From the author of HAMILTON...
“To ensure that he won, he submitted to games only where he could dictate the rules.”
―from TITAN: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. by Ron Chernow
―from TITAN: The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr. by Ron Chernow
John D. Rockefeller, Sr.--history's first billionaire and the patriarch of America's most famous dynasty--is an icon whose true nature has eluded three generations of historians. TITAN is the first full-length biography based on unrestricted access to Rockefeller's exceptionally rich trove of papers. A landmark publication full of startling revelations, the book will indelibly alter our image of this most enigmatic capitalist. Born the son of a flamboyant, bigamous snake-oil salesman and a pious, straitlaced mother, Rockefeller rose from rustic origins to become the world's richest man by creating America's most powerful and feared monopoly, Standard Oil. Branded "the Octopus" by legions of muckrakers, the trust refined and marketed nearly 90 percent of the oil produced in America. Rockefeller was likely the most controversial businessman in our nation's history. Critics charged that his empire was built on unscrupulous tactics: grand-scale collusion with the railroads, predatory pricing, industrial espionage, and wholesale bribery of political officials. The titan spent more than thirty years dodging investigations until Teddy Roosevelt and his trustbusters embarked on a marathon crusade to bring Standard Oil to bay. While providing abundant new evidence of Rockefeller's misdeeds, Chernow discards the stereotype of the cold-blooded monster to sketch an unforgettably human portrait of a quirky, eccentric original. A devout Baptist and temperance advocate, Rockefeller gave money more generously--his chosen philanthropies included the Rockefeller Foundation, the University of Chicago, and what is today Rockefeller University--than anyone before him. Titan presents a finely nuanced portrait of a fascinating, complex man, synthesizing his public and private lives and disclosing numerous family scandals, tragedies, and misfortunes that have never before come to light. John D. Rockefeller's story captures a pivotal moment in American history, documenting the dramatic post-Civil War shift from small business to the rise of giant corporations that irrevocably transformed the nation. READ an excerpt here:http://knopfdoubleday.com/book/26804/titan/
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/features/transcript/rockefellers-transcript/
朗契諾 （Ron Chernow）著 《洛克斐勒》黃裕美，樂為良譯， 台北：商周出版 ，2000
原書"Titan:The Life of John D. Rockefeller, Sr." By RON CHERNOW Random House 1998
這 本書"font-weight: bold;"紐約時報選為"編輯選的年度10大好書"書評說This book is a triumph of the art of biography. Unflaggingly interesting, it brings John D. Rockefeller Sr. (1839-1937) to life through sustained narrative portraiture of the large-scale, 19th-century kind.
我的原著只對照第一章。
有文本 它很重要 因為該報的書評引用甚多…..) 我們的"商周出版社"願意花大錢和大力氣弄這種好書。 不過網路上用幾十個字就敷衍了事， 此為組織之病乎。
整體說，翻譯得不錯，值得褒揚。不過翻譯的細節問題總是說不完，現在指出些缺點。沒索引；協調問題 ，譬如說，Finger Lakes在.27頁為"仙指湖"，書後卻為"仙指湖區"。第三頁「睡空( Sleepy Hollow) 」其實Hollow是指"小山谷"。
幾個慣用語翻譯不精確，譬如說：
The Nancy Brown affair wasn't the only indignity visited upon Eliza, for she was often abandoned by Bill during her three cheerless years in Richford. He remained a restless and defiant individualist who preferred life beyond the pale of society.
黑體字的中文翻譯為：「寧可在暗淡的社會階層討生活」其實beyond the pale 指的是形為無法讓世人接受（If someone's behaviour is beyond the pale, it is unacceptable）。
另一例：
The next morning, when they invited him to church, Big Bill had to resort to some fancy footwork, for he always shied away from crowds where somebody might recognize him and expose his imposture
這裡的footwork，或許是一雙關語（pun），而不只是footwork
(球類、拳擊、舞蹈等的)步法,腳步動作,腳下功夫;(新聞記者的)奔波採訪。the way in which the feet are used in sports or dancing, especially when it is skilful
某一翻譯者對peregrination一字（a long journey in which you travel to various different places, especially on foot），喜用「出外冶遊來」來表示。不過，它原沒有中文的意思—這是他父親的一神秘處，不宜讓讀者有其他"道德影射"。「冶遊」的解釋為：少女春遊。樂府詩集˙卷四十四˙清商曲辭一˙無名氏˙子夜四時歌˙春歌二十首之九： 冶遊步春露，豔覓同心郎。
狎妓。唐˙李商隱˙蝶詩三首之三： 見我佯羞頻照影，不知身屬冶遊郎。
另一比較重要的一慣用語為幽~用語be conspicuous by your absence：刻意的缺席或不聞問（MAINLY HUMOROUS to be absent when you should be present, in a way that other people notice: ）書中的原文為
In this period of Eliza's marriage, Mr. Davison is conspicuous by his absence, leaving one to wonder whether he had temporarily washed his hands of his disobedient daughter or whether, cowed by guilt and embarrassment, she had hidden her troubles from him.
希望讀者試在首章中找出中文。
其他的問題（抽樣）：
第570頁：「學生們都暱稱他『小妞』（Popsy）….」hc認為它是托兒所用語，意思為「小親親、心肝寶貝」等等。
第572頁：「理念」似應為「新想法」。
第585頁：「怠無疑義」應「殆無疑義」。
第585頁：「基金會總代理」相當奇怪。
第594頁：「美加兩地」為兩國。
第679頁：「循環年（the Circling Year的翻譯有點奇怪，不知真意）的【美日】靜思」才對。
第779頁：「搶錢貴族」前文已指出錯誤。
附錄：推荐文討論：Simon U 謝謝廖月娟女士的下文貢獻……
*****
hc:余玉照洛克斐勒家族的信條
這篇很有參考價值。不過，我對下兩小段的翻譯有點問題，請comment。
They point the way to usefulness and happiness in life, to courage and peace in death.
這些信條指示我們一條活得快樂有用、死得勇敢安詳的道路。
These are the principles, however formulated, for which all good men and women throughout the world, irrespective of race or creed, education, social position, or occupation, are standing, and for which many of them are suffering and dying.
不管如何陳述，這些就是全世界所有善良的男女，不分種族、信仰、教育、地位或職業，所共同支持的原則，為了這些原則，他們當中許多人正在熬受苦難或死亡。
They point the way to usefulness and happiness in life, to courage and peace in death.
這些信條指示我們一條活得快樂有用、死得勇敢安詳的道路。
----
Comment：不算大錯，可再琢磨。
我的解讀：
1) courage和peace in death是兩回事。
2) usefulness除了「有用」、「實用」，也可做「精采」。
The American Heritage Book of English Usage. 1996
...the term stands as a highly successful language reform—probably because people value its usefulness. As a courtesy title, Ms. serves exactly the same function as...
改譯：
這些信條指引我們如何活得精采、活得快樂，如何生出勇氣，且如何安詳地離開人世。
These are the principles, however formulated, for which all good men and
women throughout the world, irrespective of race or creed, education, social
position, or occupation, are standing, and for which many of them are
suffering and dying.
不管如何陳述，這些就是全世界所有善良的男女，不分種族、信仰、教育、地位或職業，所共同支持的原則，為了這些原則，他們當中許多人正在熬受苦難或死亡。
改譯：
不管這些原則是怎麼來的，這些就是全世界所有善良的男女，不分種族、信仰、教育、地位或職業，共同堅守的原則，為了這些原則，他們當中有許多人飽受苦難煎熬，甚至為之獻出生命。
一點淺見，敬請參考。
月娟