陈宏薇《新编汉英翻译教程》(第2版)-第5章 句群与段落的英译【圣才出品】

第5章句群与段落的英译

5.1 复习笔记

一、句群的特征

句群是一群句子的组合，是大于句子、小于段落的语法单位和表意单位。

一个句群起码包含两个以上的句子，它们在语法上有结构关系，在语义上有逻辑联系，在语流中衔接连贯。

句群的意义比句子复杂但相对完整，表达方式突出中心。

句群的语气灵活多样，但句群成分都必须表现出语域上的一致性。语域是语境诸因素—话语的范围(field)、话语的语旨(tenor)和话语的方式(mode)共同作用所产生的言语变体。

句群与复句的关系类别没有很大差别，都可以分为因果类、并列类和转折类，但句群与复句是不同的概念。对于书面语来说，判别复句和句群最好根据标句符号。

虽然句群常常与段落相重合，但句群往往小于段落，如一个段落可能包含几个句群，一个段落也可能只有一个句子，不成为句群。

二、句群内的衔接与连贯

不管一个句群由多少个句子组成，都必须有一个中心思想，维系着几个句子之间紧密的逻辑联系，使它们形成一个整体。因此，翻译时应围绕原文的中心思想，借助连接词、句法手段以及词、句的有序排列，实现译文的逻辑连贯。

三、段落的特征

段落由句群和句群或者句群和句子组成，从表达内容上看容量比句子大得多，意义也复杂得多。

从书写形式看，段落与句群的差别表现为段落有换行的标志。

汉语段落和英语段落具有类似特征，都是相对完整的单位。不过，汉语段落可以包含一个或一个以上的主题，英语段落一般只有一个主题，如往往有一个明显的主题句，其他句子则层层展开，以支持主题句。但无论英语还是汉语，各段落的主题都是篇章主题的一部分，在篇章中起承上启下的作用。

四、段落功能与意义的再现

汉语段落英译时，我们除了考虑各句译得正确、地道以外，还必须考虑到句子以外的因素，即段落主题性，句与句之间的衔接性以及各句所反映的概念或命题的连贯性。

另外，在正确理解和忠实原文内容的基础上，还可根据需要，灵活重建段落结构。

5.2 课后习题详解

练习十三

一、根据汉英句群和段落衔接与连贯的特点修改下面译文。

1. 我当时是接管中央美术学院的军代表。听说白石老人是教授，每月到学校一次，画一张

画给学生看，作示范表演。有的学生提出要把他的工资停掉。

我说：“这样的老画家，每月来一次画一张画，就是很大的贡献。……”

I was then the military representative at the Central Academy of Fine Arts. I was

told that Baishi was a professor there and that he came to the Academy once a

month. Every time he came he would paint a picture as an example for the students to imitate, but some of them proposed that his salary should be stopped.

“For an artist as old as he is, to come once a month and produce a painting is a great contribution…” I explained.

【答案】

原文中第二句与第三句间的逻辑关系不太清晰，应添加必要词句点明逻辑关系。

I was then the military representative at the Central Academy of Fine Arts. I was

told that Baishi was a professor there and that he came to the Academy once a month. Every time he came he would paint a picture as an example for the students to imitate, but some students proposed that his salary should be stopped since he came so infrequently.

“For an artist as old as he is, to come once a month and produce a painting is a great contribution…”I explained.

2. 老梁赞叹似地轻轻说：“你瞧这群小东西，多听话！”

我就问道：“像这样一窝蜂，一年能割多少蜜？”

老梁说：“能割几十斤。蜜蜂这东西，最爱劳动。广东天气好，花又多，蜜蜂一年四季都不闲着。酿的蜜多，自己吃的可有限。每回割蜜，留下一点点，够它们吃的就行了。

它们从来不争，也不计较什么，还是继续劳动，继续酿蜜，整日整月不辞辛苦……”

Old Liang said softly, almost with a sigh: “Look at these little things. How obedient!”

I then asked: “How much honey does such a beehive yield each year?”

“A few scores of catties. Bees love best of all to work. In Guangdong, the weather is fine and there are many flowers; the bees work all year round without

a stop. They eat very little of the honey they produce. Each time when the honey

is taken away, we just leave them a little sugar, enough for them to eat. They never make trouble. They go on working and making honey all day long and all year round without complaining…”

【答案】

译文中看不出蜜蜂勤劳与广东天气好、花多有何联系。而且点睛之笔“酿的蜜多, 自己吃的可有限”之间的逻辑联系也没有清楚表现出来。这样, 段落的连贯性不但受到影响, 也不利于读者对原文思想意义的深刻理解。据此，我们可以添加必要的连接词，如as, although等, 以体现原文中隐含的逻辑性, 构建连贯通畅的译文。

Old Liang said softly, almost with a sigh: “Look at these little things. How obedient!”

I then asked: “How much honey does such a beehive yield each year?”

“A few scores of catties, Bees love best of all to work. They work here all year round without a stop as our (Guangdong) province has fine weather and plenty of flowers. Yet, although they produce much honey, they eat very little.

Each time we just leave them a little sugar when the honey is taken away. It is then enough for them to eat. They never make trouble. They go on working and making honey all day long and all year round without complaining…”