作者:王銀泉
電影《一個(gè)都不能少》以其催人淚下的故事反映了我國教育事業(yè)在特定歷史時(shí)期面臨的困境,以極強(qiáng)的感染力感動(dòng)了觀眾。從此以后,“一個(gè)都不能少”成了一個(gè)使用頻率非常高的詞,被應(yīng)用于各種場合,在百度輸入“一個(gè)都不能少”檢索,有250萬個(gè)相關(guān)網(wǎng)頁之多。
電影《一個(gè)都不能少》的片名是怎么翻譯成英語的,筆者并不清楚,但是,在GOOGLE搜索的結(jié)果發(fā)現(xiàn),這個(gè)片名當(dāng)時(shí)好像被譯成了Not One Less。在GOOGLE輸入Not One Less和Zhang Yimou所獲得的檢索結(jié)果是29,400個(gè)相關(guān)項(xiàng)。但是,說實(shí)話,Not One Less這一譯名不很地道,不但不符合語言規(guī)律,而且不能清晰地表達(dá)出影片內(nèi)涵,因?yàn)檫@里的not是一個(gè)副詞,只能用來修飾動(dòng)詞、形容詞或其他副詞,而根據(jù)影片內(nèi)容,Not One Less這一結(jié)構(gòu)中的One自然應(yīng)該是一個(gè)省略了名詞child或student的名詞詞組的一部分,因此其與not之間的修飾關(guān)系不能成立。再者,作為little的比較級(jí),less做限定詞的時(shí)候只能修飾不可數(shù)名詞,可這里的學(xué)生是可數(shù)的,如果我們把one后面的省略詞語補(bǔ)充出來,那就是Not One Child Less,根本無法解釋less與文中其他詞匯之間有什么關(guān)系。因此說,當(dāng)初為電影《一個(gè)都不能少》確定的英語譯名似乎是不妥的。
那么,“一個(gè)都不能少”這樣十分口語化的表達(dá)在英語中該怎么說呢?其實(shí)英語中有一個(gè)很對(duì)應(yīng)的說法,叫做Nobody/No one Left Behind,或者也可以理解為No+一個(gè)單數(shù)名詞+ Left Behind結(jié)構(gòu),也就是說,這里的No后面可以接上任何單數(shù)名詞,都是用來表示“一個(gè)也不能少”的意思,至于這里是什么樣的“一個(gè)”,那就要看上下文了。Leave sth./sb. behind這一短語動(dòng)詞的被動(dòng)式,其意思可以是“忘了帶,遺忘”,也可以是“將(某人)拋在后面”,還可以表示“永久地離開某物/某人”。 電影《一個(gè)都不能少》說的是學(xué)校不能允許少一個(gè)孩子來上學(xué),在接受學(xué)校教育的問題上,孩子們一個(gè)都不能掉隊(duì),因此,就可以翻譯成No Child Left Behind。在GOOGLE輸入No Child Left Behind和Zhang Yimou這兩組關(guān)鍵詞檢索竟然沒有獲得一個(gè)結(jié)果,由此可見當(dāng)時(shí)電影《一個(gè)都不能少》的片名譯者并未了解到英語中有No Child Left Behind這么一個(gè)完全對(duì)應(yīng)的地道表達(dá)。
說來巧合的是,電影《一個(gè)都不能少》激發(fā)了無數(shù)中國人對(duì)中國教育事業(yè)的關(guān)注,而這樣一個(gè)表達(dá)在美國教育事業(yè)中也有“知音”,因?yàn)槊绹幸徊拷逃ㄒ?guī),用的就是“一個(gè)都不能少”這樣形象生動(dòng)的語言,這樣的表達(dá)也符合英語的語言習(xí)慣,即簡潔明了,而且又非常口語化,容易讓大家接受和記住。美國《不讓一個(gè)孩子掉隊(duì)法》(No Child Left Behind Act)是布什總統(tǒng)2002年初簽署實(shí)施的法案,這個(gè)以形象的“不讓一個(gè)孩子掉隊(duì)”命名的法案,不是簡單意義的“一個(gè)都不能少”。它強(qiáng)調(diào)教育公平――要讓每一個(gè)孩子都不掉隊(duì);它旨在提高教育質(zhì)量,使義務(wù)教育在新世紀(jì)上一個(gè)臺(tái)階。《不讓一個(gè)孩子掉隊(duì)法》從名稱到主旨到實(shí)施,應(yīng)該給我國教育以啟示。
