟。

這項活動考驗讀者學識，須得看過《午夜之子》，還要熟悉20世紀前的小說經典，從中挑選一本與魯西迪的大作相互發明。Vintage Classic Twins 系列，選出20部傑構，依主題兩兩對照，今昔輝映，拿來作活動獎品，再適合不過了。

南飛烏鵲曰：
教育部線上國語辭典說，「孤雛淚」又譯作 「大衛‧高伯菲爾」、「塊肉餘生錄」。市面常見譯本，冠上「孤雛淚」一名的，是 Oliver Twist，而非 David Copperfield，國語辭典的編纂者恐怕搞錯了。狄更斯還有一本小說，書名或譯「孤星血淚」，原名為 Great Expectations.

Oliver Twist 是狄更斯早期的作品，就中可見作者一貫的關懷：The themes and psychological patterns of Oliver Twist were to be those of all of Dickens' novels thereafter, more or less: the horrors of exploitation . . . the search for lost parents and happy homes . . . and the redeeming potential of charity and love (preface, ix).

南飛烏鵲曰：
報紙上說，香港有人罵羅琳抄襲金庸，還告上法院。其中是非，自有公正法官裁奪。倒是，晚間讀《哈利波特》第七集，想起金老爺子《倚天》、《射鵰》等名著。兩本小說先是讓張翠山、殷素素或是江南七怪登場，花了好多篇幅寫這些人的故事，接著才讓正主兒上台，演出離合悲歡。羅媽媽與老爺子或許心有靈犀，新書鋪陳了200多頁，主角仍像無頭蒼蠅亂竄，該辦的事一項也沒辦，標題所謂"Deathly Hallows"不明所指，害我這個讀者跟著心煩。

. . . he would most assuredly have fallen dead upon the king's highway. But the turnpike-man gave him a meal of bread and cheese; and the old lady, who had a shipwrecked grandson wandering barefooted in some distant part of the earth, took pity upon the poor orphan; and gave him what little she could afford-and more- with such kind and gentle words, and such tears of sympathy and compassion, that they sank deeper into Oliver's soul, than all the sufferings he had ever undergone (61).

南飛烏鵲曰：
人心有善，一點善心，因緣而發，於是有助人的善行。狄更斯的小說，寫盡社會黑暗，處處有難關，然而困厄之中，往往見溫情。引文裡的老太太，心疼遠方受難的孫兒，眼看稚子受苦挨餓，自然起了惻隱之心，像個慈悲的老菩薩，在孤兒最需要幫助的時候，幫了他一把。

南飛烏鵲曰：
手邊的Emma 是牛津版，書皮紅白相襯，封面為George Dawe 畫的「Mrs. White」。我有不少牛津出版的經典著作，擺在一起還滿像回事。牛津版的註解附在正文之後，閱讀時前後翻找，很不方便。Norton 版使用腳註，體貼多了。

珍‧奧斯丁筆法細膩，寫的小說耐讀，作品改拍成的電影或電視劇也很耐看。可是每本小說那麼多字，難免在細節處有失。Emma裡的註解說，奧斯丁搞錯花期，還被自己兄弟調侃了一下：Jane, I wish you would tell me where you get those apple-trees of yours that come into bloom in July (401-402) 。

花開有信，記得《鏡花緣》開頭，武則天令下，百花齊開，連累掌管花時的仙子下凡歷劫。這是李汝珍刻意安排，藉此帶出百名才女的故事。奧斯丁的讀者當然不會在意花開時節，依舊愛讀她的小說。她筆下的小失誤，頂多讓讀者嘴帶笑意，親暱地問聲：珍，妳的蘋果樹哪兒來的. . .

南飛烏鵲曰：
翻譯真難。白先勇寫英譯《台北人》始末，提到好多譯事甘苦。還說，幸好有喬志高先生壓陣，大師出手，含英吐華，中英迻譯許許多多難關，就這麼度過了。例如，喬先生譯金兆麗為Jolie，兼顧音義；月月紅成了Red Red Rose，俏皮之外，還帶典故。

英譯《台北人》，我找過博客來、金石堂、誠品，不是查無此書，就是缺貨，最後在三民網路書局找到香港中文大學出版的中英對照本。中文本《台北人》卷首引了劉禹錫的詩，王謝堂前的燕子，寄寓題旨，不宜輕巧略過。中文詩凝鍊有味，「朱雀橋」、「烏衣巷」、「舊時王謝」一字一句所承載的歷史重量，實在難以傳譯，英譯者只能在譯詩後加上這麼一段註釋： "Early in the fourth century A.D., barbarian invaders from the north . . ."

