The Measure of Fatherly Love (Excerpt)
In 1924, U.S. President Calvin Coolidge proposed a national Father' s Day to "establish more intimate relations between fathers and their children and to impress upon fathers the full measure of their obligations." Then in 1972, U.S. President Richard Nixon signed a bill for the official founding of Father' s Day. Later, the custom of celebrating this day gradually spread to other parts of the world. Today' s urban Chinese, who, like their ancestors, set great store by parental love and a father' s responsibilities, also find themselves more and more supportive of this "Western celebration."

The Chinese nuclear family, with a single child to bring up and educate, is not unlike a corporation with unlimited liabilities. In such a family, the parents take unlimited responsibility for their child' s future and development. "To raise a child without educating him is
a failure in the father." Whether a child turns out well or not, behaves properly or not, attains success in life or not, his father will get his share of blame or praise. The father not only has to attend to his financial and moral obligations to his children; he is also charged with over- all leadership responsibility by his family and society. The benefits to be derived from the success of educating a child are not always predictable, but the opportunity cost to be paid is almost certain! This being the case, the father has to set the measure for his child. Yet, how to set that measure in real-life is no easy task.
The father is sometimes deferentially called "jiayan" in Chinese, meaning "stern master of the household." Traditional Chinese culture, especially Chinese ethics and customs, have cast a clear, precise and reasonable role for the father and set the expression of paternal love. "The father guides by discipline, the mother nurtures by affection." The father needs to maintain a proper sense of authority and self-respect before he can win the respect of his family and take charge of his child' s education. The sages have left us a saying: "If the prince is not upright, his ministers will turn to serve other states; if a father is not upright, his offspring will flee to foreign lands." That is to say, a father must teach by personal example, or else he will fail to inspire confidence in his child and to carry out his duty. Worse still, father and son might grow estranged from each other or even become enemies. The affectionate mother and the stern father each have a role to play. A father is expected to be strict, stern and serious. But unfortunately, some fathers go right over the top, turning sternness into verbal abuse and rod-wielding. From Zen Buddhist cultivation and practice I have a revelation. When a Zen master watches over his disciples at meditation, he gives them an occasional blow and a shout. His purpose is to bring stimulation, vigilance, enlightenment and inspiration, to help them gain better control of their minds and be- come wiser, and not to subdue them to his will or assert his authority. Likewise, a competent father is intelligent and insightful. He knows better than to unleash unwar- ranted anger on his child or to fool himself with a false sense of superiority. He commands respect not because he is "a head above" other members of his family, but because he is a cut above them in the strength of character. He acts as a mentor, advisor and spiritual guide for his child.
Parents all hope that their children will have glorious futures, and they spare no effort to turn that dream into reality. Many young people do meet their parents' expectations, embarking on careers once pursued by the father and winning even greater distinction. However, some others stray from the paths set for them, or even do things contrary to the wishes of their parents. As some wise sayings put it, "Just as a hero' s son would likely be heroic, so an onion seller' s son would likely sell garlic;" "warriors' children learn early the spear and the sword." Yet there are other proverbs that reflect less certainty: "How well our children will turn out, even the wisest parents live in doubt." Besides, home education also involves the question of how best to help a child realize his or her potential. Children should be encouraged to develop their own interests and talent, find their own paths and live their life to the full. Human aspirations vary; one cannot force them to do things to one' s own liking.
Western educational philosophy stresses parental affection, guidance and warm encouragement. Traditional Chinese educational philosophy, on the other hand, sees paternal love as stern and serious on the outside but with no less affection deep within. Chinese paternal stern- ness is an outward sign of the relation between the father and his son, with love at its core and the child ~ wellbeing as its ultimate goal. Traditional wisdom puts it this way: "An unloving father brings up an unfilial son." An uncaring and irresponsible father would likely raise a mediocre, lackluster, unfilial son. On the other hand, another proverb registers the danger of the other extreme: "Fierce parental love torments the beloved." Excessive praises and pampering may produce either an ignorant, incapable, dull-witted and aimless weakling, or an arrogant, egocentric and lawless villain. Such is the difficulty in achieving a balance between sternness and affection. Too much of the former stifles individual initiative, whilst too much of the latter breeds vices of all kinds.
"Pity all caring parents!" is a thought that finds an echo in many hearts. How to be a competent father is more than an art; it is a severe test, or rather, a long unending series of taxing ordeals.
