yujian623 发表于 2008-1-7 21:00:22

英语写作中如何委婉表达“丰满”

我们汉语的习惯里,\"胖\"有赞美,恭维人的意思,如\"祝贺你生了个大胖小子\",\"胖呼呼\",甚至给熟悉的人起个绰号叫\"胖子\"(当然是爱称)。可见\"胖\"在汉语中有\"健康\"\"生活舒心\"的意思。那么英语里可以这么说吗?

在英语中,关于\"胖\",我们首先想到的就是\"fat\"。但\"fat\"在英语中是个强烈的贬义词,是\"愚笨\",\"迟缓\",\"自制力差\"的标志,所以在西方如果说某人\"fat\",不仅是对别人的伤害与歧视,也是自身粗鲁无教养的表现。

那应该如何恰当而又有礼貌地表达\"胖\"、\"丰满\"呢?下面是一些常见的委婉语,不论是翻译还是口语都很有用。

1. gain weight 增加体重,例如:

People who drink diet soft drinks don't lose weight. They gain weight, a new study finds.

2. super size person 超大之人,例如:

No more hamburgers, I don't want to be a super size person.

3. heavyset 身子重的,体格粗壮、敦实的,例如:He was tall and heavyset.

4. nutritionally endowed 营养丰富的,例如:

Though garlic is a nutritionally endowed food, it is only consumed in small amounts.

5. gravitationally challenged 受地球引力挑战的(增加的体重确实在挑战地球引力),例如:

That girl is gravitationally challenged.

6. well-built 体格健美的,体型匀称的,例如:

That girl is well-built.

7. stout 结实的,壮实的,例如:

She is getting too stout for her dresses.

8. big-boned 骨架大的,例如:

I'm not fat, just big-boned.

9. overweight 超重的,例如:

Overweight in a child should not be neglected.

10. chubby 胖呼呼的(多指小孩和女子),例如:

The baby has a chubby face.

11. buxom 形象健康丰满的,健美的,例如:

A generation ago, fat babies were considered healthy and buxom actresses were popular, but society has since come to worship thinness.

同样,\"瘦\"不能说\"skinny\",这可是\"皮包骨\"的意思(时尚界的许多模特正在朝这个方向发展),要形容一个人苗条应该用 \"slender\",\"slim\",或\"delicate\"。\"减肥\"则可以说\"lose pounds\"或\"lose weight\"。

总之,\"胖\"和\"瘦\"是英美人敏感的话题,\"fat \"和\"skinny\"的使用要十分小心,注意回避。但是有一个例外就是\" phat \"(妙,好,酷),是\"fat \"的异体词,在口语中常常用于赞美美妙的东西,相当于\"cool \"。例如\"The car is really a phat. \"
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