離開
進入《中英對照讀新聞》Translation of ’Finnegans Wake’ sells in China 「芬尼根守靈夜」譯本在中國大賣
◎俞智敏
The Chinese version is no easier to read than the original, the loyal-minded translator assures, but James Joyce’s "Finnegans Wake" has still sold out its initial run in China _ with the help of some big urban billboards.
以忠於原文為優先考量的譯者保證，中文版不會比原文更容易讀，但拜市區的大型廣告看板所賜，喬伊斯的作品「芬尼根守靈夜」在中國的首刷依然銷售一空。
Wang Weisong, chief editor of the Shanghai company that published the first Chinese translation of the Joyce classic, coyly said at a recent forum in Shanghai that he wasn’t expecting any success for the book, but that the modest initial run of 8,000 copies has sold out since it went on sale Dec. 25. He said more copies are being printed to meet demand.
出版喬伊斯這本經典作品首部中文譯本的上海出版社總編輯王為松最近在上海一場論壇上謙虛地表示，他根本沒料到這本書會成功，不過自這本書於12月25日上市以來，首刷8000本已全數售罄。他還說會加印更多書來因應市場需求。
The book, widely considered Joyce’s most experimental and inscrutable work, was promoted by an unusual billboard campaign in major Chinese cities _ with 16 of them in Shanghai alone. The official Xinhua News agency said it was the first time a book had been promoted that way in China.
這部小說普遍被視為喬伊斯最具實驗性、也最難懂的作品，出版社透過在中國各大城市發動罕見的看板宣傳手法來促銷，光是在上海就有16個廣告看板。中國官方新華社表示，這還是中國首次有書籍透過這種方式來打廣告。
Some critics say the surprise hit has pandered to a superficial demand among some Chinese for high-brow imports.
有些批評者指稱，這本意外熱賣的書刻意迎合了部分中國讀者對高水準進口書籍的膚淺需求。
"It’s beyond my comprehension that a niche work should cause a sales tsunami," Li Weiqi, a bank employee and an avid reader from Shanghai, wrote on his microblog after he spotted a huge outdoor lightbox advertisement for the novel. "Might it be that it’s being hawked as a commodity to attract the pretentious?"（AP）
「一本小眾作品竟能引發銷售大海嘯，這實在超乎我的理解範圍，」一名在銀行工作的上海讀者李偉奇（譯音）在戶外看到這本小說的巨大宣傳燈箱後，在他的微網誌上寫道。「這會不會是因為這本書被當成了兜售的商品，專門吸引那些做作的人呢？」（美聯社）
新聞辭典
run：名詞，指（書籍或報紙等產品）（一次的）印量，如The book had a print run of 10,000 copies.（這本書當時的印量為一萬本。）
pander to：動詞片語，帶有負面意味，指刻意迎合、取悅某人，如The film panders to the popular taste for violence in entertainment.（這部片迎合了娛樂工業對暴力的普遍喜好。）
hawk：動詞，指叫賣、兜售，如Vendors were hawking soda and hot dogs.（小販們正在叫賣蘇打水和熱狗。）
