“中国特色”表达的初级口语练习辨析

　　1. 有他这颗扫帚星，什么事件都办不成。

　　[误] With a comet like him, nothing can be accomplished.

　　[正] With a jinx like him, nothing can be accomplished.

　　初级口语练习注：“扫帚星”是中国人对“慧星”（comet）的俗称，因其后面拖着一条像扫帚一样的长尾巴而得名。在中国古代，“扫帚星”被认为是灾祸的预兆，并被用来比喻不吉利的人或事；祸根：（person or thing that is thought to bring）bad luck（to sb/sth）；curse。英语的comet 诚然不这层含意，但却有一个对应的说法，即jinx。

　　例：There's a jinx on/Someone's put a jinx on this car: it's always giving me trouble. （这辆汽车上有什么妨人的东西，总给我找麻烦。）

　　2.萝卜青菜，各有所爱。

　　[误] Some prefer radish but others prefer cabbage.

　　[正] Tastes differ.

　　注：Tastes differ/vary是句英语谚语，除此以外，原句还可翻译成 No dish suits all tastes 或 You can never make everyone happy 等。此外，咱们还可能这样说：One man's meat is another man's poison. 总之，应采取意译。

　　3.他一贯嘴硬，从不认错。

　　[误] He has always got a hard mouth and never admit a fault.

　　[正] He never says uncle.

　　注：say (cry) uncle: to give up or in; to surrender; to admit defeat. Mainly used by boys, as when fighting. 这句话主要是男孩们打架时的用语，当一方想制服另一方时，就用命令的口气说：“Say uncle!” 这时，有的孩子为了表示不服输，就是不说。初级口语练习后来，say uncle 就成了“服输”的代名词，而 not say uncle 就相当于“嘴硬”了。

　　4.老师很爱好这个嘴甜的小姑娘。

　　[误] The teacher likes this sweet-mouthed little girl very much.

　　[正] The teacher likes this honey-lipped little girl very much.

　　初级口语练习注：中国人喜好说“嘴甜”，但 honey-lipped 更合乎英美人的语言习惯。

　　5.同学们都很讨厌他，因为他经常拍老师的马屁。

　　[误] The students all dislike him because he often pats the teacher's ass.

　　[正] The students all dislike him because he often licks the teacher's boots.

　　注：以前在欧洲，臣民见到国王与王后往往要亲吻他们的靴子。初级口语练习注意后来，人们将 lick the boots 引申为“为了某种目的而谄谀某人”，它与汉语的“拍马屁”含意一样。在美国英语中，“拍马屁”还有另一种说法，即 polish the apple，源于以前的学生用擦亮的苹果来谄媚老师。