十一．英译汉的“特效处理”举例
以下这几行英文属于“打油诗”或文字游戏之类，其内容离奇幽默，形式别出心裁。要把它翻译成中文，既准确传达原来的意思，又照样表现其形式上的特点，确实颇费一番工夫：
I love my love with an E, because she’s enticing;
I hate my love with an E, because she’s engaged.
I took her to the sign of the exquisite,
and treated her with an elopement.
Her name’s Emily,
and she lives in the east.
在着手翻译之前，首先要考虑它形式上的特点和意思上的难点：
1．大写字母E共出现三次：短语with an E重复两次；名字Emily出现一次。
2．小写字母e共出现五次，都是单词的首位字母。
3．with an E为“具有可用字母E起头的词所描述的特点”之意；
4．the sign of the exquisite指的是一个风光绮丽之地，标牌上写着类似这样的话：
“欢迎来到世外桃源/人间仙境……（地名）”。
经过一番斟酌，似乎可以这样翻译：
我爱我的那个伊，因为她的美貌让我依恋不已。
我恨我的那个伊，因为她又依顺投奔他人门第。
我们曾经依计而行乘风比翼，
到过那依山傍水的秀美之地。
我说的那位名字叫做伊米丽，
她的府上依稀可记在东边某地。
翻译的思路是这样的：在准确理解原文内容的意思和表现形式的特点的基础上，想一想汉语里有哪些以“伊”打头的词，但这种词很少；派得上用场的只有一个代表“她”的“伊”。然后再考虑以“依”起头的词，这类词比较多；可以从中选择一些有可能用得上的，最后再按照意思的需要把它们“揉”到句子里去。头两行的“伊”字是意和音二者兼备；五个“依”都是放在词语之首，这些同原文比较一致。不足之处是，这里用了“伊”代表大写字母E，而小写字母e则是用“依”来代替，二者不一致。
另一个例子是一封英文“密信”。它出自一英国杂志，我把它古旧的文字进行了简化。这封信的特点是：如果按正常顺序逐行地念下来，它的意思是“我恨你”；而要是隔行念，即按照一、三、五、七、九的顺序，那么它的意思就正好相反，成了“我爱你”。
A Secret Letter
The great love I have so far expressed for you
is false. And now I feel that my dislike for you
increases every day, and the more I see you
the more disgusting you appear in my eyes;
the more I feel I cannot but be determined to
hate you. Believe me, I never had the intention to
offer you my hand and heart. Out last conversation has
left on me such a bad impression, which has by no means
given me a very good opinion of your character.
Yes, madam, I hope you will do me a favour by avoiding me.
If ever we are married I shall experience nothing but the
deep hatred of my parents in addition to an everlasting dis-
pleasure of living with you. Yes, madam, I sincerely ask you
not to put yourself to the smallest trouble
to write me an answer. Goodbye, and believe me that I am
so opposed to you there is no reason why I should ever be, madam,
your affectionate lover till death.
