难以避免的翻译 - 房屋建筑街道布局
刚接了一部中文小说的翻译，今天抽空翻译了开头一部分。这部分十分麻烦，因为都是街道房屋建筑的布局，需要非常仔细。不过翻译小说，这类文字是难以避免的。不知道译的效果如何。现在把它晾在这里，有对翻译感兴趣的朋友可以练习一下。我的译稿还没核对，里面一定有错，欢迎大家指正。
序
亲爱的女儿，当你看完这本书后，你将会知道你有一个怎样的爸爸。无论你是否喜欢他，不可改变的是，他都是你的爸爸。
也许别人的爸爸留给他们的是财产，而我只想留给你这本书。
它会告诉你在那个年代爸爸是怎样长大的，你才会珍惜你的现在，争取你的未来，做一个对社会有用的人。
这就是爸爸对你的期待，也是爸爸最大的心愿！
Prologue
My dear daughter,
After reading over this book, you’ll know what kind of a father you have. Love him or love him not, it cannot be changed that he is your father.
Whatever other fathers leave their children may be property, yet what I want to leave you is only this book.
It’ll tell you how your father was brought up and lived in that age. Only by knowing this can you cherish what you enjoy today and strive to win a brilliant future so as to be a useful person to the society.
This is what I expect from you and it’s also the largest aspiration of your father!
*** *** ***
北京市西城区铜铁厂是一个东西向的胡同。长约二百来米，不宽，也就是容一辆小卧车儿进出。南边儿是从东至西的一溜儿灰砖高墙，这高大的围墙内是北京市第十三 中学，也就是解放前的辅仁中学。北面儿共坐落着七个宅院儿。只是光五号六号就占了胡同全长的一大半儿，剩下才是那五个小院儿的领地。胡同的西口儿是松树 街，东口儿是柳荫街。这柳荫街是后改的名儿，原本是叫李广桥，是以汉代保家卫国的民族英雄飞将军李广的名字而命名的。让北京人一说就加了个亲切的“儿”音 成“李广桥儿”了。这条街从南至北有五百来米，正中路东坐落着恭王府。铜铁厂胡同就是在恭王府的斜对面儿。
Copper-Iron-Factory was the name of an east-to-west lane, located in Xicheng District, Beijing. About 200 meters long, not wide, the lane had a space which allowed only a car to get in and out. On the south side, there stood a tall grey-brick wall stretching from east to west, within which was The Thirteenth High School, Beijing, namely, Puren High School which was set up before liberation. While on the north side, there were altogether seven houses with courtyards. No.5 and No.6 occupied more than half of the whole length of the lane. And the rest was the whole area of the other five houses with courtyards. Pine Street was located to the west exit of the lane, while Willow Shadow Street, to the east exit of the lane. Willow-Shadow Street was actually the original Li Guang Bridge Street, named from the well-known national hero General Li Guang in Han Dynasty who was famous for his heroic deeds of home protecting and motherland defending. Beijing citizens usually added a sound of “er” to the end of the street name’s pronunciation, namely Li Guang Qiaoer. From south to north, this street was about 500 meters. At the middle on the east side, there was located Prince Gong's Mansion. And Copper-Iron-Factory Lane was located slantingly opposite Prince Gong's Mansion.
铜铁厂五号是一个深宅大院儿。这院落坐北朝南，三阶大青条石的台阶，门楼儿高大，门板厚重。奇怪的是这么气派的大宅子门口儿却没有镇宅的石鼓，门楣上也是光秃秃的，没加以任何装饰及表示户主身份的标志。
5 Copper-Iron-Factory was a rich house with a large compound. Facing south, with a three-step-stair made of black stone, this compound had a tall arch over the gateway wherein a door was set, thick and heavy. Oddly enough, grand as it was, the compound should have no house garrisoning stone drum at the gate, and worse of all, the horizontal wood bar above door frame was completely naked without any decorations and marks indicating the owner’s status.
原来这不是正宅而是花园儿，真正的正宅是六号，也就是在它的西边儿三四十米处儿那更高的一座深宅。不过我出生时这六号正宅已不属于我家了，咱们还是从五号说起吧。
In fact, this wasn’t the formal compound but a garden and the formal compound was No.6, namely the taller mansion three or four dozens of meters to the west of No.5 which was once my home. But it no longer belonged to my family when I was born. We’d better start from No.5.
五号宅院儿一进大门对面儿竖着一个高大的影壁，上面是青灰雕刻的仙鹤荷花。右手儿有一棵大枣树，旁边儿是自来水管儿和水井。左手儿是一溜儿三间青砖灰房，前 两间相通有俩门儿，一个朝东一个朝北。第三间屋门儿单开朝西。对面儿十多米处儿也就是这院儿的西南角儿又是一间同样儿的灰房，屋门儿朝北。这几间屋以前是 门房儿和花儿匠的住处儿。
Entering the gate of compound No.5, you’ll see a tall screen wall facing you which was decorated with cranes and lotus carved out of grey plaster. On the right side, there was a big date tree beside which there were some water pipes and a well; while on the left side, there stood three grey-brick houses standing in a line. The first two houses opened into each other with two doors, one facing east, the other facing north. The third house opened separately to west. Opposite, a dozen meters from here, that was the southwest corner of this compound wherein there was another grey-brick house of the same kind with a door to north. These were previously the places for doormen and gardener to live in.
进门儿绕过影壁向北走是一溜儿坐北朝南的青砖大瓦房，共四间。正面儿这三间相通，高大豁亮，冬暖夏凉。进屋要上三阶青石台阶儿， 以前是作为养花儿的暖房。最东边儿那间矮小一些是存放杂物的仓房儿。这些房屋如今都已成为居室。
After entering the gate and bypassing the screen wall, one could see several large grey-brick houses in a line, all tile-roofed, altogether four. Facing south, three of them opened to each other, tall, bright and spacious, warm in winter, while cool in summer. Only after climbing three black stone steps could one enter the houses which previously served for green houses to grow flowers. The lower one at the farthest east end was a storage room in which miscellaneous things were deposited. But later on, all these houses had become residences.
这八间房分布在这一千多平方米的大院儿里显得零零散散，不成格局。要不是这满园儿的桃梨杏李，假山花卉，尤其是那分布在院儿内坚挺茂盛的七棵枣树，这院儿里就显得冷清凋零了。
Scattered within a large compound of over one thousand square meters, these eight houses seemed rather disorderly and no general layout could be seen. The compound would appear quiet and isolated if without being full of peaches, pears, apricots, plums, rockeries, flowers, specially the seven luxuriant tall date trees.
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