老了還活潑的幹，不必退休去等死，這人生才有意味，才沒枉過“吾生也有涯”的歲月。下面是小編分享的張培基英譯散文賞析之《八十一歲結婚》，歡迎大家閱讀!
Getting Married at 81
張恨水
Zhang Henshui
| 譯文摘自張培基《英譯中國散文選二》
金聖嘆說過：“人生三十不仕，不當再仕，五十不娶，不當再娶。何則?用非其時也。”這一種說法，可代表中國人一般的普通思想。中國人的事業觀，最羨慕“少年得志”，最傷感“大器晚成”。為了這個原因，便是有所成就的人，到了五十以上，便有退休的意思。
Jin Shengtan says, “People over 30 should not become an official, and people over 50 should not get married. Why? Because otherwise they would be doing the wrong thing at the wrong time.” That is representative of the mentality of people at large in China. According to the Chinese outlook on life, it is most enviable “to achieve success in one’s early years” but most sorrowful “to fail to achieve it until one’s old age”. Hence, even a successful man will feel like going to retirement when he is on the wrong side of 50.
要點：
1，“金聖嘆說過…”中的“說過”可譯為says或said,前者通常指有書面記載的言論
2，“用非其時也”意即“因為時間不對”或“因為那是在錯誤的時間做錯誤的事情”譯為Because otherwise they would be doing the wrong thing at the wrong time.
3，“少年得志”= to achieve success in one’s early years
“大器晚成”= to fail to achieve it until one’s old age
4，on the wrong side of=…歲以上，過了…歲;之前見過on the right side of 意為“在…歲以下”
綜述：本段有文言文成分，理解原文有一定難度。
六十七十的人若還在事業上努力，就有抽身不得的慨嘆了。照人生上壽不過八十而言，為私人作一番打算，這種作風好像也有點道理。只是就事業的觀點上說，就不對。因為越是有年紀的人，他的學識經驗也就越豐富，大事業正需要這種人撐持。而且為人作事，也必須有個自信心。一老就覺得自己不行，那也透著我們生命力不強。
And those who continue to work out of necessity in their sixties or seventies must bemoan their plight. However, considering that men seldom live up to the age of 80, their personal concerns may seem to be impeccable. But, from the standpoint of a worthy cause, they are wrong. Because the older one is, the more knowledgeable and experienced he is and therefore the more indispensable he is to a great cause. Moreover, one should conduct oneself with self-confidence. Calling yourself a good-for-nothing on account of age manifests your lack of vitality.
要點：
1，“就有抽身不得的慨嘆了”即“想必會為自己的處境叫苦”或“就會感嘆自己的苦境了”譯為bemoan their plight
2，“人生上壽不過八十”即“人很少有活過八十歲的” men seldom live up to the age of 80
3，“就事業的觀點上說”譯為from the standpoint of a worthy cause，其中worthy意為“有意義的，有價值的”
