as good as it gets@英汉词典

klwo2 · 发表于 2020-11-17 12:25:34

本帖最后由 klwo2 于 2020-11-17 12:28 编辑

如果有本英汉词典，连 good 都没解释好，读者是不是该直接甩进垃圾堆呢……家长听了会不会气冲冲地去新华书店退货呢……

这样的咄咄怪事，偏偏发生了……

先看正确解释：

Merriam-Webster：

as good as it gets
idiom
informal
1—used to say that nothing better is possible or available

It's not a great restaurant, but in this part of the city, it's as good as it gets.

2—used to say that something is very good and cannot be improved

There's nothing I enjoy more than spending time at home with my family. That's as good as it gets.

第一个意思是「不完美，但是已经很好了，好得不能再好了，知足吧」，第二个意思是「特别好，没法叫它更好了」，这俩意思的落脚点都是「中间偏好」，就比如说100分满分吧，50分以上的70分、80分、90分、100分都能用「as good as it gets」，但是20分绝不能用。

或者也可以换个角度理解，第一个意思，A说这餐馆太烂了，我打49分，B说你可知足吧，我觉得不是49分，是51分，你看看这地段，还挑什么，已经很好了，并不差。落脚点依然是「好」，不是「差」。

麦克米伦高阶：

be as good as it gets informal
1 to be not very good and unlikely to improve 就这样了（不太好，但改进的可能不大）
2 to be extremely good , so that nothing is likely to be better 太完美了

这本正确。但是说实话，表述成「not very good」「不太好」，有的人会犯迷糊，什么「不太好」「有点好」「差不多」「还算好」，自己把自己绕进去了。不如Merriam-Webster的例句清楚明白。

idioms[thefreedictionary.com]：

as good as it gets
As good as is possible; impossible to improve upon. This neighborhood is as good as it gets—why would we ever move?

as ˌgood as it ˈgets used when you are saying that a situation is not going to get any better: The past year has been very special — as good as it gets as far as I’m concerned.

这本正确。表述得没有Merriam-Webster明白。

韦氏高阶：

as good as it gets

informal
1
— used to say that nothing better is possible or available没有更好的了
It's not a great restaurant, but in this part of the city, it's as good as it gets.
这家饭店虽然不是特别好，但在城里这一片，没有比它更好的了。
2
— used to say that something is very good and cannot be improved再好不过了
There's nothing I enjoy more than spending time at home with my family. That's as good as it gets.
没有什么能比和家人一起待在家里更让我快乐的事了。这对我而言再好不过了。

韦氏高阶和韦氏大学完全一样。

————————————————————————————————————————————————————————
朗文6:

64 be as good as it gets

if a situation is as good as it gets, it is not going to improve情况就这样了〔表示不会有好转〕:

Enjoy yourself while you can. This is as good as it gets.你就能享受且享受吧﹐反正事情就这样了。

英文是对的，虽然表述不好。双解版的中文很奇怪，improve的标准对译词不是「改善」「改进」吗，怎么变「好转」了？

牛津高阶8、9：

as ˌgood as it ˈgets
used when you are saying that a situation is not going to get any better （形势）不会有什么好转，还是老样子

也跟着说「好转」，不知道谁教出来的。

「好转」是现代词。近现代汉语辞源：

新华反义词词典：

恶化∷好转
恶化èhuà(动)向坏的方面转化。▷形势～|战局～|环境～|病情持续～|山林气候～|事态继续～|造成水质～|事情完全不会～到你说的那种地步|形势的～已是不可阻挡。
好转hǎozhuǎn(动)向好的方面转变。▷～的样子|国运渐趋～|社会风气～|身体～|事情会～|希望～|病情～一些|经济～了|情形～了一点儿|心情～过来。

「好转」的落脚点有问题，「不会好转」往往暗示「一直坏下去，保持坏的状态」。牛津、朗文的中文都没有抓住「好」的意思。这样的释义，当然无法套用到翻译里去：

Dr. Anthony Fauci, the nation's top infectious disease expert, is hailing new data on Moderna's COVID-19 vaccine candidate as "striking" and "quite impressive."

……

"These are obviously very exciting results," Fauci told CNN on Monday. "It's just as good as it gets — 94.5 percent is truly outstanding."

Fauci 说这个疫苗有效率94.5%，照牛津、朗文的译法，「不会有好转」「还是老样子」「情况就这样了」，根本不通。

正确的理解是「好得不能再好了」，至于94.5%的有效率究竟是第一个意思（不完美知足吧），还是第二个意思（非常完美再好不过了），差别不大。

另外，As Good as It Gets 还是一部电影的名字，译名《尽善尽美》，译名当然不一定跟原名意思完全一致，但至少抓住了「喜剧」这一点。一部爱情喜剧，名叫「不会有好转」「还是老样子」「情况就这样了」，可能吗？

MYsedulous · 发表于 2020-11-25 22:03:10

1.没有改善的希望，至多如此；
2.无可挑剔。

oversky · 发表于 2020-11-17 19:56:57

本帖最后由 oversky 于 2020-11-17 19:59 编辑

https://youtu.be/C31rj-bZ7dA?t=38
"This is as good as it gets. I'll just learn to live with it..."

照牛津、朗文的译法，「不会有好转」「还是老样子」「情况就这样了」

这上下文用牛津、朗文的译法才通。
这要算辞典义项没收齐，不算错误。

klwo2 · 发表于 2020-11-17 20:26:14

oversky 发表于 2020-11-17 19:56
https://youtu.be/C31rj-bZ7dA?t=38
"This is as good as it gets. I'll just learn to live with it..."

不是辞典义项没收齐，因为牛津、朗文的英文释义相当于韦氏的1、2两个。只是牛津朗文没有把情况说得很细罢了。

牛津朗文双解的问题，是译者片面地把「is not going to get any better」「it is not going to improve」理解成了原本很糟，所以搞出「不会有好转」的译文

在你说的这个上下文里面，确实可以翻译成「不会有好转」，但是更准确的说法仍然是「现在这样已经很好了，我还是学着适应吧……」

[词典考据] as good as it gets@英汉词典