翻译技巧与实践(第三讲)

• 中国社会主义建设的航船将乘风破浪地驶向现代化 的光辉彼岸。 • The ship of China’s socialist construction will brave the wind and waves and sail to the glorious destination of modernization.(X) • China will stride forward in building socialism, like a ship braving the wind and the waves, towards the glorious destination of modernization. • 世纪之交，中国外交空前活跃。 • At the turn of the century, China’s diplomacy is more active. .(X) • The turn of the cntury finds Cina most active on the diplomatic area.
• 人类历史上只有两种战争；正义战争和非正义战争。 • 译1：There are two kinds of ward in human history– just and unjust. • 译2: Human History knows only two types of wars— wars of justice and wars of injustie. • 霸权主义日趋衰落。 • 译1: Hegemony is becoming weaker every day. • 译2: Every day sees hegemony getting weaker. • 中国改革开放的先行者广东省，今年经济增长率预计 将比去年要高。 • 译1: There will have a higher economic growth rate this year than it had last year in China’s forerunner’s province Guangdong in reform and opening-up. • 译2:Guangdong Province, China’s forerunner of reform and opening-up, expects to have a higher eonomi growth rate this year than it had last year.
• 例1.经过大修的十公里长的离宫墙,依山就势,蜿蜒曲 • 折,犹如万里长城的缩影,游客看后赞叹不已。 • The mountain resort is enclosed by a recently renovated wall about 10 kilometers long, which rises and falls, twists and turns with mountain ridges like the miniature of the Great Wall. It is widely acclaimed by the tourists.(齐乃政,2003:276) • 原文中的话题是整个语段“旅游避暑胜地——承德” 中的“离宫墙”,而句段最后分句的主位是“游客”, 但是这并不妨碍我们理解整个语段的话题,但是,如果 按照其次序译出来的话就不行。而译文的主位It与前 面句子主位一致。这一手段是英语写作中通常遵循 的一项篇章结构组织原则。(MicCrimmon,1976:378-380)
• 4，译成复合结构的英语句子 • 冬天，在四周围都是山地的这里，看见太阳 的日子真是太少了。今天，难得雾这么稀薄， 空中融融地混合着金黄的阳光，把地上的一 切，好像也照上一层欢笑的颜色。 • In winter, sunny days were scarce here, as it was surrounded by hills all around. Today, however, the fog was wonderfully thin and the air was filtered through with golden sunlight that tinted everything on the ground with a joyful hue.
• 例3. (1)The Prime Minister stepped off the plane. (2)Journalists immediately surrounded her. (3)She was immediately surrounded by journalists. • 讲英语国家的人会选择(1)与(3)连接,因为(3) 中的She与上句的The PrimeMinister是同一 主位,在(3)中是已知的信息。如果与(2)连接, 两个句子的出发点转换就不自然,当读者头脑 里建立起Prime Minister是谈话的中心时候, 突然第二个分句的话题变成了journalists.
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意合与形合在汉英翻译中的操作 1译成带从句的英语句子 她们妯娌吵嘴，不巧被我撞见了。 I chanced to be present when the sisters-in-law were having a quarrel. 2，译成带介词短语的英语句子 好不容易才说服她，照我的想法办. With some difficulty I brought her round to my way of thinking. 3，译成带分词或不定式的英语句子 只见那个理发师俯下身，听那小姑娘说，她要什么发式。 Leaning down to hear the little girl, the barber listened to her about the style she wanted.
