Many run for the presidency who shouldn’t, and many others don’t run who should. Scoop Jackson of Washington ran and failed, but

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问题     Many run for the presidency who shouldn’t, and many others don’t run who should. Scoop Jackson of Washington ran and failed, but was still hoping when he died the other day. Howard Baker of Tennessee, the majority leader of the Senate, probably had more respect in both parties and a better chance to hold things together than anybody else on the political scene today, but he resigned and says he will think about the White House later.
    What they do or don’t do usually depends on events beyond their control. After General Eisenhower was elected in 1952 he wrote to his brother. Milton, saying that if he ever suspected him of thinking about running for a second term, he should call the men in the white coats and have him taken away. But despite a heart attack and an ileitis operation, he stood for a second term in 1956. because he was persuaded that if he didn’t his party would split on his successor and open the White House door to the Democrats. Ronald Reagan is hearing the same argument today.
    More than 100 years ago Lord Bryce. then British ambassador in Washington, wondered, in a remarkable book. The American Commonwealth, why the best men didn’t run for the American presidency. He concluded they were more interested in other things, such as making money. This still may be true.

选项

答案 许多不应该来竞选总统的人偏偏来了,而那些应该来的却又不肯来。华盛顿州的参议员“斯古卜杰克逊”竞选败北,但一直到前几天他逝世时还未忘情此事。参议院多数党领袖、田纳西州的霍华德-贝克,可能更为两党所敬重,从而比其他人有更好的机会在当今政坛上联合两党办成一点事,但他却放弃了竞选,声称要到以后才考虑进入白宫的重儿。 这些做什么或不做什么,通常都取决于他们所无法控制的事态发展。1952年艾森豪威尔将军当选之后曾写信给他的弟弟米尔顿说:你要是怀疑我有任何竞选连任的念头,那么你就去精神病院把医生叫来,让他们把我抬走好了。话虽如此,可后来尽管他心脏病缠身,还作过回肠炎手术,结果仍然参加了1956年的连任竞选。因为有人曾对他说:你要是不参加竞选,党就会在你的继任人问题上陷于分裂,从而为民主党进入白宫打开大门;这就把他说服了。今天,罗纳德-里根也听到回样的论调。 100多年前,当时英国驻美大使布赖斯爵士曾写过一本绝妙的书,名曰《美利坚联邦》。他在书中问道:何以出类拔萃之辈都不来竞选美国总统呢?他的结论是:这人更乐于其他的事,诸如赚钱之类。时至今日,可能还是这个道理。

解析     这段文字节选自James Reston的《竞选瘾,总统梦》(Yearning for the Presidential Fix)。赖斯顿在文中评述美国总统选举和一些候选人的情况。他把有些追慕总统宝座者的心情比作强烈的吸毒瘾,说他们“本不该来,却偏要来”;而一些真正有能力的人又宁愿去干弄钱的事而“不愿来”。他们都受到党派政治的左右。文章列举了竞选者的种种丑态。遣词幽默,笔锋犀利,反映了作者的政治文章的特点。
1.  Scoop Jackson(1912~1983):原名Henry M.Jackson,Scoop是他的绰号,194l~1952年为众议员;1953年任华盛顿州民主党参议员;1960~1961年为民主党全国委员会主席。历任参议院能源与全国资源委员会、战略武器控制小组委员会、军事委员会主席等职。1976年竞选民主党候选人,败于卡特。1983年,因突发心脏病逝世。
2.  when he died the other day:可以将when理解为“当……时候”,但翻译时需要考虑中文的行文习惯,可译成“一直到几天前他逝世时……”。
3.the majority leader of the Senate:参议院多数党领袖。美国参、众两院各有多数党和少数党领袖。共和党议员在参议院居多数,Howard Baker为其领袖。
4.hold things together:things过于模糊,翻译时必须联系上下文予以明确,可译为“联合两党办成一点事”。
5.the political scene:政治舞台。
6.  he resigned:有人简单地译作“他放弃了”,细细推敲,意思似乎不够明确,如能增词译为“他放弃了竞选”更为恰当。
7.the White House:原文作者用the White House(白宫)借代“参加总统竞选,入住白宫”。
8.  General Eisenhower:艾森豪威尔将军。
9.  he…him:此处原文一概用第三人称代词,既指艾森豪威尔本人,又指他弟弟。为了清楚起见,译文用艾森豪威尔本人口吻直接陈述,用“我”指他本人,用“你”指其弟弟。翻译中这种改变代词人称以求译文清楚易懂的做法,有时是必要的。
10.running for a second term:为下一任总统宝座参加竞选,即“竞选连任”。
11.the men in the white coats:穿白大褂的人,一般指医护人员。这里鉴于上下文及后文“have him taken away(让人把他抬走)”,显然指对付神经不正常的患者,故译作“精神病院医生”。
12.ileitis:回肠炎。
13.split on his successor:指在继任人问题上陷于分裂或产生分歧。
14.Lord Bryce(1832~1922):生于苏格兰Glasgow市,世袭贵族子爵。1870年在牛津大学教授民事法学。1886年任英国外交副大臣;1907~1913年任驻美大使,后任英国派驻海牙国际法庭之法官。《美利坚联邦》一书于1888年出版。
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