第5章 英译汉的疑点(静态动态)

动态表达与静态表达 (Static vs. Dynamic)
• English makes more use of nouns, adjectives, and prepositions, and is therefore more static. Conversely, Chinese often employs verbs, adverbs, verbal phrases, repetition and reduplication of verbs, and is therefore more dynamic.
动态表达与静态表达 (Static vs. Dynamic)
• English is featured by its predominance of nouns over verbs.
• Our western civilization, it has been said, favours an over-development of the intellect at the expense of the emotions. That is why people prefer nouns to verbs. They suffer from what the Germans call ‘noun disease’. Instead of saying quite simply and straightforwardly London is growing rapidly, they say London’s growth is rapid. And they say John’s arrival was premature instead of John came too soon. (S. Potter,1960)
• Eg. He has been the ruler of that region for as long as twenty years.
• 他统治这一地区长达20年之久。
Reasons for static English and dynamic Chinese
• 3. 英语中的某些形容词、介词、副词等亦不乏静态意义 及功能，而且同上述两类名词一样，通过同义替代，这 些表达形式也可以借助动词转化为动态表述结构。如：
• 2）The pompous vanity of the old schoolmistress, the foolish good-humour of her sister, the silly chat and scandal of the elder girls, and the frigid correctness of the governesses equally annoyed her.
• 译文一：老女校长的大话空话，校长的妹妹傻乎乎的好脾 气，年纪大的女孩子们的无聊闲扯、蜚短流长，女教师刻 板的不苟言笑，都同样令她讨厌。（×）
• 译文二：女校长这老太太总是空话连篇，自负十足，她那 傻乎乎的妹妹脾气好得一塌糊涂，年长一些的学生尽爱嚼 舌闲扯，蜚短流长，女教师又个个不苟言笑，古板正经， 这一切都同样让她烦不胜烦。
• 想起母亲，他才鼓足勇气继续做了下去。
Reasons for static English and dynamic Chinese
2. 由动词派生或转化而来的施事名词。 所谓施事名词，即是施行或实施行为动作的名词，也
即表示动作行为主体的名词，这类名词大都由动词加-er, -or等后缀派生而来，有些也可能是动词的直接转化形式。 如： • The computer is a far more careful inspector than human beings. • 也可：The computer inspects far more carefully than human beings. • 计算机比人检查得更为仔细。
of the young ladies, of whose beauty he had heard much. • 几位年轻小姐的美貌他耳闻已久，一直希望能得以亲睹
芳容。
Transformation from static English to dynamic Chinese
• 静态与动态之间的转换亦不乏灵活性，英 语抽象名词汉译过程中，我们偶尔也可以 将某些形式保留下来，而只要符合译入语 表述方式，在化静为动这一总体原则前提 下，翻译标准的相对性也允许译者拥有灵 活选择不同译文形式的权利。
the outer space. • 机器人已用于探索外层空间。 • 3）For a month the Governor had dilly-dallied over the
choice of a successor. • 选择由何人继任时，州长磨蹭了一个月 • 4）He had entertained hopes of being admitted to a sight
• 译文一：我们焦虑不安，因为我们知道每一个人 及所有的人都有可能发生什么事情。
• 译文二：我们的焦虑不安产生于我们关于每个人 和所有人都可能发生什么事情的知识。
• 译文三：我们清楚每一个人及所有的人都有可能 发生什么事情，故此我们才会焦虑不安。
Transformation from static English to
英译汉的疑点
Teaching Objectives
• 1. Reasons for static English and dynamic Chinese;
• 2. Transformation methods from static English to dynamic Chinese
动态表达与静态表达 (Static vs. Dynamic)
• 医生迅速到达，并非常仔细地检查了病人，因此病人很快 就康复了。
• 2. The abuse of basic human rights in their own country in violation of the agreement reached at Helsinki earned them the condemnation of freedom-loving people everywhere.
Transformation from static English to dynamic Chinese
• 1. 抽象名词的转换
• His very appearance at any affair proclaims it a triumph.
• 他的出现本身就宣告了任何一件事情的成功。 • 无论任何事情，他一出面准能成功。
动态表达与静态表达 (Static vs. Dynamic)
• Compare the English sentences with the Chinese versions:
• 1. The doctor’s extremely quick arrival and uncommonly careful examination of the patient brought about his very speedy recovery.
• 静态： • That fellow is very talkative. 那家伙总是滔滔不绝。 • You have to wash the pill down with sips of water. 你得
喝几口水，把药丸咽下去。 • We must be off now. 我们要走了。 • 动态： • That fellow always talks too much. • You have to sip some water to wash the pill down. • We must go now.
dynamic Chinese
• Translate the following sentences:
• 1）We aim at the assurance of a rounded and permanent national life.
• 我们的目标是保证国民生活圆满持久。 • 2）Robots have found application for the exploration of
Transformation from static English to dynamic Chinese
• 比较下列句子的译文，看看哪种译文更地道：
• 1）Marriage is a high-risk proposition. A man or a woman may appear to be good mate material, but the only proof of pudding is in the eating. And once you have taken a bite, it’s too late to change your mind.
• 儿子让我们大失所望 • 静态：Our son has been a disappointment to us. • 动态：Our son has been disappointing us.
• Eg. Only the thought of his mother gave him the strength to go on doing it.
• 译文一：婚姻这种事具有很高的风险性，男人或女人看上 去也许十分般配，然而布丁香不香，要靠嘴来尝，而一旦 你咬上一口，要想改变主意就来不及了。
• 译文二：婚姻是一件高度危险的事情，一个男人或女人看 上去也许十分般配，但是，布丁的唯一证明就在于吃的过 程，而一旦你咬上一口，要想改变主意就晚了。
Transformation from static English to dynamic Chinese
Reasons for static English and dynamic Chinese
• 总之，英语动词有形态变化，运用时要受 到诸多限制，因而有时会倾向于静态表达 手段，因此英语具有静态表达优势；汉语 动词无形态变化，形式上不受人称、时态 等约束，能方便地与主语或话题搭配成连 动式、兼语式等表达能力很强的谓语结构， 故此动词使用频率远高于英语，具有动态 表达优势。
• Broadly speaking, nouns can be characterized as “static” in that they refer to entities that are regarded as stable. At the opposite pole, verbs can be equally characterized as “dynamic”: they are fitted (by their capacity to show tense and aspect, for example) to indicate action, activity and temporary or changing conditions(Quirk 1973:48). Adjectives and prepositions often go hand in hand with nouns while adverbs are frequently used with verbs.
Transformation from static English to dynamic Chinese
• 3）Our very anxiety is born out of our knowledge of what is now possible for each other and all.
•Biblioteka Baidu他们违反在赫尔辛基达成的协议，在国内侵犯基本人权， 因此受到了各地热爱自由的人们的谴责。
Reasons for static English and dynamic Chinese
• 1.由动词或形容词派生而来的抽象名词，这些词语多具 有潜在或隐含的动态性，或者说系由相应的动态表述形 式转化而来。