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徐亚男:联合国文件翻译的特点

2017722日,中国译协《译讲堂》走进西安,邀请曾任外交部翻译室原主任、中国驻特立尼达和多巴哥共和国原大使、联合国大会和会议管理部文件司中文处处长徐亚男作为主讲嘉宾带来了一期精彩讲座。

 

 

联合国文件翻译的特点

 

 

徐亚男大使讲座现场

 

 

 

点击这里收看讲座视频回放

 

 

一、翻译在联合国的位置

 

翻译在联合国是一支不可或缺的队伍。

在联合国总部,2个部门为联合国提供会议服务,主要负责翻译服务,分为口译和笔译。其中包括6种官方语言(英法阿西俄中,两种工作语言:英、法)的口笔译人才及各国高级翻译人才。

 

二、联合国总部文件翻译

 

1. 联合国的语言服务

 

2. 联合国不同的语言专业

 

A. 口译

The core function of MPD is to provide interpretation from and into Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian and Spanish for meetings held at United Nations Headquarters, and those at other locations which the department is responsible for servicing. Interpretation is essential to the inter-governmental bodies for the proper conduct and smooth functioning of their deliberations.

 

B. 笔译

Duties and responsibilities of UN translators include: translating, subject to revision, documents covering a broad range of subjects dealt with by the United Nations, i.e., in the political, social, legal, economic, financial, administrative, scientific and technical fields. 

 

C. 逐字记录

Duties and responsibilities of verbatim reporters include: producing in extenso verbatim records of meetings; editing the original language version as necessary for accuracy, making the required changes for style, syntax and grammar and procedure; transcribing and/or translating assigned portions of meetings; comparing transcripts of interpretation with original language versions to ensure completeness and accuracy of the records; and translating passages that are either inaccurate or incomplete. 

 

D. 编辑

Duties and responsibilities of editors include: ensuring that the phraseology, the terminology and, where appropriate, the translation are correct and that the style is appropriate to the audience; editing for continuity, logic, completeness, relevance of material, readability, clarity of expression and consistency, as well as spelling, punctuation and grammar; verifying the accuracy of facts, figures and references through research and consultation; identifying unclear or ambiguous statements and proposing amendments for consideration by the author, the supervising editor or the relevant translation service. 

 

E. 词汇、资料员

 

F. 文本校对编辑

Duties and responsibilities of copy Preparer/Proofreader/Production Editor include copy-editing electronic manuscripts of publications, ensuring accuracy of content, terminology, grammar, syntax, punctuation and spelling, and conformity with United Nations style; importing text into desktop publishing software and completing formatting of text, tabular matter, front matter and back matter, using electronic templates and style sheets; proofreading galley or page proofs against original source manuscript to ensure that the printed version is a true transcription of the text supplied for publishing, and introducing corrections of substance, spelling, grammar, style and typography; completing cross references within text and footnotes, as well as pagination and correlation of tables of contents with listed items in a publication; checking the concordance of text with texts of other official languages to ensure substantive and typographical conformity; and reading amended proofs against previous proofs and incorporating additional editorial alterations as required.

 

3. 文件翻译的流程

 

联合国文件翻译的宗旨:qualityquantitytimelinesscost-effectiveness.

 

4. 联合国文件翻译使用的工具和技术

 

积极鼓励使用工具,053月底以前要求百分之百使用电脑,不需要再进行手写。中文的多音字比较多,所以输入后要反复检查。资料需要自己去辨别是否可靠。不论使用什么样的翻译软件都是有利有弊的,机器会给我们带来效率。

 

三、联合国文件翻译的特点

 

第一、语种平等

 

Catford曾告诫我们,“The concept of equivalence can cause problems because it can be interpreted in different things. In equivalence, it is not only the word that is taken into consideration but the context is also considered.

 

Words denoting ethnical or political ideas or emotions usually have different meanings in different languages and cultures. Although these words exist in other cultures and languages, the meanings attributed to them differ from culture to culture and this explains the difficulty in translating culturally distant languages.

 

第二 、敏感度高

 

联合国助理秘书长在2008年上海举行世界翻译大会上说:Translation and interpretation in the United Nations share many things in common with the exercise of these activities in other contexts and settings. But translating in a political organization like the United Nations, made up as it is of sovereign Member States, has a number of distinctive features and characteristics that are unknown to our colleagues working in the private sector, or even in other less overtly political intergovernmental organizations.  

 

UN translations reflect political contexts where nuance is essential to meaning. Variations from nuanced meaning can cause problems for delicately negotiated resolutions and agreements among Member States. A challenge for many UN translations is not only accurately capturing precise meanings, but also accurately capturing ambiguities.  It is not uncommon for Member States to intentionally leave parts of resolutions and agreements ambiguous, just as other parts are precise, so they can bridge national and political differences to make progress on a subject.  