南飛烏鵲曰：
Emma 裡有這麼一則字謎，朋友得閒，可以猜猜謎底。

南飛烏鵲曰：
小說的敘事者是個老夫子，受聘教小男孩拉丁文。引文說，學拉丁文得先打好基礎，其後才能學出興味。學英文，也是這麼一回事。背單字和文法很無趣，但是詞彙背多了，句法通透了，大家名作中晦澀的英文字句漸次清明，隱約得見文字堆疊而成的七寶樓閣，這，就有意思了。

南飛烏鵲曰：
這學期給大一學生出了道題目，規定每個人期末交出篇英文作文，題材不拘，虛實皆宜，文長1500字上下。這些學生來自醫學相關科系，素質整齊，是以對他們的要求也較高。

本週四開始，安排了三節課時間，師生個別面談，談論行文得失。目前為止，學生所寫皆是虛構的故事，可惜，寫人則缺乏血肉，敘事則細節闕如，通篇只見敘事者呶呶不休。這些缺點不足深怪。本來，出這麼一道有挑戰性的題目，便是讓學生從構思主題與斟酌字句中，體認一己的侷限，進而觀摩名家名作，「給自己的筆進補」。

好看的小說，總是在細微處下工夫，用獨到的比喻或是意象說明共通的情感。Khushwant Singh 寫印度、巴基斯坦一帶雨季前後的景況，光是上引數句，就可見其觀察細膩與設想出奇，透過觸覺及聽覺的描寫，寫活了身處大旱的人民，寫活了他們的絕望與希望。

我的學生都該讀讀這段描述。

詳見：deus ex machina (Merriam-Webster, "Word of the Day",2007.4.18)

南飛烏鵲曰：
近來上課，總會補充些英文字詞，講解字意與用法，略及詞源。所用講義，取材自"Word of the Day"、 "Word for the Wise" 這些線上專欄。今天教了 "deus ex machina"，給學生長些文化見識。

巧得很，晚間閱畢 Lord of the Flies，小說結尾處，便用上deus ex machina 的手法：主角逃避荒島大火與昔日友伴獵殺--- "He forgot his wounds, his hunger and thirst, and became fear; hopeless fear on flying feet" ---正至山窮水盡，無可如何 ，眼前忽現一人~原來大火引英軍快艇來救，主角眼前的便是艇上的英國軍官。

又，Perigee版在正文後附了簡短評介，提到作者自承，受過Euripides 影響（ "He listed . . . his Literary Influences as Euripides"），而Euripides 的大作 Medea ，恰是解說deus ex machine 的範例。

南飛烏鵲曰：
上頭囑我為文略述英語學習心得，交代全文需中英並行，以備參照。又交付一篇校內英語檢測平台的介紹，要我譯成英文。兩篇英譯校對後，同原文刊在電子報上，供全校師生參考。部落格上的譯文為校對後的版本，因與原譯幾無出入，貼在這兒，該不算貪他人之功才是。

The NCKU Internet-Based English Testing System, authorized by Studio Classroom and purchased by National Cheng Kung University in June, 2006, offers access to simulated tests for GEPT listening and reading comprehension, with 5286 test questions in total.  Each listening test contains four sections: pictures, question & response, short conversations, and short essays.  Each reading test contains three sections: vocabulary & phrases, cloze tests, and reading comprehension.

The test questions are classified into 6 levels, with level 6 being the most difficult.  Questions classified into level 3 and 4 are equivalent to GEPT Intermediate, and those classified into level 5 and 6 are equivalent to GEPT High-Intermediate and Advanced.  There are 4145 questions ranked level 3 or above, which means, approximately 80% of the total questions are of particular pertinence to NCKU undergraduates, who have to pass GEPT or any other required English proficiency tests before they graduate.  Students receive a preliminary test after their first logins.  They are then assigned different levels of questions according to their test results.  The system keeps a record of all the ensuing tests, allowing both the students and teachers to track the learning progress.

 As students progress in learning English, they will have the chance to be promoted to higher levels than the ones they were originally assigned, and such promotion serves as a motivation for students to work even harder.　

GEPT is one of the four English proficiency tests adopted by NCKU as graduation requirements for undergraduate students, the others being IELTS, TOFEL, and TOEIC. This online testing system, by offering stimulated tests of GEPT, helps students  acquire solid reading and listening skills in English. And it should be remembered that these two receptive skills are the basis of the productive skills, that is, writing and speaking.

The purpose of this essay is to share with the reader my personal experience in learning English, as well as several tips on taking English proficiency tests. It should be noted that learning of any kind is a long-term process requiring devotion and hard work and that those who wish to have their test scores greatly improved in a short time are advised to seek their answers elsewhere. There is nothing for them in the following paragraphs.

