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2.5 翻译习作评改

[原文选段]

The tiny Isle of Man in the Irish Sea is not known as a vanguard of technology,but this month it was to serve as the test bed for the highly acclaimed third-generation mobile phones.A subsidiary of British Telecom(BT),the British phone company,cobbled together a network and prepared to hand out prototype mobile handsets to about 200 volunteers.But problems arose in the software that keeps track of each call as it moves from one tower's range to another's.BT postponed the trial until late summer,after a similar delay announced a few weeks earlier by NTT DoCoMo in Japan.

What's the big deal?Aren't thousands of mobile call"handed off"every day from one"cell"to an-other without a glitch?They are indeed.But third-generation technology,or 3G is so radically new that it re-quires a rethinking of just about every aspect of how mobile phones work,from the handset to the transmis-sion masts to the software that runs them.For this reason,3 G is a massive engineering and construction pro-ject that will take years to complete and cost hundreds of billions of dollars.The magnitude of this effort has somehow been forgotten in the mad scramble to be first out.

The handover problem is a case in point.When you talk on a conventional mobile phone,your call is beamed as a continuous stream of digital data to the nearest receiver.The technology for handing these calls off from one area to the next was worked out years ago.

But a 3G phone is different,it bundle up the data into little packets and sends them through the air-waves,one at a time.This creates the impression of an Internet connection's being"always on",which is good news.But keeping rack of these data bundles from one region to the next is a daunting engineering prob-lem—and,more to the point,a brand-new one.NEC,the Japanese phone company that supplies BT with equipment for its Isle of Man trail,hasn't had time to work it out.

Handset makers also have work to do.The 3 G technologies have so many features;only a wonder gizmo could handle all of them,which is why none exists.The phones are not only supposed to work with 3 G net-works but also with the less sophisticated(but cheaper and more useful)General Packet Radio Service(GPRS)technology already being installed on the continent and also with the current mobile phone stand-ard,Global System for Mobile can keep a conventional phone running for days would fizzle in a 3 G handset in a matter of minutes.Engineers are searching for alternative,but at the moment the lack of a long-lasting battery is a major hurdle.

None of these problems is insurmountable,but neither will they be resolved quickly.Analysts at For-rester Research in the Netherlands predict that even in 2005,when more than half of Europe's phones will be connected to the Internet,fewer than 15 percent of them will use 3G.That's a measure of this technology's complexity and immaturity.

[逐句分析]

[原文句1] The tiny Isle of Man in the Irish Sea is not known as a vanguard of technology,but this month it was to serve as the test bed for the highly acclaimed third-generation mobile phones.

[习译] 爱尔兰海域的马恩岛并不是因为什么科技而出名,但在这个月,却成为呼声颇高的第三代手机的实验点。

[改译] 曼恩岛,爱尔兰海上的一个小岛,虽不以科技前沿阵地而著称于世,但本月之内它将成为人们热烈赞颂的第三代移动手机试验基地。

[析] 习译基本正确。The tiny Isle of Man翻译成“马恩岛”、“曼恩岛”或“男人岛”,只要全文保持一致都可以。highly acclaimed译为“呼声颇高的”,意思有点讲不通。因为不是选举,译为“成为人们热烈赞颂的”会更好些,小岛由于成了世界有名的第三代手机试验场,突然出了名,当然受到称颂了。

[原文句2] A subsidiary of British Telecom(BT),the British phone company,cobbled together a network and prepared to hand out prototype mobile handsets to about 200 volunteers.

[习译] 英国电信(BT)旗下一子公司与英国通信公司匆忙拼凑出一个网络,准备向200名志愿者发放原始的电话听筒来进行实验。

[改译] 英国电信公司下属的一个分公司,英国电话公司,在这里急匆匆地搭建起一个网站,准备免费向200来名志愿者发放第三代移动电话的雏形样机。

[析] “英国电信(BT)旗下一子公司与英国通信公司”,人们会以为多了一个公司。其实这里只有一个公司——英国电话公司。phone company也不能译为“英国通信公司”。hand out prototype mobile handsets也不能译为“发放原始的电话听筒”,习译者对prototype的意思也不理解。

[原文句3] But problems arose in the software that keeps track of each call as it moves from one tower's range to another's.

[习译] 但是在测试者从一个区域转移到另一个区域时,软件里的追踪系统出了问题。

[改译] 但不巧的是,负责监控各个发射塔之间通话传递的软件出了故障。

[析] 翻译不能无中生有,原文里没有“测试者从一个区域转移到另一个区域”的字样。这是学习翻译的一大禁忌。that keeps track of each call as it moves from one tower's range to another's这一定语从句是指:“当每一次呼叫由一个传送塔到另一个传送塔传输时,跟踪它的软件……”

[原文句4] BT postponed the trial until late summer,after a similar delay announced a few weeks ear-lier by NTT DoCoMo in Japan.

