One of the great charms of Lawrence as a companion was that he could never be bored and so could never be boring.
[原译]跟劳伦斯做朋友所感到的他的一种很可爱的地方,就是他从不讨人厌,因之,他也从不讨厌人。(钱歌川:《翻译技巧》,p.48)
be bored 可以译为“不讨人厌”吗?
译者将“be bored”译成“讨人厌”,而将“be boring”译成“讨厌人”。但是在汉语里这两个词是一个意思,都是指“惹(令)人讨厌”。要知道,动词 bore 虽可作“使讨厌”解,但这里的 be bored 不能译为“被讨厌”,因为 be bored,如同 be agreed,be interested,be delighted,be convinced,be tired 一样,并不是被动结构,而是系表结构。be bored 的意思是“厌烦”(参见 convince)。例如:
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I was never bored with his stories. 我从未对他的故事感到厌烦。
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I hope you are not getting bored listening to me. 我希望你听我讲话不会感到厌烦。
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I was bored to death before the first day was out. 第一天尚未过去我就厌烦死了。
[试译]劳伦斯跟人做朋友有一个很可爱的地方,就是他从来也不感到厌烦,因而,他从来也不惹人讨厌。
请做下面的英语试题:
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I felt ____ to death because I could make nothing of the chairman's speech. A. fatigued B. tired C. exhausted D. bored(全国研考,95-27)
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Mr. Smith, ____ of the ____ speech, started to read a novel. A. tired; boring B. tiring; bored