《红楼梦》是一部古典文学名著，研读《红楼梦》英译本，不但利于英文读者了解中国传统文化，也为中国的英语学习者和翻译爱好者提供了不可多得的学习素材。一个小小的“笑”，便大有乾坤。

翻译“笑”，能有几种译法？最为常见的为“laugh”或“smile”。但一个“笑”，单在中文里就有诸多衍生“大笑”、“偷笑”、“窃笑”、“咯咯笑”、“皮笑肉不笑”等等。英文同样如此，常见的关于笑的单词有：beam, chortle, chuckle, cackle, giggle, grin, laugh, smile, snigger, titter等。

例1、 贾母笑道：“你不认得他，他是我们这里有名的一个泼皮破落户儿，南省俗谓作辣子，你只叫他凤辣子就是了。”

译文：“You don’t know her yet. ” The Lady Dowager chuckled. “She’s the terror of this house. In the south they’d call her Hot Pepper. Just call her Fiery Phoenix.”

解析：chuckle：laugh quietly or inwardly，是有面部动作，低声，开心地笑。这句是贾母向林黛玉介绍王熙凤时的语言，当时的心情是开心的。贾母形容王熙凤看似贬低实则确实褒扬，也体现了贾母和王熙凤之间比较亲近的关系。

例2、宝玉笑道：“你倒比先越发出息了，倒象我的儿子。”贾琏笑道：“好不害臊！人家比你大四五岁呢，就替你作儿子了？”

译文：“You’ve grown very handsome since I saw you last.”Pao-yu grinned. “You could almost be my son.” “For shame!” Chia Lien chortled. “ Your son? He’s four or five years older than you.”

解析：grin: smile broadly, especially in an unrestrained manner and with the mouth open, 是有面部表情，不发声，露齿而笑。chortle：laugh in a breathy, gleeful way，是有面部表情，开怀大笑。原文贾芸最伶俐乖觉，听宝玉这样说，便有心攀附,认宝玉为父也无妨。宝玉笑道时，译者选用“grin”表明宝玉只是开个小玩笑，不甚在意。而贾琏笑时，则选用“chortle”，贾琏何尝不知道贾芸的小心思，却没有点破，用玩笑的方式回应。

例3、 刘姥姥也笑道：“我们庄稼人，不过是现成的本色，众位别笑。”鸳鸯道：“中间‘三四’绿配红。”刘姥姥道：“大伙烧了毛毛虫。”众人笑道：“这是有的，还说你的本色。”

译文：“We country people can only talk about the things we know,” said Granny Liu, laughing herself. “You mustn’t make fun of me.” Yuan-yang continued, “‘Three and four,’ green and red, in the center.” “A big fire burns the hairy caterpillar.” The others chortled, “That’s right. Go on in your own way.”

解析：laugh: make the spontaneous sounds and movements of the face and body that are the instinctive expressions of lively amusement and sometimes also of contempt or derision, 有面部表情，有声音地大笑。刘姥姥是乡下人，言行举止没有那么多规矩，此处用“laugh”十分符合个人身份。而众人笑道，选用“chortle”，是被刘姥姥惹笑了。

例4、 周瑞家的道：“我的娘，你见了他，怎么倒不会说了，开口就是你侄儿？我说句不怕你恼的话，便是亲侄儿，也要说和软些。那蓉大爷才是他的正紧侄儿呢，他怎么又跑出这么个侄儿来了？”刘姥姥笑道：“我的嫂子，我见了他，心眼儿爱还爱不过来，哪里还说的上话来了？”

译文：“Gracious me!” exclaimed Mrs. Chou. “What possessed you when you saw her to keep on about ‘your nephew’? At the risk of offending you I must say this: Even if he were a real nephew you should have glossed it over. Master Jung, now, he’s her honest-to-goodness nephew – where would she get a nephew like Pan-erh?”

“My dear sister!” Granny Liu beamed. “I was struck all of a heap at sight of her and didn’t know what I was saying.”

解析：beam:smile radiantly, 有面部表情，却没有声音地笑。此处刘姥姥因之前说了逾矩的话，所以笑声减弱，但内心仍然十分欢喜，所以此处使用“beam”十分恰当。

CATTI口译三级长线备考【随到随学班】

CATTI口译二级长线备考【随到随学班】

CATTI笔译三级长线备考【随到随学班】

CATTI笔译二级长线备考【随到随学班】

大学水平直达CATTI笔译3级【随到随学班】