大约10多年前已经有学生要求我开办一个工作坊，就是把港式广东俗语／俚词翻译成英语。

　　如果翻译合逻辑，读者也清晰明白译者／原文的意思，我也赞成翻译广东话。可以给外语人士了解多一点我们的文化，也不一定要做到传统翻译“信、达、雅”。很多广东俗语／俚词的确可以有神韵地翻译成英语。

　　大家试试猜猜以下中英对照的句子是什么意思？

　　1.在网上买二手电动单车要小心，你这样隔山买牛，风险很大。

　　Be careful about buying a second-handed bicycle on the internet, it might turn out to buying an ox from the other side of the mountain.

　　2. 风水佬呃你十年八年，我们不会。时间可以证明。

　　A Fungshui master may fool you for ten or eight years, we would not. Time can tell.

　　3. 狗咬吕洞宾，不识好人心。Molly好心送赠三文治给这乞儿，乞儿反而骂她不给钱。

　　Molly gave some sandwiches to the beggar, who was really like a dog to bite Lu Dongbun. He cursed her for not giving him money！

　　4.不好意思，你刚才说得一嚿嚿，我完全不理解。

　　I beg your pardon.　　What you just said was too 199, I was clueless.

　　1）所谓“隔山买牛”就是形容别人没有认知实际情况，便大胆地购买东西。英语字面翻译不能清楚，其实英语也有相同的成语：a pig in a poke。可改成：Be careful about buying a second-handed bicycle on the internet, it might turn out to be a pig in a poke.

　　2）以英语直译未能表达正确意思，“风水佬呃你十年八年”主要强调这个人是说实话，没有欺骗成分。可改成：We are telling you the truth. / Time will witness the truth.

　　3）中国民间神话八仙之一的吕洞宾心地善良，但要收复哮天犬，最后放走牠，反被牠咬了一口。于是有人就要以这一句比喻一个人“以恶报善，不分好歹”。可改成：

　　Molly, who was cursed by an ungrateful beggar for not giving him money, gave him some sandwiches.

　　4）“一嚿嚿”的意思就是形容别人不能把话语表达清晰。如果照字面拼音或是用数字显示，实在比较难明。可改成：I beg your pardon. I am afraid that I couldn't quite understand what you just said; it was a bit incoherent.

　　下集讨论一些未必可能以英语翻译的广东词汇、成语及惯用句。

　　Miss Carol 资深英语老师、国际英文考试主考官；前大专院校导师及企业培训导师。