 

1a haven for terrorists or heaven for terrorists  v. paradis pour les terroristes

 

2eight hundred years of Mongolian Statehood 蒙古国建国800

维基百科The Mongol Empire (Mongolian) existed during the 13th and 14th centuries, and was one of the largest contiguous land empires in human history. Beginning in the Central Asian steppes, it eventually stretched from Central Europe to the Sea of Japan, covering Siberia in the north and extending southward into Indochina, the Indian subcontinent, the Iranian plateau, and the Middle East.

The Mongol Empire emerged from the unification of Mongol and Turkic tribes of historical Mongolia under the leadership of Genghis Khan. Genghis Khan was proclaimed ruler of all Mongols in 1206. The empire grew rapidly under his rule and then under the rule of his descendants, who sent invasions in every direction.  

 

3Falkland Islands v. Malvinas

2009105日秘书处通知The following is a reminder of Secretariat practice concerning references to the Falkland Islands (Malvinas) 

The rule, according to ST/CS/SER.A/42, is that the designation "Falkland Islands (Malvinas)" should be used in all documents "emanating from the Secretariat".  

 

420063月安南秘书长题为 Investing in the United Nations: for a stronger Organization worldwide”的报告,全文共八个部分,其中七部分的题目都以investing in”开头,它们分别是:Investing in People; Investing in Leadership; Investing in Information and Communications Technology; Investing in New Ways of Delivering Service; Investing in Budget and Finance; Investing in Governance; and Investing in Change.   

 

508年安理会有关中东问题的一项决议:“有关争端各方” the parties to a dispute

 

6occupied territories

 

第三、 时效性强

 

要求翻译对外语的理解力、领悟力很强,并对母语(main language)拥有很高的造诣。

 

第四、 同步出稿horizontal synchronization

 

第五、涉及内容广

 

1. 法律文件用词非常严谨,需要真正了解、理解了关键词的实质涵义再翻译。

 

1《残疾人权利国际公约》Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities这是一个法律文件,准确翻译至关重要。公约第12Article 12 - Equal recognition before the law,其2款是:States Parties shall recognize that persons with disabilities enjoy legal capacity on an equal basis with others in all aspects of life.缔约国应当确认残疾人在生活的各方面在与其他人平等的基础上享有法律权利能力

 

阿拉伯集团在会上讨论这一公约时提出了下面的意见:

The Arab Group is opposed to this paragraph as a matter of principle because, in practice, legal capacity on an equal basis with others in all fields is a negation of the rights of persons with certain types of disabilities, especially those who are mentally disabled and whose disability does not allow them to enjoy legal capacity, particularly in matters of inheritance or finance. To stipulate legal capacity in an absolute manner will lead to the exploitation of persons with certain types of mental disabilities.  Legal capacity also means legal responsibility before a court.

 

2国际海洋法法庭近几年每年的年度报告都会提及一件事,即:孟加拉国和缅甸就孟加拉湾海洋划界的诉讼案。英文原文是:On 14 December 2009proceedings were instituted before the Tribunal in relation to the delimitation of the maritime boundary in the Bay of Bengal between Bangladesh and Myanmar.

 

但每年中文版年报的译法却不尽相同:

(1) 2010年报:“20091214日,孟加拉国和缅甸就孟加拉湾海洋边界划界问题向法庭提起诉讼。”

(2) 2011年报:“20091214日,为了孟加拉国和缅甸在孟加拉湾的海洋边界划界问题向法庭提起了诉讼。”

(3) 2012年报:“20091214日,法庭收到了针对孟加拉国和缅甸在孟加拉湾的海洋划界提出的诉讼。”

 

2. 背景知识

 

1联大四委2005年通过的有关Assistance in Mine Action决议案

 

2Due regard should be paid to the importance of recruiting the staff on as wide a geographical basis as possible.

征聘人员时,于可能范围内,应充分注意地域上之普及

The United Nations seeks to appoint the most qualified people in each occupational group and to have geographical distribution as well as gender balance.

 

3联合国经常为节省经费采取改革措施。下面的一句话摘自一份改革文件:

To rationalize country presence through common premises and services

通过共同房地和共同服务的做法,使国家存在合理化。

 

420131月,图瓦卢递交的人权签约国的核心报告的第一部分,涉及报告国家的概况,谈到经济时:(Bonus revenue from fishing licenses resulted in a high level of annual growth in 1998 with 19.7%.The fishing licenses combined with dot TV revenue and the contribution from foreign reserves helped deliver an average annual growth rate of 4.3%.