孔仲尼老先生說：「吾道一以貫之」，今天談英語學習，姑且把他老人家這話改一改，改成「英語學習一以貫之」。我的看法是，英語聽、說、讀、寫四項技能，聽、讀為先，而聽、讀兩者，又以讀為要。閱讀能力的培養，包含記誦個別單字，以及連字而成句而成篇，推敲文章理路、思辨書籍論述。換句話說，「讀」包含兩個層次。第一層是熟悉單字的發音、字意，明白英語的句法。第二層牽涉到讀者的邏輯推理、知識水平與文化素養，這就不只是「英語」的問題了。加強英語閱讀能力的同時，應善用母語優勢，透過母語多方吸收新知、訓練邏輯思維，如此便能收事半功倍之效。閱讀能力有成，其餘能力也會相應提升。

An assumption informs my learning experience. Of the four crucial skills in language learning, those of listening and reading ought to be given priority over those of speaking and writing (for the simple reason that one can hardly be expected to speak fluently or write cogently and coherently before one has acquired a large amount of vocabulary and knowledge through extensive reading and listening of authentic materials). Moreover, concerning listening and reading skills, the latter plays a more significant role in learning languages. To improve one's reading skills, thereby improving the other three major skills in the English language especially, one has to familiarize oneself with English grammar and with the sound and meanings of as many vocabulary words as possible. Ultimately, one should be able to understand any given text intended for general readership. In addition to vocabulary and grammar, achieving such an understanding also demands logistic training, intellectual maturity, cultural literacy, etc., all of which are better cultivated through the combined benefits of one's first and second languages, i.e. Chinese and English.

國內外英語檢定名目繁多，經成功大學採用為畢業門檻的，有全民英檢(GEPT)、多益 (TOEIC）、托福(TOEFL)、雅思(IELTS) 四種。全民英檢也好，多益也罷，甚至是留學海外的語言考試，與其花時間個別準備，不如以不變應萬變，打好聽、說、讀、寫的根柢就是了。

There are many English proficiency tests available in Taiwan, and, among these tests, GEPT, TOEIC, TOEFL, and IELTS are adopted by National Cheng Kung University as graduation requirements for undergraduate students. I would suggest that those who wish to take any of these four tests, rather than prepare for specific tests, spend their time improving their basic skills in English (listening, speaking, reading, and writing).

有了穩固的根柢，參加英語檢定便有九成勝算。剩下的一成，在於臨試不亂。考聽力的時候，求其大意即可。只要掌握關鍵字句，就算聽漏了些訊息，也沒有關係。至於閱讀，宜先看清題目，再從文章中尋求答案。閱讀文章，應辨明其主旨所在。遇有生難字詞，可從文脈逆推其意。該字若與文旨無涉，不妨略過。口說和寫作，端看平時準備。準備得夠充分，自然是兵來將擋、水來土掩。

To pass or score with satisfactory achievement in the aforementioned tests, one should acquire, first and foremost, solid skills in English. Then, it would help if one is familiar with some tips on test-taking. For listening comprehension, one only needs to listen for key words and phrases. As for reading comprehension, one would do better by reading the questions first and then the article. When reading the article, one should look for its thesis statement and topic sentences and be prepared to guess the meanings of any unfamiliar words from the context. If the difficult words do not seem to affect one's understanding of the whole article, it is safe to ignore them altogether. Unfortunately, I can come up with no advice for those who are going to take the speaking and writing sections of the proficiency tests, but to work hard in advance and have fun in the tests.

本文所言，多是老生常談，但偏偏是老生常談最易被忽略。坊間書籍多的是標榜輕鬆學英文的。這些書教的方式或許易成，未必能致遠。上文談的，或許難以求速，卻未嘗不是從根本提升英文能力的良方。

This essay imparts practically nothing new about learning English. But, who knows, the most conventional way to learn English may prove to be the most effective one.

南飛烏鵲曰：
對照台灣的政壇亂象，班雅明這則註解格外引人深思。科技變革，改變了人的認知與行為。電視媒體的發展，增添了官員與民意代表直接面對民眾的機會，也帶來作秀的舞台。明乎此，則立委脫靴丟鞋，或是官員言之不足而佐以手勢等近似表演的舉動，也就不難理解了。

南飛烏鵲曰：

年來讀了好些英文小說，乍看所讀甚雜，其實我讀的作品多半可歸入後殖民文學或者新英語文學（New Literature in English）。這類作品的研究，是當代英美文學研究相當重要的一環，選擇這一範疇作為博士研究的重心，一方面是看準其方興未艾，大有可為，二方面是台灣歷經外國勢力殖民，身為台灣人當知台灣事，對於其他有類似經歷的國家，也應該關心。

好書最宜一讀再讀，以外語寫就的好作品尤然。外語有別於母語，讀外語作品，字句難免有疑，需詳查字典並仔細推敲，方得其意。初讀一過，書中的伏筆及呼應往往便給忽略了。重讀時，書的內容和若干費解的字句皆了然於胸，便能集中心思品味作者細密的佈局。

