【關於相似字、同類字－－以「烤」為例】#翻譯工作心得
最近正在翻譯一本飲食相關的書，書中出現許多有關「烤」的動詞，主要出現的有：bake、toast、roast、grill和broil。這些字都不會太難，但是究竟有何差別呢？每個字會存在，必定是與其他詞彙有相異點。這篇就來帶大家認識這五個動詞，並談談翻譯時所使用的策略。
要正確認識相似字，除了查字典外（而且一定要是英英字典），個人還會利用「語料庫」。語料庫簡單來說，就是一種蒐集某一語言的資料，有點類似語言的搜尋引擎，只要輸入某一字詞，就會出現該字曾經使用於某些文本中的真實語境。這些文本通常是具有權威性的報章雜誌期刊，像是紐約時報。透過語料庫的搜尋結果，可以知道某個字通常是怎麼使用在現實生活中的。
首先，讓我們來看看這五個動詞在著名的韋氏英英字典中個別的意思（例句取自奇摩字典）：
bake - to make (food, such as bread and cake) by preparing a dough, batter, etc., and cooking it in an oven using dry heat
EX: We bake bread and cake in an oven.
toast - to make (as bread) crisp, hot, and brown by heat
EX: She toasted bread for breakfast.
roast - to cook (food such as chicken, potatoes, or beef) with dry heat in an oven or over a fire
EX: He roasted a chicken for dinner.
grill - to cook (food) on a metal frame over fire
EX: Grill the burgers for eight minutes each side.
broil - to cook by direct exposure to radiant heat
EX: They broiled a turkey over charcoal.
接著，試著用知名語料庫COCA (Corpus of Contemporary American English) 搜尋這些動詞，並各舉出搜尋結果的三個例子：
bake -
1. Grate fresh ginger (dried may not be as potent) into stir-fries or even bake it into cookies.
2. Defrost frozen spinach in a casserole dish, top with shredded Parmesan, and bake at 350 degrees until the top is golden brown.
3. Bake peppers until breadcrumbs are golden, about 10 minutes.
toast -
1. Brush baguette slices on both sides with olive oil; toast bread until golden, then flip and repeat.
2. Toast the bread until golden.
3. HEAT oil in small nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add mustard seeds, curry powder, and cumin. Toast, stirring, until fragrant, about 2 minutes.
roast -
1. Roast peppers directly under broiler or over an open flame, turning frequently until blistered and blackened on all sides, 6 to 8 minutes.
2. Roast until bacon is crisp, 15 to 20 minutes, stirring halfway through to break up any clumps.
3. Roast chicken until skin is golden brown and an instant-read thermometer reaches 167F when inserted into thickest part of thigh, 50 to 60 minutes.
grill -
1. Brush one side of each pizza with 1 tablespoon olive oil, season with salt and pepper, and grill with oiled side facedown on grates for 9 minutes.
2. That's why I grill lamb, usually a butterflied leg.
3. Grill or broil the meat 6 to 7 minutes, and then freeze the cooked beef for 5 minutes so you can slice it thinly with ease.
broil -
1. Arrange the sliced meat on a baking sheet, top with the vegetables, and add a few thin shavings of Gruyere cheese on top. Broil 1 minute.
2. Season fish with salt and pepper. Arrange in single layer on sheet pan lined with nonstick foil. Broil until cooked through, about 6 minutes.
3. Slice zucchini lengthwise into 1/8 " -to 1/4 " -thick slices with mandoline or sharp knife. Working in batches, arrange slices in single layer on prepared pans and coat tops with spray. Broil 6 " from heat until golden, 5 minutes.
最後，參考「母語人士」的說法，也是很可靠的。以下說法來自某位網友，當然，這只是其中一個我找到的：
bake - In the case of cakes or casseroles the food fills the pan so that you get even cooking but the food does not dry out. Also used as a general term for cooking almost anything in the oven.
toast - Generally the heat is both top and bottom (or side to side in a toaster) and it is a dry cooking method with a food that has little moisture, bread for example.
roast - Higher temperature with the intent to caramelize the outer portion of the food to bring out flavor. An example of this would be roasting a piece of meat, or vegetables. The pan is large enough to allow heat to reach most sides of the food that is being cooked.
grill - The heat comes from the bottom to cook the food.
broil - The heat comes from the top to cook the food.
綜合以上，可以發現這五個動詞在「處理食材」、「烹調時間」、「使用器具」等面向差異甚大，歸納如下：
bake - 食材通常是麵糰，用來烤麵包、糕點、餅乾等，但也可以指魚肉、燉菜、馬鈴薯等多種食物；烹調時間長；使用器具為烤箱。
toast - 食材通常是水份極少的麵包（如法國長棍麵包、吐司）；烹調時間通常較短；使用器具基本上為烤麵包機；此外，這個動詞最終目的是將食材烤至金黃、酥脆。
roast - 食材通常是雞、豬、牛等，以一大塊肉或整隻動物的形式，也可指馬鈴薯、花生、栗子、咖啡豆、堅果類包覆在鋁箔中；烹調時間較長、溫度較高；使用器具為烤箱或炭火；若指肉類，最終目的是將食材烤至金黃、酥脆。
grill - 食材不拘；烹調時間較broil長；使用器具為烤箱或烤架，尤其是指放於鐵網上烤；熱源來自下方。
broil - 食材不拘；烹調時間很短；使用器具為烤箱，需先預熱；熱源來自上方，溫度極高，十分接近食材，以快速烤熟食物為目的，烤箱門通常打開來烤。
就算了解這些動詞的差別，中文不都是「烤」嗎？那麼譯者該如何處理呢？
我的想法是：若上下文已經點出「處理食材」、「烹調時間」、「使用器具」等區別這些動詞的面向，使讀者一看前後文就知道這道食譜要用哪一種方式烤，這個時候可以直接翻成「烤」就好，多加解釋反而累贅。
另外，可在「烤」字前面加上輔助字，描述烤的方式。例如：bake譯成「烘烤」、roast為「火烤」、grill為「燒烤」、broil為「炙烤」等。
如果以上兩種方式都不適用，且非得確實點明烤的方式、否則影響文意時，再多做解釋、區分差異。
oven roasted 中文 在 英語易混淆字~ bake / grill / roast / toast (烤的方式很不同) 的推薦與評價
The chocolate cake was baked in the oven too long, so it was a little dry. 這個巧克力蛋糕在烤箱烤太久，所以有點乾了。 【grill】. ... <看更多>