錢鐘書先生的這篇散文說的是窗子，但是其用意絕不僅僅是說說窗子而已，而是要以窗子來比喻生活、比喻人生。從語言上看，《窗》延續了一貫的錢派手法，用詞平實、普通，沒有長句，沒有什么復雜結構，非常從容地敘述、說理，卻又緊緊地扣住了主題。這樣的特點對翻譯構成的難度不言而喻，翻譯中應當時時充分考慮上述特點，盡量在譯文中體現出來。下面我們就以《窗》這篇散文的前兩段為例，來談談漢譯英中可能遇到的問題。

漢譯英翻譯：

窗  Random Thoughts on the Window

又是春天，窗子可以常開了。春天從窗外進來，人在屋子里坐不住，就從門里出去。不過屋子外的春天太賤了！到處是陽光，不像射破屋里陰深的那樣明亮；到處是給太陽曬得懶洋洋的風，不像攪動屋里沉悶的那樣有生氣。就是鳥語，也似乎瑣碎而單薄，需要屋里的寂靜來做襯托。我們因此明白，春天是該鑲嵌在窗子里看的，好比畫配了框子。　　

It is spring again and the window can be left open as often as one would like. As spring comes in through the windows, so people -- unable to bear staying inside any longer -- go outdoos. The spring outside, however, is much too cheap, for the sun shines on everything, and so does not seem as bright as that which shoots into the darkness of the house. Outside the sun-slothed breeze blows everywhere, but it is not so lively as that which stirs the gloominess inside the house. Even the chirping of the birds sounds so thin and broken that the quietness of the house is needed to set it off. It seems that spring was always meant to be put behind a windowpane for show, just like a picture in a frame.

同時，我們悟到，門和窗有不同的意義。當然，門是造了讓人出進的。但是，窗子有時也可作為進出口用，譬如小偷或小說里私約的情人就喜歡爬窗子。所以窗子和門的根本分別，決不僅是有沒有人進來出去。若據賞春一事來看，我們不妨這樣說：有了門，我們可以出去；有了窗，我們可以不必出去。窗子打通了大自然和人的隔膜，把風和太陽逗引進來，使屋子里也關著一部分春天，讓我們安坐了享受，無需再到外面去找。　　

At the same time it also becomes clear that the door has a different significance from the window. Of course, doors were made for people to pass through; but a window can also sometimes serve as an entrance or as an exit, and is used as such by thieves and by lovers in novels. In fact the fundamental difference between a door and a window has nothing to do with them being either entrances or exits. When it comes to the admiration of spring, it could be put this way: a door makes it possible for one to go out, whereas a window makes it possible for one not to have to. A window helps to pull down the partition between man and nature. It leads breezes and sunlight in, and keeps part of the spring in the house. It allows one to sit and enjoy the spring in peace, and makes it unnecessary to go looking for it outside.

逐句分析：

窗

Random Thoughts on the Window　

（題目中的這個窗字，包含的意思較為豐富，使人有多種聯想，因此譯成Random Thoughts on the Window。）　　

又是春天

It is spring again

中文是無主句，英文沒有這樣的句子結構，因此用It is……句型。原文里“又”用在句首，但是英文如果也把again放在句首，這個詞就太突出，分量太重了。所以again一詞在譯文中放在句末和原文“又”放在句首分量相當。

窗子可以常開了

and the window can be left open as often as one would like

用定冠詞the 加單數名詞window來代表所有的窗子。英語里表示“全部”可以有幾種方法：1）復數名詞，2）不定冠詞a/an+名詞，3）定冠詞+名詞。這里就是用的第三種，更側重其一致性。“常開”不能譯成can open often或can be opened often，因為原文是從人的角度說的，人們什么時候想開窗都行，所以用了one would like這樣的說法。

春天從窗外進來 As spring comes in through the windows

這句把春天擬人化了，英文也用同樣的結構就行。窗外：out of the window。但是，如果把“從窗外進來”理解成一個過程，用through表示就比較好。

人在屋子里坐不住，就從門里出去。

so people -- unable to bear staying inside any longer -- go outdoors

破折號之間的形容詞短語說明人們在屋里坐不住的原因。bear：忍受，后面既可跟-ing動詞，也可跟不定式動詞。

不過屋子外的春天太賤了

The spring outside, however, is much too cheap

這里的“賤”，是說春天多陽光，以多為賤，中外同理，用cheap也就順理成章了。

到處是陽光

for the sun shines on everything

這里和上一句是連接在一起的，所以用了連接詞for來說明原因。最好不要譯成the sunshine is everywhere，因為陽光并不是一種存在，而是說照耀在所有的一切上面，因此說shines。

不像射破屋里陰深的那樣明亮

and so does not seem as bright as that which shoots into the darkness of the house

用seem是指屋里屋外陽光是一樣的，只是環境的反差使陽光顯得不同罷了。as…as是表示屋里屋外陽光的比較，that指the sun。

到處是給太陽曬得懶洋洋的風

Outside the sun-slothed breeze blows everywhere

這里加了一個詞outside，因為后面馬上要說到的“屋里”并不包括在“到處”一詞里。“曬”字英文里與之相當的詞就是shine，但是shine并沒有帶復合賓語的用法，所以換了一個角度來說這句話。sun-slothed是一個復合詞。

不像攪動屋里沉悶的那樣有生氣

but it is not so lively as that which stirs the gloominess inside the house

沉悶這個詞在這里不是形容詞，而是名詞，所以用gloomy加上詞尾-ness構成了表示狀態的名詞。

就是鳥語，也似乎瑣碎而單薄，需要屋里的寂靜來做襯托。

Even the chirping of the birds sounds so thin and broken that the quietness of the house is needed to set it off

說thin and broken而不說broken and thin只是因為語音的關系，音節少的詞放在前面，多的放在后面，結構上顯得平穩，不至于頭重腳輕。只要把這幾個詞連在一起朗讀一下就可體會出來。

我們因此明白，春天是該鑲嵌在窗子里看的，好比畫配了框子。

It seems that spring was always meant to be put behind a windowpane for show, just like a picture in a frame

“我們因此明白”譯成It seems…，因為這是一種比喻的說法，直譯成英文會給人以突兀的感覺，所以用“似乎如此”的說法。be meant to be的意思是“原本為……”，加了always等于從語氣上與原文更相符合，并沒有特別具體的含義。中文說“窗子里”，而英文卻不能說in a windowpane，windowpane指的是窗子上的玻璃，這就是用behind的原因。