在纽约生活两年的卢瑟表示：downtown还真的是下城区的意思，因为纽约的地铁，以北为上，以南为下，同样是J车，看方向的时候，就是看上下的。如果真要翻译得信达雅的话，那downtown可以翻译为南城区，但实话说，还不如下城区。

引用:

原帖由 alfredo 于 2012-7-18 23:58 发表
posted by wap, platform: Nokia

兄弟你真在美国呆过？没听过去downtown找girl？

我经常去唐人街买些腐乳、咸蛋、腊肠什么的改善下饮食，在纽约，这些腌制过的东西，经常被卫生部特搜，然后就突然不让卖了。

哦哦，另外，唐人街就在曼哈顿的downtown，估计纽约市的市政府就在曼哈顿的downtown（唐人街 canel st）的旁边，所以被国内很多教材翻译为市中心了。

反正其他国家不敢说，在美国境内，包括纽约、芝加哥、波士顿等大城市，downtown uptown都是用来表示南北的意思，与是否市中心没毛线关系。

引用:

原帖由 ledmh 于 2012-7-19 17:53 发表
对于纽约来说，翻成下城区完全没问题。纽约最早是从曼哈顿岛南部发展起来的，由于曼哈顿岛是南北狭长的，所以城市只能朝北方发展。从地图上看，北边 就是上，所以称呼为uptown，南边就是下，自然就叫downtown。

但 ...

对，这个说法非常合理，所以，LZ所说的人家翻译downtown是下城区，还是要具体看语境，我不是说downtown一定不是市中心的意思，以上几位不要激动，我说的是，在美国几个大城市，说downtown，经常表示还真不是市中心的意思，而是表示下城区的意思，所以，UCG那个翻译，还是要看具体语境，如果是在纽约、波士顿这些地方，人家翻成下城区，还真没错。

引用:

原帖由 aeolusyi 于 2012-7-19 15:24 发表


如果照上下城区来解释的话，那WESTLIFE那首UPTOWN GIRL的意思得扭曲到哪去了

westlife的uptown girl还正正说的是上下城区的意思。如果这首歌里的downtown是市中心的话，那uptown是什么意思？那才扭曲了？乡下妹？

uptown是中央公园附近的富人区，比较安静，附近主要就是公寓、公园、博物馆。具体可以参见gossip girl里面一天到晚说的upper eastside. 这里就是说uptown的中央公园以东的部分，特别富裕的人居住的地方。所以我觉得uptown girl那歌就是一个downtown的屌丝去追uptown的白富美的歌。

具体可以仔细读读uptown girl的歌词

Uptown girl
She’s been living in her uptown world
I bet she never had a back street guy
I bet her mama never told her why
I’m gonna try for an uptown girl
She’s been living in her white bread world
As long as anyone with hot blood can
And now she’s looking for a downtown man
That’s what I am
And when she knows what She wants from her time
And when she wakes up And makes up her mind
She’ll see I’m not so tough Just because
I’m in love with an uptown girl
You know I’ve seen her in her uptown world
She’s getting tired of her high class toys
And all her presents from her uptown boys
She’s got a choice
oh! oh! oh! oh! oh! oh! oh! oh!
oh! oh! oh! oh! oh! oh! oh! oh!
Uptown girl
You know I can’t afford to buy her pearls
But maybe someday when my ship comes in
She’ll understand what kind of guy I’ve been
And then I’ll win
And when she’s walking
She’s looking so fine
And when she’s talking She’ll say that she’s mine
She’ll say I’m not so tough
Just because
I’m in love With an uptown girl
She’s been living in her white bread world
As long as anyone with hot blood can
And now she’s looking for a downtown man
That’s what I am
Uptown girl
She’s my uptown girl
You know I’m in love With an uptown girl
My uptown girl
You know I’m in love With an uptown girl
She My uptown girl
You know I’m in love With an uptown girl
My uptown girl
You know I’m in love With an uptown girl
She My uptown girl
You know I’m in love With an uptown girl
(END!)

[ 本帖最后由 leekaiping 于 2012-7-19 20:15 编辑 ]

引用:

原帖由 Ander 于 2012-7-19 16:34 发表
downtown
（⇔uptown）
━ 【副】
商業地区に［で］, 都心部に
go downtown to shop 繁華街［都心部］へ買い物に行く.
━ 【形】【A】
商業地区の, 繁華街の, 都心の
downtown Manhattan マンハッタンの ...

查字典的话，还真不准，特别是downtown Manhattan绝壁不是曼哈顿中心的意思，曼哈顿的市中心集中在第五大道和42街时代广场附近，属于mid-town的范围。downtown manhattan是唐人街和市政府所在地，一点都不繁华（当然了，还有华尔街也在那里)

节选下wiki的内容吧。
Downtown
The term is thought to have been coined in New York City, where it was in use by the 1830s to refer to the original town at the southern tip of the island of Manhattan.[1] As the town of New York grew into a city, the only direction it could grow on the island was toward the north, proceeding upriver from the original settlement (the "up" and "down" terminology in turn came from the customary map design in which up was north and down was south).[1] Thus, anything north of the original town became known as "uptown" (Upper Manhattan), while the original town (which was also New York's only major center of business at the time) became known as "downtown" (Lower Manhattan).[1]

[ 本帖最后由 leekaiping 于 2012-7-19 20:13 编辑 ]