主要是指汉译英时结构搭建常用的三个功能词或形式,即“as,with,ing”(As+句子,主句+ing,主句+with/With+主句)。在实际翻译过程中译文结构好不好,三剑客说了算!可以毫不夸张地说,谁尽早熟练掌握了这三个功能词或形式,谁就能尽早步入汉英翻译的殿堂!具体讲解如下。
1. “As+句子”引出事实背景部分表示原因,后面添加主句。
As population ages, the government is confronting a growing challenge to support ballooning pensions.
As people’s income increases, they have more money available to spend on leisure activities.
2. “主句+ing”是指通过“主句,doing sth.”来补充说明主句主语动作造成的结果;“主句+with sb. doing sth.”功能一样,差别就在于“do”的动作实行者与主句主语不一致。
The flood swept across much of South China, leaving 5,000 people homeless/displacing 5,000 people.
The flood swept across much of South China, with 5,000 people fleeing their homes.
3. “With+主句”是指通过“With+”引出事实背景,后面添加主句,这也是大家最熟悉的一种句式结构。
With oil prices surging over the past year, people now have to pay 10% more at the pumps on average across the globe.
正因为有了充分的学术自由,像牛顿这样在人类历史上具有伟大影响的科学家,才能够思潮奔腾、才华迸发,敢于思考前人从未思考过的问题,敢于踏进前人从未涉足的领域。
It is adequate academic liberty that has empowered Newton and other immensely influential scientists to bring out their best, emboldening them to think creatively and enter uncharted territories.
1. 本句必须首先梳理清楚逻辑关系才可以动笔。基本逻辑是“因为……,科学家们才能够……,进而敢于……”,两个“敢于”是“思潮奔腾、才华迸发”的结果或补充说明,句式结构首选的是“主句+ing”。
2. 在具体行文时,要做到增删得当,进行C-C-E(即:对中文原文进行分析,梳理为精练达意的中文后再进行中英翻译,从中文原文到解析后的中文再到英文,而不是直接对照中文原文进行翻译)的语言再架构,“有了”不需要翻译,简化为“自由使某人能够做某事”,自然就可以想起“enable/empower”等常用动词。“思潮奔腾、才华迸发”是同义重复,要进行“同义重复并译行”,“使某人敢于做某事”可以考虑“embolden”,当然如果想不到这个词也可以选用“encourage/allow”。“思考前人从未思考过的问题”中文出现了前后重复,必须考虑言外之意,即“创造性地思考”。译文中采用了英文的常用对等词组,读起来自然不会感到生硬。
夜幕降临,河岸边数千盏灯笼与晚霞一并点燃,把整个小镇映衬得灯火通明,为镇民们照亮了回家的路。
As night falls/at dusk, thousands of lanterns along the river are joined by sunset glow to make for a brightly lit town, lighting up the way home for locals.
1. 该句逻辑关系比较清楚,“灯笼与晚霞照亮了小镇,进而照亮了回家的路”,最后一个意群属于递进说明,考虑选用“主句+ing”。
2. 在具体行文时不能过于死板或字字对译,要跳脱出来,重新选用适当动词搭建句子。“一并点燃”就是“一起”,英文中选用了“be joined by”,“把……映衬得”就是“创造了灯火通明的画面”,选用“make for”。
但在行为上,人们又容易背离这些古训,不愿意听或听不进“逆耳”之言,最终犯下严重的过失。
In practice, however, chances are that people deviate from/run counter to/put these insightful adages behind. They simply turn a deaf ear to candid, blunt words, ending up with serious/damaging/grave mistakes/mishaps/blunders/consequences.
1. 该句逻辑关系比较清楚。“容易背离古训”与“不愿意听……”属于宏观与具体的关系,可以考虑分为两句翻译,也可以采用“主句+ing”的句式处理。如果分为两句处理,“最终……”则属于造成的结果,依然选用“主句+ing”的句式。
2. 在具体行文时,依然要重点处理动词部分,选用灵活的动词巧妙搭建句子。“容易做某事”不是“be easy to do sth.”而是“be likely to do sth.”,“不愿意听或听不进”则选用了一个词组“turn a deaf ear to”,“最终犯下”直接选用“end up with”避开了动词“犯下”,属于介词隐藏动词的处理方式。
可惜远行奔波间,车马劳顿,总是行色匆匆,山水的怡情悦目,都如过眼的云烟,只不过领略了一个大概,不能去探寻幽僻的妙境。
Yet fatiguing/tiring/exhausting/long-haul journeys basically mean that I can only get a sketchy picture/glimpse of enchanting/engrossing/inviting/engaging/amazing/arresting natural landscape that greets me along my way as I hurry along to attend to business, with little time left to explore remote, less spoiled serenity.
