The Japanese Extreme

∷林巍 文／译

原 文

[1] 日本人做事极其认真，对此我有着切身的体会。在澳大利亚，我为一个日本代表团做导游时，接到过两个“私人”电话，聊过一阵。之后，一个团员走到我跟前说，“仕事は仕事です！分かりますか”（工作就是工作！你懂吗？） 。对此我刻骨铭心。

[2] 无疑，日本人的这种工作态度是值得推崇的。他们不做则矣，做则要做到最好。当然，这种民族性格，若用对了地方是好事，若方向错了，也很危险。一位日本朋友对我说，对于日本人的这种极端性格，他们自己甚至也会怀疑自己，即需要某种外力加以约束。所以，二战后取消了日本的军队，无疑是一种保险的做法。

[3] 就历史渊源而言，日本人没有中国人的“自我中心主义”，即认识到自己没有深厚的文化底蕴，所以必须以他人之先进，补自己之不足，但却由此形成了“最新主义”。

[4] 日本人一般的对外借鉴原则是“守”、“破”、“离”。“守”是指基本功要扎实，“破”是要在此基础上打破原有模式，而“离”则是要脱离原本，以达到更高的境界。

[5] 日本人并不满足于一般的“拿来主义”，而是要在内容、至少在外观上加以改造，以制出有自己特色的made in Japan的产品，从而追求“最新”。

译 文

[1] From my experience, I know the Japanese are very serious about their work. In Australia, I was once a tour guide for a Japanese group. After receiving two private phone calls for a few minutes, one of the team members came to me and said:“Shi go to wa shi go to de su! Wa ka ri ma su ka?”(“Business is business, do you understand?”) which left me an indelible impression.

[2] Surely, the Japanese work ethics is highly desirable.Once they decide to do something, they want to be the best.National characteristics of this kind can be both good and bad depending on their orientation. A Japanese friend of mine told me that they can’t even trust themselves since it is so easy for them to go to extremes if not confined by external forces. Abolishing Japan’s military troops after World War II was undoubtedly one of the safest ways to ensure peace.

[3] Historically, given the fact that the Japanese culture didn’t encourage egocentrism in the way the Chinese had profoundly, they developed “novelism” to embrace advantages of other nations to complement this cultural difference.

[4] The guiding principles for the Japanese to capture foreign advantages are summarized in three words: preservation, innovation and culmination. Preservation, is to firmly lay a solid national foundation; innovation, to break through the original pattern and create something new; and culmination, to reach the top of all achievements.

[5] Japanese borrowing is not an ordinary practice; it always pursues the highest standard of Japanese products, retaining their best qualities but adding new features.

译 注

在[1]中，“日本人做事极其认真，对此我有着切身的体会”，似可译成 the Japanese way of doing things is extremely serious, for this I have personal experience. 但不如：From my experience, I know the Japanese are very serious about their work. “刻骨铭心”， 字面意思似可为be engraved on my bones and heart, 然而此处不妨变通为left me an indelible impression。 类似的如，“她确实给我留下了不可磨灭的第一印象”：She did leave me an indelible first impression；“那本书给我留下了不可磨灭的印象”：The book left an indelible impression on me；“香港的夜景繁华，令游客激动不已，久久难以忘怀”：The night scene in Hong Kong gives visitors an indelible impression of excitement，等。

在[2]中，“工作态度”，似可为working attitudes, 但这里主要是指一种品格，故work ethics 更宜。“推崇”，一般译成hold in esteem / praise highly / have the greatest esteem for等，但此处指“值得提倡”，故可变通为 highly desirable；“这种民族性格，若用对了地方是好事，若方向错了，也很危险”，可不必逐字对译，如：...if it is on a wrong direction, it may also be very dangerous, 而是抓中心意思：...can be both good and bad depending on its orientation；“对于日本人的这种极端性格，他们自己甚至也会怀疑自己，即需要某种外力加以约束”，其中的“极端性格”未必译成 the extreme character, 而可为 ...to go extremes; “怀疑自己”，也不必是 doubt about themselves, 而是更有分量的cannot trust themselves, 故整句可通融、整合为they can’t even trustthemselves since it is so easy for them to go extremes if not confined by external forces.同时，这里的“保险”也不是一般意义的，而是to ensure peace。

在[3]中，需将内容融汇整合，打乱次序，以突出重点，符合译语表达方式，特别是其中的“以他人之先进，补自己之不足……形成了‘最新主义’”，可将“novelism”（此词为根据语境所臆造）提前，以不定式作补语：to embrace advantages of other nations in complementing this cultural difference.

在[4]中，对于三个关键词“守”、“破”、“离”的翻译，不妨分别以三个分号表述。其中的“破”，未译成breaking,而其实质则是innovation;“离”也未译成leaving, 而是 culmination, 即从其达到的效果而言的。

在[5]中，对于“拿来主义”有许多译法，如“鉴于中、西方政治体制、经济体制、经济发展水平等多方面存在的差异，不可能实行‘拿来主义’”：As the differences between China and the West in political system, economic system, economic development level and the other respects,we couldn’t just copy them；“要采用它，更要奉行‘拿来主义’，结合一国自身的国情慎重使用，才能发挥制度的优越性，适应并促进社会的进步和发展”：We should carry out the “use doctrine” according to our national situation so as to bring the advantages into full play and promote social progress and development；“有一些人只是‘拿来主义’，使用软件，但不向其他人提供任何回报”：Some people just grab stuff,use it, and don’t make anything available to others等。此处，似可译成takingism（也是个臆造词），但为了平实，亦不妨译为the Japanese borrowing; 这里的“最新”可能是内在的，但至少是外在的，故此句不妨译为 it always pursues the highest standard of Japanese products, retaining their best qualities but adding new features. 至于“至少在……”已尽揉其中，可不必特意译出。