一場精采演講

(e)「夜長夢多」：when night is long, dreams are many; a long delay may mean trouble. 【例句】這事要快點辦成，免得 ~。Please get it done without delay, otherwise something untoward may happen.

其實這句英譯的後半句，並非必要如此大費周張，另起爐灶。如果能依照定義已有的譯法，將這後半句改為for a long delay may mean trouble，豈不簡單明瞭又省事。

(f)「騎虎難下」：ride a tiger and find it hard to dismount; get a tiger by the tail and be unable to let go; have no way to back down. 【例句】事到如今，已經是 ~ 了。 As things stand, it is already impossible to back down.

這個成語的重點也是在後二字「難下」，如果要讓「定義」內容更為周全一點，則可以說：(如果主語指「人」) have no way to back down; (如果主語非指「人」) be impossible to back down.這樣使讀者對於例句中為何不用have no way，而用 is impossible，會有更深一層的認識。

(g)「得意忘形」：be intoxicated by one’s success; get dizzy with success. 【例句】勝利使他 ~ 。He got dizzy with success. or Success turned his head. 一個人 ~ 的時候常常會遭黴運。More often than not, bad luck approaches a person quietly when he is beside himself with elation.

個人認為，這裏出現在例句中的 turn one’s head和beside oneself with elation皆可進入「定義」，以求圓滿一致。

(h)「莫名其妙」：(1) be unable to make head or tail (of sth.); be puzzled. 【例句】他匆匆離開上海也不跟朋友打個招呼，真弄得我 ~。I was baffled at his sudden departure …。 大家搞不清他這話是什么意思，都 ~ 地望著他。Nobody could make out what he meant, so they all looked at him in perplexity. (2) without rhyme or reason; for no apparent reason; unaccountable; inexplicable. 【例句】他 ~ 地發起脾氣。Quite unaccountably he flew into a rage.我常常 ~ 地受到呵斥和挑剔。I was often berated and picked on for no apparent reason.

「莫名其妙」這個成語，在句中經常用作副詞，由例句中四分之三都是作副詞用這一事實可以說明。因此，定義中的 unaccountable 似應作 unaccountably 較符合事實，或二者皆列 unaccountable; unaccountably) 。前例中之 ‘in perplexity’ 系以介詞片語形式作副詞用。目前 ‘定義’雖不區分詞類，但遇此特殊情形，似可加入：“（作副詞用時）in perplexity; unaccountably; for no apparent reason.” — 豈不功德圓滿？

(i)「無時無刻」：all the time; at every moment; always.【例句】宇宙萬物 ~ 不在發展變化。Everything in the universe is changing unceasingly.

這裏的問題性質，與前面稍有不同。第一、「無時無刻」譯作 ‘all the time; at every moment; always’ 到底正不正確？第二、例句的翻譯似乎也漏譯了一個字。因為unceasingly如果等於「無時無刻」 all the time ，那么中文原句中還有一個 「不」 字，怎么不見了？被吃掉了？關於「無時無刻」這個習語的翻譯，所有漢英詞典一向都是大而化之，不予深究的態度。連林氏《當代漢英詞典》也不例外，他的翻譯 也類似： every hour and moment 。但我們仔細研究一下，「無時無刻」在中文裏似乎總是用在否定句，例如「我無時無刻不在想念你」，實際就等於說「我時時刻刻都在想念你」。說到這裏，難怪 本節例句的英譯 「吃」掉了一個「不」字，原來是把「無時無刻」譯為 ‘all the time; always’ 惹的禍。要釐清問題的所在，我們試把 ‘I’ve been thinking of you all the time’ 倒轉來翻成中文，能翻成「我無時無刻想念你」嗎？必然是翻成「我無時無刻不在想念你」才對，不是嗎？所以我們的結論是：要把「無時無刻」改為「無時無刻 不」，英文才能譯作 ‘all the time; at every moment; always’！僅「無時無刻」只能譯作 ‘at no time; never’！