破除迷信英文

在听、说、读、写、译中，翻译作为语言学习的基本技能之一，在专业八级的测试中占了相当的篇幅。本文拟对专八翻译测试“中译英”中常见中文句型的翻译技法作一简介，以期对正在准备专八的同学及翻译爱好者有所帮助。 “Art is long; life is short.” (Geoffrey Chaucer) 是不是觉得这个句子很简单？尝试翻译一下吧。“艺术很长，生命很短。”自己觉得如何？要把握英文前重心，中文后重心的语言特点。英语原文侧重强调艺术的重要，这样中文至少应译成：“生命很短，艺术很长。”发现语言过于口语化，那就雕琢一下：“人生如氤氲，艺术永不朽。”如再运用中文标志性的四字辞格加以改写，则变成“人生苦短，艺术弥香。” 数种译文，哪种更能吸引评分老师？答案一目了然。 再举一例：“That which has been is what will be, that which is done is what will be done, and there is nothing new under the sun.”(The Book of Ecclesiastes)——典型的英语竹节句式，转换过程中对比中文流水句特点，再次运用四字辞格：“已有之事，后必再有；已行之事，后必再行。太阳之下，并无新事。”大家看看效果如何？ 两个例子说明，把握双语的句型独特特性后再来翻译，事情就简单多了。 汉语有其自身的特点和魅力，遣词造句以词组、散句、小句或分句为主要手段；擅长于按照时间、事件的先后逻辑顺序进行线性或横排式叙述；有时各种逻辑关系貌似不露，甚至出现断句不严、外形疏散的现象——这是因为汉语是时间型的动态结构，主要体现在形式较为自由，富有弹性。与此形成鲜明对比的是，英语是以“主谓”主干结构为重心，添加各种语言成分，句界之间关系分明，外形严密，枝叶繁茂。下文以历年真题为例，讲解各大中文句型的翻译要领。 主谓单句 翻译过程中对照中文句式，以直译为主，适当调整语序。 【2007年真题】在河湾之畔，一群羊正在低头觅食。 A group of sheep are lowing their heads, eating by the river bank. 【2005年真题】我国历代的劳动人民及大政治家、大思想家等等都莫不如此。 Laborers, great statesmen as well as the great thinkers in our history, past and present, all treat their lives the same way, without exception. 【注意事项】 1、避免机械对应。 ● 中国近几年发生了巨大变化。 A. China has been crackling with the dynamics of changes these years. B.Great changes have taken place in China these years. C.These years have witnessed great changes in China. D.There have been great changes in China these years. E.China has been experiencing great changes these years. 2、翻译汉语句子的非动词谓语时，需补加动词。 ●于先生很聪明。Mr. Yu looks clever. ●专八考试并不困难。TEM-8 is not difficult. 3、避免谓语动词的机械对应。 ●“打”：打球play，打架fight，打车grab/take ●你们要搞调查研究。You have to do some investigation and study. ●别搞那么多菜了。Don’t make/cook so many dishes. ●你搞什么鬼？What on earth are you up to? ●他身体搞垮了。He has ruined his health. 由此牵涉出一个英汉互译中应该关注的现象——一词多义。 ●马克思同志的思想和学说是永存的。thought; teachings ●关于新东方建设总路线的基本思想 ideas ●破除迷信，解放思想 the mind ●毛泽东军事思想的一个重要组成部分，是关于人民战争的思想 thinking; concept ●政治问题和思想问题ideological 无主语句 【2007年真题】如果走近了，会发现它们那可爱的神情，洁白的牙齿，那丰富而单纯的表情。 When approaching near, one would find their lily-white teeth and a variety of innocent facial expressions. 【2006年真题】况中国古代素来以不滞于物，不为物役为最主要的人生哲学。 Besides, the ancient Chinese people have always regarded it as their fundamental philosophy of life that one should neither be confined to material things, nor be enslaved by them. 【注意事项】 1、汉语祈使句，英译依法照译。 ●里面里面！Inside please! ●你的身份证！Your ID card！ 2、汉语中叙事或论理的无主句，译时补加主语。 ●三十而立，四十不惑。 At thirty, one is well-established. At forty, one is free from any doubt. ●学而时习之，不亦说乎？有朋自远方来，不亦乐乎？ Is it not a pleasure after all to practice in due time what one has learnt? Is it not a delight after all to have friends come from afar? 3、汉语习惯性无主句转换为there be结构，也可采用主谓单句或被动句式。 ●剩下的时间不多了。 There is very little time left. ●没有不透风的墙。The walls have ears. 注意：汉语无主句较为常见，转换为英文应时刻提醒自己补充或还原主语。 读者自己可尝试翻译：“松下问童子，言师采药去。” 流水句 流水句即叙事类的句子。这类句子通常在一句话里把两个或两个以上的动词并列使用，这样的句子在英语中是不存在的。 