定语从句的译法

定语从句的译法



英语定语从句在句法结构上虽属次要成份，在语言作用上却占有重要的地位，应用极广。英语定语从句的结构有简有繁，对先行词的限制有强有弱，翻译时需分别灵活处理。汉语里没有类似英语中定语从句的结构，一般说来，定语放在它所修饰的词之前，往往只起修饰或限制的作用，而英语定语从句的功能却并不止于此。另外，定语从句可以写得很长，可以由几个从句并列同时修饰一个名词，可以借助关系代词由一个从句套出另一个从句，而汉语名词前一般少用结构复杂、描写性的长定语。因此，翻译英语定语从句时不能一律把它提前译作定语。定语从句的译法很多，常用的有以下几种：



4.1 译成前置定语



一般说来，限定性的定语从句可提前译成定语。还有一些定语从句，虽然并不明显地带有限定性质，但本身较短，和被修饰语关系紧密，也可译为前置定语。如：



例1. To be sure, a great rebuilding project would give jobs to many of those people who need them.

诚然，一个宏伟的重建计划也许能为许多需要工作的人提供就业机会。

例2. There is no royal road to science, and only those who do not dread the fatiguing climb of the steep paths have a chance of gaining its luminous summits.

在科学上没有平坦的大道，只有不畏劳苦、沿着陡峭的山路攀登的人，才有希望达到光辉的顶点。

例3. When I went to China, I went to teach; but every day that I stayed I thought less of what I had to teach them and more of what I had to learn from them. Among Europeans who had lived a long time in China, I found this attitude not uncommon; but among those whose stay is short, or who go only to make money, it is sadly rare.

我到中国是去教书的。可是，同我每天教给他们的东西相比，我把向他们学的东西看得更重。我发现，大凡久居中国的欧洲人都持这种态度。然而，可悲的是，那些在中国暂住或只想到中国赚钱的人持这种态度者却极少。

例4. In recent years, however, people have begun to become aware that cities are also areas where there is a concentration of problems.

可是，近几年来人们开始意识到城市也是问题成堆的地方。

例5. The moon is a world that is completely still and where utter silence prevails.

月亮是一个声断音绝的世界，是一个万籁俱寂的世界。

例6. However, I think that any thoughtful scholar who takes the trouble to go through the source notes at the end of this volume will find that the essential facts of the story which I have told come from written diaries, memoranda and memories.

然而，我想任何一位认真阅读书后面材料来源注释的细心学者都会发现，我所讲述的史话的基

本事实来源于书面日记、备忘录和回忆录。



如以上例句所示，这种译法最适用于来翻译较短的限定性定语从句。较长的限定性定语从句也可采用这种译法，以使修饰关系清晰，句子结构紧凑。如：



例7. They were sons of the men who had left their homes and gone to the mountains with their broad swords by their sides.

他们都是那些抛家舍业、身佩大刀进入深山的好汉们的后代。

例8. This practice book is intended for foreign engineers or students of engineering who have already mastered the elements of English, and who now want to use their knowledge of the language to read books on their subjects.

这本练习课本是给那些已经掌握了英语基础知识而现在要利用学到的语言知识来阅读专业书籍的外国工程师或学习工程学的学生用的。

例9. To write a genuine familiar or truly English style is to write as any one who would speak in common conversation, who had a thorough command and choice of words, or who could discourse with ease, force and perspicuity.

用真正的普通文体即纯正的英语文体写作就像那些熟谙词汇而又善于选择词汇，能高谈阅论且言词流畅，说话有力而明确的人的日常交谈一般。

【评析】本句中的who had a thorough command and choice of words, or who could discourse with ease, force and perspicuity本应紧接先行词any one，但由于太长而移后，而who would speak in common conversation则修饰上述两个定语从句及其先行词。



有些起附加说明作用的非限定性定语从句，对先行词也有程度不同的修饰、限制意义，有时也可译成前置定语。如：



例10. He liked his sister, who was warm and pleasant, but he did not like his brother, who was aloof and arrogant.

他喜欢热情活泼的妹妹，而不喜欢冷漠高傲的哥哥。



4.2 译成后置的并列分句



一些结构较复杂，或者意思上有较强的独立性的限定性定语从句，通常可译为后置的并列分句。采取这种译法往往要重复关系代词所代替的词，有时可在此词之前加指示词“这”、“这些”等，以使译文明确。如：



例1. But world attention also is focusing on another step, which will make the smoker increasingly self-conscious and uncomfortable about his habit.

同时，人们也正把注意力集中在另一项措施上，这项措施将使吸烟者越来越意识到自己的不良习惯并为之感到不安。

例2. In 1883 an American physician, A.F.A King, listed twenty observations, which pointed to mosquitoes as a factor in malaria.

1883年，美国医生A.F.A.金列举了20个观察报告，这些报告表明蚊子是引起疟疾的一个因素。

例3. This volume is prepared as examples for writing compositions which as it were has been taken a

s a difficult task...

本书旨在为写作提供范例，可以说写作是一个难题。

例4. Every nation also wants the opportunity and privilege of buying from foreign countries products and services that are scarce or unavailable at home that would be useful and beneficial to its people.

