我很爱看中央电视台的“实话实说”节目，名字就好，“实话实说”，多不容易！实话的反面是谎言。“实话实说”有一次话题就是针对谎言的，不过针对的是孩子们的谎言。

嘉宾中有一位是心理研究所的教授，他说，他们从1991年到1994年，在全国7个省13个城市430个家庭进行调查，发现从3岁开始，就有52%的孩子开始说谎了。随着年龄增长，比例越来越高，到9岁时，说过谎话的孩子已经上升到70%！谎言是随着年龄成正比，还是到了一定的年龄段人们便突然纷纷变得诚实起来了呢？从主持人和嘉宾的问答来看，给人的感觉，答案好像是后者，好像成人都不撒谎。因为当嘉宾被问到或自己谈到有无撒谎的经历时，虽然都说有过这样的经历，但都是在小时候有过：一个说是在13到14岁，一个说是在7岁到8岁，一个说是在解放前夕有过撒谎的经历。可是长大成人之后呢？尤其是最近和现在呢？就再也没有说过谎吗？真的是这样吗？

撒谎和利害有关，说谎者总是为趋利避害；如无利害，扯谎作甚？而人在幼小之时，天真无邪，不明利害，当然也就无需撒谎。因此小孩也极易受骗，对大人的话总是深信不疑。有一次乘火车，对座是一位母亲和她的5岁男孩。长途苦旅，我变魔术逗男孩玩耍。我将男孩的帽子摘下，小施手技，作往窗外投掷状。男孩问：“我的帽子呢？”我说：“扔掉了。你吹口气！”男孩就朝我的手吹了口气。不一会儿，帽子又出现在我手中。男孩瞪大眼睛，又惊又喜，高兴得扑到我身边，不由分说地就摘下我的帽子往窗外远远地扔去。这时该轮到我瞪大眼睛了！男孩高兴地说：“叔叔，你吹一口气！”还吹气？我看我的公文包还搁在窗边的小长桌上，我倒吸一口，连忙紧紧按住，并将窗关上。你说，这么天真的小孩，无世故之心，无机变之巧，能撒谎吗？

很爱看：love watching...比like watching...very much简洁。

中央电视台的……节目：“中央电视台的”不必译成of CCTV，也不必译成CCTV's，英语里惯用的表达方式是CCTV programme。

“实话实说”：这个节目的英文名字是Tell It Like It Is，但与“谎言”对照的“实话”只能是truth，因此这里译成To Speak the Truth。

名字就好：这句话的含意是‘且不说别的，这个节目有个好名字’，因此译文除了it has avery good name外，前面还要加上Among other things。

“实话实说”：原文的引号译文里可以不要，因为这里说的不是电视节目“实话实说”，而是说实话这件事。

多不容易：What a difficult thing it is / How difficult it is...!

“实话实说”有一次话题：英语忌讳重复，这里的“实话实说”指电视节目，最好译成in the programme。“有一次话题”的意思是“讨论过的话题之一”，即One of the topics discussed。

针对：汉语里这两个字很自然，译成英语则显得多余。

不过针对的是：从上下文来看，这里按“确切地说”（to be exact）理解更准确。

嘉宾中：“嘉宾”的“嘉”和“贵宾”的“贵”常没有什么实在的意思，只是起凑足两个音节的作用，因此译成the guests即可。

在……家庭进行调查：也就是“调查了……家庭”（conducted a survey of...families）。社会调查或普查性质的调查是survey，追根究底性质的调查是investigation。

年龄增长：As they grew older比As their age increased自然。

孩子：这里指孩子的数目，因此英文得说the number of children。

上升到：reach 或 rise to。

随着年龄成正比：这里的意思是“与年龄成正比增加”（increase in direct proportion to age）。

纷纷：这里可按“全都”理解，译成all。

给人的感觉：这句话“人”是间接宾语，英文却习惯说one got the feeling that，以one作为主语。

后者：这里如果译成字面上对应的the latter，则指代的是前面的Or do people suddenly all become honest when they reach a certain age? 这是问题而不是答案，因此得译成a

"yes" answer to the second question。

好像：It was as if。

被问到或自己谈到：直译were asked or they themselves talked about很别扭，不如多费点笔墨，译成were asked whether they had ever lied or when they themselves talked about it。

有无撒谎的经历：也就是“是否撒过谎”（whether they had ever lied）。

都是：即“毫无例外”（invariably）。

有过：这里的意思是“发生过”（happened），主语可以是lying，也可以是it。

一个……一个……一个：One of them... another... and the third...。汉语在列举两三个同类事物时，惯用同一个指代词，不区分序列；英文则通常区分序列。

在小时候：即“在童年”（in their childhood）。

13到14岁：at the age of 13 or 14或between the age of 13 and 14。

解放：过去通常译成liberation，英语国家更常用的是the Chinese revolution。

前夕：on the eve of...或just before...。

有过撒谎的经历：冗余信息，可以不译。

长大成人：grew up。“成人”也是冗余信息。

就再也没有说过谎吗？：如果着眼点是童年之后（after childhood），这句话得译成过去时；如果着眼点是成年以来（since adulthood），则可以译成现在完成时。