挑战之乐
——第二十届韩素音青年翻译奖竞赛汉译英参赛译文评析
第二十届韩素音青年翻译奖汉译英部分共收到426份参赛译文，参赛人员包括学生、教师和其他职业的翻译爱好者，有的来自主要的英语国家。译文总体质量较好，特别是个别参赛选手的译文水准已经相当高。不过，在仔细审读所有参赛译文的过程中，还是发现一些较普遍的问题，本文拟就这些问题进行讨论。(汉译英原文作者陈仓，于2006年6月26日发表于《南方周末》。)
1．翻译中的语言基本功
做好翻译的前提条件之一是要对母语和外语都有熟练的掌握，特别是对译入语水平的要求更是如此。正因如此，国外翻译界普遍的做法是从外语译入母语，而较少从母语译为外语。由于从事汉译英的外国人相当缺乏，而我国又存在大量汉译英的需求，故很多汉译英实际上是中国译者在做。由于不是母语，有不少译者在汉译英时，往往由于英语的基本功不够扎实，造成误译。在不少译文中可以见到明显的语法错误，比如单复数、人称等方面的误用，这些错误在进入最后一轮专家评审环节的40篇译文中也或多或少地存在。例如，有参赛译文把“养不教父之过”翻译成“If a child is uncouth．The father is to be blamed”，先不论其译法好坏，blame的用法首先就有问题，这个词一般不用被动语态。
不过，我们也欣喜地看到了一批体现了扎实语言基本功的译文。以下旬为例： 原文：如今，历来重视亲子关系、强调父亲教养责任的中国城市人群，也潜移默化地接受了这个“洋节”。
参赛译文1：Nowadays，the urban residents of China，who have always attached great importance to the parent-child relationship and father’s responsibility i11 educating his children，also have unwittingly accepted this“alien holiday”．
参赛译文2：Now Father’s Day．as a“foreign holiday”，has seeped into the minds of China’s urban population，among whom parenthood and paternal commitment in upbringing have historically been a priority．
点评：译文1对“潜移默化”的译法较有代表性，即按照汉语原文的词性，处理成一个副词(另有不少参赛译文译为unconsciously／imperceptibly／tacitly等)。不过，这样的“对应副词”与原文往往貌合神离，例如unconsciously给人感觉是好像失去知觉，imperceptibly则是从外人观察的角度来说是“察觉不到”，而tacitly给人感觉是不说话而悄悄进行，均与“潜移默化”的含义有偏差。译文2的一大亮点是用“seep into the minds”来传达原文中“潜移默化”的意义，是地道的英语表达，更符合英文习惯。
2．关于原文的理解
翻译工作者往往有这样一种看法，就是英译汉的难点在于理解，而汉译英的难点在于表达，对汉语的理解应该不成问题。但是，对母语水平的过于自信可能让我们疏忽对原文的透彻理解，而这会直接导致误译。
例1：原文：“养不教，父之过”。
译文1： “If the child is not taught．．．”(进入最后一轮审核的译文有很多类似的译法)

对原文意义比较模糊的地方，在译文中可以用模糊对应原文的模糊，这也不失为一种翻译策略。我们知道，模糊是自然语言的本质属性之一，语言的模糊性决定了翻译的模糊性。下面这句话中对短语“机会成本”的理解能更好地说明这个问题：
原文：对独生子女教育成功的收益不可预期，但教育失败的机会成本却是百分之百。
参赛译文1：Success in cultivating child brings unforeseeable profit，while the failure leads to a total loss．
参赛译文2：The yield from success in education of a child cannot be predicted．but the opportunity cost from its failure is 100 percent．
点评：原文中的“机会成本”原是经济学里一个很重要的概念，一般指面临多种选择时，选择其中一种可能造成的损失。参赛译文1对其进行了简化处理，只说the failure leads to a total loss。简化作为翻译方法的一种，不是不可以采用，但原文在第二段中，首先把以独生子女为养育对象的中国式核心家庭比喻成无限责任公司，故下文中的“机会成本”最好也能采用经济学术语的译法opportunity cost，而不要作简化处理。不过，在译文2中，我们会发现opportunity cost is 100percent这一搭配也很费解。如果说原文中的这个经济学术语给人感觉意义有些模糊的话，参考译文“the opportunity cost to be paid is almost certain”则用类似的模糊来处理，在英语的搭甄上也较好。
3．风格的保留和传达
风格是指作品在文体上具有的与众不同的特点和格调。好的译文应该再现原文的风格，诨事之难，恐怕很大一部分来自风格再现之难，冈格的再现比字面意义的翻译提出了更高的要求。原文文字简练，说理娓娓道来，如果用冗长的伊丽莎白时代的英语来翻译，无疑是对原文风格的背叛。原文既讲到了中国传统文化，谈及的又是现代的问题，还夹杂使用了一些经济学术语，在翻译中要融合，而不是分离。
原文最后一段中“可怜天下父母心”的翻译，看似简单，其实很有挑战性。如果我们上网查阅，应该能找到Parents’love is universal．／It’s a pity that parents usually pay a11 their love to their children but sometimes get no feedback．／Only parents al— ways about their sons and daughters等译法。
参赛译文1：“Every parent is admirable．”
参赛译文2：“Parents’intent is often blurred by their overwhelming love．”
参赛译文3：“So pathetic are the hearts of our parents toward their children!”
