陆建非
我会常务副会长、上海师大外国语学院教授中国跨文化交际学会上海分会会长
这一波疫情来得太突然、太迅猛,有点始料不及。上海没有慌张,更没有躺平,站稳脚跟,调整策略,实施的是网格化动态清零新策略,伤害较小,却很上海,把奥密克戎做特!当然,眼下疫情防控的形势依旧严峻。
诸多外媒纷纷报道,尤其对我国大陆坚持动态清零策略惊叹不已,比如,美国财经媒体CNBC发文说:Case numbers in China‘s latest infection surge are low compared with other countries and with Hong Kong. Mainland authorities are enforcing a “zero tolerance”strategy to find and isolate every infected person.(与其他国家和香港地区相比,中国最近一波疫情病例数很低。中国内地政府正在执行一项“清零”策略,旨在找到并隔离每一个被感染的人。)
可见,外国人把我们的清零政策译成“zero tolerance”strategy,即零容忍策略。这个政策的深层含义就是:Get one area back to zero new infections(使一个区域回归无感染病例状态),但如果这样翻译就比较冗长。
此外,我们还可译成zero-COVID 19 strategy(零新冠病例策略),倒过来说并省略“19”也可,即COVID-zero strategy。上述这些译法都符合英语的表达习惯。至于“实行、实施、贯彻”的译法,选项就很多了,例如,enforce, adopt, implement, carry out, bring sth. into effect/force等。更完整的表达是dynamic zero COVID-19 strategy(新冠病毒动态清零策略)。
与清零策略相对的,就是“与病毒共存”策略,一般译成the living with Covid-19 strategy或者coexisting with virus strategy。
一些西方国家沮丧泄气,彻底躺平,与病毒共生,甚至连口罩都不戴了,而我们目前还是严格执行清零策略。纽约时报有篇文章提到了上海的两位抗疫专家——张文宏和吴凡,其中说到:
Shanghai-based virologist Zhang Wenhong called the flare-up“the most difficult moment in the past two years”of China‘s efforts to stamp out the virus.(上海的病毒学家张文宏称,这次疫情爆发是中国过去两年战疫努力中,最艰难的一关。)
flare-up用于疫病的爆发或突然加剧、突然恶化时,非常到位,彰显其突发性和高烈度。
stamp out的意思是通过不懈努力来消除、根除某负面事物或负面影响。stamp作动词时有踩、跺脚的意思,所以stamp out表示“根除”是很形象的。
纽约时报甚至还摘录了张文宏3月14日凌晨微博发文中的重要观点,即现阶段清零策略的必要性:
“It is very important for our country to continue to adopt the strategy of Covid-zero in the society in the near future to suppress the fifth wave of the extremely fast-spreading Omicron epidemic to a completely controllable level,”he wrote.“But this does not mean that we will permanently adopt the strategy of citywide lockdown and full testing.”(近期我国继续采取社会面清零策略,这对将传播极快的奥密克戎第五波疫情压制在完全可控的水平是非常重要的。但这并不意味着我们会持久性地采取封城和全员检测的策略。”)
adopt the strategy of Covid-zero in the society就是我们现在的做法,即“社会面清零”。还有两个热词同样耳熟能详,citywide lockdown(封城)和full testing(全员检测)。
suppress是压制、控制的意思,有不少近义词,譬如control, contain, curb, halt, strife, subdue, quell, hold down, have a check or restraint on something等。
张医生还告诉我们,在死守“清零”的过程中,我国也在加紧构筑安全屏障,推进更可持续的政策——疫苗第三针、特效药、居家检测试剂、提升医院应对能力等。
张医生提到了不少疫情防控的新手段,这些词语怎么用英语来表述呢?笔者试译如下:
疫苗第三针:a booster shot for COVID-19 vaccine/a COVID-19 booster shot或者a third dose of COVID-19 vaccine/a third COVID-19 vaccine shot
特效药:specific medicines/drugs
居家检测试剂:home testing reagent
提升医院应对能力:improve hospital response capacity
“疾控女侠”(CDC Heroine)吴凡在疫情防控新闻发布会上有一句实实在在的大白话“必须要让人员流动降下来或慢下来”。见下:
The proportion of asymptomatic infections is high, the spread is hidden, and early detection is difficult. It is not enough to simply screen in key areas or populations-it is necessary to reduce or slow down the mobility of people.(本次疫情无症状感染者比例高,传播隐匿,早发现难度大。单纯在重点区域或人群中筛查还不够,必须要让人员流动降下来或慢下来。)
她的话语中也涉及许多疫情防控专门词语,如传播(spread)、筛查(screen)、发现(detection)、人员流动(mobility of people)等。
特别是“无症状感染”一词,是本轮疫情的重要特征,频频出现在媒体和人们口中,英语有几种译法,如asymptomatic infections或asymptomatic COVID cases。
下面是路透社较早推文中的一段话:
The Chinese financial hub of Shanghai is moving quickly to halt the spread of COVID-19 amid a rising wave of local symptomless cases, testing tens of thousands of people, delaying dozens of concerts and exhibitions and shutting some public venues.(中国的金融中心上海正在迅速采取行动,在当地无症状病例增加的情况下,阻止疫情的传播。上海对数万人进行了检测,推迟了数十场音乐会和展览,并关闭了一些公共场所。)
此文用symptomless表达“无症状感染”,而非asymptomatic,可见这两个词都可以用。
该报道接着提到了最近在上海经常看到的现象:
Dozens of housing and office compounds in the city where confirmed cases and their close contacts had visited have been cordoned off and their occupants told to undergo up to 14-day quarantines.(该市数十处确诊病例及其密切接触者曾到访的住宅和办公区已被封起来,居住者被告知要接受长达14天的隔离。)
compound这个词的英文定义是an enclosed area of land that is used for a particular purpose,即有围墙的一块地方,可以指小区或者办公区。
quarantine特指居家自行隔离,而非确诊病例的住院强制隔离(isolation)。
confirmed case表示确诊病例,close contact表示密接,contact person义为密接者,这些词语大家再熟悉不过了。
上海这番抗疫神操作的关键手段是网格化核酸筛查,据称还是首次。英语可译成Grid nucleic acid detection或者简称Grid screening。分解一下:grid(网格化);nucleus(核子、核心);acid(酸)。例如:Nucleic acid tests are required for all overseas arrivals in China.(所有境外人员落地中国都要进行核酸检测。)
疫情防控阻击战(the battle of epidemic prevention and control)除了采取一些特殊策略和手段之外,去年上海推出的个人疫情防护“三件套”和“五还要”措施很有针对性,为国内多地所借鉴。英语怎么翻译呢?试译如下:
“三件套”是戴口罩、保持社交距离、做好个人卫生。英语可译成“Wear masks, keep social distancing and organize personal sanitation well.”
“五还要”是口罩还要继续戴、社交距离还要留、咳嗽喷嚏还要遮、双手还要经常洗、窗户还要尽量开。英语可译成“Still wear masks, enforce social distancing, cover your coughs and sneezes, wash your hands often and keep indoor ventilation.”
生命和亲情至高无上,我们正在与病毒赛跑,探索一条符合中国国情的抗疫之路。市民们确实感受到了较大面积的管控让原本忙碌的生活节奏变慢了,但是“只要我们慢下来,病毒就快不了。”(As long as we slow down, the virus won‘t go fast.)
城市运行并未停摆,人间烟火依然可见,上海的防控精细入微、亲和舒坦、令人安心。只要我们有决心、耐心和信心,明天一定更美好!