《不讓一個(gè)孩子掉隊(duì)法》作為1965年以來美國最重要的中小學(xué)改革法,內(nèi)容包括:(1)建立中小學(xué)教育責(zé)任制;(2)給地方和學(xué)校更大的自主權(quán);(3)給孩子父母更多的選擇;(4)保證每一個(gè)孩子都能閱讀;(5)提高教師質(zhì)量;(6)檢查各州學(xué)生的學(xué)習(xí)成績;(7)提高移民兒童的英語水平。此法是布什政府內(nèi)務(wù)政策的重中之重,布什一直十分重視,為了實(shí)施該法,在財(cái)政十分緊張的情況下,布什政府還是大幅度增加了中小學(xué)教育撥款。2004年度中小學(xué)財(cái)政預(yù)算已增加至500多億美元,比2001年上升了26%。美國僅是對(duì)義務(wù)教育的投入,就達(dá)到了國內(nèi)生產(chǎn)總值(GDP)的4%。為了促進(jìn)義務(wù)教育發(fā)展公平性的實(shí)現(xiàn),通過聯(lián)邦資助的方式資助需要的地區(qū):2002年,對(duì)低收入地區(qū)補(bǔ)貼104億美元;而此前的2001年預(yù)算為88億美元,2004年又增加到了123億美元,三年間增加的“漲幅”達(dá)到了40%。
2006年1月10日,我國官方新聞機(jī)構(gòu)新華社刊發(fā)了一篇報(bào)道稱,美國“不讓一個(gè)孩子掉隊(duì)”教育法見成效。該報(bào)道說,在全美小學(xué)中推行的“不讓一個(gè)孩子掉隊(duì)”的教育法現(xiàn)已實(shí)施了4年并初見成效,美國小學(xué)生的考試成績有所提高。報(bào)道說,“不讓任何一個(gè)孩子掉隊(duì)”的教育計(jì)劃旨在到2014年前,確保所有美國兒童具有相應(yīng)的閱讀和數(shù)學(xué)水平,并要求教育部門“以空前的重視程度”關(guān)注貧困家庭和少數(shù)族裔兒童。這一計(jì)劃還規(guī)定各州都要對(duì)學(xué)生進(jìn)行考試,提高師資水平,向家長提供更多信息。獲得聯(lián)邦政府資助但教學(xué)水平?jīng)]有提高的學(xué)校將被罰款。美聯(lián)社預(yù)期布什將在年度國情咨文中建議把“不讓一個(gè)孩子掉隊(duì)”的計(jì)劃推廣到更高的年級(jí),并建議在中學(xué)進(jìn)行年度數(shù)學(xué)和閱讀測試,以評(píng)估學(xué)生取得的進(jìn)步。此外,2007年7月美國教育部公布的一份重要的獨(dú)立研究報(bào)告顯示,自從布什總統(tǒng)于5年前簽署了里程碑式的教育法規(guī),美國的學(xué)生取得了很好的學(xué)業(yè)成績,尤其在閱讀和數(shù)學(xué)測試方面。
最近,美國國會(huì)將開始重新評(píng)估《不讓一個(gè)孩子掉隊(duì)法》,美聯(lián)社為此刊發(fā)了一篇新聞報(bào)道(見下),為了加深對(duì)相關(guān)背景的了解,順便學(xué)習(xí)一些相關(guān)英語詞匯,我們不妨閱讀一下這篇報(bào)道:
No Child Left Behind faces changes
By NANCY ZUCKERBROD
AP Education Writer
2008-4-22
Unable to push education fixes through Congress, the Bush administration is taking its own pen to the No Child Left Behind law.
Education Secretary Margaret Spellings says she plans to make a host of changes to the education law through regulations being unveiled Tuesday.
Among the biggest changes will be a requirement that by the 2012-13 school year, all states must calculate their high school graduation rates in a uniform way.
States currently use all kinds of methods to determine their graduation rates, many of which are based on unreliable information about school dropouts, leading to overestimates.