点评：作者此处的“可怜天下父母心”，乃是在讲述种种做父亲的不易、把握父爱尺度的不易之后，发出的一声感喟，在翻译时也需要把这种感觉传达出来。译文1“Every parent is admirable”应该说还是基本上表达了做父母不易的意思，但很明显没有把原文的语气译出来。译文2字面上的意思与原文有一些不同，但应该说抓住了原句的实质，可以说是对“可怜天下父母心”的意义的深层解读，与上下文的衔接也很自然，如果不考虑原文语气的因素，可谓是佳译。虽然译文3把握住了感喟的语气，可惜用pathetic来形容父母对子女的爱，明显不恰当。参考译文“Pity a11 caring parents!”则很好地传递了原文的语气，用词简洁，干净利落。 4．文化负载词汇及谚语的翻译
文化负载词汇(culturally-loaded words)是指语言中那些反映一个国家、一个民族特有文化和历史的一些词汇，而成语和谚语可以说是最普遍的文化负载词汇，一直以来都是翻译中的一大难题。鲁迅先生推崇直译，认为直译能让母语通过文化负载词的翻译得到丰富，他本人也把直译运用于翻译实践。但鲁迅先生的直译受到不少人的批评，认为其直译实际上是“碾译”和“死译”。在本文中，文化负载词用得特别多，构成其特色和难点。以下举例说明。
1)原文：父亲雅称“家严”
参赛译文l：“Father"，as we know it，has gracious name‘‘Patriarchal Strictness”…
参赛译文2：A father is also called as“JiaWan'’in Chinese，meaning "the one who plays a film and strict role at home…
参考译文：The father is sometimes deferentially called the“stem master of the household．’’
点评：译文1对“家严”的处理是直接意译为Patriarchal Strictness，采取的是归化策略。归化和异化其实都是可行的翻译策略，具体选择需要放到更大的语境中加以考虑，即需要考虑原文和译文不同的语境。之所以要把这个问题放到很重要的位置，是因为针对不同的读者群，翻译的策略也会不一样。原文是中国作家用中文写给中国人看的，而该译文的假想读者无疑应该是英语人士。因此，若采取归化译法直接译为Patriarchal Strictness，会让英语读者产生这样的印象，好像在英语文化里面父亲也被雅称为Patriarchal Strictness，实际上却并非如此。所以，此处采取异化翻译策略，先说在汉语里叫作‘jiayan”，然后再加以解释，这不失为一种很好的解决方案。译文2正是这样的，不过拼写jiayan的拼音时最好连在一起且用小写。在解释“家严”的意义时，译文2有些哕嗦，参考译文“stern master of the household”更加简练，而且household一词较为古雅，符合上下文对雅称的要求。
2)原文：俗话说：“老子英雄儿好汉，老子卖葱儿卖蒜”；“兵家儿早识刀枪”。
参赛译文1：While such a saying goes that“like father，like son”，…
参赛译文2：A Chinese proverb states．“A hero’s son is no coward；an onion seller’s son is but a garlic seller．”Another says that‘‘warriors’children come to know swords and spears from all early age．”
参考译文：As some wise sayings put it．“Just as a hero’s son would likely be heroic．so an onion seller’s son would likely sell garlic；'’“warriors’children learn early the spear and the sword．’’
点评：原文这个地方密集使用了好几条谚语，译文1采用了简化处理，直接使用了英语中固有的一个谚语来对应汉语原文中的三条谚语。我们认为，由于该译文的假想读者应该是英语人士，处理谚语这样的文化负载词时，只要能够保留原文的意象就应尽量保留，因为这样的意象往往是最鲜活、最生动的。如果由于种种
