Amplification(增词法)

One of Translation Techniques Commonly Used

---- Amplification

It’s well known to us that as far as CET-4 & 6 are concerned, translation is an important and necessary part, but many students usually do a very poor job in this part. The shared problem that always puzzles them is that even though they have a very large vocabulary and know the Chinese meaning of each English word, but they cannot translate an English sentence or paragraph accurately. The main reason is that they lack English-Chinese translation skills and techniques. Today I’d like to introduce one of the commonly-used translation techniques, that is amplification. Then, what is amplification. Before we define it, let’s look at the following example.

e.g. There are three chief effects of electric currents: the magnetic, heating and chemical.

电流有三种主要效应，即磁效应，热效应和化学效应。

I. Definition of amplification

By analyzing the example we mentioned above, we can draw a conclusion that amplification means supplying necessary words in translation to achieve the goal of smoothness, clearness and vividness of the version.

II. Classification of amplification: According to the types of the amplified part of speech, we can divide amplification into 3 types. They are as the follows:

1.Semantic amplification

2.Cultural amplification

3.Rhetorical amplification

III. The detailed study of amplifications

1.Semantic amplification

(1) Adding verbs

e.g. 1. In the face of difficulties, we don’t retreat, we have never

and we will never.

在困难面前，我们不后退，我们不曾后退，我们永远也不会后退。

e.g. 2. In the evening, after the banquets, the concerts and the table tennis exhibitions, he would work on the drafting the final communiqué.

晚上在参加宴会，出席音乐会、观看乒乓球表演之后，他还得起草最后公报。

(2) Adding adjectives

e.g. The plane twisted under me, trailing flame and smoke.（敌

人的）飞机在螺旋下降，拖着浓烟和烈焰掉下来。

(3) Adding adverbs

e.g. 1. Now and then the bayonets in the hands of German soldiers

shone under the cold moonlight.

在寒冷的月光下德国士兵手中的刺刀时常闪闪发光。

e.g. 2. In the films of those days, all too often it was the same one:

boy tractor driver meets girl tractor driver; they fall in love

and drive tractors together.

在那时候的电影里，总是老一套：男拖拉机手和女拖拉机手始而相遇，继而相爱，终而一起开拖拉机了。

(4) Adding nouns

A. Adding common nouns before adjectives and behind

intransitive verbs

e.g. 1. A new kind of jet plane –small, cheap, pilotless—is

attracting increasing attention. 一种新型的喷气式飞机正越来越引起人们的注意--这种飞机体积不大，价格便宜，无人

驾驶。

e.g. 2. If you don’t work all the time, the consequences will be that first you borrow, then you beg. 倘若你老是不干活的话，那么结果只能是：头一遭是借钱，下一遭讨饭。

B. Adding proper nouns behind the abstract nouns derived from a verb or an adjective

e.g. After all preparations were made, the planes were flown

across the U.S. to San Francisco. 一切准备工作就绪之后，飞机就飞越美国去旧金山。

persuasion 说服工作backwardness 落后状态madness 疯狂行为

C. Adding nouns behind concrete nouns conveying an abstract

concept

e.g. 1: He felt the patriot rise within his breast. 他感到一种

爱国情怀在胸中激荡。

e.g. 2.: He allowed the father to be overruled by the judge, and

declared his son guilty. 他让法官的职责战胜父子的

私情，而判决他儿子有罪。

(5) Adding plural forms

e.g. 1. They drove in a black car, past groves of birch trees and

endless rows of new buildings.

他们乘坐一辆黑色轿车，经过一丛丛白桦树，一排排新楼。

e.g. 2. The very earth trembled as with tramps of horses and

murmur of angry men.

连大地都震颤起来了，仿佛万马奔腾，千夫怒吼。

(6) Adding summarizing words

e.g.: The principal functions that may be performed by vacuum

tubes are rectification, amplification, oscillation, modulation, and detection. 真空管的五大功能是：整流、放大、振荡，调

制和检波。

2. Cultural amplification: add words which can reflect the background of the context

e.g. 1. The blond boy quickly crossed himsel

f. 那个金发小男

孩立刻在胸前划十字，祈求上帝保佑。

e.g. 2. In April, there was the ― ping‖ heard around the world.

In July, the ping ―ponged‖.

四月里，全世界听到了中国“乒”的一声把球打了出去；到了七月，美国“乓”的一声把球又打了回来。

3. Rhetorical amplification

Rhetorical amplification is mostly employed for the sake of the smoothness of the translation. And the words that are generally employed are modal particles（语气词）, emphatic adverbs(强调性副词) and other words needed for rhetoric purposes. Among them, the key words that are repeated in the translation for the purpose of making the translation clear, emphatic or vivid are also considered rhetorically amplified words.

(1) Adding some proper modal particles to better convey the

meaning of the original and rhetoric sense.

e.g. As I snooze she talks—of anything, everything, all the

things that women talk of: books, music, dress, men, other

women. 我在这边打盹，她在那边说着女人爱说的一

切，什么书籍啦、音乐啦、服装啦、男人啦、别的女

人啦，五花八门、包罗万象。

(2) Adding four-character phrases, antithesis terms, or overlap

terms

e.g. 1. Target priorities were established there. 目标的轻重缓

急，孰先孰后，是在那决定的。