hello,大家好!今天看一篇经济学人的一篇评论,说的是泰勒·斯威夫特当前的创造力。经济学人总是语不惊人死不休,看看它对这位音乐天才做了怎样的评价。
事先声明哈,本文就是一种英语学习类讲述,没带任何个人色彩,都是文章散发出的气息。
Has Taylor Swift peaked?
泰勒·斯威夫特已经达到顶峰了么?
TAYLOR SWIFT has a strong claim to being the most popular entertainer of the 21st century---and perhaps of all time.
sb. has a strong claim的意思是"某人有一个强有力的主张"或"某人有充分的理由"
She has a strong claim to being the best actress in the industry.
她完全有资格被称为业界最好的女演员。
有充分的理由表明, 泰勒·斯威夫特是21世纪最受欢迎的艺人-也许是有史以来最受欢迎的艺人。
Five of the ten most popular albums in America in 2023 were hers,according to Luminate, an analytics firm.
根据分析机构Luminate的数据,2023年美国最畅销的十张专辑中有五张是泰勒·斯威夫特(Taylor Swift)的。
Ms Swift's albums have now cumulatively racked up 384 weeks in the top ten of the Billboard chart,beating a record previously held by the Beatles.
泰勒·斯威夫特(Taylor Swift)的专辑现在在《告示牌》(Billboard)排行榜前十名中累计达到了384周,打破了此前由披头士乐队(The Beatles)保持的纪录。
She is halfway through the most lucrative concert tour ever.A flm version of it grossed over $260m at the box office last year.
她正在进行史上最赚钱的巡回演唱会,目前已经进行到一半。去年,该巡回演唱会的电影版在全球票房收入超过2.6亿美元。
halfway through 表示...进行了一半;
I'm halfway through my novel, and I'm loving it!
我已经读完了这本小说的一半,我非常喜欢它!
放在本文当中如果直接翻译:【她的最赚钱的巡回演唱会正在进行到一半;】,这就有一种很"赶"的感觉,让人喘不过来气,主要是想在一个半句话当中表达两层含义导致的这种感觉。为了通顺,我们必须将英语当中内容丰富的句子,拆开表达,【赚钱】,【进行一半】,这是两件事儿,加一个逗号表达,不让人有一种"喘不过来气"的感觉。
On April 19th she released a double album entitled "The Tortured Poets
Department:The Anthology".
在4月19日,泰勒·斯威夫特(Taylor Swift)发行了一张双专辑,名为《苦难诗社》。
Anthology n.(诗、文、曲、画等的)选集
It's a longish poem, not in your anthology, but you can find it in The Complete Yeats.
这是一首很长的诗,你们的选集里没有,但在《叶芝诗选》里可以找到。
在本文没有把选集这个意思翻译出来,主流媒体都没有,我们也不必画蛇添足。
Over the course of 31 songs,Ms Swift wields her scalpel and dissects every inch of her recent relationships.
在这31首歌曲中,泰勒·斯威夫特运用她犀利的笔触(比喻为手术刀),剖析了她近期每一段关系的每一个细节。
wields v.挥舞,使用(武器、工具等)
scalpel n.解剖刀;外科手术刀
这里是一种比喻用法,泰勒手里的这把"手术刀"就是她的写作,她的表达;
In the span of his latest film, the director wields his scalpel, dissecting the intricacies of modern society.
在最新电影中,导演运用他犀利的笔触,剖析了现代社会的复杂之处。
dissects / dɪˈsekt /
v.解剖(人或动物的尸体);剖析,详细评论(某事物);把(田地)分成小块
Few songwriters have been better at transmutingheartbreakintohits.("The high",as she sang on"Blank Space",has surely always been"worth the pain".)
很少有词曲作家能像她一样,将心碎转变为热门歌曲。(正如她在《Blank Space》中所唱的那样,"高峰"总是"值得痛苦"的。)
transmuting...into...一个事物或状态通过某种方式或过程转变为另一个事物或状态
She has a unique ability to transmute her personal experiences into powerful works of art.
她有一种独特的能力,可以将个人经历转变为强有力的艺术作品。
Unfortunately, on this album, she has eschewed danceable pop for something as downcast as the title implies.
不幸的是,在这张专辑中,她摒弃了可跳舞的流行音乐,选择了与专辑标题所暗示的一样沮丧的音乐。
eschewed...for某人在两种或多种选项中选择了一种,并因此避免了另一种
She eschewed fast food for healthy meals.
她摒弃了快餐,选择了健康餐。
Gone are the irresistibly catchy choruses of "I Knew You Were Trouble"and"We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together",replaced with dreamy synths,muted drums and languorous vocals.
曾经那些让人难以抗拒、朗朗上口的《I Knew You Were Trouble》和《We Are Never Ever Getting Back Together》的副歌已经消失,取而代之的是梦幻般的合成器音色、柔和的鼓点和慵懒的嗓音。
全句都是倒装,翻译的时候一定正过来,找到核心主句【...消失了,取而代之的是...】
本句就是这几个形容词比较难处理:
dreamy 梦幻般的
synths n.合成器;综合者
muted dj.(声音)压低的,减弱的;温和的,委婉的;(颜色或光线)柔和的,不耀眼的;(乐器声音)柔和的,弱化的
drums n.鼓;鼓声(drum 的复数)
languorous / ˈlæŋɡərəs / adj.怠惰的;无力的
vocals 唱功
Ms Swift can do melancholy and wistfulness well.Yet "The Tortured Poets Department"is mournful without being memorable.
泰勒·斯威夫特能够很好地表达忧郁和怀旧之情。然而,《受折磨的诗人部门》这首歌虽然悲伤,但却并不令人难忘。
melancholy / ˈmelənkəli / n.抑郁,忧郁;精神病
wistfulness n.渴望;愿望;伤感
mournful / ˈmɔːnf(ə)l / adj.悲哀的;令人惋惜的
For a woman who launched her career as a precocious country-singing teen,her new lyrics sound jarringly immature,with unimaginative rhymes.
对于一个以早熟乡村歌手少女身份开启职业生涯的女性来说,她的新歌词听起来刺耳、不成熟,并且押韵也缺乏想象力。
precocious / prɪˈkəʊʃəs / adj.早熟的;过早发育的
From childhood, he was evidently at once rebellious and precocious.
他从小就明显地又叛逆又早熟。
lyrics / ˈlɪrɪks / n.歌词;抒情诗(lyric 的复数)
His face contorts as he screams out the lyrics.
当他大声朗读这些抒情诗时,脸都变形了。
jarringly **['dʒɑ:riŋli]**刺耳地,不和谐地
The music in the bar was jarringly loud, disturbing the peaceful atmosphere."
酒吧里的音乐声大得刺耳,破坏了宁静的氛围。
rhymes/ raɪmz / .(诗、歌曲)押韵;押韵小诗;押韵词;尾韵
June always rhymes with moon in old love songs.
(六月)在古老的情歌中总是和(月亮)押韵。
未完,下篇马上来~