愿学翻译的你，节日快乐。

2017年5月24日，第71届联合国大会一致通过关于“专业翻译在实现各国互联互通及促进和平、了解和发展中的作用”的第A/71/L.68号决议，将每年9月30日正式确定为国际翻译日（International Translation Day）。

今年的主题是：A World without Barriers（无障碍世界）。

无注释原文：

International Translation Day 2022

NEWS18

International Translation Day is marked every year on September 30 on the feast of St. Jerome, the Bible translator who is regarded as the patron saint of linguists. The day aims to increase awareness about the translation industry and languages that play an essential part in our society’s growth. It also intends to honour the efforts of language specialists.

The UN says International Translation Day is a chance to honour the work of language specialists, who contributes significantly to fostering international understanding, improving communication and fostering cooperation among nations, as well as contributing to worldwide peace and security.

The theme this year is “A World without Barriers."

HISTORY AND SIGNIFICANCE

Since its inception in 1953, the International Federation of Translators (FIT) has organised the day. The first formal ITD celebration took place in 1991. The United Nations General Assembly enacted Resolution 71/288 in May 2017 on the importance of language experts in linking nations and encouraging peace, understanding, and advancement, and designated September 30 as International Translation Day.

According to the UN’s website, “St. Jerome was an Italian priest from the north-eastern region of the country who is most renowned for his efforts translating the New Testament from its Greek manuscripts into Latin. On September 30, 420, Jerome died near Bethlehem."

The role of translators rose dramatically as the world moved toward globalisation. Language specialists aid in the development of healthy public discourse and interpersonal communication.

Translators aid in the translation of literary, scientific, and technical materials from one language to the other, which aids in the advancement of a better world. They promote mutual respect for different cultures by assisting in the understanding of each other’s civilizations. They also aid translation, interpretation, and nomenclature, all of which are necessary for guaranteeing communication across countries.

The role of translators and language specialists will only become more vital as the globe becomes more linked.

- ◆ -

Found in Translation

The New York Times

In college in the 1990s, I happened upon a Brazilian writer so sensational that I was sure she must be a household name. And she was — in Curitiba or Maranhão. Outside Brazil, it seemed, nobody knew of Clarice Lispector.

My freshman year, I’d abandoned studying Chinese when our professor said it’d be 10 years before we’d be able to decipher a newspaper. I switched to Portuguese, despite zero knowledge of the language or culture.

Eventually we started reading short Brazilian works. One of these, a 1977 novella by Lispector called “The Hour of the Star,” changed my life. Though its nuances were lost on me, I sensed the strange beauty in the story of a poor girl in Rio de Janeiro. The author was the book’s most forceful presence, and I wanted to learn everything about her. Who was the woman who peered from the back cover like an exiled empress?

As I later learned, Lispector’s first name was enough to identify her to most Brazilians. But two decades after her death in 1977, she remained virtually untranslated; among English speakers, she was unknown outside some academic circles. One pleasure of discovering a great writer is the ability to share her work, and I was stymied. Lispector’s obscurity reinforced itself. People couldn’t care about someone they couldn’t read. And if they couldn’t read her, they couldn’t become interested.

It took me years to realize that this vicious cycle would not magically be broken. I started writing Lispector’s biography, a project that took five years. The result, “Why This World,” generated interest in a series of English translations of her novels. So far, these have taken another five years. In retrospect, Chinese would have been quicker.

The past decade has given me time to reflect on the main cause of Lispector’s obscurity: the increasing global dominance of English. An international tongue may help tourists, but it is turning literature into a one-way street. Not only does this make life harder for contemporary writers, the situation is even worse for those, like Lispector, who can no longer speak for themselves.

Writers who work in English can’t be faulted for profiting from a situation that has developed over centuries. But since we do profit from it, it’s partly up to us to try to remedy it.

In the United States and Britain, translations represent just 3 percent of the book market. In Russia, in contrast, translated titles accounted for 10.5 percent of the market in 2013; in China, they make up around 7 percent. In the Netherlands, some 75 percent of all books produced are translations, according to 2013 statistics — and about 10 percent of all general interest books sold are original, English-language versions. Not only do foreign writers face obstacles to being read abroad, then, they are being crowded out of bookstores in their own countries. The English language, like rats or kudzu, has become an invasive species.

