中华文化英文讲系列：吃吃喝喝的那些事儿——风吹麦浪
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◎ 文 / 李晶



南方温暖、湿润、多雨的气候适宜水稻、糯稻种植，因此南方人喜食大米、糯米，并且用大米、糯米制作出了很多主食种类。相较于南方，北方相对干旱、寒冷，雨水较少，这样的气候适合小麦种植。用小麦碾出的面粉在勤劳的中国人手中被制成了丰富多样的主食。

以上概述可以用英文表达如下。

As the mild, moist and wet climate in Southern China is suitable for growing rice and glutinous rice, people there like to eat these two types of grain, making a variety of staple foods from them. Compared to Southern China, Northern China is relatively dry and cold with less rain, hence it grows wheat well. Wheat is ground into flour to make a wide range of staple foods, such as pancakes, noodles, dumplings and wontons.

从“馒头”“饺子”的英译看中华文化外译的“两难”

“馒头”的一种英文翻译是steamed bread，直译过来就是“蒸面包”。这个翻译很有意思：bread其实是“烤”(bake)出来的，而这里却说“蒸面包”，有时候会让英美人士摸不着头脑，不知道到底是什么意思。还有一种翻译是steamed bun，bun这个词也是“面包”的意思，《柯林斯高阶英汉双解学习词典》(以下简称《柯林斯》)的解释是：“Buns are small bread rolls. They are sometimes sweet and may contain dried fruit or spices.”

通过对这些英文单词的探究，我们感觉这两种翻译都不能准确完整地表达“馒头”的含义。在中华文化外译过程中，这个问题非常普遍。再比如，我们一般认为“饺子”译成dumpling，可是仔细看一下《柯林斯》对这个词的解释：“Dumplings are small lumps of dough that are cooked and eaten, either with meat and vegetables or as a fruit-filled dessert.”从这个解释中可以看到，这跟中国的饺子不同，是一种团子或水果布丁。在这种情况下，近年来很多人倾向于将中国特有的文化名词(亦称“国俗词语”，即别的语言中很难找到与之完全对应的非等值词语)直接音译，比如译成mantou、jiaozi，以避免上述“不对等”现象。但这样又会产生另外一个问题。如果跟一个对中国文化没有任何了解的英美人士说起音译名词，几乎等于“无效输入”，除非在现场演示这些东西，否则他们对于这些词没有任何概念。这就是中华文化外译中的“两难”境地。

对于这样的“两难”，我们应当有辩证的认识，并采取相应的解决办法。一方面，从文化自尊、自信的角度来说，我们应当大力推行国俗词语的音译，让它们进入英语词汇体系。在这方面，有成功的例子，比如toufu (汉语“豆腐”进入日语，英语采用日语发音)、chow mein (“炒面”的粤语发音)都已经为英语人士广泛接受，这些国俗词语和其所承载的文化内涵也就在西方社会获得了更好、更快、更广泛的传播。另一方面，我们也应该看到，在目前中国文化尚未在西方社会普及传播的背景下，大部分国俗词语如果只是一味采取音译，并不能为普通英美民众接受。所以，在音译的同时，要注重“有效输入”，通过细致的释译和实物演示，逐步让中华文化中这些特殊的词汇为人接受。



常见的面食

如果说南方人的主食是米饭，那么北方人的主食就是馒头、饼和面条。馒头、饼、面条与包子、饺子不同之处在于它们没有馅儿，因此在食用时，馒头和饼要配着菜一起吃，面条要浇卤，北方人吃面时，有时会单独再配一些蔬菜和肉丁，这些俗称“菜码儿”。我们今天就主要来介绍一下馒头和饼。

在给外国朋友介绍北方人的主食时，可以参考下面这段表达。

Steamed bread (mantou), pancakes and noodles are typical kinds of staple food for northern people just as steamed rice is for southern people. Different from steamed stuffed buns (baozi) and dumplings (jiaozi), steamed bread, pancakes and noodles don’t have any meat or vegetable stuffing. People eat steamed bread and pancakes, as accompaniments to other dishes. For noodles, people usually coat them with certain types of sauce or stew (炖汤) like westerners do when eating spaghetti (意大利式细面条). There is also meat and vegetables in the sauce or stew, making the diet nutritious and delicious.

