对50页、100页、150页、200页、250页、300页、350页、400页、450页、500页附近的译文重新做了核对,发现几处小错误。整体上本书英文比较简单,译文质量在85分以上,大体上可以信赖。
P50
1、He, in fact, worked for both parties on nonpartisan things, from the War Industries Board to the Farm Loan Board to the Federal Reserve Board.
译文:事实上,父亲在不受两党控制的事务上同时为两党服务,包括战时工业委员会、农业贷款委员会和联邦储备委员会。
评:Farm Loan Board,译为农场贷款委员会更适合,农场和农业(agriculture)有所不同。nonpartisan things,非党派事务更合适,而非不受两党控制的事务。
2、He liquidated the corporation early in 1925 in an achievement that was widely recognized as remarkable.
译文:1925年初,父亲清理了金融公司的账目,这一非凡成就收获了广泛的认可。
评:liquidated the corporation,其实就是清算、关闭了公司,译为清理公司账目,略有不妥。
P150,
1、These men, calling themselves the “Goon Squad,” were all trying to do the same thing in diʃerent agencies, waging a magniɹcent battle against bureaucracy and red tape, at times amazingly successful at getting things done. There was such dispersion of authority in the government until the War Production Board was created that this informal group of mostly quite young men with absolutely no formal authority was actually able to step into the vacuum and compensate partially for that lack of a center.
译文:这些人自称为“佣兵团”,他们都在不同机构竭力做着同一件事情——向官僚主义和官僚习气发动一场精彩万分的战斗,且不时会取得令人赞叹的成功。直至战时生产委员会成立之前,政府部门的权力都相当分散,在此期间,这支主要由年轻人组成的非正式组织完全没有正式授权,却能够弥补权力真空,部分地承担起协调中心的责任。
评:最后一句 compensate partially for that lack of a center 错译。这句是说,由于委员会成立之前,权力分散,缺少中心,因此他们得以填补权力真空,这是某种程度上的部分补偿(compensate partially)。可以译为,在此期间,这支主要由年轻人组成的非正式组织完全没有正式授权,却能够填补权力真空,这部分是由于当时缺少中心造成的结果。
2、So he worked full-time with the Australians, particularly after the Japanese invaded the Australian territory of New Guinea.
译文:因此,菲尔整天同澳大利亚人待在一起,尤其是在日本人侵略澳大利亚位于新几内亚的领土后。
评:territory,这里显然是殖民地,而非领土。
其他部分,译文清晰、流畅,还是不错的。