一逐句分析：

窗
Random Thoughts on the Window

 眼睛是灵魂的窗户......They say that the eyes are the windows of the soul.

这句如果直接译成The eyes are the windows of the soul.那就把这句话当成了事实，而实际上这句话只是人们的一种比喻，所以说They say...

 我们看见外界，同时也让人看到我们的内心；眼睛往往跟着心在转。With the eyes we see the world, and at the same time they let others see our inner selves--the eyes communicate the movements and turnings of the heart.

由于意思上等于是前半句的说明，所以另起了一句。也因为这一点，译文加上了with the eyes。“外界”就是世界，我们自身以外的东西和他人。“眼睛往往跟着心在转”如果照字面译下来，可能让人不知所云，因此就意译了，意思就是说眼睛告诉人们你的心里在想什么。

 我们跟带黑眼镜的人谈话，总觉得捉摸不住他的用意，彷佛他以假面具相对，就是为此。That's why it's always difficult to figure out the intentions of someone wearing dark glasses. It seems as if we are talking to someone wearing dark glasses. It seems as if we are talking to someone wearing a mask.

“黑眼镜”不是black glasses，而是dark glasses，也就是sunglasses。

 歌德恨一切带眼镜的人，说他们看得清楚他脸上的皱纹，但是他给他们的玻璃片耀得眼花缭乱，看不出他们的心境。Goethe hated everyone with glasses, saying that they could see the wrinkles on his face, while the dazzling glare of their lenses would prevent him from seeing what was on in their minds.
中文用的动词多一些，英文则多用介词，因此中译英时需要将中文中的一些动词转换成介词。这里把“戴眼镜”译为with glasses，减掉了一个动词。下面“他脸上”译成英文时用了斜体的his，是为了和后面的their相对应，突出效果。配合while这个连接词，使“他们能看得清我，我却看不清他们”这样的想法更为突出。

 窗子许里面人看出去，同时也许外面人看进来，所以在热闹地方住的人要用窗帘子，替他们私生活做个保障。A window likewise allows those who are inside to see outside, and also allows outsiders to see inside. That is why those who live in bustling areas need to draw their curtains to protect their privacy.

“外面人”可以说outsider，但是“里面人”却不能说insider，因为这个词是“内部的人”、“知情的人”的意思，因此从用词上做不到对等。draw the curtain：拉上帘子。“拉开帘子”是open the curtain。

 晚上访人，只要看窗里有无灯光，就约略可以猜到主人在不在家，不必打开了门再问......When visiting friends at night, there's no need to wait until the door is opened to ask if they're at home. You only have to look at the windows to work out if they are there.

注意一下英文前一句中语序的调整，先说的是主要的意思there's no need to wait until the door is opened（不必打开了门再问），然后才说其他。原文中的“约略”的意思已经隐含于译文里的work out“猜出、猜到”中了。

 好比不等人开口，从眼睛里看出他的心思。
Similarly, you don't need to wait for a man to open his mouth to work out what's on his mind--you can see that from his eyes.

这一句的句型实际上是前面句型的重复，——you can see that from his eyes的译法使这部分的分量加重了。

 关窗的作用等于闭眼。Shutting a window works in the same way as closing one's eyes.

“作用”是说效果，不要译成role或。works：“发生作用”。用shutting这个词是因为后面要用closing，避免了用词重复。

 天地间有许多景象是要闭了眼才看得见的，譬如梦。There are many things that can be seen only with the eyes closed. Dreams, for instance.

中文说“天地间有......”，英文没有必要说between heaven and earth。“......是要......”是强调的说法，所以英文用only with...这样加强语气的说法。可以比较一下有和没有only的区别。

 假使窗外的人声物态太嘈杂了，关了窗好让灵魂自由地去探胜，安静地默想。

 If outside there is too much noise and excitement, closing the window will make it easier for the soul to engage in free exploration and quiet contemplation.