Some prominent English-language writers are already fighting this trend. Jonathan Franzen has translated “Spring Awakening,” by the fin-de-siècle German dramatist Frank Wedekind, and the essays of Viennese satirist Karl Kraus. Lydia Davis alternates between French translation and her own writing. Elizabeth Kostova, an American novelist, started a foundation in 2007 to bring Bulgarian writers into English.

Because there are so many English-language readers, reaching this market has a powerful effect. Thanks to Ms. Kostova, contemporary Bulgarian writers have a chance at being known internationally. Once Lispector was translated into English, she could be read in other countries, including by editors from China to Ukraine who are trying to get her published locally.

It shouldn’t be assumed, as I long did, that all great foreign writers will eventually reach English-language bookstores. As publication in English becomes more important, even editors open to translations are overwhelmed. (And few read Norwegian.) For every Karl Ove Knausgaard or Elena Ferrante, who are translated almost as soon as they appear in Norwegian or Italian, there are many Lispectors.

Taking them on, after all, is an act of faith. At my first publishing job, in New York, I tried to convince my boss that a manuscript that seemed to blend sci-fi with bad porn was the work of an important new writer causing a stir in France. Though unable to read French, one editor took my word for it. The manuscript was “Elementary Particles,” by Michel Houellebecq. Every translation represents a similar leap.

The dream of a global literary community is not new. But as globalization has not meant greater political or economic equality, cultural cosmopolitanism has not been guaranteed by instant communication and inexpensive travel. These do, however, present significant new opportunities for literary activism.

Writers working in English who know another language can help make connections and advocate for their foreign colleagues. Contacts are perhaps writers’ most valuable assets. Only a few people know everybody, but most of us know somebody. Just one or two contacts — an editor, an agent — can make a difference for a foreign writer. This includes links to fellowships, writing programs, and retreats that non-English-language writers haven’t heard about.

Even writers who beat the odds and are published in English face difficulty finding an audience, largely because they don’t have the networks they do at home. Since translations are less frequently reviewed, people who might be interested are less likely to hear about them. English-language writers can help by reviewing foreign works that make it into English, or interviewing their authors, taking advantage of the amplifying effects of social media.

Few things are lonelier than the solitary task of confronting the blank page for years on end. Literature, on the other hand, is made by a community: present and past, dead and alive. Everyone loses when books become yet another commodity, produced by a few big names. It’s one thing if everyone wears the same shoes or drinks the same soda. But the world of literature is the last place in which globalization should mean homogeneity.

- ◆ -

注：中文文本为机器翻译+纽约时报官方译文，仅供参考

含注释全文：

International Translation Day 2022

NEWS18

International Translation Day is marked every year on September 30 on the feast of St. Jerome, the Bible translator who is regarded as the patron saint of linguists. The day aims to increase awareness about the translation industry and languages that play an essential part in our society's growth. It also intends to honour the efforts of language specialists.

每年9月30日为国际翻译日，这天是圣杰罗姆日，圣杰罗姆是《圣经》译者，被视为语言学者的守护神。国际翻译日的目的是提高对翻译行业和语言的认识，这些语言在我们的社会发展中发挥着重要作用。它还意在表彰语言专家的努力。

表示“（宗教）节日”，英文解释为“a day on which a religious event or person is remembered and celebrated”如：a Muslim feast day 一个穆斯林节日。

📍Jerome (/dʒəˈroʊm/), also known as Jerome of Stridon, was a Latin priest, confessor, theologian, and historian; he is commonly known as Saint Jerome. Jerome is recognised as a saint and Doctor of the Church by the Catholic Church, the Eastern Orthodox Church, the Lutheran Church, and the Anglican Communion. His feast day is 30 September.

哲罗姆，也译作圣杰罗姆，是古代西方教会领导群伦的圣经学者，以研究圣经（Bible）和注释经文闻名，完成了圣经拉丁文译本《武加大译本》。

表示“基督教《圣经》（包括《旧约》和《新约》）；犹太教《圣经》（包括《律法书》、《先知书》以及《圣录》）”，英文解释为“(a copy of) the holy book of the Christian religion consisting of the Old and New Testaments, or the holy book of the Jewish religion consisting of the Law, the Prophets, and the Writings”

表示“守护圣人，主保圣人”，英文解释为“a Christian saint who is believed to give special help to a particular place, activity, person, or type of object”举个🌰：

St John Bosco is the patron saint of Turin.