今天重讀Anita Desai 的 Clear Light of Day （中譯《白日悠光》），讀到上引段落，心中一動。我早先批閱英文作文已吃過苦頭。近日教學生寫簡短應徵信，寫畢呈上。信中錯字無奇不有，或將 “hospitable”誤作 “hospital”，或將 “complaint” 誤作 “complanation” ，甚至有人將 “wrote” 寫作 “writed” 。 “You think one doesn’t know pain when one is young, uncle? You should sit down some day with ninety examination papers to correct”—寫得對極了。

南飛烏鵲曰：

根據書裡的註解，畢達哥拉斯的金言翻成英文，約略可作：Let sleep not close your eyes till you have thrice examined the transactions of the day： where have I strayed, what have I done, what good have I omitted? (151). 讓人想起曾子說過：吾日三省吾身：為人謀而不忠乎？與朋友交而不信乎？傳不習乎？

南飛烏鵲曰：

引文節錄自Abel James 給 Franklin 的信。信中勸Franklin 盡早提筆，續寫自傳，以免風雲不測，那就是後世的損失了。讀到這信，想起胡適先生說： “我在這十幾年中，因為深深的感覺中國最缺乏傳記的文學，所以到處勸我的老輩朋友寫他們的自傳。不幸的很，這班老輩朋友雖然都答應了，終不肯下筆 . . . 梁啟超先生也曾同樣的允許我。他自信他的體力精力都很強，所以他不肯開始寫他的自傳。誰也不料那樣一位生龍活虎一般的中年作家只活了五十五歲！雖然他的信札和詩文留下了絕多的傳記材料，但誰能有他那樣「筆鋒常帶情感」的健筆來寫他那五十五年最關重要又最有趣味的生活呢！中國近世歷史與中國現代文學就都因此受了一樁無法補救的絕大損失了。” （ 《四十自述》 ）。

南飛烏鵲曰：

《富蘭克林自傳》出版的過程相當曲折，先是1791的法文刪節版，接著是根據法文版回譯成英文，如此一波數折，到了1868年才有根據富氏手稿的版本面世。80餘年後，1949年，在Max Farrand主持下，有了Benjamin Franklin’s Memoirs Parallel Text Edition 和 The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin A Restoration of a “Fair Copy”。

印刊校讎，大是不易，且闕誤難免。今人問學，能有可信的文本參照，必須感謝前人一代又一代的努力。手邊收有 The Autobiography of Benjamin Franklin (Second Edition)，導論指出Farrand 的 “restored text edition” 白璧有瑕。這番評論，不是文人相輕，而是出於師生一脈相傳、學術求真的態度。「吾愛真理」，正是因為「吾愛吾師」啊。

南飛烏鵲曰：

聖像點眼，使具靈氣，台灣也有這類習俗。此外，成語有云，畫龍點睛，如此則壁上雙龍破雲而去。又，《世說新語》記載： “顧長康畫人，或數年不點目精。人問其故，顧曰：「四體妍蚩，本無關於妙處；傳神寫照，正在阿堵中。」” 

線上聆聽演說

Topic: Philadelphia lawyer

南飛烏鵲曰：

今天的Merriam-Webster「Word for the Wise」，由上月一處錯誤談起，一路談到Philadelphia lawyer二字意兼褒貶，就其正面言之，則指律師精明超群（an exceptionally competent lawyer）；就其負面言之，則指律師狡獪，通曉詰屈的法律措辭，擅長鑽執法細節漏洞（a shrewd lawyer versed in the intricacies of legal phraseology and adept at exploiting legal technicalities）。

南飛烏鵲曰：

友人囑我把上列英文敘述翻成中文。英語中譯之難，難在琢磨中英用字和句法。原敘述在名詞前加了若干修飾詞，照樣迻譯，作「…的管理學院」，不免冗贅。我參酌上下文，逕譯為「世界頂尖，全球布點」，應該還過得去。

南飛烏鵲曰：

Merriam-Webster網站的「Word of the Day」、「Word for the Wise」兩專欄，每日都會挑出些英文語詞，辨其源流、說文解字一番。昨日得閒，閒讀「Word for the Wise」，發現內文將「Andrew Hamilton」誤作「Alexander Hamilton」，遂去函編輯部，請其更正。今早重讀該文，已從善如流矣。

資料引述，難免失誤，偶有錯引，亡羊補牢就是了。最怕拉不下面子，文飾己過，等到讀者大張旗鼓、石破天驚，那可連裡子都丟了。

南非烏鵲曰：

凱薩說：“Caesar's wife must be above suspicion”；阿扁，你怎麼說？