“人工售票处”被写成“Artificial Ticket Office”(人造售票厅)、进站口被写成“Stop Mouth”(关上嘴)……
看到这些令人欲哭无泪的“铁路中式英文标识”,今年年初,外籍教师冯琰发起了“铁路英文一天一句”活动。3个多月下来,火车站内那些最明显、最具有“硬伤”的“中式英文”已被铁路部门逐一改正。
“请出示您的车票”正宗英文翻译是“your ticket please”,而不是“show me your ticket”。自动检票口的英文翻译是“auto gates”而不是“auto checking ticket”。“请补票出站”的正宗翻译是“Please use Pay Upon Arrival”……仅仅这三句,就让冯琰感觉“很受伤”。
生在北京、已加入瑞士国籍的冯琰自小在国外长大,喜爱旅游的他去过22个国家和地区。由于上学时就要学 5 门以上语言,所以对语言比较“敏感”。回国之后,细心的冯琰发现国内有一些地方的英文翻译还有待改进。“一次,我在华东地区某车站贵宾室上车时,突然发现‘进站口’被误译成‘Stop Mouth’了,意思就是‘关上嘴巴’!(正确英文:Entrance)还有一些地方的车站,搞不清英文怎么写,直接用拼音了,连站名、标牌都‘拼音英语混搭’了,给不少外籍旅客造成不便。”
有过多年海外学习经历的冯琰决定行动起来,向自己爱好的“铁路事业”开刀。今年1月初,冯琰在其微博“DavidFeng冯琰”上,以每天一条的方式,关注铁路部门的标识。他会按照正确的英文口语传统,对现有标识进行重新翻译,如“自动检票口auto ticket gates,人工检票口manned ticket gates”的英文翻译中,他提出“ticket”一词可以省略。他还会贴出一些需要加上英文标识的车站提示牌,并给出“答案”,如“出站旅客请由天桥出站”,可加上“Please use the footbridge to leave the station”。
除了翻译每一张车票背面的《铁路旅客乘车须知》之外,冯琰更有心地整理出从购票到出站的铁路旅行全程指南,并用最简单、最易理解的通俗英文,向外国人介绍怎么在中国乘坐铁路旅客列车。
如何判定哪些标识需要修正?冯琰告诉记者,他曾去过美国、英国和澳大利亚等一些英语国家,会根据国外同行业的一些标识,结合中国国内的中文标识,以及结合英语的语法,进行修正。“同时,也要认识到自己不是绝对的权威。作为活生生的人,我们都可能,也都一定会犯错误的。”冯琰说。
在微博上,冯琰也遇到过质疑的声音。认真听取了反对意见之后,他的动力还在,“《铁路英文一天一句》和整体的铁路优化,其实不是仅仅加几句英文那么简单。我要学习全球范围内的英文使用情况,还要研究各国各地区不同的英文标准。在坚持以中国铁路的翻译为基本的前提下,进行进一步的优化,改正尚未完全优化的英文。”
这并非是冯琰第一次向“中式英语”开刀,2008年北京奥运会,冯琰作为志愿者在北京规划展览馆担任解说。在此期间,他经常向馆方提出“修正”英文注解的意见,一年的解说志愿者工作结束后,馆内错误的英文标注全都改正了过来。
“铁路英语一天一句”的话题一经面世,便引起很多共鸣。除了网友们对各种“神翻译”的吐槽外,不少铁路工作人员也加入到正确英文语法的讨论中。北京南站、广铁集团等不少铁路运输管理部门的官方微博,纷纷和冯琰在微博上互动,还用“收藏学习啦”和“竖大拇指”的表情,接受他的建议。据初步统计,从黑龙江到广东,从云南到上海,已有上百个铁路单位和个人关注了铁路英语的优化。
“要真正做事儿,就不仅要‘围观’,还要‘一起来’,一起参与其中。”冯琰告诉记者,《铁路英文一天一句》会是一项长期项目。看到越来越多的铁路单位、个人,都以转发等其他方式,学习这些内容,冯琰也开始在一些车站直接讲课。只要大家学习标准更高的英语,能以更好的方式服务国际旅客,那就是好事儿。看到一些车站开始慢慢使用经过优化的英文标示,冯琰从内心感到欣慰。
1. 社会车辆停车场:错误“Social Car Parking”(容易让老外感觉是和 Social Media(社交媒体)有关的汽车),正确:Car Park/ Private Vehicles Parking Lot。
2. 停站时请勿使用(卫生间):错误“No Occupying While Stabling”(“在稳定中请勿占领”),正确:Do not use toilets while the train is at a standstill。
3. 当心夹手:错误“Risk of Pinching Hand”(“有一个夹手的风险”,过于拗口),正确:Mind Your Fingers/Mind Your Hand。
4. 欢迎乘车:错误“Welcome to take this train”(语法错误),正确:Welcome onboard。
5. 下车:错误“get off”(有些“粗鲁”),正确:exit,或“请让旅客先下车”――“Please let passengers exit first”。
1.小心滑倒:错误“Carefully slip”(小心翼翼地滑倒),正确:Slippery When Wet。
2. 自动查询机:错误“Automatic Analyzer”(给人被搜查的感觉),正确:Info Kiosk。
3.注意站台间隙:错误“Caution, Gap”(太短了,有些简陋而不简易),正确:Mind the Gap。
Tags: Chinese translation in English Chinese-english translation English translation English translation in Chinese 中文翻译到英文 中英翻译 地名翻译
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