捞许,加上电视收入和外汇储备,使得年均增4.3%

 

第六、新概念、新词汇

 

前秘书长安南在为 UN Ideas That Changed the World一书作序时说:"Many of the UN's contributions have been pioneering, or "Ahead of the Curve," as the title of the project's first volume put it. Sometimes these ideas have been accepted broadly and fairly quickly, such as goals to guide national and international development; in other cases, the UN has come up with what seemed at the time to be outlandish or controversial ideas or proposals, such as the need for concessional loans to poorer countries, special support for least developed countries, or debt relief -- only to find that the ideas became mainstream after a decade or longer".  

 

1gendergender mainstreaming

We recognize the importance of gender mainstreaming as a tool for achieving gender equality. We undertake to actively promote the mainstreaming of a gender perspective in the design, implementation, monitoring and evaluation of policies and programmes in all political, economic and social spheres. 

我们确认必须提高社会性别主流化实现两性平等。我们保证积极促进在政治、经济和社会领域各项政策和方案的制定、执行、监测和评估中使社会性别观点主流化

 

2inclusive financial system

 

3governance

Strong management can only work if it responds to strong governance.  These reforms are in danger of failing unless there is a trusting relationship between this institutions governance the Member States intergovernmental mechanisms and its management, namely myself and my colleagues.

强有力的管理惟有与强有力的决策指导相呼应,才能有所作为。本组织的决策机构,即会员国的政府间机制,与本组织的管理部门,也即我和我的同事们,这两者之间必须有信任关系,不然,改革就面临失败的危险。

 

Intergovernmental bodies would govern the Organization in the sense of making high-level decisions on priorities, policies and the overall allocation of resources by leaving operational details to be managed by the Secretariat.

政府间机构确定联合国的大政方针,就优先事项、政策及资源的统筹分配作出高层决策,而将具体的业务问题交由秘书处管理。

 

第七,institutional memory机构记忆或历史记忆

 

1call-in “扣应”

 

2review counter-terrorism work

 

3reclassificationposts分别译为:“改叙”和“员额”。

 

A) Reclassifications of two general service level posts to the international professional level are proposed.  

原译:提议将两个一般事务职等员额改叙为国际专业人员职等。

 

B) I ask the GA to revive its discussion of creating the post of Chief Information Technology Officer.

原译:我请求大会恢复讨论设立首席信息技术干事员额一事。

 

4economic growth, 经济增长v.经济成长

 

第八、联合国文件的风格

 

联合国条约、协定、公约等法律文件的中文翻译,必须严谨,符合中文的行文习惯,尽可能使用法律用语,确保行文准确、明确、清析、简洁。 仅举几例,进行比较。



1In the event that a person applying for citizenship is found to have ties with terrorism, such request is declined.

原译:申请公民资格的个人被发现与恐怖主义有关的,申请不予许可。

建议:任何个人一旦发现与恐怖主义有牵连,其公民资格的申请不予批准。

 

2The law provides for penalties against underreporting or misrepresenting the value of goods.

原译:法律规定对少报或谎报货物价值的行为进行处罚。

建议:对少报或谎报货物价值,法律有处罚规定。

 

文件翻译的语言风格,应尽可能使用书面语言。

 

1The Secretariat has struggled to cope with the changed environment.

原译:秘书处要很费力才能应对变化的环境。

建议:秘书处勉强应对环境的变化。

 

2Progress in the development of international legal norms, standards and policies has not been accompanied by comparable progress in their implementation at the national level, which remains insufficient and inconsistent in all parts of the world. 

原译:与制订国际法律规范、标准和政策方面所取得的进展相比,世界各国在实施这些法律规范、标准和政策方面进展缓慢,实施不够充分,而且不能够一贯坚持。

建议:国际法律规范、标准和政策的制订方面取得了进展,但各国在实施方面却没有相应的进展,执行法规、标准和政策的进展不理想,且不平衡。

 

3Underlying a smoothly running UN must be a system of governance that gives Member States the information and tools they need to provide proper guidance to the Secretariat, and to hold it accountable for fulfillment of their mandates and stewardship of their resources. 

原译:联合国必须有一套良好的决策指导制度,才能顺利运作。这套制度向会员国提供它们所需的信息和手段,以便会员国为秘书处提供适当的指导,并对秘书处履行会员国所授任务和运用会员国所提供资源的情况实行问责。

建议:要确保联合国顺利运作,必须有健全的决策体系,为会员国提供其所需的信息和手段,以便会员国正确指导秘书处工作,确保秘书处切实完成会员国所授任务,用好会员国提供的资金。


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