圣约翰‧博斯科是都灵的主保圣人。

表示“语言学家，语言学者；通晓数国语言的人”，英文解释为“someone who studies foreign languages or can speak them very well, or someone who teaches or studies linguistics”。

The UN says International Translation Day is a chance to honour the work of language specialists, who contributes significantly to fostering international understanding, improving communication and fostering cooperation among nations, as well as contributing to worldwide peace and security.

联合国表示，国际翻译日是一个向语言专家的工作致敬的机会，他们为促进国际理解、改善沟通和促进国家间的合作，以及为世界和平与安全做出了巨大贡献。

The theme this year is “A World without Barriers."

今年的主题是“A World without Barriers（无障碍世界）”。

HISTORY AND SIGNIFICANCE 历史和意义

Since its inception in 1953, the International Federation of Translators (FIT) has organised the day. The first formal ITD celebration took place in 1991. The United Nations General Assembly enacted Resolution 71/288 in May 2017 on the importance of language experts in linking nations and encouraging peace, understanding, and advancement, and designated September 30 as International Translation Day.

自1953年成立以来，国际翻译工作者联合会（FIT）一直在组织这一天的活动。第一次正式的国际翻译日庆祝活动是在1991年举行的。联合国大会于2017年5月通过了第71/288号决议，强调语言专家在连接各国和鼓励和平、理解和进步方面的重要性，并将9月30日定为国际翻译日。

表示“（机构、组织等的）开端，创始”，英文解释为“the start of an institution, an organization, etc.”举个🌰：

The account has grown rapidly since its inception in 2015.

这个账号自从2015年成立以来发展迅速。

1）表示“通过，实施，制定（法律）”，英文解释为“When a government or authority enacts a proposal, they make it into a law.”举个🌰：

The authorities have failed so far to enact a law allowing unrestricted emigration.

当局到目前为止还未能通过一项允许自由移民出境的法律。

2）表示“表演”，英文解释为“If people enact a story or play, they perform it by acting.”举个🌰：

She often enacted the stories told to her by her father.

她经常把父亲讲给她的故事表演出来。

3）表示“发生（尤指过去已发生的事件或情况）”，英文解释为“If a particular event or situation is enacted, it happens; used especially to talk about something that has happened before.”举个🌰：

It was a scene enacted month after month for eight years.

这是8年来月复一月出现的场景。

1）表示“决议”，英文解释为“A resolution is a formal decision made at a meeting by means of a vote.”举个🌰：

He replied that the UN had passed two major resolutions. 

他回复说联合国已经通过两项重大决议。

2）表示“决心，决定”，英文解释为“If you make a resolution, you decide to try very hard to do something.”举个🌰：

They made a resolution to lose all the weight gained during the Christmas holidays.

他们下了一个决心要减掉圣诞节期间增加的全部体重。

designate /ˈdezɪɡneɪt/ 1）表示“命名；指定，划定（特征、用途）”，英文解释为“When you designate someone or something as a particular thing, you formally give them that description or name.”举个🌰：

There are efforts under way to designate the bridge (as) a historic landmark. 

人们在努力把这座桥定为历史地标。

2）表示“指定，选定；委派”，英文解释为“When you designate someone as something, you formally choose them to do that particular job.”举个🌰：

Designate someone as the spokesperson.

指派某人为发言人。

📍designated作形容词，表示“指定的；特指的，划定的”。

📍类似的有个词dedicated，表示“专用的，专门的”（designed to be used for one particular purpose）举个🌰：

Such areas should also be served by dedicated cycle routes.

这些地区也应该可由自行车专用路线到达。

According to the UN's website, “St. Jerome was an Italian priest from the north-eastern region of the country who is most renowned for his efforts translating the New Testament from its Greek manuscripts into Latin. On September 30, 420, Jerome died near Bethlehem."

