英语学习：从“坑爹”的英文翻译讲起

时间：2018-09-03 16:49:12  来源：http://www.pinghe.com  作者：Myron

现实生活中，网络语言常用夸张的说法，现在流行“坑爹”一词。“坑爹”的意思，泛指“坑人”或“骗人”，连父亲老子都敢骗，可见害人程度之深。如果说话人自己被骗，一气之下说出“坑爹”，意思就是“坑我”。说句占便宜的话，以解心头之恨。英语可以译为 cheating, deceiving me, just like kidding your father，例如：

1. 这样做，不是明摆着坑爹吗？Doing so is obviously cheating, isn’t it?

2. 你卖给我的这件衣服质量这么差，不是明显坑爹吗？ You sold me such an inferior coat. Obviously, you are deceiving me.

3. 你连我都敢蒙，简直就是坑爹。You even dared to deceive me. It is just like kidding your father.

“坑”的原义是“地面凹下去的地方”，可能是自然形成的，也可能是人为造成的。英语可以译为 hole, pit, hollow, puddle，例如：

4. 炸弹在地面上炸了一个大坑。The bomb left a big hole/ blew a huge hole in the ground.

5. 这些废料被倾倒进这个深坑。The waste materials were dumped into the deep pit.

6. 这匹白马一跃跳过道路上的一个坑。The white horse took a great leap over a hollow in the road.

7. 猪喜欢在泥坑里溅水花。Pigs love splashing in the muddy puddles.

“一个萝卜一个坑” ，比喻每人都有一个位置，没有多余。我们有如下译法：

8. Each radish grows in its own hole. (直译)

9. Each has his own work to do. (意译)

10. There is nobody to spare. (意译

由于“坑”有“掩埋”的功能，汉语中很早就由名词变为一个动词，其意思是“坑杀”或“活埋”。秦始皇焚书坑儒，就是最好的例证。英语可以译为 to bury sb alive, to have sb buried alive，例如：

11. 秦始皇统一中国后下令焚书坑儒，以巩固中央集权统治。After the unification of China, Qinshihuang, the first emperor of the Qin Dynasty, had classic books burned and Confucian scholars buried alive so as to consolidate his centralized domination.

12. 史书记载这个将军如何下令他的部下坑杀降兵。The history book recorded how the general ordered his subordinates to bury those surrendered soldiers alive.

13. 这位老农回忆了日本鬼子如何坑杀他村子里的无辜百姓。This old farmer recalled how the Japanese soldiers buried alive the innocent people of his village.
 

“坑”的另一个功能是“充当陷阱”。挖个坑，可以使人落入其中。古战场上的“绊马坑”就是一种使奔跑的战马掉入的陷阱。英语可以译为 horse trap，

例如：

14.由于毫无戒备，这个士兵和他的战马陷入绊马坑。Unsuspecting, the soldier and his battle steed fell into a horse trap.