IF you are asked to name some national emblems of China, the dragon will probably be one of the famous images that pop into your head. We Chinese often consider ourselves "the descendants of the dragon." It is not unfamiliar to you that your parents hope that you "may become the dragon".
假如有人問你，哪些東西能夠代表中國，龍可能會是浮現(xiàn)在你腦海里的一個答案。我們中國人經(jīng)常稱自己為“龍的傳人”。而且你也知道父母都“望子成龍”。
As a mythical creature, the dragon is deeply rooted in Chinese culture. Traditionally, dragons are considered to govern rainfall. They have the power to decide where and when the rain falls. In addition, the dragon is a symbol of imperial power. The emperors thought they were real dragons and the sons of the heaven.
做為一個神秘的生物，龍深深植根于中國文化中。人們通常認為龍是主管降雨的神。他們有權(quán)力決定下雨的時間和地點。而且，龍還是皇權(quán)的象征�；实鄱颊J為自己是真龍?zhí)熳印?/P>
While Chinese believe dragons bring prosperity and good fortune, the creature is regarded differently in Western countries. In the Bible, dragons represent the devil and they trick the world. "Western people usually see dragons as cold-blooded reptiles, like snakes," said Jonathan Haagen, copy editor for the Teens. "They are cruel killers, breathing fire and capturing women." He added that people think of dragons as being dishonest because of their forked tongues.
中國人認為龍會帶來繁榮和好運，而西方人并不認同這點。在圣經(jīng)里，龍是邪惡勢力的代表，經(jīng)常給世界搗亂。《 21 世紀中學生英文報》編輯喬納森·哈根說：“西方人通常將龍視為和蛇一樣的冷血爬蟲。他們是殘忍的殺人魔鬼，能夠噴火，還掠取婦女”。他還補充
說，龍有叉形的舌頭，所以人們認為龍不誠實。
More often than not, dragons in Western literature are presented as monsters against which the hero must battle. It is a common tale for a mediaeval knight to kill a dragon and save a princess and her country from its evil. Even the popular boy wizard Harry Potter has to battle a deadly dragon and get back a golden egg from its nest in "Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire".
在很多情況下，西方文學把龍描寫成為英雄要鏟除的怪物。一個司空見慣的傳說是，一位中世紀的騎士殺死了龍，拯救了公主和她的國家。甚至在著名的小說《哈里波特和火焰杯》里，小巫師哈里·波特也要打敗一條兇惡的龍，從它的巢穴里搶回金蛋。
So, some Chinese experts have suggested changing the English translation of dragon to "Loong". They believe the misunderstanding of the dragon is due to the translation.
所以，有些中國專家建議將龍的英文翻譯 "dragon" 改為 "Loong" 。他們認為，西方關(guān)于中國龍的種種誤解都是由于翻譯錯位產(chǎn)生的。
However, dragons are not all bad in the West. "Puff the Magic Dragon" is a well- known song. The lyrics tell a bitter-sweet story of the dragon Puff and his playmate Jackie Paper, a little boy. When Jackie grows up, he loses interest in the imaginary adventures of childhood and leaves Puff upset. "Puff represents the innocence of a child's imagination, which is very positive for a dragon," said Haagen.
然而，西方世界當中的龍并不全是壞蛋。有一首非常著名的歌曲叫做《神奇龍》。它的歌詞描寫了一頭叫做波夫的龍和其小男孩玩伴杰克·派波之間的甜蜜而又痛苦的故事。杰克長
大之后就對孩童時這位虛幻的玩伴失去了興趣。這讓波夫非常傷心。哈根說， " 波夫代表了兒童純潔的想象力。這是龍一個非常正面的形象。 "
口譯： 翻譯資格考試二級口譯模擬題
筆譯： 翻譯資格考試二級筆譯模擬題
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