每个国家也需要有机会和优惠权从外国购买国内稀缺或买不到的产品和劳务，这些产品和劳务一定是对本国人民有用又有利的。

【评析】本句中第一个定语从句译为前置定语，修饰其先行词。第二个定语从句则是修饰前一个定语从句及其先行词的，如仍译为前置定语，译文必然会累赘不堪，无法读通，故为后置并列句。

例5. I was endeavoring to put off one sort of life for another sort of life, which was not better than the life I had known.

我一直在竭力摆脱一种生活，改换另一种生活，但是我所改换的生活并不见得比我原先的生活好。

例6. Matter is composed of molecules that are composed of atoms.

物质是由分子组成的，而分子又是由原子组成的。

【评析】在例句5中，从句在语意上与主句相矛盾；在例句6中，从句在语意上以与主句相承。在译文中除重复关联代词所代替的词外，加上了连词“但是”、“而”，使译文语气连贯。



有些定语从句汉译时可不必重复关系代词所代替的词，而将其译成人称代词“他”、“他们”等，使句子简明扼要。如：



例7. Honeycutt was 40, an affable man who had to leave his family in Raleigh, North Carolina, when he'd gone north to work.

亨尼卡40岁，和蔼可亲，他去北方工作时不得不把家室留在北卡罗来纳州罗利市。

例8. Above the English lettering the words are repeated in the Chinese calligraphy of Premier Zhou, who wrote the brief text.

在这些英文字的上方，是周总理亲笔书写的同样内容的汉字，他拟定了这简短的铭文。



此外，非限定性定语从句与先行词的关系不十分密切，只是对先行词加以说明、描述或解释，或对整个语句所陈述的事实或现象加以总结概括、补充说明，其前都有逗号分开。在汉译时，一般译为后置的并列分句。如：



例1. In English, attributive clauses are used extensively, some of which are very long and complicated in structure.

在英语中，定语从句的运用极为广泛，有的从句很长而且结构复杂。

例2. He gave in his resignation, which was the best thing he could do in the circumstance.

他提出了辞职，这在当时的情况下是最好的办法。

例3. He blamed me for everything, which I thought very unfair.

他把一切错误都归罪于我，我认为这很不公平。

例4. In other words, they conduct more readily in high temperatures, which is probably

because their decreased viscosity affords less opposition to the transport of ions through them.

换句话说，在高温时它们更容易导电，这可能是因为其粘性减少，离子通过它们时阻力较小的缘故。

例5. She was very patient towards the children, which her husband seldom was.

她对孩子们很耐心，她丈夫却很少这样。

例6. A friend is someone who draws out your best qualities, with whom you sparkle and become more knowledgeable.

朋友就是能使你表现出你自己最佳品质的人，与朋友在一起你就会精神焕发，更有见识。

例7. Eveidently he had the first quality of an angler, which is not to measure the pleasure by the catch.

他显然具备了垂钓者的最重要品质，即以钓为乐，钓多钓少无所谓。



为了综合说明以上两种译法的运用，这里举两个含有复杂定语从句(即定语从句中套另一个定语从句，在结构上相当于一个复杂句)的例子。



例1. They seem to enjoy those rewards which they had purchased by a course of unmerited fatigue, and by victories which almost exceeded belief.

他们对那些酬劳看来是很得意的，那些酬劳是他们历尽千辛万苦，通过取得令人难以置信的胜利得来的。

例2. He was too important and too busy to occupy himself with the matter personally, but he had a confidential secretary who was very clever at dealing with electors who had not made up their minds how to vote and who certainly knew how to put before a young woman who was honest but poor the advantages that might ensure if she were lucky enough to secure the friendship of such a man as his employer.

他身居要职，事务繁忙，不能亲自处理这件事。但是，他有一名私人秘书，此人非常善于对付那些尚未拿定主意选谁的选民，当然懂得如何向一个纯真但贫穷的少女炫耀，告诉她如果有幸得到他的雇主这样一位人物的友谊，她将会得到的诸多好处。

【评析】句中有两个由who引起的定语从句、修饰secretary，由55个单词组成，只能译成后置并列分句，开头以“此人”二字重复关系代词who所代替的词。这两个从句中又分别含有更低层次的限定性定语从句，分别修饰electors、a young woman和advantages，因它们与其先行词关系紧密，故均译为前置定语。



4.3 融合译法



融合译法是指把主句与定语从句合起来译，使之融合成一个独立的句子。如：

例1. You are the only person who could do it.

只有你才能做这件事。

例2. This was the first time I had serious trouble with my boss.

这是我第一次和老板发生严重纠葛。

例3. Our team, who are in good form, will do well in the coming matches.

我队竞技状态良好，将在未来的比赛中取得好成绩。

英语中含有定语从

句的“There be”结构汉译时常常使用溶合译法。例如：

例4. There was no one who did not praise them for their great accomplishments.

没有人不称赞他们所取得的巨大成就。(人人称赞他们所取得的巨大成就。)

例5. There is nothing that does not contain contradiction.

