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第一章 六级汉译英翻译的基本理论与技巧(2)

2. 望文生义,机械直译

汉语很多词汇所要表达的信息都是潜在和隐蔽的,有的具有深层含义,有的还有言外之意,有的则有语用意义和比喻意义。如果没有弄清要表达的真实信息就会造成望文生义的现象。例如:

黄瓜:yellow melon(误)cucumber(正)

黑社会:black society(误)sinister gang(正)

“人山人海” 有人直译为 “People mountain, people sea.” ,老外很难理解。他们指 “人多” 时,通常只说 “There is a large crowd of people.” 如果看到电影院门前大排长龙,也只说 “There is (was)a long movie line.” 。比如 “不管三七二十’” ,只能意译为 “regardless of the consequences.” “小巫见大巫” 译成 “to be simply nothing compared to” 。

大家再看下面这个句子的翻译:

美国内部对中国政策究竟怎么样,我们还要观察。

误:What China policies are to be pursued after all within the US, we still have to wait and see.

正:The American authorities have to decide among themselves what China policies to pursue, and so we still have to wait and see.

这里的 “美国内部” 并非指 “美国国内” 这个概念,而是指美国领导层,因为决策者是政府高层而不是平民百姓,因此 “within the US” 就是一个误译。

3. 冠词使用不当

汉语和英语的词类既有重叠,也有差异。如英语中有冠词,而汉语中没有。考生经常犯冠词滥用的错误是:在泛指时漏用不定冠词,首次提到某事物时滥用定冠词,特指某事物时又不用定冠词。即使相同的词类在句子中的用法和充当的成分也不尽相同。例如:

霎时,一阵被人摒弃、为世所遗的悲愤袭上心头。

误:All of a sudden, the feeling of grief and indignation of being deserted by the relations and being abandoned by the whole world overwhelmed me.

正:In no time, I was thrown into a feeling of sorrowful anger at being forgotten and abandoned by the rest of the world.

很多学生在本该使用不定冠词的地方却用了定冠词。 “A feeling” 和 “the feeling” 有细微的差别,前者指 “某种不确定的感觉或感受” ,而后者指 “某种特定的感觉或感受” 。

4. 不必要的重复用词

简洁是语言的生命,通过综合或省略等手段,用词或词组来表达从句等单位表达的内容。考生的译文经常会出现很多冗余信息,造成了原文和译文长度的不对应,对传达信息不仅无益,甚至会造成障碍。例如:

吸收外来移民,是加拿大长期奉行的国策。

误:To take in immigrants from other countries has become a long—term national policy long practiced by Canada.

正:To draw in immigrants has become a national policy long practiced by Canada.

文中 “immigrants” 所指的 “移民” 本身就包含着 “来自其他国家” 的含义。因此应当 “from other countries” 这个短语就显得多余。

5. 主次信息不分

没有分清主次信息,导致语义重心偏移,在深层意义上不忠实于原文,这也是学生们常犯的错误。例如:

在得病以前,我受父母宠爱,在家横行霸道。

误:Before I became ill, I was much petted by my parents, doing everything at will in the home.

误:Before I fell ill, my parents doted on me a lot. I could have my way home.

正:Before I fell ill, I had been the bully under our roof owing to my doting parents.

首先要确定这句话的信息重心。虽然没有连接词,但仍有内在的逻辑关系。 “受父母宠爱” 是因,而 “在家中横行霸道” 是果,因此作为结果的后半句应该是全句的信息重心。第一个译文,弄颠倒了信息重心,而第二个译文则把突出了内在逻辑关联的话,分成了两句,模糊了信息重心。正确译文则突出了信息重心,并通过添加 “owing to” 表现出了隐藏的逻辑关系。

6. 语篇衔接不当

从历年汉译英考试答卷上看,译文缺乏衔接手段的问题很明显。我们发现很多考生的句子如果单独成句是可读的,但全篇作为一个整体,读起来就有种前后脱节的感觉,原因在于没有采用有效的英语衔接手段。例如:

园中百花怒放,父母在园中设宴。

误:Flowers were in full bloom in the garden. My parents held a party in the garden.

