An unpublished English translation of the Chinese classic novel Dream of the Red Chamber by the writer and translator Lin Yutang (1895-1976) has been uncovered in Japan, Nankai University in Tianjin recently announced.
近日南开大学称，著名作家、翻译家林语堂先生（1895-1967）的红楼梦英文译本在日本被发现，此前他的译本从未被出版。
Lin's translation of Dream of the Red Chamber was not a literal one, consistent with his style. Instead, he rendered the novel into English relying on his own notes, and it was about half the length of the original work.
林语堂的红楼梦译本不是完全直译原文，有他自己一贯的风格。他通过自己的注解把小说翻译成英文，篇幅只有原著的一半左右。
目前世界上《红楼梦》全译本有两种，一种是杨宪益戴乃迭的英文版A Drama of Red Mansions：
另一种是英国汉学家霍克斯版的The Story of the Stone：
霍克思是一位汉学家，精通中国古典文学，译过《离骚》、杜甫诗，通晓宋词、元典。他盛年时已出任牛津大学中国文学讲座教授，但他竟然薄此而不为，花了十多个寒暑闭户埋首英译《红楼梦》。霍克思把书名译为The Story of the Stone，摒弃了一直沿用的The Dream of the Red Chamber，是因为手抄本一向用《石头记》为书名。
1)甄士隐 Zhen Shiyin (homophone for “true facts concealed ”，谐音 ：“真事隐藏”)
2)雨村 Jia Yucun (homophone for“fiction in rustic language”，谐音 ：“村语假话”)
3)贾化 Jia Hua (homophone for“false talk”，谐音 ：“假话”)
4 )熙凤 Xi Feng (homophone for“splendid phoenix”“显赫的凤凰”)
5 )颦颦 Pinpin (Knitted Brows，颦眉)
6 )仆世人 Pu Shiren (homophone for“not a human-being”，谐音 ：“不是人”)
——杨译本
心病终须心药治，解铃还是击铃人。
The cure for a broken heart is heartening news;
The knot must be untied by the one who tied it.
——杨译本
"不但紫鹃和雪雁在私下里讲究，就是众人也都知道黛玉的病也病得奇怪，好也好得奇怪，三三两两，唧唧哝哝议论着。不多几时，连凤姐儿也知道了，邢、王二夫人也有些疑惑，倒是贾母略猜着了八九。
These two were not the only ones to be talking this business over. All the domestics knew of Daiyu’s strange illness and strange recovery, and in twos and threes they canvassed the matter together, till very soon this came to Xifeng’s ears. Lady Xing and Lady Wang also found it puzzling. Only the Lady Dowager had a good inkling of the reason.
——杨译本
“从头看去，越看越爱，不顿饭时，已看了好几出了。但觉词句警入，余香满口。一面看了，只管出神，心内还默默记诵。”
"The more she read, the more she liked it, and before very long she had read several acts, She felt the power of the words and their lingering fragrance. Long after she had finished reading. When she had laid down the book and was sitting there rapt and silent, the lines continued to ring on in her head."
——霍译本
“东海缺少白玉床 ，龙王来请金陵王。”
The Dragon King wants a white jade bed，he applies to the Wangs of Jinling，it’s said．
——杨译本
The King of the Ocean goes along ．when he’s short of gold beds，to the Nanking Wang
——霍译本
（编辑：祝兴媛 张晟<实习>）