【2007年真题】它们几乎没有一个顾得上抬起头来，看一眼这美丽的黄昏。也许它们要抓紧时间，在即将回家的最后一刻再次咀嚼。 Hardly any of them would spare some time to raise their eyes to have a glance at the beautiful dusk. They are, perhaps, making use of every minute to enjoy their last chew before being driven home. 【2005年真题】当他活着一天，总要尽量多劳动、多工作、多学习，不肯虚度年华，不让时间白白地浪费掉。 As long as they are alive, (even if there is only one day to live,) they always labor, work, and study as hard as possible, unwilling to dream away the time in vain and to let even one single second slip by without any gain.【注意事项】 首推转换为英文独有的复合句形式；其次考虑译为若干个以主谓结构为主干的分立单位或者平列散句，适当添加关联词。 ●我有一个问题弄不懂，想请教你，你能回答吗？ Can you answer a question which I want to ask and which is puzzling me? ●我家放着一堆雨伞，少说有十二把，五颜六色，大小不一。 In my home lay at least twelve umbrellas of all sizes and colors. ●不一会，北风小了。路上浮尘早已刮净，剩下一条洁白的大道来，车夫也跑得更快。 Presently the north wind dropped a little. By now the loose dust had all been blown away, leaving the roadway clean. The rickshaw man quickened his pace.意合句【2007年真题】这是黄河滩上的一幕。牧羊人不见了，他不知在何处歇息。 This is a picture of the Yellow River bank, in which the shepherd disappears, and no one knows where he is resting. 意合句指的是无关联词语的复合句。翻译过程中先分析找出其中暗含的各种语义关系，然后选择相应的关联词语或其他手段，把句子的深层含义体现出来。 ●桂林山水甲天下，阳朔山水甲桂林。 Guilin’s mountains and waters rank first in China while Yangshuo’s even top those of Guilin. ●天长地久有时尽，此恨绵绵无绝期。 The eternal universe sometimes comes to an end, but my unceasing regret knows no limit. ●最新二三十年来，科学技术发展日新月异，专业化的分工更细，协作的规模更大。 Over the last 20 or 30 years, science and technology have made new headways day by day, resulting in a more minute division of labor on the basis of specialization and in more extensive cooperation.主次信息句需把主要信息译成完整的英文单句，次要信息可译成独立结构或分词结构，作为伴随状语或原因状语。 ●他没有死，他的故事激励了千百万人的心。 He lives on, his story inspiring the hearts of millions of people. ●生亦何哀，死亦何苦？ Life is insignificant, death, of little consequence. ●天长地久。 Heaven is eternal, the earth, everlasting. 【2006年真题】中国民族自古以来从不把人看作高于一切，在哲学文艺方面的表现都反映出人在自然界中与万物占着一个比例较为恰当的地位，而非绝对统治万物的主宰。 The Chinese nation has never considered human beings to be superior to any other species since time immemorial. Human beings always share a quite appropriate proportion with everything else in nature, living in harmony rather than dominating the whole world, as is reflected in the field of philosophy, literature and art. 如果词汇和句法知识过关，同学们把握住各大中文句型翻译的基础模式后，顺利通过测试应游刃有余。长期来看，You will enjoy a grander sight, by climbing to a greater height. 翻译学习是一辈子的事业。文豪莎士比亚说，“真爱之路永不平坦”。愿你我能在追求翻译信、达、雅的道路上含笑收割，领略到语言的精髓，感受到文字的魅力。【注意事项】 1、保证译文质量的同时，提升翻译速度。两者发生矛盾时，考场上谨记保量>保质。(斟酌前面几句话；兼顾中间几句话；慢待最后几句话。) 2、精雕细琢面子工程：卷面、字迹、包装，一个都不能少。 3、绝对难点果断跳过，相对难点绝不放过，易点译后飘过： 【2003年真题】But his cousin looks around bewildered. All she sees is a forest. “可是，表妹环顾四周，颇感茫然，因为，她所看到的不过是一片树林。” (越是简单的翻译任务，成为采分点的几率越小。) 4、英汉语系不同，语言特性差异巨大。谨记三句箴言：结构不可译，语意可译；词典意不可靠，语境重要；参考译文只参考，译对就好。