Postcard from the Moon

"August 11, 1999,
Totale Sonnenfinsternis uber munchen, Deutschland
Dear,

A year ago over this date lots of great things happened. A year ago, this day, something special happened at the light of a shining moon over a beach with Chinese fireworks.

Today a year later I have seen something spectacular that has made me remember and think on for you where on that moon, the same moon we were recarding(?) at the beach that night.

I have to recognize that I am on a permanet eclipse at the time of communicating with you. Maybe beause I have not enough faith and strong feeling about our relationship and is eclipsing our friendship because I never finish the letters I start to you. Today, I could because of the date but I wish this from now on this eclipse would end and the sun and moon would rise again on the sky.

Have a big kiss."

This is the last piece of proof for that splendid summer. He was at that time studying tourism management at University of Madrid. A Leo who really loved travel-- as much as an adventure in Iran during Iran-Iraq war. He called me from a local operation center and said it was actually quiet and safe.

Then he once sent me another post card when I was studying in US. My dorm was on Maple street, and his last name (in Spanish) is Arce. We recorded so many shared coincidence but just let loose the connection. We chose to.

This is simply how a good summer love story should feel like. Now I can get that postcard away.

炸牡蠣與我

這是某本書的第一篇：「自己是什麼（或美味的炸牡蠣吃法）」。那作家的名字像夜光貼紙一樣自有格調，反正知之者知之。

這禮拜接了一個小案子。某技職大學網站簡介中翻英，誰叫客戶電話來時我心裡也在想找案子，就報價接了。文中無非就是替學生擘畫「實現夢想」「找到未來之路」的光景。我很自然地感到心虛卻當然也還是翻得出來，雖說我懷疑那這是要給誰看。

早點完稿早點遺忘不就舒爽了，忍耐一下就過去了。想太多也許是我的毛病。

我好像自從甲狀腺開刀以後，對於什麼要忍為什麼要忍感到很厭煩。那其實算是小的刀，但是全身麻醉甦醒，感覺到喉嚨被挖了一個縫起來的洞還是很不舒服。忍不住哭起來，因為我覺得那洞好深，快掉下去了。

我希望即便是工作，總是要開心、或至少有點什麼意義，可以說服自己不是在浪費時間。不然就是機械般地挖洞而已不是嗎，而且挖這個洞鋪這條路還不一定會有人走過。即使有相當的稿費，那些不安、不快、煩躁，經歷過就會留下痕跡。Garbage in, garbage out, 話是如此，但也是會弄髒垃圾袋、得洗手的。

有這樣的感想，一方面也是因為最近翻了半本書。翻書相較於文件稿，稿酬差很多，但是書的流通、面向的讀者，跟文件翻譯很不相同。翻書過程中總得推敲、玩味，即便會多花些時間，大體上是愉快的。協助作者把他花了這些篇幅、這些努力想傳達的訊息傳遞出去，他有邏輯、有堆砌、有光有熱，像織了一件七彩斑斕的毛衣，譯者也只好拿著磅針勾勒一樣的圖案，即使略有差異，起碼美感要是相同的，或者一樣保暖。

一本書裡只要有一句話可以給讀者帶來啟發、產生轉變，就有了價值：例如炸牡蠣、限定的幸福，以及森林深處有人還在戰鬥著。