【對焦中英翻譯】play hard to get到底是甚麼意思?


英文成語play hard to get到底是甚麼意思?

這句話其實很簡單,但國內翻譯專家卻把它講得很複雜,解釋半天,終究也說不出其中文對應,只好想個說法隨便帶過,不知這句話就是台語的<diao-guan-gei>,用中文來說,一為抬身價,如:
Why won't you call him back? Are you playing hard to get?
 妳幹嘛不回他電話?妳在抬身價嗎?

一為吊胃口,如: My advice is, play hard to get for a while and they might offer you more money.
我的建議是,吊一下胃口,說不定他們會給你更好的價錢。

我之所以強調翻譯必須有精準的對應關係,主要是只有這樣,中譯英時,才能找出正確的英文對應,如:
妳幹嘛吊我胃口? Why do you play hard to get with me?
如果王小姐不想這份工作,我就給別人,抬身價沒用。
If Miss Wang doesn't want the job, I'll give it to someone else. It's useless to play hard to get.

沒有受過中譯英訓練的人, 自然不會有這樣的思考,這是國人英文寫作能力無法進步的原因。


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