翻譯練習（9）：一周只上四天班

來自專欄丁丁學英翻

***總是糾結於要不要把每個字都譯出來，生怕考試時漏了哪個字會被扣分。可是catti說只要意思對都能得分，我就搞不懂了，意譯跟意思對差不多，這樣的話就會漏譯一些東西，那到底扣還是不扣呢？

總結下來我的毛病有兩個：一是看不懂，二是粗心。

翻譯方法在我看來只要你看懂了英文，並且只要你中文文筆不差，就能把翻譯做好。那些個翻譯方法我覺得歸根到底都不是方法，其根本都是中文的文筆功底，這些是中文文筆差的人一時半會兒學不來的。***

As govenment agencies and corporations scramble to cut expenses, one idea gaining widespread attention involves cutting something most emplyees wouldnt mind losing: work on Fridays. Regular three-day weekends, without a decrease in the actual hours worked per week, could not only save money, but also ease pressures on the environment and public health, advocates say.

就在政府機構和各家公司爭相縮減開支之時，有一個觀點引起了人們的廣泛關註：砍掉大多數員工不在乎失去的某樣東西，也就是取消周五上班。該觀點的倡導者認為，一周放三天假，但每周實際工作時數不減，這樣做不僅可以節省開支，還能減少給環境及公眾健康帶來的壓力。

The economic downturn started the trend, as companies looked to avoid laying off employees, notes John Langmaid, organizer of an upcoming symposium on the issue for the Connecticut Law Review. Firms soon realized that when they closed on Fridays they could save money without having to reduce weekly hours. Indeed, Langmaid remarks, the idea of a four-day, 40-hour workweek has been out there for quite some time as a response to environmental issues, commuting pressures, as well as work-family balance.

即將舉辦的Connecticut Law Review研討會的組織者John Langmaid提到(參考譯文比我好：John Langmaid是即將召開的關於康涅狄格州法律評論研討會的組織者。他指出，)，此舉是受經濟走下坡路所致，公司希望找到一個不用解僱員工的方法(參考譯文：在經濟衰退的背景下，許多公司為了避免裁員開始採用這一方法)。公司不久便意識到（參：許多公司沒多久就意識到）周五不上班而每周工作時數不變的做法能夠節省開支。而事實上，這種每周4天每周工作40小時的想法「已經存在了一段時間，這是一種對環境、通勤壓力和平衡工作家庭關係的應對措施。」（這最後一句參考譯文非常贊：出於對環境問題、通勤壓力問題、工作與家庭平衡問題的考慮）Langmaid表示。

Local governments in particular have had their eyes on Utah over the last year; the state redefined the workday for more than 17,000 of its employees last August. For those workplaces, theres no longer a need to turn on the lights, elevators or computers on Fridays - nor do janitors need to clean vacant buildings. Electric bills have dropped even further during the summer, thanks to less air-conditioning: Fridays midday hours have been replaced by cooler mornings and evenings on Monday through Thursday. As of May, the state had saved $1.8million.

當地政府（唉！應該是「許多地方政府」，所以我翻的時候還納悶呢，當地政府~）在去年對猶他州尤為關注，該州在去年8月為其17000多名僱員更改了每周工作天數（重新制定了工作制）。到周五的時候這些工作場所不再需要開燈，電梯不再運行，電腦也無需開啟，（用不著開燈、開電梯、開電腦）清潔工也不用打掃空蕩蕩的辦公大樓，甚至夏天的電費急速下降，這都多虧了人們減少使用空調。原先星期五中午的幾個小時被周一到周四涼爽的早晚所取代。（這一段我看了參考譯文後才發現自己的稀里糊塗，我沒看到air-conditioning後面是冒號，怪不得我翻的時候又在納悶，怎麼感覺莫名其妙的：由於周五中午的幾個工作時被分配到周一到周四的早晚時間段，天氣涼爽，所以人們較少使用空調，夏季的電費因此進一步下降。）到5月為止(as of是到...為止的意思啊，怎麼參考譯文變成了「光5月份」？專四齣題組都這樣，catti的批卷老師們又會是什麼樣子的呢？)，猶他州共節省開支180萬美元。

Perhaps as important, workers seem all too ready to replace TGIF (Thank God its Friday) with TGIT. People just love it, says Lori Wadsworth, a professor of public management at Brigham Young University in Provo. She helped survey those on the new Working 4 Utah schedule this May and found 82 percent would prefer to stick with it.

也許還有一個重要的一點就是：人們似乎已經準備好迎接「TGIT」（意為「感謝老天，終於熬到周四啦」）取代「TGIF」（感謝老天，終於熬到周五啦）的那一刻了。「人們十分歡迎這一改變，」位於Provo的Brigham Young University的公共管理學教授Lori Wadsworth這樣說道。今年5月份她協助研究猶他州新執行的4天工作制，並且發現有82%的企業更願意繼續執行該制度。(我這最後一句是錯譯，應該是：她協助對猶他州執行4天工作制的員工進行調查研究，發現有82%的人員願意繼續這種工作制。)

The environment seems to like it, too. If employees are on the road 20 percent less, and office buildings are only powered four days a week, Langmaid says, the energy savings and congestion saving would be enormous. Plus, the hour shift for the Monday through Thursday workers means fewer commuters during the traditional rush hours, speeding travel for all. It also means less-time spent idling in traffic and therefore less spewing of greenhouse gases and other pollutants.

我們周遭的環境似乎也樂於看到這種改變。「假如路上的上班族減少20%，辦公大樓每周也只供電4天，那麼能源的使用將會大大節省，交通堵塞情況也會大為改觀。」Langmaid表示。另外，對周一到周四輪班的員工來說，這還意味著在以往上下班高峰期內的通勤人數將會減少，從而加速人們的行程。同時這也意味著車輛將會減少停車等候的時間，從而降低溫室氣體和其他污染物的排放量。

An interim report released by the Utah state govenment in February projected a drop of at least 6,000 metric tions of carbon dioxide emissions annually from Friday building shutdowns. If reductions in greenhouse gases from commuting are included, the state would check the generation of at least 12,000 metric tions of CO? - the equivalent of taking about 2,300 cars off the road for one year.

2月份猶他州政府發表了一份臨時報告，該報告預計取消周五上班後（周五辦公樓關閉），每年能夠減少6000噸二氧化碳排放量。如果算上由交通所引起的溫室氣體排放量(如果把交通方面減少的溫室氣體也包含在內的話)，該州能夠將二氧化碳總排放量控制在至少12000噸，相當於（路面上）每年減少2300台車輛。

As we move further into the 21st century, government need to look for ways to become more efficient. Moving to a four-day workweek should be at the top of the list, Gianaris says. It helps the environment. People like it. Its a no-brainer.

「在進入21世紀之際，政府需要尋求更為高效的方法。變更為4天工作制應該成為政府工作的首要任務。」Gianaris表示，「既對環境有好處，又受人們的歡迎，這真是件再也簡單不過的事了。」

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