根据联合国的网站，“圣杰罗姆是一位来自意大利东北部地区的牧师，他因将《新约》（New Testament）从希腊手稿翻译成拉丁文而闻名。420年9月30日，杰罗姆在伯利恒（Bethlehem）附近去世。”

priest /priːst/ 1）表示“（圣公会教的）牧师；（天主教、东正教的）神父”，英文解释为“A priest is a member of the Christian clergy in the Catholic, Anglican, or Orthodox church.”举个🌰：

He had trained to be a Catholic priest.

他接受培训成了一名天主教神父。

2）表示“（非基督教的）祭司”，英文解释为“In many non-Christian religions a priest is a man who has particular duties and responsibilities in a place where people worship.”

表示“有名的；闻名的；受尊敬的”，英文解释为“famous and respected”举个🌰：

She is renowned for her patience.

她的耐心是出了名的。

表示“《圣经‧新约》”，英文解释为“the second of the two main parts of the Christian Bible, containing the books written after the birth of Jesus Christ”。

📍有新约就有旧约：the Old Testament.

表示“手稿；原稿”，英文解释为“the original copy of a book or article before it is printed”举个🌰：

He sent the 100-page manuscript to his publisher.

他将100页的手稿寄给了他的出版商。

The role of translators rose dramatically as the world moved toward globalisation. Language specialists aid in the development of healthy public discourse and interpersonal communication.

随着世界走向全球化，译者的作用急剧上升。语言专家有助于发展健康的公共话语和人际交往。

1）表示“论文；演讲”，英文解释为“a long and serious treatment or discussion of a subject in speech or writing”，如：a discourse on issues of gender equality 关于性别平等的论文。

2）表示“语篇；话语；对话；交流”，英文解释为“the use of language in speech and writing in order to produce meaning; language that is studied, usually in order to see how the different parts of a text are connected”。

Translators aid in the translation of literary, scientific, and technical materials from one language to the other, which aids in the advancement of a better world. They promote mutual respect for different cultures by assisting in the understanding of each other's civilizations. They also aid translation, interpretation, and nomenclature, all of which are necessary for guaranteeing communication across countries.

译员协助将文学、科学和技术材料从一种语言翻译成另一种语言，这有助于推动一个更美好的世界。他们通过协助了解对方的文明，促进对不同文化的相互尊重。他们还协助进行翻译、口译和命名，所有这些都是保证国家间交流的必要条件。

表示“文学的，与文学相关的”，英文解释为“connected with literature”如：a literary style 文学风格。

nomenclature /nəʊˈmɛnklətʃə/ 表示“（尤指某一科学领域的）命名法”，英文解释为“a system for naming things, especially in a particular area of science”。

The role of translators and language specialists will only become more vital as the globe becomes more linked.

随着全球的联系越来越紧密，译员和语言专家的作用只会变得更加重要。

- ◆ -

翻译，让文学走出单行道

Found in Translation

The New York Times

In college in the 1990s, I happened upon a Brazilian writer so sensational that I was sure she must be a household name. And she was — in Curitiba or Maranhão. Outside Brazil, it seemed, nobody knew of Clarice Lispector.

1990年代就读大学期间，我偶然读到一位令我惊为天人的作家，我以为她的名字肯定家喻户晓。的确如此——但只是在巴西的库里蒂巴或马拉尼昂。出了巴西，似乎就没人认得克拉丽赛‧利斯佩克托（Clarice Lispector）了。

sensational /senˈseɪ.ʃən.əl/ 1）表示“极好的；绝妙的；出众的”，英文解释为“very good, exciting, or unusual”如：a sensational sports car/dress 极好的跑车/连衣裙。

2）表示“（新闻报道或文章）意在引起轰动的，耸人听闻的”，英文解释为“Sensational news reports and articles are intended to be shocking and exciting rather than serious.”举个🌰：

Some of the more sensational newspapers have given a lot of coverage to the scandal.

一些更耸人听闻的报纸以很大篇幅报道了这一丑闻。

My freshman year, I’d abandoned studying Chinese when our professor said it’d be 10 years before we’d be able to decipher a newspaper. I switched to Portuguese, despite zero knowledge of the language or culture.

