譯書生涯*
梁祥美
自己會成為「2016譯藝獎」受獎者之一，是意想不到的事。
但很高興透過這樣一個因緣，才更進一步認識了鍾漢清先生。
原來他一直都在默默地付出。
長久以來，他都以實際行動關懷著文化的發展，還設立「譯藝獎」以獎勵翻譯工作者，今年並增設「人文促進獎」。
他無私的奉獻令人讚嘆！
告知獲獎訊息之後，鍾先生建議我整理一下自己的「譯業」。現在便藉此機會做個簡單的回顧。
我的譯書生涯最早應追溯到大學畢業後不久所參與的中學家事課本編譯，但時間是短暫的。
接著，轉往學校任教。兩個孩子出生後，持續奔波於學校和家庭之間，久而久之，因工作量不勝負荷，以致心力交瘁。
當時心想，若有一份能在家中進行的工作，同時能兼顧幼小的孩子多好…翻譯工作應是可嘗試的吧……考慮再三，終於決定辭去教職。於是開始第一本書的翻譯，那就是晨鐘出版社出版的《愛的哲學》*。
在孩子們的小學階段，舉家遷居花蓮，我再度教書，翻譯工作暫停。
五、六年之後，我們重返台北。我從此走上漫長的譯書之路。
從《人生論 》(武者小路實篤)開始，便陸續為志文出版社翻譯為數不少的書（皆編入新潮文庫及新潮兒童文庫）。
而孩子們上大學期間，我則一度邊為志文出版社譯書，邊在其他出版社擔任編譯，但工作越來越繁重，壓力亦越來越大，暈眩的毛病時時發作。兩年後遂辭去編譯工作，一心為志文譯書。
在譯書生涯，我要特別感謝志文出版社老板張清吉先生，以及新潮文庫總編輯曹永洋先生對我長期的支持和鼓勵。
另外，必須一提的是，他們從未向我催稿。最後若有趕工現象，皆是由於自己在翻譯過程未能按計劃進行所致。
翻譯工作受到尊重與肯定是值得安慰的。
我總覺得翻譯無異再創作，它不僅為技術性的，而是屬於藝術性的工作（「譯藝獎」的「譯藝」兩個字即用得非常好）。當然既是翻譯，基本上意思絶不能譯錯，但整體上每人的譯筆或遣詞用字必然呈現不同風貎。
但在現實環境裏，翻譯工作卻往往受到輕忽，連譯者本身都可能妄自菲薄，認為當譯者不如當作者。
事實上，翻譯在人類社會卻扮演著重要角色。
透過翻譯，能為不同種族、語文、文化、宗教信仰等等突破障礙、解除誤會、消弭隔閡，逐步達成世界各地人們的互相了解、互相信任、互相尊重，甚至互助合作，而促進人類文化的發展，為世界和平帶來希望。
我個人由於對種種語文以及文字工作始終帶著興致與熱誠，在譯書過程，縱使需要邊譯邊學，有時還可能遭遇難題，陷入困境，依舊願意接受挑戰，堅持到底。
自己的每一本譯作或許只算是習作，但在工作中畢竟投注過心力，我本身並往往隨之拓展視野，獲得啟發，因此也很樂意將成果與讀者分享。
最後願與在翻譯領域默默耕耘的朋友們共勉。
並非常感謝鍾先生對翻譯工作者的肯定與支持！
hc補充
*得獎者：梁祥美 名譯家: 梁祥美 (部分)
《愛的哲學》(1971) ，我有梁祥美女士的補簽名：2011年11月6日
A cycle of Readings
Path of life to read in Google books
托爾斯泰：一日一善 梁祥美譯 A Calendar of Wisdom By Leo Tolstoy；譯藝人生 梁祥美
Count Lev Nikolayevich Tolstoy, usually referred to in English as Leo Tolstoy, was a Russian writer who is regarded as one of the greatest authors of all time. Wikipedia
Born: September 9, 1828, Yasnaya Polyana, Russia
Died: November 20, 1910, Lev Tolstoy,
- 文読む月日 Круг чтения (1903-1910年)
Tolstoy, Leo. A Calendar of Wisdom: Daily Thoughts to Nourish the Soul translated by Peter Sekirin. Prentice Hall &
IBD. Oct 1997A cycle of Readings
Path of life to read in Google books
Wikipedia
A Calendar of Wisdom (Russian: Круг чтения, Krug chtenia), or Path of life or A Cycle of Readings or Wise Thoughts for Every Day is a collection of insights and wisdom compiled by Leo Tolstoy between 1903 and 1910 that was published in three different editions. An English translation by Archibald J. Wolfe of the first Russian edition, which was organized by subject, was published in 1919. An English translation of the second Russian edition, which was organized by calendar date, was begun in 1911 as a monthly serial but abandoned after the first volume. The first translation of the entire yearly cycle, but which omitted some of the individual readings, was made by Peter Sekirin and published in 1997. The book, which title is literally translated as "Life's Way", was described by Tolstoy as "a wise thought for every day of the year, from the great philosophers of all times and all people" which he himself would consult daily for the rest of his life. Wisdom from such luminaries as Epictetus, Marcus Aurelius, Lao-Tzu, Buddha, Pascal, Jesus, Muhammad, Confucius, Emerson, Kant, Ruskin, Seneca, Socrates, Thoreau and many more prompted Tolstoy to write in the introduction, "I hope that the readers of this book may experience the same benevolent and elevating feeling which I have experienced when I was working on its creation, and which I experience again and again when I reread it every day, working on the enlargement and improvement of the previous edition."
The translator, Peter Sekirin, explains that this was Tolstoy's last major work. He put an enormous amount of effort into this collection over a period of 15 years. He carefully selected the contributors and they cover a wide range of philosophical views. Tolstoy grouped the thoughts according to a topic for each day of the year, and he added his own thoughts to each daily entry. An edition of A Calendar of Wisdom was published in Russia in 1912 but was forbidden by the Soviet regime. It was republished in Russia in 1995 and was a great success, selling over 300,000 copies.
譯藝人生 梁祥美
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m7fmC1Z5LGk
為梁祥美喝采！
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