[习译] 在几周前,在日本NTT DoCoMo公司宣布推迟试验后,BT也同样发表声明,将实验推迟至夏末。

[析] 这句话基本译对,而且加了“也同样发表声明”以适应汉语特点,应给予肯定。

[原文句5、6、7] What's the big deal?Aren't thousands of mobile calls“handed off”every day from one“cell”to another without a glitch?They are indeed.

[习译] 这有什么大不了的?每天不是都有数以千计的移动电话在接听或者拨出吗?都没有发生什么大问题啊。的确,这没错。

[改译] 其实,这也无可厚非。作为移动电话公司,成千上万的手机,彼此通话中不出点小故障才怪呢。事实的确也如此。

[析] 习译者对without a glitch没有理解,说“都没有发生什么大问题啊”也不符合原文意思。glitch的意思是“突发故障”、“频率徒增”,用在这里喻指“小故障”。

[原文句8] But third-generation technology,or 3G,is so radically new that it requires a rethinking of just about every aspect of how mobile phones work,from the handset to the transmission masts to the soft-ware that runs them.

[习译] 但是第三代的技术,或者说3G,是一种根本性革新技术,这就需要从各个方面去重新考虑到底电话是怎么运作的。从手机到传动装置的桅杆再到软件,各个方面的运作。

[改译] 可知第三代移动电话技术,或者所谓的3G技术,乃是凤毛麟角的全新技术,它要求重设移动电话运作的方方面面,包括手机装置自身、发射天线及其运行涉及的诸多软件。

[析] 习译者大体理解了原文的意思,但不懂手机通信原理,the transmission masts不能译成“传动装置的桅杆”,而是“传输天线”。

[原文句9、10] For this reason,3G is a massive engineering and construction project that will take years to complete and cost hundreds of billions of dollars.The magnitude of this effort has somehow been for-gotten in the mad scramble to be first out.

[习译] 就是因为这样,3G是一项很巨大的工程,这是一个需要数年的时间去完成和花费数以百万的美金去支持的建设计划。这项工程所付出的努力或多或少在混乱出现后就被遗忘了。

[改译] 正因如此,3G成了一个大型工程建设项目,需要花费数年、耗资千亿才能完成。然而,在争夺谁能成为最终赢家的鏖战中,人们似乎忘却了此一壮举所需要的浩瀚付出。

[析] 习译者第一句基本译对了。后一句译错了。to be first out意思是“一旦搞出来了”,即一旦折腾出来了,由于某种原因谁还会记起先驱者为了成功所付出的浩瀚辛劳呢?”

[原文句11、12、13] The handover problem is a case in point.When you talk on a conventional mo-bile phone,your call is beamed as acontinuous stream of digital data to the nearest receiver.The technology for handing these calls off from one area to the next was worked out years ago.

[习译] 数据移交的问题就是一个恰当的例子。当你使用一个传统的移动电话的时候,你的电话是以一股连续的数字数据流传送到距离最近的接收器。把这些电话数据从一个区域传送到另一个,这一项技术在数年前就已经解决了。

[改译] 信号转换问题就是个鲜活的例子。在使用传统的移动电话时,你的通话声音先要转换成连续的数字数码流传送到最近的接收塔上,将信号从一处传送到另一处的技术多年前早已解决了。

[析] 习译者对上面这两句话基本理解了,只是译文不够流畅而已。

[原文句14、15] But a 3G phone is different,it bundle up the data into little packets and sends them through the airwaves,one at a time.This creates the impression of an Internet connection's being“always on”,which is good news.

[习译] 但是第三代的电话是不一样的。它会将数据都捆绑在一个数据包里面,然后再通过电波一次一个地传送。这就创造了网络连接总是开着的状态的效果,这是一个好消息。

[改译] 但是3G电话不同,它必须把这些信号压缩成若干个数据包,通过空中的电波逐个发送。它使人想到互联网的联结似的,永远在网络上奔跑。这当然令人惬意。

[析] 习译者对上面这两句话基本理解,且译得不错。which is good news在这里不是指“好消息”,意指“这听起来倒很新鲜”,或说“令人惬意”。

[原文句16、17] But keeping rack of these data bundles from one region to the next is a daunting en-gineering problem—and,more to the point,a brand-new one.NEC,the Japanese phone company that sup-plies BT with equipment for its Isle of Man trail,hasn't had time to work it out.