由于教授说我们得花上十年功夫学习才能解读中文报纸，我在大学一年级便放弃学习中文，转到了葡萄牙语专业，虽然我对这门语言和文化一无所知。

Eventually we started reading short Brazilian works. One of these, a 1977 novella by Lispector called “The Hour of the Star,” changed my life. Though its nuances were lost on me, I sensed the strange beauty in the story of a poor girl in Rio de Janeiro. The author was the book’s most forceful presence, and I wanted to learn everything about her. Who was the woman who peered from the back cover like an exiled empress?

后来我们开始阅读巴西的短篇作品。在这当中，利斯佩克托的《星辰时刻》（The Hour of the Star）改变了我一生。虽然我想不起详细内容，但我从这位里约热内卢贫苦女孩的故事中，感受到奇异的美。作家本人是这本书中最有力的存在，我想要了解她的一切。这个如同被流放的女王一般在封底凝视一切的女人，究竟是谁？

novella /nəʊˈvel.ə/ 表示“短篇小说”，英文解释为“a short novel”

nuance /njuːˈɑːns/ 表示“（声音、感觉、外貌或意义等方面的）细微差别”，英文解释为“A nuance is a small difference in sound, feeling, appearance, or meaning.”

你是否认为十几岁的女孩子不如同年龄的男孩子自信？

As I later learned, Lispector’s first name was enough to identify her to most Brazilians. But two decades after her death in 1977, she remained virtually untranslated; among English speakers, she was unknown outside some academic circles. One pleasure of discovering a great writer is the ability to share her work, and I was stymied. Lispector’s obscurity reinforced itself. People couldn’t care about someone they couldn’t read. And if they couldn’t read her, they couldn’t become interested.

后来我知道，就算不提利斯佩克托的姓氏，许多巴西人也认得出她的名字。但在她在1977年去世后20年间，她的作品基本上没有被翻译过；英语世界对她有了解的仅限于学术圈内的一些人。发现一个伟大作家的乐趣之一，就是可以分享她的作品，但我遇到了障碍。利斯佩克托晦涩的文风提高了门槛。人们不会关心自己无法阅读的作品，而读者若不去读，更不可能对作者有兴趣。

stymie /ˈstaɪ.mi/ 表示“阻止，妨碍，阻挠”，英文解释为“to prevent something from happening or someone from achieving a purpose”举个🌰：

In our search for evidence, we were stymied by the absence of any recent documents.

缺乏近期的文件为我们搜寻证据造成了障碍。

obscurity /əbˈskjʊə.rə.ti/ 表示“费解，晦涩；模糊，朦胧”，英文解释为“the state of being not clear and difficult to understand or see”举个🌰：

The story is convoluted and opaque, often to the point of total obscurity.

这则故事晦涩难懂，常常令人一头雾水。

2）表示“无名；鲜为人知；默默无闻”，英文解释为“the state of not being known to many people”举个🌰：

He was briefly famous in his twenties but then sank into obscurity.

他在20来岁时曾一度小有名气，但随后便湮没无闻了。

It took me years to realize that this vicious cycle would not magically be broken. I started writing Lispector’s biography, a project that took five years. The result, “Why This World,” generated interest in a series of English translations of her novels. So far, these have taken another five years. In retrospect, Chinese would have been quicker.

我花了好几年才明白，没有什么魔法可以打破这个恶性循环。我花了五年写作利斯佩克托的传记。过了五年以后，这本传记作品《为何生于此世》（Why This World）让人有兴趣将她的作品译成英文。回想起来，学中文可能更快。

表示“传记”，英文解释为“the life story of a person written by someone else”。

表示“回顾；回想”，英文解释为“thinking now about something in the past”举个🌰：

In retrospect, I think my marriage was doomed from the beginning.

现在回头看，我觉得我的婚姻从一开始就注定要破裂。

The past decade has given me time to reflect on the main cause of Lispector’s obscurity: the increasing global dominance of English. An international tongue may help tourists, but it is turning literature into a one-way street. Not only does this make life harder for contemporary writers, the situation is even worse for those, like Lispector, who can no longer speak for themselves.

这十年来我得以思考出利斯佩克托作品艰涩难懂的原因：在全球日渐取得主导权的英文。这个国际语言可以让旅客获益良多，却也将文学导向单行道。这不仅让现代作家生活更加困苦，对于像利斯佩克托这类无法发声的已逝作家，更是一个窘境。

Writers who work in English can’t be faulted for profiting from a situation that has developed over centuries. But since we do profit from it, it’s partly up to us to try to remedy it.

