在文学创作中，作者往往根据人物的性格特征和社会属性来设计人物的语言，翻译时译者也应该从这两方面入手，力求揭示原作人物的性格特征，表达人物的语言特色。下面我们从这两方面来剖析《红楼梦》中人物的语言个性并讨论应采取的翻译策略。例如王熙凤在《红楼梦》中代表封建主义的实力派，在全文是一个穿针引线的核心人物，因此在翻译中将凤姐这个人物译活，也是非常非常有必要的。凤姐由于天资聪颖、出自名门，虽然读的书不多，但她的语言却生动活泼、机智幽默，她讲的笑话经常能取悦贾母，逗笑宝玉、黛玉等一群年轻人，要在英文译文中再现她语言的幽默和灵秀之气，也绝非一件容易之事。下面我们将凤姐讲的一段妙趣横生的话的两种英译比较一下，看看哪个译文更能再现凤姐的幽默。

 

原文：到了贾母跟前，凤姐笑道：“我说他们不用人费心，自己就会好的。老祖宗不信，一定叫我去说合。我及至到那里要说合，谁知两个人倒在一处对赔不是了。对笑对诉，倒像‘黄鹰抓住了鹞子的脚，’两个都扣了环了，那里还要人去说合。”说的满屋里都笑起来。 (第三十回）

 

译文a：

“I said don't worry they'll make it up themselves，” announced Xi-feng cheerfully. “Our Old Ancestress didn't believe me，and insisted I go along as peacemaker. I found they'd already asked each other's forgiveness，and were clinging together like an eagle sinking its talons into a hawk. They didn't need any help. ”

This set the whole room laughing.

 

译文b：

“I told you they could be left to themselves to make it up and that there was no need for you to worry，” said Xi-feng to Grandmother Jia when they were all in the old lady's presence； “but you wouldn’t believe me, would you? You insisted on my going there to act the peacemaker. Well，I went there； and what did I find? I found the two of them together apologizing to each other. It was like the kite and the kestrel holding hands； they were positively locked in a clinch ! No need of a peacemaker that I could see! ”

There was a burst of laughter from all present.

 

通过对比以上两段译文，似乎译文b的语言上更好地译出了凤姐风趣幽默的口吻。首先，译文b语言略胜译文a一筹，因为要使凤姐的语言取得幽默的效果，引起满屋子人的哄堂大笑，就要尽量使讲话内容与读者的预期相反，译文b注意到了这一幽默产生的艺术，在英译的语言 上花了一翻功夫，用了“but you wouldn’t believe me，would you?”的反意疑问句和设问句“I went there； and what did I find?”这些句型的使用都强化了凤姐讲话的喜剧效果。另外凤姐还用了一个生动的 比喻，说他俩对笑对诉倒像黄鹰抓住了鹞子脚，两个都扣了环了。在汉语中这个意象表示两者亲密得不可分割，汉语《红楼梦》的注释中指出“扣了环表示鹰鹞爪距相互紧扣，不易掰开”。王熙凤用了这个通俗的比喻，在场人肯定都明白它的含义。因此，个个都哈哈大笑起来。 但是译文a将这个比喻直接译为eagle，将它的爪子落在hawk上，如果英语文化中eagle和hawk的爪子在一起时并不表示掰不开或亲密无间的意思，这个译文就没能传达原文的幽默。当然英文读者也就不好理解为什么听了凤姐的话，满屋子的人会笑起来。而译文b在翻译凤姐这个比喻时，将它译作“It was like the kite and the kestrel holding hands： they were positively locked in a clinch!”，因为译文b的译文强化了比喻中掰不开、亲密无间的意义，有助于英文读者理解凤姐的幽默。