“窗外”不必译成outside of the window，因为现在说的全都是窗里窗外的事，outside的意思不言自明。这里的excitement不是“激动”，而是指各种各样让人兴奋或不兴奋的活动，人们吵吵嚷嚷做的各种事情。“物态”则是指窗外的各种景致、事物，原文的“人”和“物”由noise和excitement代表或隐含了，而英文中的noise一词本来也有形容颜色过艳的用法。“探胜”和“默想”这两个动词在英文里都转换成了名词，这样处理的理由一个是按照英文的特点，不想用那么多的动词；再一个就是假如用了动词explore和contemplate，那么这两个词后面都需要加上宾语，加宾语一来颇费思量，不知道该加什么宾语好，二来原文没有宾语就等于没有限制，任何事物都可以包含在这个范围里，加上宾语就缩小了原文意思上所包含的范围，从翻译上讲就不等值了。

 有时，关窗和闭眼也有连带关系，你觉得窗外的世界不过尔尔，并不能给予你什么满足，你想回到故乡，你要看见跟你分离的亲友，你只有睡觉，闭了眼向梦里寻去，于是你起来先关了窗。
Sometimes closing the eyes is connected to shutting the windows: when you feel that the world outside is so commonplace and unrewarding that you want to go back to your hometown and see relatives and friends from whom you have been long parted, all you have to do is shut the windows before you go to sleep, and close your eyes before you dream.

“亲友”即可理解为“亲人和朋友”，也可以是“亲戚和朋友”，译文就用了relatives and friends。so...that...表示的因果关系在原文中是隐含的，译文则表现在了形式上，这也是英文的特点之一。

 因为只是春天，还留着残冷，窗子也不能整天整夜不关的。
But the windows still cannot be left open all day and all night long, since it is still spring, and still cold.

这句的译文又把语序颠倒了一下，先说结果，后说原因。原文说“整天整夜”是比较强调“不关”的连续性的，所以译文就说all day and all night long，不轻描淡写地仅仅说day and night，尽量做到语义上的相当。中文说“不关”，英文不能说not closed，所以译成left open。“残冷”可以理解为“仍然寒冷”，译文就是still cold。

 二全篇通览

窗
Random Thoughts on the Window

 眼睛是灵魂的窗户，我们看见外界，同时也让人看到我们的内心；眼睛往往跟着心在转。我们跟带黑眼镜的人谈话，总觉得捉摸不住他的用意，彷佛他以假面具相对，就是为此。歌德恨一切带眼镜的人，说他们看得清楚他脸上的皱纹，但是他给他们的玻璃片耀得眼花缭乱，看不出他们的心境。
They say that the eyes are the windows of the soul. With the eyes we see the world, and at the same time they let others see our inner selves--the eyes communicate the movements and turnings of the heart. That's why it's always difficult to figure out the intentions of someone wearing dark glasses. It seems as if we are talking to someone wearing dark glasses. It seems as if we are talking to someone wearing a mask. Goethe hated everyone with glasses, saying that they could see the wrinkles on his face, while the dazzling glare of their lenses would prevent him from seeing what was on in their minds.

 窗子许里面人看出去，同时也许外面人看进来，所以在热闹地方住的人要用窗帘子，替他们私生活做个保障。晚上访人，只要看窗里有无灯光，就约略可以猜到主人在不在家，不必打开了门再问，好比不等人开口，从眼睛里看出他的心思。
A window likewise allows those who are inside to see outside, and also allows outsiders to see inside. That is why those who live in bustling areas need to draw their curtains to protect their privacy. When visiting friends at night, there's no need to wait until the door is opened to ask if they're at home. You only have to look at the windows to work out if they are there. Similarly, you don't need to wait for a man to open his mouth to work out what's on his mind--you can see that from his eyes.

 关窗的作用等于闭眼。天地间有许多景象是要闭了眼才看得见的，譬如梦。假使窗外的人声物态太嘈杂了，关了窗好让灵魂自由地去探胜，安静地默想。有时，关窗和闭眼也有连带关系，你觉得窗外的世界不过尔尔，并不能给予你什么满足，你想回到故乡，你要看见跟你分离的亲友，你只有睡觉，闭了眼向梦里寻去，于是你起来先关了窗。
Shutting a window works in the same way as closing one's eyes. There are many things that can be seen only with the eyes closed. Dreams, for instance. If outside there is too much noise and excitement, closing the window will make it easier for the soul to engage in free exploration and quiet contemplation. Sometimes closing the eyes is connected to shutting the windows: when you feel that the world outside is so commonplace and unrewarding that you want to go back to your hometown and see relatives and friends from whom you have been long parted, all you have to do is shut the windows before you go to sleep, and close your eyes before you dream.