原因很难保留，则应作出补偿，比如在翻译双关语时，如果在目的语中找不到可行的双关译法，则要么转换成某种别的修辞手段，要么加注。所以，译文l的简化处理方法在此处不可取。相对说来译文2处理得较为得体，不过an onion seller’s son is but a garlic seller用了一般现在时，没有把谚语原文中表示可能的语气译出来，参考译文中用would较好地解决了这个问题。
5．运用网络资料协助翻译
当今时代的翻译工作者应该感到庆幸，因为现在有了互联网，很多翻译中的疑难问题都能通过网络查询获得解决。如果说翻译有些句子时，网络的作用仅是一种可有可无的奢侈品的话，翻译以下这句话则必须求助于网络：
原文：1924年，美国总统卡尔文•柯立芝建议把父亲节作为一个全国性的节日，以便“在父亲和子女间建立更亲密的关系，并且使父亲铭记自己应尽的全部责任”。
此句是原文的第一句，引号中的话无疑应该是柯立芝总统原话的汉语译文，需要回译成英语。这里的回译应该是找到原文，而不是由译者用自己的语言去进行翻译。我们可以将关键词键入google或yahoo等搜索引擎，经过数次尝试，应该能找到相应的原文。如果没有网络，如果没有使用搜索引擎的技巧，恐怕在图书馆泡上一整天，也不一定能找到其出处。同样，也有参赛译文误译了美国总统卡尔文•柯立芝的人名，这样的错误在当前发达的网络时代实在是不应该。
6．对翻译教学的启示
现在的大学翻译教学基本上是教学型翻译，而非艺术性翻译。应加强英文阅读和写作训练，而不仅仅是翻译技巧的传授。很多译文的问题在于英文的表达方面，为数不少的译文给人感觉很生硬，虽然语法上可能并不算错，但不符合英美人士的表达习惯。有两个原因：第一是我们的教材强调的重点是标准的语法，而不是用法，在语言的用法上训练较少；第二可能是学习者接触当代英语少，对语言使用的语域(register)、年代、正式与否等意识不强，所以产生混用。比如有些参赛译文用的英语像是维多利亚时代的英语，聱牙拗口，与现代英语相去甚远。
总的来说，此次汉译英参赛译文的总体水平有提高，不过也存在一些遗憾，比如很多译文头重脚轻，前面一部分做得较好，后面一部分较差，水平不够稳定，这一是可能由于毅力不够，感觉越往后越难，二是可能由于心态不太稳定，不能把较高的水准一直保持下去。另外，我们还发现了一篇非常优秀的译文，译文质量明显高于大部分参赛译文，理应能评到一等奖，但不知什么缘故，该译者竟然有两处漏译，这是翻译中的大忌，所以很遗憾，只能与一等奖失之交臂。
(集体讨论，张凌执笔)

竞赛获奖译文选登：
哲学与爱默生
唐睿译
马修•阿诺德在评价爱默生时说：“他是那些愿以心灵为居所的人们的朋友和助手。”这句名言或许最好地概括了爱默生那大胆无畏但支离零散的哲学所具有的略显模糊但强大有力、振奋人心的特点。
爱默生出生于新英格兰的一个牧师世家，然而，即使是当时最自由的神职也让他深感束缚，于是他平和而果敢地走下布道坛，最大程度地坚持着自己的志趣和言论，成为那个时代最伟大的世俗传道士。白大学期间《伦理哲学的现状))一文起，他便一直专注于对人的品行的研究：无论是关注一位古代诗人，一个科学事实，还是晨报中报道的一个事件，爱默生总能总结出其中的教育意义，并以其清悦洪亮、光彩华丽的写作风格传达给世人，激励人们追求更高尚更独立的生活。
从历史的角度讲，爱默生是加尔文主义的最大反叛者之一。加尔文主义苛刻的信条告诉人们：人是堕落的，无法在自然的状态下完全依靠自身达到完美，只有满怀急切地不懈努力，才能跻身于上帝选民的行列，赢得这原本不配的奖赏。爱默生则提出：一个人若能拥有其自
然的完美品质，他便是近乎上帝的完人。爱默生不同意加尔文主义的观点，即一个人越趋于完美就越背离自然本性(因此，人只有仰仗神恩才能走向完美)；他认为，人越趋于完美就越接近自然本性。当人们被神圣的音乐或感人的演说深深打动时，常说：“它使我为之振奋、超越自我。”爱默生则认为它们的影响使我们回归自我。
爱默生反复提到的一个最基本的观点是：“自然崇高伟大，人类憩息其中，一如地球依偎在大气温柔的怀抱里”，“超灵蕴藏着与万物融为一体的每个人的具体存在”，并“终将深入我们的内心思想，衍变为智慧、道德、力量与美”。这便是爱默生要求我们遵从自我本性、听取一切启示时给予的动力——这种崇高的动力激励我们不断接近那与生俱来、上天赐予的完美。
爱默生说，自然，“为我们心灵所爱”，它环绕在我们周围，呈现出各种朴素的表象，吸引我们去感知它最古老、最广袤的法则。“人哪怕是在系鞋带时也会发现那些把自然内最不相干的领域连接在一起的规律。”因此人“心系世界”。无论是一名伟大的科学家，通过发现一则普遍的物理定律从而证明自己有如此支配宇宙的建设性的观念，或是一位诗人，将树喻为“残缺的人”，“扎根泥土，哀恸自己深陷囚笼的不幸境遇”，此刻都回归自我，因为他们能感受到“无机体或有机体对心灵美好而深刻的影响。”
