科普英语竞赛翻译

科普英语竞赛翻译中的若干问题

1．注意科技文体风格，使用科技英语语言

科技文体的特点是结构缜密、概念准确、行文流畅、逻辑性强，词语的专业性强而修饰性较弱。在词汇方面，科技英语大量使用名词化结构和动词的非限定式，即分词、动名词和动词不定式；词汇的组成可分三类：一是被赋予新义的常用词，二是从拉丁语、希腊语等外来语中借用的词汇，三是新造词。在语法方面，科技英语多用现在时（尤其是一般现在时）、被动语态、非人称主语及定语从句。科技文体是比较正式庄重的文体。

译文能否体现科技文体的特色，关键是译文中的词汇、语法、句法结构等是否与原文中的诸因素契合一致。

1）辨析文体色彩

词汇是文章最基本表现材料，文章的总体风貌必然反映在词汇上。翻译中的选词是否准确直接关系到译文能否体现原文的总体风貌。

The agenda of ongoing work in the social and behavioral sciences has been revealed here in only the most fragmentary way. But I hope these fragments will provide some glimpse into the excitement and significance of the whole.

关于在社会和行为科学中我们目前正在搞的工作的进程，在这儿只是以很不搭界的方式摆出来的；可是我希望这些拉拉杂杂的东西倒能使读者见识一下我们整个的研究工作是多么有趣又是多么有意义。

这里展示的并非社会科学和行为科学的总体现状，只不过是让读者见其一斑。然而，笔者希望这零散材料能引起人们的兴趣，使之对全部工作的重要意义有个概略的了解。

2）理清学科归属

英语词汇的突出特点表现为一词多义。一个常用词的词义可以依据其所处的不同上下文辐射到各个不同的学科，形成一个语意辐射圈。随着社会的进步、科学的发展，越来越多的词被赋予新义，其语义辐射范围也随之扩大。译者首先应明确原文所涉及的学科范畴：是数学、物理学、化学还是医学……

They made their base at Cape Evans and planned the journey

to the Pole in three stages.

他们在埃文斯海角建立了大本营，并计划分三个阶段来完成到南极的全部旅程。

Some reactions such as those between soluble acids and bases occur very rapidly.

有些反应，像酸碱溶液之间的反应进行得很快。

Convert the following denary numbers base 8.

把下列各十进制换算成以8为基值的数。

Large missiles are typically without a rail launching system, and whether tied down or simply standing on their base are subject to wind effects.

大型导弹一般是没有导轨发射系统的，不论是系装还是竖立在发射场上，都受风的影响。

3）准确引申词义

即是依据词的本义进行必要的延伸拓展，使之与上下文在意义上相符，在风格上一致。

A.首先是延续拓展原文词义:

Of the thousands of lines in the sun’s spectrum, most can be definitely identified with those of elements known on the earth.

太阳光谱中的几千条谱线，绝大多数能够确切地与地球上的已知的元素谱线相吻合。

One of the beauties of the medicine is the absence of aftereffects.

这种药品的优点之一是没有副作用。

It was only in the last few years that advances were made for the work of identification of pain-sensitive cells in the caudal part of SNT.

只是最近几年来，在尾端寻找痛敏细胞的工作方面有了突破。

B．其次将抽象的词义具体化:

All the wit and learning in this field are to be present at the symposium.

这一领域的全部学者都将出席这次专题讨论研讨会。

By experimentation, imagination, and reasoning, mathematics are discovering new facts and ideas that science and engineering are using to change our civilization.

通过实验、想象和推理，数学家们正在寻求新论据新观念，从而使科学家和工程师们用之以促进人类文明的发展。

C．最后将具体词义抽象化:

There were times when emigration bottleneck was extremely rigid and nobody was allowed to leave the country out of his personal preference.

过去，对移民的限制极为严格，不允许任何人出于个人考虑而迁居他国。

Just as the Industrial Revolution took over an immense range of tasks from men’s muscles and enormously expanded productivity, so the microcomputer is rapidly assuming huge burdens of drudgery from the human brain and thereby expanding the mind’s capacities in ways that man has begun to grasp.

正如工业革命取消了大量的体力劳动并极大发展了生产力一样，微型电子计算机迅速地承担起大量繁重的脑力劳动，从而以人们现在才开始领会的各种方式扩大了人脑的功能。

2．翻译的步骤

1）紧缩主干

In that same village and in one of these very house (which, to tell the precise truth, was sadly time-worn and weather-beaten), there lived many years since, while the country was yet a province of Great Britain, a simple good natured fellow, of the name of Rip Van Winkle.

2）辨析词义

A．形态语义关系

Quarterfinal

Electronumeroscopic

B．语法层次关系