馒头来源于古代祭祀，因为形状跟人的头颅类似，所以代替人头来祭祀。馒头的制作方法相对简

单，将面粉发酵后做成面团，上锅直接蒸制就可以了。逢年过节，有的家庭在制作馒头时也会在面团上放一些枣或其他坚果等，做出一些花样。蒸出来的馒头还可以切片后油炸，又是一种风味。近来烧烤之风盛行，馒头切片后还可以烧烤，也很受青年人喜爱。

在给外国朋友介绍馒头时，可以参考下面这段表达。

Steamed bread is derived from the ancient sacrifices (祭品), as the shape of it is similar to a human being’s head. The making of steamed bread is relatively simple and easy. The wheat flour is fermented and made into dough, which is then steamed. At festivals, in some families, the steamed bread is decorated with preserved jujube or nuts. The steamed bread being cut into slices, can be either fried or toasted over an open fire.

饼是中国北方另一种历史悠久的主食，在北方地区也有广泛的市场。中国人将面团经过多种方法的制作，如烤制、烘焙、油炸等，制成了中华饮食中各式各样的饼。华夏大地各地制作的饼种类繁多、大小各异、厚薄不一。饼里有馅儿的称为馅饼。没有馅料的饼种类居多，有多层也有单层，有的会用椒盐、葱花等调味品提香。馅饼中的馅料也是种类繁多：有肉馅儿的，有蔬菜馅儿的，还有蔬菜和肉混合的，更有甜口 儿 的 馅饼，饼里装着如糖芝麻、红豆 沙 等 。最为京津地区人们喜爱的煎饼更是一绝。先把以面粉为主的多种谷物磨成的粉与水和成浆，接下来把浆在平平的铁板上刷上一层。铁板下有火加热，铁板的热量使浆液固化成薄饼。然后在饼上打一个鸡蛋，慢慢将其拍碎使其形成蛋液，再均匀涂抹在薄饼上。等蛋液遇热凝固后，再均匀刷酱，放入葱、香菜等调料，放上薄脆或油条，最后卷起来，就成了美味的煎饼。

中国饮食中“饼”如何用英文介绍？英语里的pancake、pie都有“饼”的意思，但是有何区别呢？《柯林斯》对pancake的解释是“A pancake is a thin, flat, circular piece of cooked batter made from milk, flour, and eggs. Pancakes are usually eaten for breakfast, with butter and syrup.”意思是一种薄饼。对pie的解释是：“A pie consists of fruit, meat, or vegetables baked in pastry.”大意是一种馅饼。在解释pie时，释义里出现了pastry这个词，咱们看看它是什么意思：“Pastry is a food made from flour, fat, and water that is mixed together, rolled flat, and baked in the oven. It is used, for example, for making pies.”如此看来，我们统称的“饼”用pastry表达可能最合适。而pie和pancake基本对应了中文里的“馅饼”和“煎饼”。还有一种我们经常吃的烙饼，基本对应了墨西哥人的tortilla。Tortilla的解释是：“A tortilla is a piece of thin flat bread that first came from Mexico, and is made from corn or wheat.”Tortilla多是用玉米粉制成，而我们的烙饼多用小麦粉，这是一点不同之处。

上述有关饼的介绍可以用英文表达如下。

Pastry is another type of popular staple food which can be processed from dough in various ways by grilling, baking, and frying. Pastry can be made into pies, pancakes and tortillas. The diversity of pastry in size and thickness is also another remarkable feature. Tortilla is extremely common in Northern China and it is mainly made of wheat flour. Although flour made from corn or other grains may also be added, wheat flour is the major ingredient. Tortilla is usually seasoned with slices of spring onion and other condiments (调味品). The non-stuffed tortilla can be single- or multi-layered. Pie fillings can be either sweet or salty. Salty fillings include meat or vegetables, or a mixture of both. Sweet sesame (芝麻) and red bean paste are typical sweet pie fillings. People in and around Beijing and Tianjin also like to eat pancakes which are usually served as breakfast as they are both easy to make and to transport. The process of making a pancake is quite miraculous. Various types of flour, but mainly wheat flour, are mixed with water to make a thick liquid. The liquid is then poured into a hot pan and the heat causes the pancake to form. An egg is then broken onto it and slowly smoothed across the pancake. After the egg solidifies, you can add some sauce and sprinkle some slices of spring onion and coriander onto the pancake. After the addition of a fried bread stick or crispy pastry inside the pancake, it is rolled and is then ready to eat.
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