爱默生在时空中急速穿行，将常人眼中毫无联系的名字和事物连接在一起，让历史来见证自立与始终顺从直觉的必要。他认为，这种独立对学生尤为重要，因为学生很容易被历史上那些伟大的名字所震慑，读书时“深信不疑并全盘接受”。如果我们不忘自我，那么这样的事情就不应当、也不可能发生。因此，当我们发现自己确实无法认同历史时，那么，爱默生说，我们必须与之决裂，无论那些先人有多高的威望。但历史通常不会让我们失望；通常它会帮助我们追求自我完美。历史上曾出现过很多天才；这些天才越是意识到自己与超灵的联系，就越是比我们更接近自我。因此我们常常需要求助那些更具天赋的灵魂来诠释我们内心难以名状的思想情感。任何不凡的表述，都不应在我们心中引起自卑，更不应引起气馁，而应唤醒这样的意识：“一个人的创作中渗透着自己的性情，只有心灵相通的读者才能读懂”。所以在游历或以其它形式与历史接触时，我们只有牢记“世界无足轻重，人类主导一切”，才能从中受益，获得新知。
社交的作用亦大致如此。同自然和历史相比，我们更容易在某些人身上清晰地看到自己的影子，并从这种相似中获取灵感，于是将真正的朋友视为“自然的杰作”。但在其它场合，爱默生不止一次地告诫我们不要“交往甚密”：尽管交往常常充满友善、激起共鸣，我们必须避免服从与模仿他人。我们必须用情谊唤醒、而非模糊“我们高贵命运的记忆”。
以上我们尝试着整理出爱默生最推崇的一些观点。无论其文章涉及什么主题，这些观点都会反复出现。尽管从某种程度上讲，他的哲学与当时一些如过眼烟云般短暂易逝的运动思潮颇为相似，我们今天去读他的文章，根本察觉不出他的思想受到他所处时代与地域的局限。如果将他文章中的一些段落换作希腊文去读，则会觉得这就出自希腊人之手。他认为傅立叶“无不涉及，惟独忽略了生活”，这种睿智使他避开讨论“布鲁克农场”，也使他避开探讨类似许多2 1世纪人们可能会忘却的话题。这是爱默生的行文准则。他的文章总是以世间永恒的事物为话题，如友谊、真理、迷信和荣誉，展开天马行空的深思。因此，爱默生哲学的强大力量有一方面是源于其普适性。
另一方面则源于他简洁凝练的风格和丰富多彩、出人意料的表述。他擅长写作格言警句，造诣如此之高，竟使我们渴望能偶尔读到些许轻松平淡的语句，从而得以放松片刻。但爱默生总让我们兴奋不已——不仅因为他令人惊叹的阐释习惯，还因为他给人留下深刻印象的凝练笔法。他喜欢用简洁明快的句子谈古论今，将那些通常毫不相干的名字交汇在一起，将异教徒与基督徒、人与神相提并论，比如“西庇阿，熙德，菲利普•悉尼，华盛顿，以及每个用言语行动崇敬美的纯洁勇敢的心灵。”
尽管爱默生的哲学具备以上值得称颂的特点，仍有人认为它含糊不清，不够系统，无法令人满意。如果他的作品明确具体，这些人倒是愿意成为爱默生思想的拥护者。应当记住的是，爱默生希望培养独立精神，而非使徒般的虔诚。也应记住，当人们认为一个体系太过死板压抑并起身反抗时，很可能会走向另一个极端。爱默生的确朝着这个极端走了很远，这与他所处的那个思想热情激扬的时代有关。他的哲学不够系统、不拘一格，这反映出他遵奉的一个观点：真正重要的不是通过精确的术语、巧妙的手法以及周密的推理使一个哲学体系天衣无缝、无懈可击，为他人采纳，而是要让这个哲学体系能够说服我们每一个人驾驭起心灵的马车，追逐心中那颗最璀璨的星。
(英译汉一等奖获奖译文)

 

The Measure 0f Fatherly Love (Excerpt)
By Gu0 Yu
In 1924, the U.S. President Calvin Coolidge put forth the idea of a national Father' s Day to "establish more intimate relations between fathers and their children and to impress upon fathers the full measure of their obligations." In 1972, President Nixon signed a bill to grant official recognition to Father's Day. Later on, this observance gradually spread to other parts of the world. Today' s urban Chinese, who have always set store by parenthood and the responsibilities that a father has in raising childr~, are slowly becoming more receptive to this Western holiday.