真的是这样吗？：这里的意思实际就是“真的吗？”（Did they really?或Have they really?），不必拘泥于“是这样”这三个字。

利害：advantages and disadvantages“好处和坏处”或 gains and losses“得与失”。

总是为：意思是“动机总是”always motivated by...。

趋利：这里的“趋”可以理解为gain/seek“谋取”。由于谈的是动机，所以最好说the need / desire to gain advantages。

作甚？：为什么？译文why bother...?含有“费心”的意思。

而人在幼小之时：如果译成时间状语 When people are very young，那么主句的主语they 复指的是 people；不如译成话题 As for young children，这样they复指的是 young children。

不明：也就是“意识不到”（unaware of）。

因此：这里应当理解为“因为同一个原因”（For the same reason），而不应该按照字面意思译成therefore。

对……深信不疑：也就是“拿大人的话当真”（take the words of adults very seriously）。

乘火车：即“在火车上”（on a train）。

对座是……：即“……坐在我对面”（sat facing / opposite me）。

长途苦旅：意思是“为了破除长途旅行的单调”（to relieve the monotony of the long journey）。

变魔术：英文与 magic 搭配的动词是 play。

逗……玩耍：entertain。

小施手技：即“耍了一个小把戏”（played a small trick）。

作……投掷状：pretend 后面的 throw 要用完成态。

你吹口气：汉语祈使句带主语的情况比较普遍，英语通常不带，译成Just blow即可。

朝我的手：英语是on my hand。

不一会儿：In an instant / Within seconds。

瞪大眼睛：英文表示吃惊，说 with his eyes popping（眼睛都要瞪出来了）。这里不能译成 with his eyes (wide) open。

高兴得：这三个字不必译，因为前面已经有了“喜”。

扑：这里可以理解为jump。

不由分说地：这里的意思是“不容我解释”（before I was able to explain）。

远远地：即“扔向远方”（into the distance）。

叔叔：按照英语国家习惯，这里的称呼应该是sir。

倒吸一口：完整的表达方式是“倒吸一口凉气”，意思是“突然感到害怕，惊讶”。英语与之对应的是gasp。

连忙：immediately。

紧紧按住：pressed my hand firmly on it。

无世故之心：即“不世故”（being not worldly-wise）。

无机变之巧：即“不会玩聪明把戏”（unable to play clever tricks）。

能：这里的“能”指“有能力”（is capable of），不应译成表示可能的can。

The Lies of Adults

I love watching the CCTV programme "To speak the Truth". Among other things, it has a very good name. What a difficult thing it is to speak the truth! The opposite of truth is lie. One of the topics discussed in the programme was lies, the lies of children, to be exact.

Among the guests on that occasion was a professor from a psychology institute. He said that they had conducted a survey of 430 families in 13 cities of seven provinces from 1991 to 1994 and discovered that 52% of the children began lying from the age of 3. As they grew older, the percentage of children lying got higher. By the age of 9, the number of children who had lied reached 70%. Does lying increase in direct proportion to age? Or do people suddenly all become honest when they reach a certain age? From the questions and answers of the host and the guests,one got the feeling that the correct answer seemed to be a "yes" answer to the second question. It was as if adults never lied, for when the guests were asked whether they had ever lied or when they themselves talked about it, although they all said they had lied, yet the lying invariably happened in their childhood. One of them said it was at the age of 13 or 14, another at 7 or 8, and the third on the eve of the Chinese revolution. But what about after they grew up, especially recently and now? Did they never lie again after childhood? Is that true?

Lying is closely related to advantages and disadvantages, and the liar is always motivated by the need to gain advantages and avoid disadvantages. If there are no advantages or disadvantages, why bother lying? As for young children, they arenaive and innocent, unaware of advantages and disadvantages. Naturally they need not lie. For the same reason, children are easily deceived, for they always take the words of adults very seriously. Once on a train, a mother and her 5-year-oldson sat facing me. To relieve the monotony of the long journey, I played magic to entertain the boy. I took off the boy's cap, played a small trick, and pretended to have thrown the cap out of the window. "Where's my cap?" asked the boy. "I've thrown it away." I said. "Just blow." The boy then blew on my hand. In an instant, the cap reappeared in my hand. The boy, with his eyes popping, was greatly surprised and delighted. He jumped to my side, took off my cap before I was able to explain, and threw it out of the window into the distance. This time it was my turn to be pop-eyed! With great delight, the boy said, "Blow, sir!" Blow? Seeing that my briefcase was still on the small window-side table, I gasped and immediately pressed my hand firmly on it and closed the window. Now you tell me, is such anaive child, being not worldly-wise and unable to play clever tricks, really cap able of lying?