(照搬汉语重复的衔接手段)

正:Flowers were in full bloom in the garden. My parents held a party in it. (使用英语替换的衔接手段,用it代替了garden )

正:My parents held a party in the garden where all sorts of flowers were in full bloom. (使用英语替代的衔接手段,用where代替了in the garden)

这里的两个正确答案中的两种替代方式都是译文的衔接手段,但译文第二种的衔接更加紧凑简洁。

7. 主语确定不当

主语是句子的灵魂,确定译文的主语是关键。主语定偏了,整个句子将显得松散乏力,甚至会误导读者。例如:

如果这个问题不解决,势必影响两国的利益。

译(1):Failure to settle this issue is bound to impair the relations between the two countries seriously。

译(2):If the problem is not solved, it is sure to affect the interests between the two countries。

在上面的两种译文中,显然第一种译文主语选得好,句子流畅。

8. 否定不当

否定句在英汉两种语言都是很常见的现象,但是由于两种语言表达习惯的不同,否定的形式也有很大的差别。有些考生在否定句的处理上往往会犯错,比如否定位置不当或否定词错误等。例如:

(1)未经允许任何人不准入内。

误:Anybody cannot come in without permission.

正:Nobody can come in without permission.

(2)听到这个消息没有一个人不感到兴奋的。

误:Having heard the news, nobody did not feel excited.

正:Having heard the news, everybody felt excited.

(3)我认为他不会这么早就来的。

误:I think he would not come so early.

正:I don’ t think he would come so early.

四、汉译英翻译中常见的句式结构

1. 一个大句子后面带有一个小结构,翻译方法通常可以将前者翻译成中心句,后面翻译成同位语,介词短语或是分词和定语从句。

例1:我们学校有16个系,下设39个专业。

There are 16 departments with 39 specialties in our school. (后面翻译成with的介词结构,这种形式是最常见的方法。)

例2:北京有10个区9个县,总面积16 800平方公里。

There are 10 districts and 9 counties in Beijing with an area of 16 thousand 8 hundred square kilometers. (方法和上句一样。)

例3:中国在2000年悉尼奥运会上,获得28枚金牌,在奖牌榜上名列第三。

China won 28 gold medals at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Game, ranking the 3rd on the medal tally. (这句是将后面的句子翻译成分词结构。)

例4:在过去的一年里,中国贯彻扩大内需的方针,经济得到稳步发展。

Last year, China implemented the policy of enlarging domestic demands, which led to steady economic development. (这种方法就是把后面一部分翻译成非限定性定语从句,当然我们也可以用并列结构 。)

2. 在主句后面同时出现了两个小句子,翻译的方法通常是将后两者同时变化成定语从句或是同位语的结构,还可以把其中两个变成介词或是同位语结构,这种结构十分常见。

例1:在过去的1年里,中国贯彻扩大内需的方针,经济得到稳步发展,人民生活水平得到显著提高。

Last year, China implemented the policy of enlarging domestic demands, which led to stable economic development and significant improvement of people’ s life. (这种方法就是把后面两句全部变成定语从句,同时形成并列结构。)

例2:黄河流经中国的9个省和自治区,全长5464公里,流域面积752 443平方公里。

The Yellow River runs 5464 km across 9 provinces and autonomous regions with drainage area of 752,443 km2. (这句就是把最前句和最后句变成介词结构,中间变成谓语结构。)

例3:北京现有体育馆5000多个,其中可容纳5000人的体育馆8个,可容纳2000人的15个。

Beijing currently has more than 5 000 stadiums, 8 of which can accommodate 5 000 people each, 15 of which can accommodate 2 000 people each. (这句用的是方法就是把后两者翻译成定语从句。)

3. 有些长句可以译为两个并列主句,其中可以包含一个分句或短语结构等。我们在翻译的时候就是要区分第三个句子究竟能不能和前一个句子连在一起,也就是说最后一个句子和前者有没有密切的关系,当然在有些情况下,这两个句子结构区分起来比较复杂,也比较难以区分。

