96--2014专业八级历年英译汉真题解析

专业八级历年英译汉真题解析（1996-2014）

1996年专八英译汉试题原文

Four months before Election Day 1, five men gathered in a small conference room at the Reagan-Bush headquarters 2 and reviewed an oversize calendar that marked the remaining days of the 1984 presidential campaign. It was the last Saturday in June and at ten o'clock in the morning the rest of the office was practically deserted 3. Even so, the men kept the door slut and the drapes carefully drawn. The three principals and their two deputies had come from around the country for a critical meeting 4. Their aim was to devise a strategy 5 that would guarantee Ronald Reagan's resounding reelection to a second term in the White House.

It should have been easy. They were battle-tested veterans 6 with long ties to Reagan and even longer ties to the Republican Party, men who understood presidential politics 7 as well as any in the country. The backdrop 8 of the campaign was hospitable, with lots of good news to work with: America was at peace, and the nation's economy, a key factor in any election, was rebounding vigorously after recession. Furthermore, the campaign itself was lavishly financed 9 , with plenty of money for a top-flight staff 10 , travel, and television commercials. And, most important, their candidate was Ronald Reagan, a president of tremendous personal popularity and dazzling communication skills 11. Reagan has succeeded more than any president since John F. Kennedy in projecting a broad vision of America —a nation of renewed military strength, individual initiative, and smaller federal government 12.

【概述】

本文是一篇典型的关于美国政治的时事杂文，用词色彩强烈，修饰语具有极端性和渲染性的特点。翻译这类文章时，伸缩性较大，适宜文采的容忍度较大。翻译中涉及被动语态译法、转译法等。

【翻译要点评析】

1. Election Day ：美国的总统“选举日”。

2. Reagan-Bush headquarters ：里根—布什竞选总部。

3. the rest of the office was practically deserted ：“ desert ”意为离弃、放弃，此句为被动表达方式，翻译时如不特别强调施动者，一般译为主动句，即“其他办公室几乎没有人”。

4. critical meeting ：“ critical ”有“批评的、危机的、决定性的”意思，此处为“决定性的”，译为“重要会议”。

5. devise a strategy ：“ devise ”意为“想出、设计、发明”，此处根据“ strategy ”一词译为“制定策略”。

6. battle-tested veterans ：久经沙场的老将；在战场上受过考验的老将。

7. presidential politics ：总统竞选的套路。

8. backdrop ：意为背景、大环境，此处译为“条件”。

9. the campaign itself was lavishly financed ：该句为被动句，翻译时应该转为主动语态，即“这次竞选筹到了充裕的资金”。

10. a top-flight staff ：top-flight=best, first rate, staff 此处指“竞选班子”。

11. a president of tremendous personal popularity and dazzling communication skills ：此句为名词性短语，作Ronald Reagan 的同位语，若直译即“一位极具个人魅力和沟通技巧的总统。”但考虑到中文不易用修饰成份过长的表达方式，可将此同位语转译为一个单独的句子，即“ 他极具个人魅力，精通沟通技巧。”

12. a nation of renewed military strength, individual initiative, and smaller federal government ：译法同上，可转译“国家军事力量复兴，国人积极进取，政府机构精简。”

【参考译文】

离选举日还有四个月，五个人聚集在里根—布什竞选总部的一个小型会议室里，看着一张硕大的日历，1984 年总统竞选剩下的日子清晰地标了出来。这是