在这个进行了几个世纪的过程中，英文作家无疑大为受益。但既然我们是获利的一方，一定程度上就有责任去补救。

In the United States and Britain, translations represent just 3 percent of the book market. In Russia, in contrast, translated titles accounted for 10.5 percent of the market in 2013; in China, they make up around 7 percent. In the Netherlands, some 75 percent of all books produced are translations, according to 2013 statistics — and about 10 percent of all general interest books sold are original, English-language versions. Not only do foreign writers face obstacles to being read abroad, then, they are being crowded out of bookstores in their own countries. The English language, like rats or kudzu, has become an invasive species.

在美国与英国，书市中只有3%的译著。而在2013年的俄罗斯，译著占市场的10.5%。至于中国的比例，则在7%左右。而根据荷兰在2013年的统计，他们有75%的书是翻译作品，又有10%的一般图书是直接贩售英文原版的。外文作家不仅在广泛阅读上困难重重，也被自己国家的书店所排挤。英文就像老鼠与野葛一样，成为侵略性的物种。

kudzu /ˈkʊd.zuː/ 表示“野葛，葛藤，葛根”，英文解释为“a wild plant that spreads easily, quickly covering an area and often growing over other plants and killing them”

invasive /ɪnˈveɪ.sɪv/ 表示“侵袭的，侵入的”，英文解释为“moving into all areas of something and difficult to stop”如：an invasive disease 侵袭性疾病。

也可以表示“（来自其他地区，对当地有危害的生物）侵入的”，英文解释为“An invasive organism is one that has arrived in a place from somewhere else and has a harmful effect on that place.”

Some prominent English-language writers are already fighting this trend. Jonathan Franzen has translated “Spring Awakening,” by the fin-de-siècle German dramatist Frank Wedekind, and the essays of Viennese satirist Karl Kraus. Lydia Davis alternates between French translation and her own writing. Elizabeth Kostova, an American novelist, started a foundation in 2007 to bring Bulgarian writers into English.

许多著名的英文作家已经挺身抵抗这个趋势。乔纳森‧弗兰岑（Jonathan Franzen）翻译了十九世纪末德国剧作家弗兰克‧魏德凯（Frank Wedekind）的《春之苏醒》（Spring Awakening），以及维也纳讽刺作家卡尔‧克劳斯（Karl Kraus）的散文。莉迪亚‧戴维斯（Lydia Davis）轮番进行法文译作与自身写作的工作。美国小说家伊莉莎白‧柯斯托娃（Elizabeth Kostova）也在2007年成立基金会，将保加利亚作家的作品翻成英文。

fin-de-siècle /ˌfæn.də.siːˈek.lə/ 表示“（尤指艺术、文化、道德）具有19世纪末期特征的；19世纪末的”，英文解释为“relating to the end of the 19th century, especially the art, culture, and morals of the period”举个🌰：

The novel begins with an evocative description of fin-de-siècle Paris.

小说开头生动地描绘了19世纪末的巴黎。

satirist /ˈsæt.ɪ.rɪst/ 表示“讽刺作家”，英文解释为“a person who writes satire”

Because there are so many English-language readers, reaching this market has a powerful effect. Thanks to Ms. Kostova, contemporary Bulgarian writers have a chance at being known internationally. Once Lispector was translated into English, she could be read in other countries, including by editors from China to Ukraine who are trying to get her published locally.

由于英文市场读者众多，与这个市场接轨后自然有庞大的效应。在柯斯托娃的努力下，当代保加利亚作家有了为全球所知的机会。利斯佩克托的作品译成英文后，其他国家也得以阅读她的作品，这其中也包括尝试在中国、乌克兰等地推广作品的当地编辑。

It shouldn’t be assumed, as I long did, that all great foreign writers will eventually reach English-language bookstores. As publication in English becomes more important, even editors open to translations are overwhelmed. (And few read Norwegian.) For every Karl Ove Knausgaard or Elena Ferrante, who are translated almost as soon as they appear in Norwegian or Italian, there are many Lispectors.

