您的位置:上海翻译公司>翻译资讯>为什么把「Greece」翻译成希腊?
回答
希腊神话里面也有一场灭世大洪水。而预知此事的,是普罗米修斯。这位盗火者让自己的儿子杜卡利翁(Deucalion)修建一艘大船,从而躲过洪水。杜卡利翁的妻子皮拉(Pyrra)是潘多拉的女儿,他们的一个儿子叫赫楞 (Hellen),一个女儿也叫做潘多拉(Pandora II),小潘多拉又跟宙斯(嗯请不要试着画家谱谢谢合作)生了一个儿子,叫做格雷库斯(Graecus)。
古希腊所使用的古典希腊语,在拜占庭帝国陷落之后逐渐演化成现代希腊语,或者说新希腊语。但是现代希腊语又在从十九世纪早期开始的很长一段时间里面都保留着一种继承古典希腊语的传统变体,在文雅、官方的场合使用,叫做纯正希腊语,“katharevousa”,意思是“纯净的”;人们的日常生活则使用通俗希腊语 dimotiki,“民众的”。两者的区别有点类似于中文文言和白话。不过希腊也在一九七〇年代有了一场“白话文运动”,之后的希腊人基本上就只说 dimotiki 了。
在通俗希腊语中,希腊人称呼自己的国家 Ελλάδα,拉丁字母转写是 Ellada,念做 [eˈlaða]。在古典希腊语和 katharevousa 之中,希腊的名字则是 Ἑλλάς,Hellas,古典希腊语的发音就是 [helːás]。这个词源自 Hellen,也就是杜卡利翁的儿子,相传他是北部希腊人的祖先。现代希腊共和国官方名称 Ελληνική Δημοκρατία 之中的 Ελληνική,Hellenic,是形容词形式,“希腊的”。
英语和世界上大多数语言对于希腊的称呼都以 Gr- 开头,这个词则源自 Γραικός,也就是杜卡利翁的孙子 Graecus。他是南部希腊人的祖先,这些人也是最早与(当时还很没文化的)罗马人接触的希腊人,在亚平宁半岛建立了希腊殖民地,所以罗马人就用这些人的名字称呼整个希腊,拉丁语里面希腊因此叫做 Graecia。罗马帝国强盛之后,这个名字也就传遍了整个欧洲。而希腊人的自称反倒没有流传太广。
以下是猜想:早期将希腊、罗马等地名带入中国的,是欧洲的传教士。当时的传教士都是很有学问的人,通晓拉丁语和希腊语的大有人在,其时也正是纯正希腊语还很兴旺的时代。而在近代最早接触西方文明的中国人一般都持闽粤方言,他们在通过传教士翻译西方地名的时候,决定按照希腊语本身的方法称呼希腊,而“希”字在闽粤方言之中不是齿龈发音的“x”,而是清喉音“h”。
另外,东罗马帝国的核心地带包括希腊,以希腊语写成的圣经新约里面也有若干处提及希腊,所以也许在唐朝已经有景教的圣经译本之中出现过希腊的其他名字,但此译本已经失传。后来在十七世纪有法国人巴设(或“白日昇”,Jean Basset)将部分新约翻译为中文,其中提及希腊的部分应该与和合本圣经一样,作“希利尼”,例如《约 19:20》。其手抄本现存大英博物馆,有心人可以去查证一下。
@Eric Liu 在评论中补充说:
粤语「希腊」发音正是 Hei1 laap6 ,显然源自 Hellas ;而对外语中腭化的 gi, ki, hi 音节在普通话里译音对 ji, qi, xi 也是惯例,如「希拉里」。
@夏曼迪在评论中补充说:
Ελλάς的拉丁化拼法会是Hellas,是因为Ε前面有嘘音标记(rough mark),写出来该是这样—— Ἑλλάς,在念和transliteration会加个H的音,才有这个“希”音
回答
Germany 翻译德国
Greek翻译希腊
……..
德国真正的音译源是 Deutschland
希腊则是Hellenic
以下是猜想:很多国家名称翻译都是看哪种语言被翻译得最早,之后无论其他语言读起来怎么和原翻译不同,还是沿用之前的。
回答
根据名从主人的原则 按照希腊人的自称Hellenic(Ελληνικ)翻译作希腊
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