• 例2.快乐的死亡却很快乐,不仅他自己感到快 乐,别人看来也很快乐。 • Happy death is a joyful thing, bringing happiness to both the writer himself and other people. • 原文中有三个分句,有三个主语,主语(也是主 位)的转换是比较频繁的,但都是围绕话题“快 乐的死亡”展开的。而译文中用bring(带来) 表达原文的动词“感到”和“看来”,使得原 文的三个分句在译文中共用一个主语,成为一 个比较符合英语表达方式的句子,一气呵成,自 然流畅。
翻译技巧与实践
第三讲：句法与翻译(上)
英汉句法对比
• 意合与形合 • 形合hypotaxis，指语言中的词与词，句与句的 结合主要凭借词形变化，关系词、连接词等显 性手段。 • 意合 parataxis，指语言中的词与词，句与句 parataxis 的结合主要依靠语义上的关系和联想达成，这 种结合在外部形态上没有明显的标志，交际双 方根据语境和语感对语句作出正确的解码。
有灵，无灵动词
• 按照动作的执行者是有生命的还是无生命的这一标准，英语 和汉语的动词均可分为有灵动词和无灵动词。前者用在表示 有生命的名词后，后者用在表示无生命的名词后。含有灵动 词的句子称作有生命主语句，含无灵动词的句子称作无生命来自百度文库主语句。英语和汉语差别是：有灵动词与无灵动词在英语中 无有明确的区别，即一个动词常常是既可用作有灵动词、又 可用作无灵动词；而在汉语中这两类动词之间却有明确的区 别，即一个用作有灵动词的动词不能同时用作无灵动词。例 如： （1） One reliable source said that major tax changes were being considered by the Treasury. 据可靠消 息，财政部正在考虑对税收办法作重大改革。 • （2） John said that he would come this evening.约翰 说他今晚来。 • 上述两例中的said 分别与表示无生命的事物的 one reliable source 和表示有生命的John搭配。前句是无生命主 语句，后者是有生命主语句。动词 say在前一例中用作无灵动 词，在后一例中用作有灵动词。而汉语中与say相对应的动词 是"说"，它只能作有灵动词。如改作无灵动词，则很不符合汉 语的表达习惯。英译汉时一是要弄清英语无生命主语句特点， 二是对原句的结构和搭配必须作出相应的调整。
• ①我常见许多青年的朋友，②聪明用功，③成绩优 异，④而语文程度不足以表达，⑤甚至写一封信亦 难得通顺，⑥问其故则曰其兴趣不在语文方面。 （梁实秋《学问与趣味》） • ① I have come across a great many young friends,②bright and diligent, ③do exceedingly well in studies, ④but they are rather weak in Chinese, ⑤even can’t write a smooth Chinese letter. ⑥When asked why, they’ll say they are not interested in Chinese. • I have come across a great many bright and diligent young friends who have done exceedingly well in heir studies, but are rather weak in Chinese. They cannot even write a letter in corret Chinese. When I asked them why, they said they were not interested in the Chinese language.
话题结构与主谓结构
• 主语本质上是语法化了的话题 • 相比之下，在语法方面，英语选择了主语，汉语选了话题， 以及“把”字结构和“被”字结构。 • “典型的主语既是主题也是施事。”(Comrie 1981) • 英语是主谓结构(subject-predicate structure)的语言。中国语 言学家赵元任(Chao,1968:69)指出:“汉语句子中主语和谓语的 语法意义是主题(topic)和述题(comment),而不是动作者(actor) 和动作(action)。”Li和Thompson (1975)在其Subject and Topic一书中提出:“语言有四种基本类型:1)注重主语(Subjectprominent)的语言;2)注重主题(Topic-prominent)的语言;3)主 语和主题都注重的语言;4)主语与主题都不注重的语言。”他 提出英语属于注重主语(简称SP)的语言,而汉语则属于注重主 题(简称TP)的语言。话题(topic),又称主题。
拟人法（英语中，视为修辞上的一种毛病）
• • • • • • • • • 我们的事业从胜利走向胜利。 Our cause has won victory one after another. .(X) We have won one victory after another for our cause 汉字在历史上有过不可磨灭的功绩。 Chinese characters have made indelible contributions in history. .(X) The system of Chinese characters has played an invaluable role in our history 宗教不得干预政治。 Religion must not interfere with politics. .(X) It is impermissible to interfere with politics in the name of religion.