1. 这句的逻辑关系需要认真揣摩。句子大意或主体框架是“奔波劳顿使得我只能大概领略怡情的景色,匆匆忙忙而没有多少时间去探寻妙境”,这样C-C-E(即:对中文原文进行分析,梳理为精练达意的中文后再进行中英翻译,从中文原文到解析后的中文再到英文,而不是直接对照中文原文进行翻译)梳理后句子自然就容易处理了。
2. 具体行文时,“远行奔波、车马劳顿”属于同义重复,减译为“fatiguing journeys”,添加“mean”表示原因,“过眼的云烟”和“只能领略大概”属于同义重复,减译为“get a sketchy glimpse of”,“行色匆匆”通过“as”连接表示理由,“hurry along to attend to business”急匆匆去公干,最后添加“with”补充说明造成的后果。
我凡事喜欢有自己的见解,不屑于人云亦云,即使是论诗品画,都是持一种别人珍贵的东西我抛弃,别人遗弃的东西我收取的态度。
I tend to hold on to my own observations rather than echo others blindly, staying away from/rejecting what is normally cherished and embracing what is often ignored even when it comes to poems or paintings.
1. 该句逻辑需要细细推敲一番。“喜欢有自己的见解”和“不屑于人云亦云”其实属于前后重复,可以减译;“即使是……”属于举例子补充说明,考虑“主句+ing”的句式。
2. 具体行文时,“凡事”可以删除不译,“喜欢”处理为“tend to”。“持一种……的态度”属于宏观信息,具体信息时“别人珍贵的……”,采用“舍宏观取具体”的翻译原则。“别人珍贵的东西”和“别人遗弃的东西”则选用了英文常用的“what/how”构成句子进行处理,此种翻译方法较能体现语感,其他例证如:“看问题的角度”译为“how you look at things”,“人生的真谛”译为“what life is all about”,“人们的思维方式”译为“how people think”“生产和生活方式”译为“how we live and produce”。
中国是农业大国,在中国成为发达国家的道路上,农业有着决定性的作用。中国的农业应该是世界的奇迹,养活了13亿的人口,解决了世界1/5人口的吃饭问题,对中国经济的快速发展起到了坚实的保障作用。
In such a major agricultural economy as China, agriculture holds the key to its ambition of becoming a developed country/joining the developed world. Arguably China’s agriculture has worked a world wonder, as it has managed to feed 1.3 billion people, roughly 1/5 of the world’s total. Agriculture has been a solid underpinner/bedrock/groundwork/foreground for China’s economic boom/transformation.
1. 第一句话的重心在“农业有着决定性的作用”,“中国是农业大国”属于事实背景,用as引导置于句首即可;“在成为……的道路上”可以译为“on the road/route/path/track/course to become...”,但是要取决于动词的选用;在译文中主要围绕动词“hold the key to”进行选词,意即“对中国的目标起着关键作用”。
2. 第二句话“中国的农业应该是世界的奇迹,养活了13亿的人口,解决了世界1/5人口的吃饭问题,对中国经济的快速发展起到了坚实的保障作用”逻辑为“表态判断+事实+总结”,奇迹只是指“养活了人口”,与后面的“经济快速发展”没有逻辑关系,必须果断断句。同时,“养活了13亿的人口”和“解决了世界1/5人口的吃饭问题”属于同义重复,而不是并列。
3. 具体行文时,译文中“发挥着……作用”都避开了陈词滥调“play a role in...”,以后翻译时也应该学会尽可能不要照字译字,避开所谓翻译腔。
每回接到母亲来信,我都要抚摸贴在信封右上角的邮票,那是母亲亲手贴上去的,它贴得规正却无画面感,很多时候是头朝下的,因为母亲根本看不见,她是凭感觉在贴。邮票残留着母亲的手印,承载着母亲的挂念,那上面有母亲的气息。凝视中,我常常泪眼模糊……
Each time her letter arrived, I would routinely make a point of feeling the stamp pasted on the upper right corner of the envelope. The stamping was her job, done nice and well, but never evoked a picture, as in many cases stamps were put upside down due to her loss of sight. After all, being blind, she did all this based totally on rule of thumb. Stamps carried her fingerprints communicating motherly love and care. On that note, my eyes were often blurred with tears whenever I gazed at the stamp of each letter from her.
