荐文 | 耶伦访华，CNN笔下的“见手青外交”

昨天，CNN发了一篇关于耶伦访华的文章，不谈政治，只聊云南菜。罕见的非常正面。

文章先是讲述耶伦一行人下飞机后的第一顿饭（first post-flight meal）都点了什么菜，接着被网友发现，冲上热搜，意外带火了“见手青”。接着文章用大量篇幅介绍了见手青：

Jian shou qing, which translates literally as “see hand blue,” gets its Chinese name from one of its defining characteristics – the inner surfaces of the mushrooms bruise and turn blue when you apply pressure on them, including during the slicing process.

Defining characteristics, 独特特征，也可以用来形容人：The courage to take risks is often a defining characteristic of great leaders.

当我们说某事物是defining时，意味着它是该事物的一个重要特征或决定性的因素。这个词也可以用来形容某个事件、经历或时刻对一个人或事物的重大影响或决定性作用。

比如，我们写某项发明深刻改变了后来的人类历史：The discovery/invention of electricity/Internet was a defining moment in human history.

和见手青一起受外媒关注的还有云南名菜过桥米线：

Perhaps the most popular dish to come out of the province is Yunnan Guoqiaomixian (translated as “crossing-the-bridge rice noodles”).

CNN这篇文章在提到过桥米线之后，紧接着就解释了这道菜名的由来：

Why the name? Legend has it that cross-the-bridge rice noodles were invented many years ago by a loving wife. Her husband studied on an island, so the wife would travel across a bridge to deliver him his daily lunches.

从见手青和过桥米线的译法，我们或许可以窥见一些带有历史文化属性的名菜或食材的翻译规律。

事实上，北京市政府外事办曾出版《美食译苑——中文菜单英文译法》，里面一共规范了3102个中西餐饮食名称，其中包括2158个中餐，并向北京市各大餐馆推广。在这份译法规范中，明确指出：

“体现中国餐饮文化，使用汉语拼音命名或音译的翻译原则。”

“如果中文菜肴名称无法体现其做法及主配料的，使用汉语拼音，并在后标注英文注释。”

再举几个类似的名菜译法作为例子：佛跳墙 Fotiaoqiang (Steamed Abalone with Shark’s Fin and Fish Maw in Broth)

驴打滚儿 Lǘdagunr (Glutinous Rice Rolls Stuffed with Red Bean Paste)

咕噜肉 Gulaorou (Sweet and Sour Pork)

文章最后一段还肯定了云南美食对于推动中国两国关系的意义：

So say what you like about whether Yellen’s Beijing visit had any impact on relations between the world’s two biggest economies. When it comes to Chinese cuisine, it’s clear the treasury secretary’s team made all the right moves.

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