It is his nature to confer benefits, but he is ashamed to receive them; for the former is the part of a superior, the latter of

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问题     It is his nature to confer benefits, but he is ashamed to receive them; for the former is the part of a superior, the latter of an inferior. And when he has received a benefit, he is apt to confer a greater in return; for thus his creditor will become his debtor and be in the position of a recipient of his favour.
   It is characteristic of the high-minded man, again never or reluctantly to ask favours, but to be ready to confer them, and to be lofty in his behaviour to those who are high in station and favoured by fortune, but affable to those of the middle ranks; for it is a difficult thing and a dignified thing to assert superiority over the former, but easy to assert it over the latter. A haughty demeanour in dealing with the great is quite consistent with good breeding, but in dealing with those of low estate is brutal, like showing off one’s strength upon a cripple.

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答案 他性喜施舍,羞于受人恩惠;因为前者乃大人之举,后者为小人之务。而且,倘若受人恩惠,他往往加倍回报:这样,他的施恩者便又成了他的负债人,由居其下,蒙忍受惠。 君子的另一个特征就是从不或不愿邀宠于人,但却乐于施宠。在春风得意、高高在上者面前,他举止傲岸,而在普通入面前他却和蔼可亲:显然,凌驾于前者之上绝非易事,且不失尊严:而凌驾于后者之上,何难之有。对高贵者傲慢乃有教养之标志,而对卑微者傲慢便是野蛮无礼,就好似向一个残疾人耀武扬威。

解析     本篇文章运用了增译、词义正反转换等翻译手法。原文是两段关于君子性情、品格的散文,语调轻松,结构简单。译为汉语时,不要着急下笔,首先吃透原文的意思,理解作者对“给”和“受”的态度,重点在于字词的理解和翻译,表达既要通俗,也要遵循英语原文前后对比的风格。
   1.to receive them:此处them指代前面的benefits;it is his nature:天生……;confer benefits:施舍,给予;receive them:即receive benefits,汉语有对应的说法“受人恩惠”。“the former…the later…”一句直接译为“前者……,后者……”,难点是翻译superior和inferior,原意是“高级的、优越的”和“次等的、较差的”,结合前面说到给予恩惠和受人恩惠,可将两个词分别理解为“犬人之举”和“小人之务”。
   2.be apt to…:“易于……的,有……倾向的”的意思,译文处理为“往往……”,creditor和debtor根据句意以为“施恩者”和“负责人”。
   3.第三句包含层次较多,high-minded man:思想崇高的人,汉语中有对应的说法“君子”;to ask favours:邀宠于人:confer them中的them一词在此处指代前面的favours,表示乐于向别人施舍或给予favours。to be lofty in his behaviour:举止傲岸;high in station and favoured by fortune:春风得意、高高在上者。difficult thing and a dignified thing:直译为“困难的事情和有尊严的事情”远不如处理为“绝非易事,且不失尊严”。
   4.haughty demeanour:傲慢的行为。
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