1. 该段落的难点在于句子的逻辑切分。本着“以意群为切分点”、“句子宜短不宜长”的原则,第一个切分点为“每回接到母亲来信,我都要抚摸贴在信封右上角的邮票”,意思非常完整。
2. 下一个切分点为“那是母亲亲手贴上去的,它贴得规正却无画面感,很多时候是头朝下的,因为母亲根本看不见,她是凭感觉在贴”,但是,“因为母亲根本看不见,她是凭感觉在贴”也包含了一层因果,所以,把它再单独列为一句。
3. “那上面有母亲的气息。凝视中”句号前后是因果关系,在行文时必须加以体现,译文中选用了“on that note”。
4. 具体行文时,“我都要抚摸”强调的是特意做某事,采用“make a point of doing sth.”加以体现;“那是母亲亲手贴上去的”绝对不能按照字面生硬翻译,可以借鉴英文里的活用说法“it is sb.’s job”;“无画面感”和“头朝下”构成了因果,而“头朝下”与“看不见”又构成因果,在译文中采用了“as+due to...”分别体现了这两层逻辑关系;“邮票残留着母亲的手印,承载着母亲的挂念,那上面有母亲的气息”在行文时将动词删除重新组织语言即可,“母亲的挂念和气息”也是要从写作的高度考虑行文。
“中国制造”模式遭遇发展瓶颈,这种模式必须要改进和提高。一些外国人认为,“中国制造”大约就是质量低下的代名词。不可否认,少数产品的确存在质量问题,让大多数价廉质优的产品代其受罪。
“Made in China”practice must be remodeled/upgraded as an emerging bottleneck is getting in the way. Some foreign critics equate “Made in China”with low quality. There is no denying that some products made in China are faulty, but they have turned out to be a fly in the ointment, as products manufactured in China are normally affordable and of assured quality./There is no denying that some made-in-China products are faulty, but quality and affordable products are in the majority.
1. “‘中国制造’模式遭遇发展瓶颈,这种模式必须要改进和提高。”该句属于典型的前因后果,翻译时调整语序即可,添加“as”体现逻辑关系;在具体行文时,“必须要改进和提高”是同义重复,需要合并翻译。
2. “一些外国人认为,‘中国制造’大约就是质量低下的代名词。”该句翻译时注意跳脱出来寻找动词重新组织语言,即把“中国制造”等同于质量差。
3. “不可否认,少数产品的确存在质量问题,让大多数价廉质优的产品代其受罪。”注意逻辑关系,可以采用“主句+ing”形式体现造成的结果,译为“A small portion of made-in-China products are undeniably faulty, thus victimizing/defaming/defiling the remaining majority that are truly quality and affordable. ”或者跳脱出来处理为转折关系。
2007年夏天,富营养物和其他污染导致蓝藻在太湖、巢湖、滇池发生了蓝藻“密集孽生”现象,影响了城市供水及水生产品生长。
In 2007, high concentration of nutrients and other pollutants triggered blue algae “eutrophication”in Taihu Lake, Chaohu Lake and Dianchi Lake, disrupting water supply in neighboring cities and damaging aquatic farms.
1. 该句逻辑关系非常清楚,“A导致B,进而影响了C”,首选“主句+ing”的句式。
2. 在具体行文时,“影响了”不能机械地译为“affect”,英文中表达影响的词或词组有很多,而且都有特定的语境,如:have implications for sth., take a toll on sth.。在英译时一定要平时留意英文的语境选词并加以学习借鉴。“影响”往往不能清楚传递具体信息,所以,在行文时分别采用了“disrupt”和“damage”来翻译,体现了“造成供水中断”和“破坏了生长”之意。