例1:现在只有5个国家的妇女收入占男性收入的80%以上,而中国妇女的收入相当于男性收入的80.4%。

Now, there are only 5 countries where women’ s salaries make up 80% of men’ s, while the income of the Chinese women equals to 80.4% that of men’ s. (这句话把含有80%的这个小句子翻译成了前者的从句,而后面的一个句子又重新起了一句,很显然前两个句子和第三个句子没有什么逻辑关系。)

例2:据世界卫生组织的报告显示,到2020 年,世界老人将超过10亿,其中7亿生活在发展中国家。目前,全世界60岁以上的老人大约有5.8亿。

According to a report of WHO, by 2020 it is estimated that the population of senior citizens will increase to 1 billion, including 700 million living in the less developed countries. There are 580 million people more than 60 years old all over the world at present. (这句话则比上一句更具有特点,很显然,我们应该把 “其中” 这样的句子归类为前者,后面再重新起一句,前者形成分词结构,这种结构也是考试的重点句型。)

4. 前面说的一件事情,后面说的两件事情具有逻辑关系,所以把后面两句放在一起翻译,并且形成with的介词结构。

例1:1990年,只有32%的3岁到6岁的儿童进入幼儿园,但是到1998年年底中国已经有18万幼儿园,接收了2400万儿童。

In 1990, only 32% of children from 3 years old to 6 years old entered kindergartens, but by the end of 1998 there were 180 000 kindergartens with 24 million children in China. (很显然前面说的情况和后面有一定的逻辑关系。)

例2:我国于1999年10月已进入人口老龄化国家的行列,我们80岁以上的老人已达1100万,并以年均5%的速度增长。

China has become an aged society since October 1999. The number of the aged people over 80 years old reached 11 million with an average annual growth rate of 5%. (这句话的翻译方法和上句同样,第三个句子形成with的介词结构。)

5. 这种结构实际上就是以上几种结构的延伸,这样的延续可能多个,而不止三个,其实方法都是一样,就是将后三者变成并列层次,要么是定语从句,要么是同位语,要么是介词结构。

例1:奥林匹克公园占地1215公顷,其中包括760公顷的森林绿地,50公顷的国际展览体育中心以及405公顷的中华民族园。

The Olympic Games Park covers an area of 1215 hectares, including 760 hectares woods and grassland, 50 hectares International Exhibition Sports Center and 405 hectares Chinese Ethnic Park. /The Olympic Park covering 1215 hectares includes 760—hectare woods and grassland, 50—hectare International Exhibition Sports Center and 405—hectare Chinese Ethnic Park. (这句话提供了两种翻译版本,前者是将后三者变成介词短语,第二种把后三者直接变成了表语,总之就是要体现出A句和后几句的差异和关系。)

例2:在奥林匹克公园主建筑区内将建成容纳8万人的主体育场、2个大型综合体育馆、运动员村和国际展览体育中心。

In the main building area of the Olympic Games Park, a main stadium which accommodates 80 thousand people, 2 large sports complexes, the athletes’ village and the International Exhibition Sports Center are now under construction. (这句用的方法还是把后面的四者都变成了主语,和 “奥林匹克公园主建筑区” 这句形成结构上的差异。)

6. 这种结构第一种很像,但是要形成两个主句和两个从属成分。

例1:2000年,全国共有普通高中14600所,在校生1201万人,职业中学2万所,在校学生1295万人。

In 2000, there were 14.6 thousand regular senior high schools in China with 12.01 million students at school and 20 thousand vocational schools with 12.95 million students at school. (这句的翻译方法就是用A + with + and + B + with的机构,这种方法在口译考试出现的频率是最高的。)

例2:2000年,全国有妇幼保健院609个,医务工作者7.2万人,妇幼保健所、站2598个,基层医务工作者7.5万人。

In 2000, there were 609 women and children health centers with 72 thousand health and medical workers and 2598 local women and children health centers with 75 grass root health and medical workers. (这句的翻译方法和上句同样。)

例3:我国于1999年10月已进入人口老龄化国家的行列,并以年均3%的速度持续增长,我们80岁以上的老人已达1100万,并以年均5%的速度增长。

China has become an aged society since October 1999 with an average annual growth rate of 3%. The number of the aged people over 80 years old reached 11 million with an average annual growth rate of 5%. (这句话说明了两个事实,所以在翻译的时候,我们可以分割成两个A + a结构来进行翻译。)