The Chinese nuclear family, with a single child to bring up and educate, resembles an unlimited liability company, as the parents bear unlimited responsibility for " the child~ future development, the child is not taught, it is the father' s fault." A child' s stupidity, failure and mistakes are imputed to the father, who not only has his share of economic and moral obligations to fulfill, but is also held accountable by society and the family for bearing the overall "leadership liability." The benefits from successful childrearing are unpredictable, yet the opportunity cost for its failure will absolutely be one hundred percent. In this view, the father is a role model, or rather he serves as a yardstick, for his child. The length of the yardstick, however, is difficult to measure.
"My father" can be properly addressed as "the austere master of my household." Traditional Chinese culture, with its unique proprieties and conventions, has provided an accurate, exhaustive and reasonable definition of fatherly love. "Whereas the father engenders respect, the mother engenders kindness." The father must maintain a proper sense of dignity and self-esteem before he can gain the respect of the family and thus play the role of his child' s chief mentor at home. "If a ruler is unscrupulous, his subjects will leave the country; if a father is unscrupulous, his offspring will leave home. "That is to say, a father must set a personal example. Failure to do so may make it impossible for him to encourage his child and meet his obligations. Worse still, father and child may grow estranged from each other or even become enemies. The austere father and the kind mother are traditional parental roles. Strict, stem and solemn a father ought to be, but some fathers go so far as to reduce their obligations to frequent rod-wielding and verbal abuse. From Zen I take inspiration. When a Zen master gives practitioners "a blow and a shout," the purpose is to stimulate, to remind, to guide, and to enlighten. He wants to open their minds and make them wiser. Never will he bend his disciples to his will, still less parade his power. Likewise, a competent father is intelligent and insightful, knowing better than to tyrannize his child. He does not put on a show of being superior to the other members of the family, but his personal charm will overpower them. He acts as the child' s enlightening teacher and spiritual guide.
All parents hope that their children will have bright futures, and they spare no effort to turn this dream into reality. Indeed, many young people, under family influence, carry on their parents' careers and bring honor to their families; in this way, they become like their parents or what their parents want them to be. However, it is equally true that others do not meet their parents' expectations, failing to realize their dreams or even going against their wishes. A Chinese proverb states, "A hero' s son is no coward; an onion seller's son is but a garlic seller." Another says that "warriors' children come to know swords and spears from an early age." Yet a third has the opposite meaning: "It is hard for parents to ensure that their offspring will be worthy," After all, parenting also involves developing individual aptitude. Children should be allowed the freedom to choose their own paths and live out their lives the best they can according to personal interests and talents. Since everyone has aspirations, one cannot force others to do things against their will. The same is true of children.
Western notions of parenting highlight parental love, care and encouragement, whereas Chinese notions stress strictness on the outside but kindness on the inside. Chinese paternal austerity is an outward show of interaction between father and child, with love at its core and the child' s benefit as its ultimate goal. As the saying goes, "With an irascible father comes a disobedient son." An unloving and irresponsible father cannot but bring up a mediocre, unfilial and estranged child. On the other hand, "undue parental love can make children suffer." Indiscriminate praise and rewards, together with overindulgence and pampering, may produce an ignorant, idle, dull-witted and aimless wastrel, or an arrogant, conceited and lawless scoundrel. Hence the difficulty in balancing austerity and kindness. An excess of the former stifles individuality, while an excess of the latter breeds vice.
"Oh, the plight of all parents in this world!" Being a competent father is more than an art; it is in fact an extreme challenge--a lengthy, comprehensive test of the highest difficulty.
(汉译英二等奖获奖译文)