第27届韩素音青年翻译比赛汉译英优秀奖的译文
这是本人参加第二十七届韩素音青年翻译比赛汉译英优秀奖的译文。鉴于许多译友请求把获奖译文分享下，在此，把三大段落译文贴上，其他几段就不贴了。
传统村落是指拥有物质形态和非物质形态文化遗产，具有较高的历史、文化、科学、艺术、社会、经济价值的村落。但近年来，随着城镇化快速推进，以传统村落为代表的传统文化正在淡化，乃至消失。对传统村落历史建筑进行保护性抢救，并对传统街巷和周边环境进行整治，可防止传统村落无人化、空心化。
“Traditional villages” refer to those with tangible and intangible cultural heritages and of high historic, cultural, scientific, artistic, social and economic value. But in recent years, traditional cultures represented by traditional villages have been fading away or even dying out with rapid urbanization. In order to prevent those villages from being uninhabited or hollowed out, we must protect historic buildings at risk there, restore the old streets and lanes, and renovate their surroundings.
古村落与其说是老建筑，倒不如说是一座座承载了历史变迁的活建筑文化遗产，任凭世事变迁，斗转星移，古村落依然岿然不动，用无比顽强的生命力向人们诉说着村落的沧桑变迁，尽管曾经酷暑寒冬，风雪雨霜，但是古老的身躯依然支撑着生命的张力，和生生不息的人并肩生存，从这点上说，沧桑的古村落也是一种无形的精神安慰。在城市进入现代化的今天，对待古村落的态度也就是我们对待文化的态度。一座古村落的被改造或者消失，也许很多人没有感觉出丢了什么，但是，历史遗产少了一座古老的古村落，就少了些历史文化痕迹，就少了对历史文化的触摸感，也就很容易遗忘历史，遗忘了历史，很难谈文化延承，同时失去的还有附加在古村落上的文化魂灵。看一个地方有没有文化底蕴，有没有文化割裂感，不仅要看辉煌灿烂的文物遗留，还可以从一座座古村落上感受出来，从古村落高大的厅堂、精致的雕饰、上等的用材，古朴浑厚、巧夺天工的建筑造型上感受出来。
Ancient villages are not so much old buildings as living architectural heritages invested with historical changes. Despite all the changes over a long elapse of time, they stand erect and unshakable, telling about their vicissitudes with tenacious vitality; in spite of the dog days of summer and the dead of winter coupled with rain and snow, these old structures can still sustain the tension of life, subsisting side by side with everlasting mankind. Thus, ancient villages act as an invisible spiritual comfort for people. In a time when cities have entered modernization, how we treat ancient villages shows our attitude towards culture. Many people may feel nothing lost when an ancient village is transformed or vanishes, but with the vanishing of an ancient village comes the disappearing of some historical and cultural vestiges which in turn results in the less touch of historical culture. As a consequence, history can be easily forgotten, let alone carry forward cultures; and at the same time what we lose is the cultural soul attached to ancient villages. Whether there are cultural deposits or separation in a certain place, not only should we look at its brilliant cultural relics, but we can also feel it from the lofty halls, exquisite carvings and decorations, classic timber as well as primitive architectural styles of wonderful workmanship in its ancient villages.
台湾作家龙应台曾写过一篇和大树保护有关的文章：一条计划中的道路要穿过一位老人家门口，要砍倒一株老樟树。树小的时候，老人家还是孩子；现在，她人老了，树也大了。如果树能留下，老太太愿意把自己的一部分房子捐出来，经过协调，工程部门同意留树。龙应台感慨道:“人们承认了：树，才是一个地方里真正的原住民，驱赶原住民，你是要三思而行的；不得不挪动时，你是要深刻道歉的。”对于古村落，不得不改造和推倒时，同样需要三思而行。
Long Yingtai, a Taiwan writer, once in an article about tree protection wrote: a road is to be built in front of an old woman’s house, so an old camphor tree has to be cut down. The old woman was a kid when the tree was small. Now the woman turns old as the tree has grown tall. She is willing to donate part of her house if the tree can be retained. After coordination, the engineering department meets her request. “It is admitted that trees are the ‘true aborigines’ in a place,” Long sighed. “We should think twice before driving away a ‘native’; we need to offer a deep apology if a tree has to be removed.” The same attitude should be held towards ancient villages when we have to renovate or demolish them.