7. 结构就是把三个不相关的句子放在一起,那么在翻译的时候要注意逐句翻译。而且还要注意看看句子中是否存在有小结构。

例1:根据第五次全国人口普查,全国共有12亿9335万人,其中祖国大陆包括31个省、自治区和直辖市。不包括福建省金门、马祖岛和现役军人12亿6580万人,香港特别行政区678万人,澳门特别行政区44万,台湾包括金门,马祖岛共计2228万人。

According to the 5th population census, there were 1 billion 293 million 350 thousand people in China, including the total number / population of 31 provinces, autonomous regions and municipalities. Excluding the population of Jinmen and Mazu islands in Fujian province and of servicemen of China’ s mainland there was 1 billion 265 million 800 thousand. The population of Hong Kong SAR was 6 million 780 thousand and that of Macao was 440 thousand as well as that of Taiwan Jinmen and Mazu Islands was 22 million 280 thousand. (这句话总共阐述了三个事实,一个是人数有多少,然后是除了某些地区有多少人,这个部分包括了两个小部分,第三个部分包括了三个地区的人口数量,所以这个句子在翻译的时候首先要分成三个句子,然后再处理三个句子里面的成分,看看是否能够形成连带结构。)

8. 这种结构就是指前后说的是同一件事情,但是所表达的对象是不一样的。

例1:我很喜欢游泳,你也很喜欢游泳。

I like swimming. So do you. (这个句子就是有两个不同的说话人,但是说的是同样一件事情,所以可归类为后面是前者的 “倒” 着表达的形式。这种句子翻译的方法就是用so或是否定句中用either。)

例2:2008年,上海的老年人口已经达到了400万,同样北京于同年也达到了400万。

In 2008, the population of senior citizens in Shanghai was 4 million. So was Beijing. (这句翻译的方法雷同于上句。)

9. 这种结构指的是前者说的事情和后者的事情刚好相反来说。

例:我很喜欢你,你也很喜欢我。

I like you, and vice versa. (这句话很显然就是前者和后者刚好掉个位置,但是说的同一件事情,翻译的方法就是用vice versa。)

We gossip about them and vice versa (=they gossip about us).

我们谈论他们, 他们也谈论我们。

I will go when I think it is true, otherwise I will not.

我认为对时,我就去。反之就不去。(用otherwise)

10. 考察完全的名词结构

这种结构一般没有很多的数字,但是名词很多,考生在平时要注意积累词汇,当然更难的则是将词汇和数字结合在一起。

例1:20世纪90年代,我国人口文化素质提高速度之快,是建国以来少有的。这一变化趋势反映了10年来我国落实扫除青少年文盲,普及9年义务教育和大力发展高等教育等措施所取得的成果。

Our people’ s education level has increased sharply since 1990s. This tendency reflected our achievements through eliminating illiterates among the young and the middle aged, universalizing the 9—year compulsory education and developing higher education in the past 10 years. (这个句子当中就没有很多的数字,但是名词特别多,包括青少年文盲、九年义务教育和高等教育等等词。)

例2:近年来,中央政府给西藏的财政补贴每年都达12亿元以上,总投资46亿元的62项援藏工程以及中央国家机关有关部委和15个对口支援省、市投资的32亿元援建的716项工程已全部竣工并投入使用。

In recent years, the annual financial subsidy from the central government to Tibet reached 1.2 billion yuan. The 62 aid—Tibet projects with a total investment of 4.6 billion and 716 projects with an investment of 3.2 billion from ministries, commissions, central government institutions and other 15 provinces and cities had been finished and put into operation. (这个句子不但有很多很大的数字,而且还有像财政补贴、有关部委、对口支援和竣工等词,所以这种句子有很大难度,在训练时,首先要解决数字问题,再解决词汇问题,之后背诵所提到的十种结构。)

在构建了良好的句子结构的基础上,使用适当的技巧和方法才能把文章或句子翻译好。下面是六级翻译考试中常见的一些句型。

1. It is +形容词+ that

例如:It is conceivable that knowledge plays an important role in our life.

