翻译这篇文字时，感到最困扰的是代词。 有的代词所指虽很清楚，但在中文篇章中直译成“这个”，“那个”时，又让读者摸不着头脑。比如,开始的两句话： “There are few things which strike us with more surprise, when we review the course taken by opinion in the last century, than the suddenness with which belief in witchcraft and demoniacal possession came to an end. This has been often remarked upon, but I am not…” 很明显，第二句开始的“this”指代的是前文的“the suddenness”。有些译者把第二句译作“这事常常被提及”，或者，“这种情况经常被讨论”。可是，“这事”指的是巫术信仰的消亡呢，还是巫术信仰消亡的迅速呢，还是人们对巫术失去信仰这个转变呢？所以，这个地方还是把代词的所指点出来比较好。我是这样翻译的：“回顾上世纪民众观念之转变，最令人吃惊的，莫过于大众一夜之间便抛弃了巫术﹑中邪之类说词。这个巨变常被人提起…” 除了上面这种情况，有的代词更让人困惑：“this”究竟指代什么？比如，接下来的第2,3句： “This has been often remarked upon, but I am not acquainted with any record of the fact as it appeared to those …, nor have I seen any contemporary explanation of the reasons which led to the apparently sudden overthrow of a belief which …. As a parallel to this, though in respect of the rapid spread of an opinion, and not its decadence, it is probable that those of our descendants who take an interest in ourselves will note the suddenness with which the theory of evolution… came into popularity …among educated people.” “As a parallel to this.” To what? 琢磨了半天，我想，得先解决“parallel”。字面意思是“平行”，这里应该是指两种情况的对应：从语法上讲，this该是指前文的“the apparently sudden overthrow”，也就是后面的“decadence”。这样的话，与它对应的就该是“the rapid spread of an opinion”,即，旧的巫术信仰的土崩瓦解，对应于新的进化论观念的异军突起。除了这组对应，还有一组：我们惊讶于旧观念这么快消亡；我们的后人也会惊讶于新观念这么快流行。 理清条理之后，接下来我要考虑怎么表达。直译肯定不行。想来想去，要不这样吧：“伴随着一个观念的消亡，是另一个观念的崛起。我们的后代，如果也对我们感兴趣的话，一定会…”。不知道有没有把两组对应说清楚。 我想，有的译者此处会和我有不同的理解。不过，我是这么想的：有的作品读者很难做到百分百理解，只能无限接近。也许，塞缪尔﹒巴特勒的《潜意识记忆》就是这样的吧。 下面是几位入选译者的译稿，请多多指教！

我刚才尝试独立翻译了一下。贴在这儿供产考。 Chapter I Introduction—General ignorance on the subject of evolution at the time the “Origin of Species” was published in 1859. There are few things which strike us with more surprise, when we review the course taken by opinion in the last century, than the suddenness with which belief in witchcraft and demoniacal possession came to an end. This has been often remarked upon, but I am not acquainted with any record of the fact as it appeared to those under whose eyes the change was taking place, nor have I seen any contemporary explanation of the reasons which led to the apparently sudden overthrow of a belief which had seemed hitherto to be deeply rooted in the minds of almost all men. As a parallel to this, though in respect of the rapid spread of an opinion, and not its decadence, it is probable that those of our descendants who take an interest in ourselves will note the suddenness with which the theory of evolution, from having been generally ridiculed during a period of over a hundred years, came into popularity and almost universal acceptance among educated people. 第一章 简介 1859年《物种起源》一书发表时人们对物种演化问题的无知 回顾上个世纪观念形成的过程，有几件事情给我们的印象特别深刻，相比之下，人们对于巫术和邪魅附体的抛弃已经不值一提了。这种事情大家都时常谈论，但是我对于已有的事实并不是很清楚，就只知道当时变化就在那些人的眼皮底下发生了，而且我也没有见到那时代的人有任何对于那些原因的解释，这些原因造成了对人们已经根深蒂固的信仰的突然性颠覆。与此类似，尽管这里是谈及观念的快速传播，而不是没落，那些对我们感兴趣的后人可能会注意到进化论从100多年的被嘲笑，突然之间得到了普及，并几乎一致地被受过教育的人接受了。

parallel的前者是指“我”对旧观念何以说崩溃就崩溃了感到无法理解；后者指后人对新观念的突然被接受和流行将会不理解。里面是意群上的对比。 而且我翻译之前对他们几个的粗略描了一眼，当时觉得翻译得非常好，直到自己的这段出炉了，才知道细节其实很重要。但我的是逐个字死抠的，我都养成这个习惯了。所以我估计自己翻译起来会很慢的。

上面我有一处马虎了，错看了一个a few。所以第一句应纠正为“回顾上个世纪观念形成的过程，很少有什么事情给我们的印象之深刻能超越对于巫术和邪魅附体的抛弃。”