【翻译】In The American Society _by Gish Jen （1）

最近英文短篇小说在看这一篇Gish Jen 的《In The American Society》，但是网上无论如何找不着译文呀，然后自己的英文大约不算太烂，就试着自己翻翻看咯~

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In The American Society _by Gish Jen

在美国社会 - 由碧莲

 

When my father took over the pancake house, it was to send my little sister Mona and me to college. We were only injunior high at the time, but my father believed in getting a jump on things.“Those Americans always saying it, “he told us. “Smart guys thinking inadvance.” My mother elaborated, explaining that businesses took bringing up,like children. They could take years to get going, she said, years. 

我父亲接管了煎饼屋的时候，那是为了送我的小妹妹莫娜和我上大学。我们那时候只是在初中，但我父亲相信可以通过某种东西达到飞跃。“美国人总是这么说”，他告诉我们，“聪明的家伙往往会超前思考”。我的母亲阐述着、解释说事业会成长，像孩子一样。“他们可能需要很长时间要走”，她说，“好多年”。

 

In this case, though, we got rich rightaway. At two months we were breaking even, and at four, those same hotcakes that could barely withstand the weight of butter and syrup were supporting ourfamily with ease. My mother bought a station wagon with air conditioning, myfather an oversized, red vinyl recliner for the back room; and as time went onand the business continued to thrive, my father started to talk about hisgrandfather and the village he had reigned over in China—things my father hadnever talked about when he worked for other people. He told us about the bagsof rice his family would give out the poor at New Year’s, and about the people who came to beg, on their hands and knees, for his grandfather to intercede formore wayward of their relatives. “Like that Godfather in the movie,” he wouldtell us as, his feet up, he distributed paychecks. Sometimes an employee would get two green envelopes instead of one, which meant that Jimmy needed a toothpulled, say, or that Tiffany’s husband was in the clinker again. 

虽说是在这种情况下，但我们不久就有钱了。两个月后我们甚至都收支相抵，四个月后，我们家里就能轻松地提供那些一样的黄油和糖浆多得几乎不能承受的煎饼。我的母亲买了一辆带空调的旅行车，我的父亲为后面的房间里放了一个超大的红色塑料躺椅。随着时间的推移和业务的不断茁壮成长，我的父亲开始谈论他的祖父和他在中国支配的村庄——那些事情我父亲在为别人工作时从未提起过。他给我们讲他的家人会在新年时为前来跪着乞讨的穷人们提供大米，为他的祖父出面解决更多的穷人和他们亲属的需求。“就像在电影中的那个教父”，他会告诉我们，他所到之处，他就会散发给予。有时一个员工会得到两个绿色的信封，而不是一个，这意味着吉米需要拔牙，或者是蒂凡尼的丈夫又掉进水泥里了。

 

“It’s nothing, nothing,” he would insist, sinking back into his chair.“Who else is going to take care of you people?”

"这没什么，没什么，" 他坚持着，倒在他的椅子上。 "哪还有其他会照顾你的人?"

 

My mother would mostly just sigh about it. “Your father thinks this is China,” she would say, and then she would go back to her mending. Once in a while, though,when my father had given away a particularly large sum, she would exclaim,outraged, “But this here is the U—S---of—A”— this apparently having been what she used to tell immigrant stock boys when they came in late. 

我的母亲最多只会为这事叹息一下。她会说 "你的父亲以为这是在中国"，然后她会继续她的修修补补。不过，在某次当我父亲要给出一个特别大的数目时，她会激怒地惊呼，“但这里是 U— S— A” —— 这显然也被她用来告知在这之后到来的移民股票的男孩。

 

后记：啊……没错我也是虫大的，跟各位可能上的是同一门课23333（不过是14年的时候）