可想而知,知识在我们的一生中扮演着一个重要的角色。

2. It is +形容词+ to do / doing

例如:She had said what it was necessary to say.

她已经说了一切有必要说的话。

3. 祈使句/名词+ and/ or

例如:Work hard, and you will finally be able to reach your destination.

努力工作,你就能实现自己的目标。

4. 倍数词+ as +形容词+ as

例如:The reservoir is three times as big as it was ten years ago.

这个水库的面积是十年前三倍。

5. 倍数词+ more +名词/形容词+ than

例如:Smoking is so harmful to personal health that it kills seven times more people each year than automobile accidents.

吸烟对人体健康的危害极大,每年死于吸烟的人比死于车祸的人多七倍。

6. (not)as / so……as(和……(不)一样)

例如:The environmental problems are not as serious as they suggested in their report.

环境问题没有他们在报告中说得那么严重。

7. no more……than(与……一样不)

例如:She is no more fit to be a manager than a schoolgirl would be.

一个女学生固然不宜当经理,她也同样不宜。

8. only to find / see(结果却;没想到会)

例如:He spent almost all his money to buy the hen which was said to be able to lay gold eggs, only to find it could not lay eggs at all.

为了买那只据说能下金蛋的母鸡,他几乎倾家荡产,没想到这只鸡根本不会下蛋。

9. It is undoubted that / There is no doubt that(毫无疑问……)

例如:There is no doubt that war can be avoided if we get down to peace talk.

毫无疑问,如果我们肯认真和谈就能避免战争。

10. rather than(而不是……)

例如:Rather than pursue money to achieve happiness, we should focus on the improvement of ourselves.

我们应该集中精力改善自我,而不是追求金钱的享乐。

11. not……until(直到……才)

例如:We can’ t release the film until we have the approval from the authority concerned.

直到获得有关当局的批准我们才能发行那部电影。

12. so / such(…)that(如此……以至于)

例如:With the rumor spreading fast, they became so anxious that they could not sleep.

在谣言迅速散播的情况下,他们焦虑异常,无法入睡。

13. (The)chances are that(很可能……)

例如:Chances are that she has already known it, and there is no need for us to keep the secret. 她很可能已经知道了,所以我们没有必要再保守这个秘密。

14. It occurred to sb. that(突然想到……)

例如:It had never occurred to Cinderella she would become a princess someday.

Cinderella从来没有想到她会成为一位王妃。

15. not……but……(不是……而是……)

例如:To our disappointment, the plan caused not development but destruction.

让我们失望的是,这个计划带来的不是进步而是破坏。

16. It is taken for granted that(……被认为是理所当然的)

例如:It has been taken for granted that women should take on all the housework.

多年来人们一直认为女性做家务是理所当然的。

17. It is / was said that(据说)

例如:It is said that man is the least biologically determined species of all because he possesses features absent in other natural species.

据说人类是生物学上最难归类的物种,因为人类拥有其他天然物种所缺乏的特性。

18. When it comes to……(提及,当提到……的时候)

例如:When it comes to physics, I know nothing.

谈到物理学,我一无所知。

19. As far as sb. /sth. is concerned(就……而言,在……看来)

例如:As far as I am concerned, fashion belongs to women.

在我看来,时尚是属于女性的。

20. not only……but also(不但……而且……)

例如:Shakespeare is not only a great playwright but also a brilliant poet.

莎士比亚不仅是一位伟大的剧作家而且是一位才华横溢的诗人。

21. (n)either……(n)or……(既不……也不……;或者……或者……)

例如:Liking neither the story nor the background music, he fell asleep in the cinema.

他既不喜欢故事情节也不喜欢背景音乐, 所以在电影院里睡着了。

22. no sooner than/ hardly when/ scarcely when(刚……就……)

例如:I had hardly opened the door when he rushed in.

我刚开门他就冲进来了。

23. the more…the more(越……越……)

例如:The faster a country’ s economy develops, the slower its population grows.

一个国家的经济发展越快,它的人口增长就越慢。 wEyMuAVMJu6Y3V2qnjnJKLYk1AVavlCBtIaMhn2JsOgeXRc47J91Tq5AjqbkMBPY

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