“一屁股债”的英译

汉语以债台状负债额，故负债等，亦称债台髙筑。不信请査《汉英词典》:负债累累和债台髙筑有它们的共同译名 be heavily in debt 和 be debt-ridden; 还有不同的译名 be up to ones ears in debt(债台高筑）和 be up to one's eyes in debt(负债累累)。

但这只是说这两个汉语四字语含义相同，而不是在其它方面也完全同一。例如，债台高筑比较形象，负债累累则是抽象的。因此，似乎得分一下工，让比较抽象的be up to one's ears in debt译债台髙筑。这样，也许更为贴切吧。

不管怎么说，两种译法中有一点是共同的：英语得以be in debt表达债或负债。但描述负债之重，英语未必要用heavily 而也可以，比如说，用deep:
1. The result was that his father cut his allowance, which soon put Charles deep in debt.
                                                              True Detective, August 1980, p. 24
既然可以用deep，当然也可以更进一步用deeper:

2. The strike cost the company a small fortune： executives say it is now $340 million deeper in debt, and may have lost as much as 10 per cent of the British steel market during the stoppage.
                                                              一 Newsweek，April 14，1980, p. 30
但是用deep(er)同上文所说的heavily一样，也不是形象的描述。如是形象化的描述，则与上述 be up to one's ears in debt(浑身是债？)相类的还有be up to one's ass(hole) in debt"（ 背了一屁股债?），请看实例：

3. With two children in college，he is up to his ass in debt .
                                                         The Study of Current English, May 1980, p. 49 

在西方，举债往往得有什么东西作抵才行，所以债台高筑也意味着押台高筑：

4. George: Just drop it, Jeff!
Jeff: Yuh marry a dame with three kids，you buy a big house with mortgages up to your ass, you change your religion and you forget about business, great! Really great! (George swings at Jeff to punch his jaw)