我们不能只是想当然地以为，所有伟大的外文作家最终都进入英文书店，我有很长一段时间就是这么想的。随着英文出版的重要性与日俱增，就算是欢迎译作的编辑都会喘不过气。文坛上总会出现一位卡尔‧奥韦‧诺斯加德（Karl Ove Knausgaard）或是埃琳娜‧费兰特（Elena Ferrante）这种母语作品一推出就被翻成其他语言的作家。但在此同时，也有许多作家像利斯佩克托一样，湮没于书海之中。

Taking them on, after all, is an act of faith. At my first publishing job, in New York, I tried to convince my boss that a manuscript that seemed to blend sci-fi with bad porn was the work of an important new writer causing a stir in France. Though unable to read French, one editor took my word for it. The manuscript was “Elementary Particles,” by Michel Houellebecq. Every translation represents a similar leap.

说到底，承担这个任务是出于一种信念。我在纽约做第一份出版工作时，曾试图说服老板相信，一份似乎将科幻与色情融合在一起的手稿，出自一名在法国引起轰动的重要新作家之手。虽然不懂法语，一名编辑相信了我的话。这份手稿就是米歇尔·维勒贝克（Michel Houellebecq）的《基本粒子》（Elementary Particles）。每部译作都是一个类似的跨越。

表示“科幻（science fiction的非正式说法）”。

stir作动词，表示“激发，激起（强烈的感情）；引起（强烈的反应）”，英文解释为“to make someone have a strong feeling or reaction”，举个🌰：

形成全球文学社区的梦想并不新鲜。但正如全球化并不意味着更多的政治及经济平等，即时通讯和廉价旅行并没有为文化世界主义提供保障。然而这些确实为文学行动主义带来了重要的新机会。

表示“世界主义；世界大同主义；四海一家”，英文解释为“Cosmopolitanism is the idea that all human beings are members of a single community.”

Writers working in English who know another language can help make connections and advocate for their foreign colleagues. Contacts are perhaps writers’ most valuable assets. Only a few people know everybody, but most of us know somebody. Just one or two contacts — an editor, an agent — can make a difference for a foreign writer. This includes links to fellowships, writing programs, and retreats that non-English-language writers haven’t heard about.

那些用英语写作并掌握另一门语言的作家可以帮助建立联系，支持他们的外国同行。人脉或许是作家们最具价值的资产。左右逢源的人是很少的，但我们当中的大多数人都认识某人。只要一两个熟人——一名编辑，一名经纪人——就能让一名外国作家大为不同。比如与协会、写作项目及非英语作家从未听说过的隐居处的关系。

Even writers who beat the odds and are published in English face difficulty finding an audience, largely because they don’t have the networks they do at home. Since translations are less frequently reviewed, people who might be interested are less likely to hear about them. English-language writers can help by reviewing foreign works that make it into English, or interviewing their authors, taking advantage of the amplifying effects of social media.

甚至连那些克服困难，出版英语作品的作家也很难找到读者，这在很大程度上是因为他们没有像国内那样的关系网。由于有关翻译作品的书评越来越少，那些或许会感兴趣的人都不太可能听说这些作品。英语作家可以通过为翻译成英语的外国作品写书评、或采访作者、利用社交媒体放大效果的优势来提供帮助。

这些故事徒增了她的恐惧感。

Few things are lonelier than the solitary task of confronting the blank page for years on end. Literature, on the other hand, is made by a community: present and past, dead and alive. Everyone loses when books become yet another commodity, produced by a few big names. It’s one thing if everyone wears the same shoes or drinks the same soda. But the world of literature is the last place in which globalization should mean homogeneity.

年复一年地面对一张白纸，写作的清苦是世间鲜有能及的。另一方面，文学是由一个社群造就的：现在与过去，死亡与生存。如果书成为由一种由大品牌生产的商品，对每个人都是不利的。就跟每个人都穿同样的鞋子或喝同样的汽水一样。但文学世界是全球化过程中最不应该同质化的领域。

homogeneity /ˌhɒm.ə.dʒəˈneɪ.ə.ti/ 表示“同种；同质”，英文解释为“the quality of consisting of parts or people that are similar to each other or are of the same type”

- 今日盘点 -

最后，祝大家国庆快乐！

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