闭门造车（双语加油站●跟我学）

　　句子：我们开发一种新产品，不能闭门造车，而不顾它的市场。

　　误译：When we develop a new product， we can’t make a cart with the door closed， regardless of its market.

　　正译：When we develop a new product， we can’t just work behind closed

　　解释：with the door closed 指“关着门”的字面意义。to make a cart with the door closed 指“关着门造车”。而“闭门造车”是个比喻，指“主观办事，不顾客观实际”。英语直译为to make/build a cart behind closed doors，最好译为 to work behind closed doors， to divorce oneself from reality。例如： 闭门造车的设计师是不能满足他们的用户的需求的。

　　1) The designers who work behind closed doors can’t meet the needs of their users.

　　2) The designers who divorce themselves from reality can’t meet the needs of their users.

　　但是，to work behind closed doors有“关在房间里工作”的意思，不一定带有贬义。例如：他掐掉办公室的电话线，开始关在房间里工作。 He turned off his office phone line， and started to work behind closed doors.“闭门”有“隐居或不与外界往来”的意思。英语可以译为to shut oneself up。例如：他退休后，闭门过清闲日子。After retirement， he shut himself up， living a quiet and leisurely life.

　　“闭门谢客”可以译为 to shut oneself up， refusing to receive guests。例如：他正在写一部小说，所以他闭门谢客。He is writing a novel， so he shuts himself up， refusing to receive guests.

　　“闭门思过”指“关起门来自我反省”。英语可以译为 to do rethinking behind closed doors， to shut oneself up and ponder over one’s mistakes。例如：他犯了严重错误，正在闭门思过。As he had made serious mistakes， he was doing rethinking behind closed doors.

　　“吃闭门羹”可以译为 to be rejected outside， to be not welcome。例如：他拒不见客，我吃了闭门羹。As he refused to receive guests， I was rejected outside.▲

　　（本栏目供稿：王逢鑫教授）