美丽新世界Brave New World 第1章(7)

 　　He rubbed his hands. For of course, they didn't content themselves with merely hatching out embryos 2: any cow could do that.

　　他搓搓手。因为当然，他们并没有以孵化出胚胎为满足：孵化胚胎是无论哪条母牛都能干的事。
　　"We also predestine and condition. We decant 3 our babies as socialized human beings, as Alphas or Epsilons, as future sewage workers or future …"
　　“我们也预定人的命运，设置人的条件。我们把婴儿换瓶为社会化的人，叫做阿尔法或爱扑塞隆，以后让他们掏阴沟或是……”
　　He was going to say "future World controllers," but correcting himself, said "future Directors of Hatcheries," instead.
　　他原打算说“主宰世界”，却改了口道：“做孵化中心主任。”
　　The D.H.C. acknowledged the compliment with a smile.
　　孵化中心主任笑了笑，接受了赞美。
　　They were passing Metre 320 on Rack 11. A young Beta-Minus mechanic was busy with screw-driver and spanner on the blood-surrogate pump of a passing bottle.
　　他们正从三百二十米处的十一号架前经过。一个年轻的比塔减技术员正忙着用螺丝刀和扳手处理路过的血泵——那是用以泵出瓶里的代血剂的。
　　The hum of the electric motor deepened by fractions of a tone as he turned the nuts.
　　他拧紧了螺丝，马达的嗡嗡声极轻微地加大了。
　　Down, down … A final twist, a glance at the revolution counter, and he was done.
　　往下，往下……拧了最后一下，他看了一下旋转柜台，任务完成。
　　He moved two paces down the line and began the same process on the next pump.
　　他沿着流水线前进了两步，在下一个血泵前重复起了同样的程序。
　　"Reducing the number of revolutions per minute," Mr. Foster explained. "
　　“每分钟旋转数一减少，”福斯特先生解释道，
　　The surrogate goes round slower; therefore passes through the lung at longer intervals 5; therefore gives the embryo 1 less oxygen.
　　“代血剂的循环就减慢了，流经肺部的时间也随之延长，这样，输送给胚胎的氧气就减少了。
　　Nothing like oxygen-shortage for keeping an embryo below par 6." Again he rubbed his hands.
　　要降低胚胎规格没有比减少氧气更好的办法了。”他又搓了搓手。
　　"But why do you want to keep the embryo below par?" asked an ingenuous 7 student.
　　“可你为什么要降低胚胎规格？”一个聪明的学生问道。
　　"Ass 4!" said the Director, breaking a long silence. "
　　“傻孩子！’长时间的沉默，
　　Hasn't it occurred to you that an Epsilon embryo must have an Epsilon environment as well as an Epsilon heredity?"
　　最后，主任才说，“你就没有想到爱扑塞隆胚胎必须有爱扑塞隆环境和爱扑塞隆遗传吗？”
　　It evidently hadn't occurred to him. He was covered with confusion.
　　那学生显然没有想到过，感到惶惑。
　　"The lower the caste," said Mr. Foster, "the shorter the oxygen." The first organ affected 8 was the brain.
　　“种姓越低，”福斯特先生说，“供氧越少。最早受到影响的是头脑，
　　After that the skeleton. At seventy per cent of normal oxygen you got dwarfs 9. At less than seventy eyeless monsters.
　　然后是骨骼。供氧量只达正常量百分之七十就形成侏儒。低于百分之七十就成了没有眼睛的怪胎。”
　　"Who are no use at all," concluded Mr. Foster.
　　“那就完全是废品了。”福斯特先生总结说。
　　Whereas (his voice became confidential 10 and eager), if they could discover a technique for shortening the period of maturation what a triumph, what a benefaction to Society!
　　而同时，他们要是能找到一种缩短成熟期的技术，对社会又是多么大的贡献呀！（他说话时带着机密的口气，而且迫切。）
　　"Consider the horse."
　　“设想一下马吧。”
　　They considered it.
　　他们设想了一下。
　　Mature at six; the elephant at ten. While at thirteen a man is not yet sexually mature; and is only full-grown at twenty.
　　马六年成熟；象十年成熟；而人到十三岁性还没有成熟，等到充分成熟已经二十岁了。
　　Hence, of course, that fruit of delayed development, the human intelligence.
　　当然，发育迟缓的结果是智力发育也迟缓。
　　"But in Epsilons," said Mr. Foster very justly, "we don't need human intelligence."
　　“但我们在爱扑塞隆们身上，”福斯特先生非常公正地说，“并不需要人类的智慧。”
　　Didn't need and didn't get it. But though the Epsilon mind was mature at ten, the Epsilon body was not fit to work till eighteen.
　　“本来就不需要，而且也得不到。但是爱扑塞隆们到十岁时心智就已成熟，而身体呢，不到十八岁却成熟不了。
　　Long years of superfluous 11 and wasted immaturity 12.
　　让非成熟期占去许多年是不必要的，也是浪费。
　　If the physical development could be speeded up till it was as quick, say, as a cow's, what an enormous saving to the Community!
　　如果体力的发展能够加速，比如能够跟母牛一样快，那对社会会是多大的节约呀！”
　　"Enormous!" murmured the students. Mr. Foster's enthusiasm was infectious.
　　“了不起的节约！”学生们喃喃地说。福斯特先生的热情带有传染性。