翻譯作業：Tiger Son

本篇為混更新用的。（毆）

上學期選修了英文翻譯課（本科的翻譯則為必修囧），真是……該怎麼說呢，我見識到了（地獄的意味）。我知道我的翻譯一直都是很不怎樣的那個等級，但遇到這位老師以後，才知道什麼叫孩子你還是重新投胎去以英語為母語的人家卡實在這樣。

這篇是一個還沒經過小組討論的版本，也就是我個人的粗譯草翻作業，要是就這樣交出去，成績大概會是C-吧。（已經忘了小組討論了的版本長怎樣，不過那成績是B-倒記得很清楚）

這故事還沒完結，全文版本請點此，是個很棒的故事，只是，不當成作業的話應該會更棒。（喂）

Tiger Son

虎子

Once there was an elderly widow, Chen Ma, who lived with her only son inside a forest in the Shanxi Province (山西省). Her son was one of the tiger hunters licensed by the local magistrate, following the same profession of his father and grandfather before him. His share of the profits from the sale of tiger skins, meat and bones was sufficient to keep the small mud hut well provisioned for himself and his old mother.

從前，有位名叫陳滿的老寡婦，與獨生子一起住在山西省的森林裡。她的兒子跟隨著父執輩的職業，成為了一名官方許可的獵虎者。出售虎皮是他的部份收入來源，虎肉與骨頭則足夠供應這簡陋小屋內的兩人食用。

     All was well until a particularly bitter winter. During a snowstorm, Chen Ma's son was separated from his fellow hunters and became food for a hungry tigress.

好景不常，一場特別地嚴寒刺骨的冬天來臨。在暴風雪中，陳滿的兒子跟他的獵人同伴走散了，成為飢餓母老虎的食物。

     After her initial shock and grief subsided, Chen Ma took stock of her own utterly desperate situation -- an old woman left all alone. She went and implored the magistrate to provide her with compensation for the loss of her son, who was her only source of support. The magistrate decreed that henceforth, she would have a small share of profits from the kill of each tiger by the hunters. Needless to say, his decision was not taken well by the hunters, who had plenty of mouths of their own to feed -- both old and young.

最初的震撼和悲慟稍事平息後，陳滿判斷自己處於非常絕望的情況——一個獨自生活的老婦人。失去了唯一的扶養者後，她去向地方行政官員請求失去兒子的撫卹金與補償費。地方行政官員便下令，從今以後，獵人們每殺了一頭老虎，她都能得到些微的益處。不用說，獵人們對他的命令很不滿，他們自己也有許多張嗷嗷待哺的嘴得餵飽——有老有少。

     So, when the hunters succeeded in killing the tigress that ate Chen Ma's son, they decided not to give her a share of the profits. Instead, they brought her the tigress' newborn cub. He was a small quivery ball of golden fur with wobbly legs and toothless gums. The rope they tied around his neck was so tight that it was practically choking him. Instantly, Chen Ma's heart went out to this helpless creature, whose jade-green eyes were glistening with tears.

因此，當獵人們成功的殺了那頭吃掉陳滿的兒子的母虎後，他們決定不給她任何好處。卻給她帶來了那頭母虎的新生幼虎。牠是個發著抖的金黃色小毛球，不僅四肢站不穩，牙齦上也還沒長出任何獸齒。他們用來繞住牠脖子的繩索綁得太緊了，幾乎令牠窒息。那雙翠綠色的眼睛閃著淚水，陳滿馬上對這頭無助的動物心生憐憫。

After the hunters left, the tiger cub wobbled to where Chen Ma sat and lay at her feet. She bent down to rub his ears and he licked her shoes with his soft tongue.

獵人們離開後，這頭幼虎搖搖晃晃的走向陳滿，並躺在她的腳邊。她彎下身去撫摸牠的耳朵，而牠虛弱地用舌頭舔拭著她的鞋。