Fighting in the Forest Beside‘My True Family’

外籍兵团对乌克兰有「家」的感觉

The bullet-scarred pickups raced the sunrise along a rough dirt road wending through a dense pine forest. Multiple languages were spoken by the men inside them — Ukrainian, Brazilian, Colombian, Polish — but few words. It was not a moment for small talk.

弹痕累累的皮卡车在日出时分沿著尘土飞扬的崎岖道路，穿越茂密的针叶林。车里的人说著多种语言，其中有乌克兰人、巴西人、哥伦比亚人和波兰人。但他们很少说话，因为这不是闲聊的时机。

They had come to fight Russians.

他们是来与俄罗斯人作战的。

The trucks barely came to a halt to discharge their passengers before speeding off again. Armed drones might appear overhead at any moment, and so as the men continued on foot, they, too, did so with urgency.

卡车勉强停下来让乘客们下车，又立刻加速行驶。武装无人机随时可能出现在他们的头顶，因此这些人继续以步行前进时，他们也很急促。

The soldiers of the International Legion had arrived.

国际兵团的军人到了。

The path of the soldiers, among thousands of foreign fighters who signed up to help Ukraine after Russia invaded, told a story of war.

俄国入侵后，数以千计外籍战士报名协助乌克兰，他们的路途诉说战争的故事。

The Serebrianka Forest in eastern Ukrainian was badly scarred from months of fighting. Many of the trees and plants that sustained them had been toppled and burned by artillery, mortars and tank fire.

乌东塞雷布良卡森林因数月的战斗伤痕累累。许多树木和支撑它们的植物被大砲、迫击砲和战车火力打倒和烧毁。

As the men walked, they saw bomb craters, some old, others so fresh that a green confetti of shredded leaves lay underfoot. They passed a makeshift cross, two sticks crudely bound together, marking where a Ukrainian soldier had stepped on a mine.

随著一行人持续行走，他们看到炸弹坑；有些是旧的，有些非常新，可以看到脚下铺满像是绿色五彩碎纸的树叶碎屑。他们经过一个临时搭建的十字架，两根棍子简陋的绑在一起，代表一名乌国军人踩到地雷的地方。

Then they were there: the snow-dusted trench line that would be home for their rotation.

然后他们到达目的地：被白雪覆盖的战壕线，将是他们轮值期间的家。

Led by their Ukrainian commander, Tsygan, the International Legion soldiers answered with a barrage of their own, and the incoming and outgoing small-arms fire made for a confused, staccato orchestra.

在他们的乌克兰指挥官齐甘带领下，国际兵团军人用他们的砲火回击俄军，来袭的和还击的轻武器砲火形成一支混乱、断断续续的管弦乐团。

In many respects, the position had a feeling of timelessness.

在许多方面而言，这个状况有种会永久持续下去的感觉。

A network of dugouts and log-covered bunkers was linked together by a crude labyrinth of hand-dug trenches, some strung with camouflage netting. Ahead was nothing but Russian soldiers.

防空网和木材覆盖的掩体，由手工挖掘壕沟形成的简陋迷宫连结，有些还挂著伪装网。前方什么都没有，只有俄军。

Snow, rain, wind and war crumble the trenches and bunkers that help keep soldiers alive in this war. In the lulls between fighting, the soldiers constantly fortify, repair and deepen them.

雪、雨、风和战火，毁坏让军人在这场战争活下来的战壕和掩体。在战斗间的平静时刻，军人不断加强、修复并加深它们。

There are many reasons a foreigner might enlist to fight a war that has nothing to do with him.

让一个外国人入伍参与一场和他无关的战争，有很多原因。

One, of course, is money. The open-ended contracts in Ukraine pay, on average, about $2,500 a month, a tempting sum for some of the men who came there from countries with few good economic opportunities for them.

原因之一当然是钱。乌克兰的无期限合约，平均每月支付2500美元，对于一些来自良好经济机会不多国家的男性而言，这是个诱人的数目。

Yes, the pay is appealing, soldier Konrad 13, but so was feeling a sense of purpose.

军人康拉德13表示，薪酬的确有吸引力，但使命感也是。

It was over an hour before Tsygan cleared his men to venture into the open space separating them from the trenches and a moment of peace.

一个多小时后，齐甘让自己的人马冒险进入将他们与战壕隔开的空地，享受片刻和平。

Before it was time to return to the fight.

在重返战斗的时刻到来之前。

文／Tyler Hicks　译／罗方妤

说文解字看新闻

【张佑生】

美国国会通过610亿美元援助乌克兰款项，让世人目光由加萨转回乌克兰，纽时记者专程去了一趟乌克兰东部，以抒情笔调报导外籍战士的心境。原文并未使用拿钱办事的mercenary一词，所以不迳译为佣兵，合先叙明。所谓「相逢何必曾相识」，导言里面的small talk指的就是跟不熟的人寒暄，话题无关紧要：She was good at making small talk to put guests at their ease.注意是不可数名词。

作者屡屡运用短句，在段落间进行起承转合，控制文章节奏，技法值得观摩。大篇幅写景，也很有视觉感。双方交战砲火零星，像是staccato orchestra。这个字原指音乐的断断续续，或是「断奏」，可延伸至其他方面：She gave staccato replies to every question.在这里意思是「支支吾吾」。

Venture有「明知山有虎，偏向虎山行」的意味，像是硬著头皮上战场。Venture into接某项活动时，指该活动性质对当事人有别以往，存在失败的风险：He enjoyed little success when he ventured into business.