States will be told to count graduates, in most cases, as students who leave on time and with a regular degree. Research indicates students who take extra time or get alternatives to diplomas, such as a GED, generally don't do as well in college or the work force.
While states will no longer be able to use their own methods for calculating grad rates, they will still be able set their own goals for getting more students to graduate. Critics say that allows states to set weak improvement goals.
The six-year-old education law is President Bush's signature domestic policy initiative. The law requires testing in reading and math in grades three through eight and once in high school. The stated goal is to get all kids working at grade level by 2013-14.
Lawmakers recently tried but were unable to pass an updated version of the law due to disagreements over how to judge schools and teachers, among other things. Without a renewal, the existing law stands.
Spellings has been taking steps in recent months to make changes from her perch. However, the proposed regulations amount to the most comprehensive set of administrative changes she has sought so far.
"The Congress, I guess because of the political and legislative climate, has not been able to get a reauthorization under way this year," Spellings said in an interview. "I know that schools and students need help now, and we are prepared to act administratively."
The regulations call for a federal review of every state policy regarding the exclusion of test scores of students in racial groups deemed too small to be statistically significant or so small that student privacy could be jeopardized. Critics say too many kids' scores are being left aside under these policies.
The regulations also call for school districts to demonstrate that they are doing all they can to notify parents of low-income students in struggling schools that free tutoring is available. If the districts fail to do that, their ability to spend federal funds could be limited under the proposal. The department estimates only 14 percent of eligible students receive tutoring available to them.
An even smaller percentage of kids who are allowed to transfer to higher-performing schools make that switch, in part because they aren't always informed of vacancies on time. The regulations require schools to publicize open spots at least 14 days before school starts.
The administration's proposal also would tighten the rules around the corrective steps schools must take once they've failed to hit progress goals for many consecutive years.
The administration is seeking public comments before finalizing the regulations in the fall.
Regulations can be overturned by a new administration. Spellings said that's unlikely in this case, because the rules she is proposing have widespread support. She said she hoped the ideas would help shape the legislative debate on Capitol Hill whenever the law is revisited there.
"I think these things will help the law work better in the field ... and I think they are ways for the Congress to have a good jumping-off place when they start on their work," she said.
Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., who chairs the Senate education committee, said the regulations "include important improvements for implementing No Child Left Behind."
說到這里,令人感到遺憾的是,我們有電影《一個(gè)都不能少》,但我們沒有《不讓一個(gè)孩子掉隊(duì)法》。電影《一個(gè)都不能少》是有感召力的,但是很遺憾,電影僅僅是電影。而且,具有諷刺意味的是,《一個(gè)都不能少》女主角魏敏芝的母校——河北省赤城縣鎮(zhèn)寧堡學(xué)校,以及電影拍攝地水泉小學(xué),目前處境非常尷尬:前者因教育資源外流陷入困境,“有一半的學(xué)生都流失了”;后者則只剩了1名教師和6名學(xué)生(2005年11月3日《新民晚報(bào)》)。上述新聞報(bào)道已過去幾年,不知道現(xiàn)在那里的情況是否好轉(zhuǎn)了。
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王銀泉,南京農(nóng)業(yè)大學(xué)外國語學(xué)院英語教授,碩士生導(dǎo)師,大學(xué)外語部主任。2007年4月由江蘇省省委常委集體討論入選為江蘇省"333高層次人才培養(yǎng)工程"首批中青年科學(xué)技術(shù)帶頭人。南京農(nóng)業(yè)大學(xué)133人才培養(yǎng)工程英語學(xué)科學(xué)術(shù)帶頭人。南京農(nóng)業(yè)大學(xué)大學(xué)英語教學(xué)改革總主持人。1996年獲國家留學(xué)基金首批資助。1997年10月至1998年10月留學(xué)加拿大渥太華大學(xué)并進(jìn)修研究生核心課程。曾訪問英美。迄今為止已在《外語教學(xué)與研究》和《中國翻譯》等核心刊物上發(fā)表論文40余篇,其中CSSCI來源期刊文章13篇(依據(jù)2006年度CSSCI來源期刊)。主編教材1部,教輔圖書1部,參編詞典1部,在編專著2部。
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