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爱因斯坦回信的原文是:
Development of Western science is based on two great achievements: the invention of the formal logical system (in Euclidean geometry) by the Greek philosophers, and the discovery of the possibility to find out causal relationships by systematic experiment (during the Renaissance). In my opinion one has not to be astonished that the Chinese sages have not made those steps. The astonishing thing is that those discoveries were made at all.
李译:
“西方科学的发展是建立在两项重大成就的基础上的:希腊哲学家们(在欧几里德几何学中)发明的形式逻辑体系,和(文艺复兴时期)发现的通过系统实验找到因果关系的可能性。在我看来,中国的先贤们没有能够走上做出这些发现的道路,是不值得惊奇的。令人惊奇的是,这些发现居然被做了出来。”
郝译:
“西方科学的发展是建立在两项重大成就的基础上的:希腊哲学家们(在欧几里德几何学中)发明的形式逻辑体系,和(文艺复兴时期)发现的通过系统实验找到因果关系的可能性。在我看来,中国的先贤们没有能够走上做出这些发现的道路,是不值得惊奇的。令人惊奇的是,竟然有人做出了那些(西方科学)发现。”[括弧中的西方科学是对信开头处的回应]
我觉得有两处还可再改进:
一是“the discovery of the possibility to find out causal relationships by systematic experiment (during the Renaissance)”,上述两位的翻译严格来说是准确的,但从是否符合汉语的角度来讲,仍然可以再改进。原因是,英语中有很多名词性结构,我们在翻译成汉语时,不必亦步亦趋,一般情况下应转化为汉语中较多的动词性结构。因此,这个结构我以为这样译更地道:“(文艺复兴时期)发现有可能通过系统实验找到因果关系”。
二是“the Chinese sages have not made those steps”译为“中国的先贤们没有能够走上做出这些发现的道路”是不太恰当的。注意,“those steps(这些步骤)”按我的理解,就是指“two great achievements(两项重大成就)”,即形式逻辑和系统实验。但老爱的这个搭配“made those steps”实在是稀有,如果是“采取这些步骤”,那么应该是“taken those steps”,如果是“made”,那么“steps”就成了“阶梯或楼梯”。无论如何,这种搭配在互联网上难找到。所以,我怀疑爱因斯坦这句话有问题。
大家请注意一个事实——“Albert Einstein is considered one of the greatest scientists of all time for his work on the relationship between matter and energy. But he was also an obscure human being. Here are five facts you probably did not know about Albert Einstein: Fact 1 - Einstein was a horrible speller. After moving to the US, Einstein became completely bilingual but could never recall how to spell words correctly in both German and English.……”
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