六种《八荣八耻》翻译版本的比较与点评

以热爱祖国为荣，以危害祖国为耻；
以服务人民为荣，以背离人民为耻；
以崇尚科学为荣，以愚昧无知为耻；
以辛勤劳动为荣，以好逸恶劳为耻；
以团结互助为荣，以损人利己为耻；
以诚实守信为荣，以见利忘义为耻；
以遵纪守法为荣，以违法乱纪为耻；
以艰苦奋斗为荣，以骄奢淫逸为耻。

网络版
Honor loving homeland, and shame harming it.
Honor serving people, and shame betraying them
Honor upholding science, and shame being benighted.
Honor hard work, and shame loving ease and hating work.
Honor unity and helping, and shame harming others to benefit oneself.
Honor honest and trust, and shame forgetting honor at sight of money.
Honor abiding by laws and disciplines, and shame being illegal.
Honor arduous struggle, and shame wallowing in luxurious and sensual pleasure.

美联社版
Love, do not harm the motherland,
Serve, don’t disserve the people,
Uphold science; don’t be ignorant and unenlightened,
Work hard, don’t be lazy and hate work,
Be united and help each other, don’t gain benefits at the expense of others,
Be honest and trustworthy, not profit mongering at the expense of your values,
Be disciplined and law-abiding instead of chaotic and lawless,
Know plain living and hard struggle; do not wallow in luxuries and pleasures.

新华社版
Love the Motherland, do her no harm.
Serve the people, never betray them.
Follow science, discard fatuity.
Be diligent, not indolent.
Be united and help each other, make no gains at other’s expense.
Be honest and trustworthy; do not spend ethics for profits.
Be disciplined and law-abiding, not chaotic and lawless.
Live plainly and work hard, do not wallow in luxuries and pleasures.

《中国翻译》2006年第3期版
Honor to those who love the motherland, and shame on those who harm the motherland;
Honor to those who serve the people, and shame on those who betray the people;
Honor to those who quest for science, and shame on those who refuse to be educated;
Honor to those who are hardworking, and shame on those who indulge in comfort and hate work;
Honor to those who help each other, and shame on those who seek gains at the expense of others;
Honor to those who are trustworthy, and shame on those who trade integrity for profits;
Honor to those who abide by law and discipline, and shame on those who break laws and disciplines;
Honor to those who uphold plain living and hard struggle, and shame on those who wallow in extravagance and pleasures.

林戊荪版中国外文局资深翻译家
Honor to those who love the motherland, shame on those who harm the motherland;
Honor to those who serve the people, shame on those who betray the people;
Honor to those who believe in science, shame on those who choose to remain ignorant;
Honor to those who are hard-working, shame on those who are lazy and avoid work;
Honor to those who uphold unity and help one another, shame on those who seek personal gain at others’ expense;
Honor to those who are honest and trustworthy, shame on those who trade principle for profits;
Honor to those who are disciplined and law-abiding, shame on those who are undisciplined and break the law;
Honor to those who practice plain living and defy adversity, shame on those who indulge in extravagance and pleasures-seeking.

丁衡祁版，对外经济贸易大学商务英语系教授
Honor to those who love the motherland, and shame on those who do harm to her;
Honor to those who serve the people, and shame on those who are divorced from them;
Honor to those who quest for science, and shame on those who prefer to be ignorant;
Honor to those who are hard-working, and shame on those who detest having to work;
Honor to those who unite and help people, and shame on those who gain at the expense of others;
Honor to those who are honest and trustworthy, and shame on those who forsake good for the sake of gold;
Honor to those who are disciplined and law-abiding, and shame on those who violate laws and disciplines; and
Honor to those who uphold hard struggle, and shame on those who indulge in a dissipated life.

　　点评：在翻译的过程中，除了“站在一定的高度”之外，还要根据“立体思维”方式把握住了另外几个“度”，即：理解原文的深度，英语表达的力度，语言风格的雅度，和表现形式的美度。下面我们分别举例加以说明。
　　理解原文的深度：毋庸质疑，我们对领导人指示的原文理解必须深入准确。比如怎样理解“背离”人民？是否指背叛？恐怕背离比背叛的含义更广一些。所以翻译成be divorced from 而不是betray。再比如“愚昧无知”，如果把它翻译为remain ignorant，那打击面就太广了。现在我国的边远地区还有不少人由于客观原因无法接受良好的教育，长期处于文盲甚至无知的状态。我们的矛头应该指向那少数有条件学习而拒不学习的人。所以把它翻译为those who prefer to be ignorant而不是those who remain ignorant。
　　英语表达的力度：对于“荣”和“耻”中的“耻”字，是翻译为dishonor / disgrace还是shame 呢？根据“八耻”所指的内容来看，这里的“耻”字显然是指耻辱和羞耻，所以选择了后者而不是前者。另外，“骄奢淫逸”如何翻译？是indulge in luxury / extravagances 还是lead a dissipated / debauched life? 现代汉语词典对“骄奢淫逸”的解释是"骄横奢侈、荒淫无度"。由此，选择后者更为合适。
　　语言风格的雅度：最高领导人的指示，其语言文字的风格应该是既便于书面表述又适合口头表达，略显庄重但又不致古板，因而在选词造句时采用了normal style 而不是very formal style 或very informal style。
　　表现形式的美度：“八荣八耻”的原文，每行的字数相同，句子排列非常整齐，形成了视觉和听觉上的美感。这样就为广大群众所喜闻乐见，便于上口传诵和记忆。这一表现形式上的特点是精心设计的效果，也是独具匠心的创造。因此，翻译时要尽量做到大体整齐、基本对称。还要考虑到了全局和局部的关系，便于随意拆合。
　　所以，翻译广为流传的高端指示、至理格言和其他名言名句，一定要注意掌握好“高度”、“深度”、“力度”、“雅度”和“美度”，把政治因素、语言因素和文学因素结合起来通盘考虑。