没有什么事物是不包含矛盾的。

例6. There was little that the doctor could do for the patient.

医生对这个病人无能为力。

例7. Young people who have reason to fear that they will be killed in battle may justifiably feel bitter in the thought that they have been cheated of the best things that life has to offer.

年青人担心在战斗中死去是有道理的，想到生活要赋予的最美好的东西，竟成为泡影，自然要难过的。

例8. UNESCO, which places action in favor of young people at the heart of its programmers, notably those concerned with education and training, is making its contribution to the achievement of this goal.

联合国科教文组织把有利于青年的活动，特别是那些与青年教育和培训有关的活动，作为其各项计划的核心内容，从而为实现这一目标作出贡献。



4.4 译成状语



英语中有些定语从句在内容上含有时间、原因、目的、结果、条件、让步等状语意思，翻译时往往可以加上相应的词语，以表达出其相应的状语意义。



1. 表示原因



例1. Many of our Welsh people are going to settle in North Carolina, where land is cheap.

我们威尔士人有许多去北卡罗来纳定居，因为那里土地便宜。

例2. Einstein is often portrayed in bourgeois writings as a "genius" whose theories are so complicated that no one but a few best scientists can understand.

爱因斯坦在资产阶级笔下被描绘为一个“天才”，(因为)他的理论非常深奥，只有少数最杰出的科学家才能懂得。

例3. We can read of things that happened 5000 years ago in the Near East, where people first learned to write.

(因为)在近东人们最早使用文字记事，所以，即使溯到五千年前那里发生的事情，我们也能知道。

例4. Wells, who had spent years studying science, used to consider the future of man in the light of scientific knowledge.

(由于)威尔斯花了多年时间研究科学，因而他经常根据科学知识考虑人类的未来。



2. 表示时间



例1. You, who are in the prime of your life, come forth with greater contributions for the benefit of the people!

趁你年富力强的时候，为人民作出更多的贡献吧!

例2. A sailor who was fixing a rope lost balance and tumbled overboard.

一个水手正在系绳子的时候，失去平衡，掉到水里去了。

例3. I had the honor of seeing Chairman Mao, who was visiting the Jingknog Mountain in 1965.

毛泽东1965年

重访井冈山时，我曾荣幸地见到他。

例4. Congress, which had met to continue its protests to the Crown, found itself raising an army and selecting George Washington as its commander in chief.

代表大会先前已集会决定继续向英皇提抗议了，现在进而招集军队并推选乔治·华盛顿为总司令了。



3. 表示目的



例1. He is collecting authentic material that proves his argument.

他正在收集确凿的材料以证明他的论点。

例2. Steel parts are usually covered with grease, with which they may not rust.

钢零件通常用润滑油覆盖，以免生锈。

例3. Chinese trade delegations have been sent to African countries, who will negotiate trade agreements with the respective governments.

中国派了贸易代表团前往非洲各国，以便与各国政府商谈贸易协定。



4. 表示结果



例1. He ate a fungus, which made him ill.

他吃了一只蘑菇，结果病倒了。

例2. The rain washed away the track, which prevented the train from running.

大雨冲走了铁轨，火车因此无法行驶。

例3. In this way, he provided inspiration for a whole generation of scientists who became active in the communist movement.

这样，他鼓舞了一代科学家，使他们积极参加共产主义运动。

例4. Subjectivism and one-sidedness developed in his thinking and he made erroneous decisions on certain important questions, which led to serious and harmful consequences.

他的思想产生了主观主义和片面性，对于某些重大问题做出了错误决定，因而造成严重不良后果。

例5. Any student who tries to cheat while the examiner is watching is playing fire.

一个学生若在监考人的监督下作弊，那可是在冒险。



5. 表示条件



例1. Nothing is hard in this world for one who dares to scale the height.

事上无难事，只要肯登攀。

例2. Men became desperate for work, any work, which will help them to keep alive their families.

人们迫不及待地找工作，不管干什么，只要能养家糊口就行。

例3. The difficulties that would have to be encountered by anyone who attempted to explore the Moon would be incomparably greater than those that have to be faced in the endeavor to reach the summit of Mount Julio Lumgma.

任何人如果打算登上月球探险的话，他必然遭遇到种种困难。困难之大，是努力攀登珠穆朗玛峰时所面临的困难无法比拟的。

例4. A person is an idealist who thinks that rational knowledge need not to be derived from perceptual knowledge.

如果认为理性知识可以不从感性知识得来，他就是一个唯心主义者。



6. 表示让步



例1. My grandfather, who is now in his eighties, is still a keen cyclist.

我爷爷虽然八十多岁了，可还是顶喜欢骑自行车

。

例2. Electronic computers, which have many advantages, can not carry out creative work and replace man.

电子计算机虽然有许多优点，却不能进行创造性的工作，代替不了人。

例3. Glass, which breaks at a blow, is nevertheless capable of withstanding great pressure.

玻璃虽然一击即碎，却能承受巨大的压力。

例4. Even the pine log which burned all day in the fireplace couldn't keep my little house warm and dry.

尽管壁炉里成天烧着松柴，也不能使我的小屋温暖干燥。