英语翻译与写作-Diction

Diction

●the proper choice of words and phrases in the process of translation to fit their context

●Methods of Discriminating the Original Meaning of an English Word

1.According to word-formation: compounding, derivation, blending, acronym formation, clipping

✓compounding(合成法): generation gap, summer time (夏令时), test-tube baby (试管婴儿), brain-drain (人才外流), picturephone (可视电话), soft-landing economy(软着陆经济)credit card (信用卡), pocket money(零用钱), greenhouse effect (温室效应)

✓derivation（派生法）: non - friend (假朋友), antifreeze (抗冻剂), preschooler (学龄前儿童) , ✓blending (拼缀法): comsat ( communication + satellite,通讯卫星) , lunarnaut ( lunar + astronaut,登月宇宙航行员) , Chinglish (Chinese + English,汉式英语)

✓acronym formation(首字母缩略法)：PC ( personal computer, 个人电脑) , CALL ( computer - aided language learning, 计算机辅助语言学习) , CIA ( the Central Intelligence Agency,中央

情报局)

✓clipping（截缩法）: ad ( advertisement) , homo ( homosexuality) ,memo (memorandum) , bus ( omnibus) , flu ( influenza)

2.According to the references

(1)third-person pronouns

He sent John to the university and was eager to have him distinguish himself.

(2)demonstrative pronouns and demonstrative adverbs

Health is above wealth, for this cannot give so much happiness as that.

(3)references of comparison

I hate blue shirts; white shirts suit me but gray is the most preferable.

3.According to the context and collocation

✓No context, no translation. e.g.

I’ll finish the book next week.

Tension is building up.

✓Each word, when used in a new context, is a new word.

As luck would have it, no one was in the building when the explosion occurred.

As luck would have it, there was rain on the day of the picnic.

The war is becoming the most important story of this generation.

It is quite another story now.

Some reporters who were not included in the session broke the story.

What a story! I don’t believe a word of it.

The story about him became smaller and by and by faded out from American TV.

在这种情况下under such circumstances / such being the case

这种情况必须改变。This state of affairs must change.

现在情况不同了。Now things are different.

他们的情况怎么样？How do matters stand with them?

前线有什么情况？How is the situation at the front?

我们可能去那儿，那得看情况而定。We may go there, but that depends.

4.According to different branches of learning and specialties

base: 词根（lexicology）本金（business）底涂（painting）基线（survey）根据地（military science）底座（machinery）底边（maths）

The lathe should be set on a firm base.

Line AB is the base of the triangle ABC.

The weary troops marched back to the base.

Techniques of Translating a Given Word

1.Deduction：to deduce the original meaning in the light of the explanation of a dictionary

cybercafé– a coffee house that provides patrons with computer terminals for browsing the Internet for

a fee 网吧

smart card– electronic card: a small plastic card containing a microchip that can store personal data and bank-account details 智能卡

win-win– beneficial to all in some way 双赢

上班上报上台上场上冻上告上当

2.Transplant: to translate the ingredients of a given English word literally and then combine each part of

them

blue tooth microwave white-collar supermarket

春节

中秋节

泼水节

火把节

3.Extension: the extension of meaning is from the concrete to the abstract, and vice versa.

1)from the concrete to the abstract

lick sb’s boots巴结eat one’s heart out极度悲痛catch forty winks打盹儿eat like a bird吃得极少

谦虚态度modesty 发展过程development 无知的表现innocence 鸡毛蒜皮trifling 同情心理sympathy

I was practically on my knees but he still refused.

The matter was finally settled under the table.

He earns scarcely enough to keep body and soul together.

I have no head for music.

这是他们夫妻之间的事，你去插一脚干吗?

这消息让我出了一身冷汗。

他毛遂自荐来这所小学当老师。

真正的好朋有应该是雪中送炭。

这些问题盘根错节,三言两语说不清楚。