中译英｜中医: 一门人的系统医学(中）

2023-02-06 00:02

【原文】

人们试图以现代学科的分类来界定中医学，但发现很难，因为中医的对象其实不是“病”，而是“人”。然而，人是复杂的综合体，介乎自然科学、社会科学和哲学之间：既是物质的，又是精神的；既是局部的，又是整体的；既是人为的，又是自然的，因而需要多方、综合、辩证地加以考虑。

中医医生眼里的疾病，不是某个器官组织的病变，而是病人整体机制出现了某种失衡。因而，治病的根本在治人。例如，人的情绪对于人的疾病和健康有着非常微妙而深刻的影响，这在西医是不可以、也不愿意解释的，但却被越来越多的事实所证明。

【参考译文】

People have tried to understand traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) the way they do with disciplines in the modern context and found it difficult to do so, as TCM deals with human beings instead of diseases. However, human beings are complicated: they cannot be interpreted solely by natural sciences, social sciences or philosophy; they exist, both physically and mentally; they are both partial and holistic; they are for one thing, man-made, and for another, made by nature. In this sense, they must be dealt with in a multi-dimensional, comprehensive and dialectical manner.

The way a TCM practitioner has it, a disease is more than the lesion of a certain organ, but rather an imbalance of the patient’s entire organism. Therefore, the ultimate cure for diseases lies in treating the human being. For example, emotions have on people’s health a subtle yet profound influence, which is verified by more and more facts but remains hard for western medicine to acknowledge, let alone explain.

翻译组：

Jessie，女，翻译界林黛玉，想被人叫大佬

校对组：

Ithil，男，胡辣汤爱好者

Yuqing，女，理想主义体验派，经济学人读者

解析组：

Jessie，女，翻译界林黛玉，想被人叫大佬

【翻译解析】

1. 中医的对象其实不是“病”，而是“人”。

illness、sickness、disease这些名词均有“疾病”之意。illness泛指一切疾病，强调不适的状态或时间，如He died after a long illness. sickness与illness相似，更为口语化；还可表示“恶心、呕吐”之意。disease指具体的疾病，尤指传染病、遗传病和心脏病等疾病。医生治病针对的是患者的具体病症，因此disease最恰当。

2. 人是复杂的综合体，介乎自然科学、社会科学和哲学之间。

可遵循句子结构使用从句连接，也可以先总后分，先观点后解释：”human beings are complicated: they cannot be interpreted solely...”，“介乎”即不能单纯用一种学科来界定，可用正反译法：cannot be interpreted solely by natural sciences, social sciences or philosophy。

3. 既是物质的，又是精神的。

“物质的”并非指material、substance等超出人体的物体，而是与精神相对应、生理意义上的人体客观存在。Physical：connected with a person's body rather than their mind一词恰合其意。

4. 既是局部的，又是整体的。

医学的整体观常用holistic：treating the whole person rather than just the symptoms of a disease

5. 中医医生

如果译为Chinese doctor，就没有体现中医的文化因素；herbalist意义过为局限，不常使用。可译为TCM doctor或TCM practitioner，考虑到中西医学目前在治疗体系中的比例，中医常作为补充疗法，因此TCM practitioner更常见。

6. 中医医生眼里的疾病，不是某个器官组织的病变，而是病人整体机制出现了某种失衡。

不能逐字翻译，这句话说的是中医视角能从某一器官病变中看出整体的失衡，即超出局部范畴，看到了更难以发现的问题。可译为a disease is more than the lesion of a certain organ, but rather an imbalance of the patient’s entire organism.

“but rather”意为“而是、更确切地说”，用于加强语气。“but rather”offers a new idea that suggests something that the writer would rather do. It’s possible to use “but” or “rather” on their own, but “but rather” introduces a new alternative.

“病人整体机制出现了某种失衡。”mechanism多指机械或行为机制；人体机制使用organism更恰当 An organism is a single individual, or being. While it may have many separate parts, the organism cannot survive without the parts, as the parts cannot survive without the organism.

7. 不可以、也不愿意解释的。

不是简单的并列，其中的强调性有所递增，因此要用let alone进行连接。The meaning of LET ALONE is to say nothing of: not to mention — used especially to emphasize the improbability of a contrasting example

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