[习译] 但是,对这些从一个区域到下一个区域移动的数据包总保持着追踪是一个令人畏惧的工程问题。而且,更重要的是,一个新的品牌名字叫NEC的日本电话公司答应为英国电信的马恩岛的试验提供设备,却还没有时间去实现。

[改译] 但是对这些数据包从一处传送到另一处持续地进行跟踪却是个异乎寻常的难题。说得更准确些,是个全新的课题。何况,为英国电信公司在曼恩岛进行实验提供设备的日本NEC公司,眼下尚未找出最终解决这一难题的方法。

[析] a brand-new one.NEC…hasn't had time to work it out,这一部分习译者理解有误。“一个新的品牌名字叫NEC的日本电话公司”,似乎“a brand-new one”与NEC是同位语关系,事实上不对,a brand-new one说的是3G手机牵涉的问题是“崭新的问题”。

[原文句18] Handset makers also have work to do.The 3G technologies have so many features;only a wonder gizmo could handle all of them,which is why none exists.

[习译] 手机制造商也有工作要做。第三代的技术有很多的功能,只有一个奇迹的小发明才能处理好全部的功能,但是到现在为止这个小发明还没有出现。

[改译] 手机制造商也有工作要做。3G技术要求提供的科技特点多如牛毛,以至于目前还没有一家公司能够生产出一款出类拔萃的产品可将所有这些功能囊括精尽。

[析] 3G技术可以提供众多的功能,目前还没有一家公司能够生产出一个非凡的能把所有功能都包括进去的产品。a wonder gizmo意思是“某种奇妙的万能装置”。习译只译出基本意思。

[原文句19] The phones are not only supposed to work with 3G networks but also with the less sophis-ticated(but cheaper and more useful)General Packet Radio Service(GPRS)technology already being installed on the continent and also with the current mobile phone standard,Global System for Mobile can keep a conventional phone running for days would fizzle in a 3G handset in a matter of minutes.

[习译] 电话不仅要能够支持与第三代的网络工作,而且要能够支持已经在整个大陆覆盖,更方便实用的更实惠的通用分组无线业务技术,要跟得上当今移动电话的标准和全球移动通信系统。

[改译] 这样的手机可以设想,不但要适应3G网络,还得能适应已在欧洲大陆安装并投入使用的移动电话标准配套联用的,那些比较简单、有效且较为廉价的通用无线电服务包(GPRS)技术以及现行的移动电话全球通信标准系统(GSM系统)。

[析] 这句话的翻译难度很大。因为句子中分词、介词修饰语太多。但习译者的基本理解是对的。“work with 3G networks but also with the less…”是第一个难点,“General Packet Radio Service(GPRS)technology already being installed on the continent”是第二个难点。理解清楚了,慢慢就能把译文理顺。

[最后一段] None of these problems is insurmountable,but neither will they be resolved quickly.An-alysts at Forrester Research in the Netherlands predict that even in 2005,when more than half of Europe's phones will be connected to the Internet,fewer than 15 percent of them will use 3G.That's a measure of this technology's complexity and immaturity.

[习译] 这些问题都是能克服的,但就目前来说,没有一个问题能很快得到解决。在荷兰的福雷斯特研究公司的分析员发表预言说,即使到了2005年的时候,超过一半的欧洲电话都将会与因特网连接,但这些用户当中,少于15%的人会愿意使用第三代技术。这是基于这项技术的复杂性和不成熟而作出的猜测。

[改译] 所有这些问题虽不是不可解决,但其中任何一个又并非转瞬之间就能解决的。荷兰Forrester研究公司的分析家就预言过,到2005年,超过一半的欧洲手机用户都可以与互联网联通使用。即使如此,也不过只有不到15%的用户能用上3G手机,这也就衡量出这项技术成就的技术复杂性及其得到推广的时机尚未成熟。

[析] That's a measure of this technology's complexity andimmaturity,习译者没有译出a measure这个关键词的含义。在这里,作“程度”、“分量”,而不能译作“测量”。习译者的译文基本正确,但欠流畅。即使如此,也应当说是达到了一定水平。

【评改意见】 作为一个尚未读完英语本科的学生,能够完成这种难度的翻译练习,已经是不错的了。但译出来的句子,一方面不应该有啰唆不清之处,另一方面不应该有漏译之处。 ktpJ4fm2FvSRWRy7dGRGPeu3/2HSo6ZMFNDUQp7u10wACAKyIYdp3E8RwySWrDnF

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