As with our colleges, so with a hundred "modern improvements"; there is an illusion about them; there is not always a positive advance. The devil goes on exacting compound interest to the last for his early share and numerous succeeding investments in them. Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. They are but improved means to an unimproved end, an end which it was already but too easy to arrive at; as railroads lead to Boston or New York. We are in great haste to construct a magnetic telegraph from Maine to Texas; but Maine and Texas, it may be, have nothing important to communicate. Either is in such a predicament as the man who was earnest to be introduced to a distinguished deaf woman, but when he was presented, and one end of her ear trumpet was put into his hand, had nothing to say. As if the main object were to talk fast and not to talk sensibly. We are eager to tunnel under the Atlantic and bring the Old World some weeks nearer to the New; but perchance the first news that will leak through into the broad, flapping American ear will be that the Princess Adelaide has the whooping cough. After all, the man whose horse trots a mile in a minute does not carry the most important messages; he is not an evangelist, nor does he come round eating locusts and wild honey. I doubt if Flying Childers ever carried a peck of corn to mill.

（徐迟译） 正如 我们的学院， 拥有一百种“现代化的进步设施” ； 对它们很容易发生幻想； 却并不总是有 肯定的 进步。魔鬼老早就投了资，后来又不断地加股，为此他一直 索取利息 直到最后。我们的发明常常是漂亮的玩具，只是吸引我们的注意力，使我们离开了严肃的事物。 它们只是对毫无改进的目标提供一些改进过的方法 ，其实这目标早就可以很容易地到达的；就像 直达波士顿或直达纽约 的铁路那样。我们急忙忙要从缅因州筑一条磁力电报线到得克萨斯州；可是从缅因州到得克萨斯州，也许没有什么重要的电讯要拍发。

正像 一个人，热衷地要和一个耳聋的著名妇人谈谈，他被介绍给她了，助听的 听筒 也放在他手里了，他却发现原来没有话要对她说。仿佛主要的问题 只 是要说得快，却不是要说得有理智。我们急急乎要在大西洋底下设隧道，使旧世界能缩短儿个星期，很快地到达新世界，可是传入美国人的软皮搭骨的大耳朵的第一个消息，也许是阿德莱德公主害了百日咳之类的新闻。 总之一句话 ，骑着马，一分钟跑一英里的人决不会携带最重要的消息，他不是一个福音教徒，他 跑来跑去 也不是为了吃蝗虫和野蜜。我怀疑飞童有没有载过一粒谷子到磨坊去。

1 、 As with our colleges, so with a hundred "modern improvements"; there is an illusion about them; there is not always a positive advance.

这句话汉译偏离太远。

“ as ”是开始一个话题，相当于“说到”“关于”，不是“正如”“就像 …… 一样”。

“ modern improvements ”是指“（人类历史上）现代的进步”，不是指“学院里的先进设备”。 如果是指先进设备，那么“ so ”字又放在哪里？两译者都没有译出来。把“ there is an illusion about them ”译为“对它们很容易发生幻想”，真是匪夷所思。“ there is an illusion ”可以说是明白无误地表达出一种存在：“有种错觉”，不明的译者为何要增出一个“很容易”来。

还有“ there is not always a positive advance ”，徐译“并不总是有”说明有好有坏；而戴译“一直没产生（什么正面的进步）”则成了彻底的否定。

对于学校（其它现代进步也一样），人们有种错觉，以为都是进步改善，其实并不总是这样，有些可能是“退”步改“恶”了。比如现代住宅豪华了，其装修污染对人体的伤害是以前草屋所没有的。这也正是下一句所说的“ devil （恶）”一直在并一直强索双份利息。

2 、 Our inventions are wont to be pretty toys, which distract our attention from serious things. 我们的发明（ inventions ）改进（ improvements ）通常是些小玩意，使我们不能严肃地思考生活的价值目的等问题，比如豪华舒适住房使我们沉迷于物质享受，不能去思考身为形役终生为奴的问题。

3 、 They are but improved means to an unimproved end, an end which it was already but too easy to arrive at; as railroads lead to Boston or New York.

这些发明好像是进步改善，然而，改观的只是手段，目的依旧没有改观。

这里的“ improved ”和“ unimproved ”相对照，汉译也应当突出出来。

另外，把“ railroads lead to Boston or New York ”译为“直达 / 通 …… 的铁路”，原文中并没有“直”的强调。

4 、 Either is in such a predicament as the man who was earnest to be introduced to a distinguished deaf woman, but when he was presented, and one end of her ear trumpet was put into his hand, had nothing to say.

“ Either ”是上面情况中的任意一种。

“ one end of her ear trumpet ”放在他手里的这一端译为“话筒”是不是更好？

“ had nothing to say ”是“无话可说”，不是“无言以对”，因为没有“女士问话”的意思。原文里也没有“却顿觉”。

上一句里的“ have nothing （ important ） to communicate ”与这句里的“ had nothing to say ”形式上的相似，翻译时也应照顾到。电报线建好了，却发现没什么要发；交流者找到了，却发现没什么可说。这都是困境（ predicament ）。

5 、 After all, the man whose horse trots a mile in a minute does not carry the most important messages; he is not an evangelist, nor does he come round eating locusts and wild honey. I doubt if Flying Childers ever carried a peck of corn to mill.

“ After all ”是“再怎么说”。“一分钟跑一英里”据网友 oncemore 订正，速度应是非常快，快得离谱，因为世界纪录是一分钟半跑一英里。我的“从‘ trots ’字面上看应是‘慢跑’”的说法不当。“ come round ”感觉有“跑来”没“跑去”，也不是“来回奔跑”。

总而言之 ，一个骑马 飞奔 、一分种跑一英里的人，是不会随身带什么重要音讯的。他不是一个福音传教士，他 来回奔跑 也不是为了贪吃蝗虫和野蜂蜜的。我怀疑英国的著名赛马飞童是否驮了一粒玉米到磨坊去。