4-定语从句

第四章英语定语从句的译法
一、合译法——译成“的”字结构
该译法是指把比较简单的定语从句译成带“的”的定语词组，放在被修饰的词前，从而使英语复合句成为汉语的单句。

例如:
1) Pollution is a pressing problem which we must deal with.
污染是我们必须解决的一个迫切问题。

2) New York is a good city for anyone who is interested in culture.
纽约对每一个对文化感兴趣的人都是一个很好的城市。

3) He liked his sister, who was warm and pleasant, but he disliked his
brother, who was aloof and arrogant.
他喜欢热情洋溢的妹妹,而不喜欢冷漠高傲的哥哥。

4) Oxygen is a gas which unites with many substances.
氧气是一种能和许多物质化合的气体。

二、合译法——与主句合译成一个句子
此译法是指将定语从句(尤其是限制性定语从句)与主句融合在一起成一个句子。

(一)译成“兼语式”结构
此译法是指把先行词译成身兼两种语法功能的词组，使其前后各有一个动词。

该词组与前一动词发生动宾关系，与后一动词发生主谓关系。

例如:
1) He saw in front that haggard white-haired old man, whose eyes flashed
red with fury.
他看见前面那个憔悴的白发老人眼里闪耀着愤怒的目光。

(二)译成“谓语”
在有些带有定语从句的英语复合句中，主句所表示的信息不及定语从句所表达的信息重要。

这类英语复合句在汉译时，可将主句压缩成汉语词组作主语，将定语从句译成谓语，使之成为一个单句。

例如:
1) Other scientists have expressed opinions that are somewhat between
these two extremes.
其他科学家的意见介乎于上述两种极端看法之间。

2) There’re certain attitudes of mind which are al most impossible to
render in English.
脑子里的某些想法几乎不可能用英语表达出来。

3) We used a plane of which almost every part carried some identification
of national identity.
我们驾驶的飞机几乎每一个部件都有国籍的某些标志。

(三)译成“同位语”
有些非限制性定语从句为主系表句型，表语由名词短语充当。

这类定语从句略去作主语的关系代词和连系动词便成为名词短语作同位语。

因此，汉译时可将其译为同位语，即译为一个单句。

例如:
1) The company commander, who was Captain Madison, assembled his
men and announced their mission.
连长，墨迪逊上尉，把战士们集合起来宣布他们的战斗任务。

2) You should have a talk with Mr. Worth, who is the adviser to students.
你应该和沃斯先生———学生顾问谈一谈。

3) We finally reached Rio, which was the end of our journey.
我们最后抵达里约———我们旅行的目的地。

(四) 与先行词溶合在一起译成一个句子
有些带有限制性定语从句的主从复合句，因从句与主句关系十分密切，汉译时可把从句与先行词溶合在一起来译，从而使全句成为一个单句。

例如:
1) A person who sings near a piano may cause the piano strings to
vibrate.
一个人在钢琴旁唱歌可能使琴弦共振。

三、分译法——译成并列分句
该译法是指将结构较为复杂的定语从句译成并列分句，该并列分句在译文中有前、后置状况。

(一)译成后置的并列分句
英语中有许多定语从句，无论是限制性的还是非限制性的，按“的”字结构
去翻译很困难，这时我们便可试着将其译成后置的并列分句。

译成并列分句时，有时需要重复关系词所代表的含义，有时则可省略关系词所代表的含义。

例如:
1) He had seen my aunt give this person money in the moonlight, who
then slunk away and was seen no more.
月光下，他看见我姑妈把钱给了这个人，这个人就偷偷溜走，再也看不见了。

2) He went in alone to the dinning-room where the table was laid for one.
他独自走进餐室，那儿摆了一个人进餐的桌子。

3) When she was lost to his view，he pursued his homeward way, glancing
up at the sky, where the clouds were sailing fast and wildly.
直到看不见她了，他才朝家走去，有时抬头看看天空，乌云在翻滚奔驰。

4) She was very patient towards the children, which her husband seldom
was.
她对孩子很耐心，丈夫却很少这样。

5) A fuel is a material which will burn at a reasonable temperature and
produce heat.
燃料是一种物质，在适当温度下可以燃烧并放出热量。

6) They are striving for the ideal which is close to the heart of every
Chinese and for which, in the past, many Chinese have laid down their lives.
他们为实现一个理想而努力，它是每个中国人所珍爱的。

过去，许多中国人为了这个理想而牺牲了自己的生命。

7) They worked out a new method by which production has now been
rapidly increased.
他们制定出一种新方法，采用之后生产已迅速得到提高。

(二)译成前置的并列句
英语中有些定语从句具有很强的描述性或解释性,它们描述或解释的范围包括状态、性质、用途等。

这类定语从句在译成并列句时，可以前置，即倒译成并列分句。

这种译法的目的主要是为了使译文更加符合汉语的表达习惯，更加符
合逻辑。

例如:
1) Television, which is one of the great new powers—for good or for
bad—of this century, lets a public man talk to millions while they sit in their private homes seeing him as if he were in front of them.
电视是本世纪伟大的新成就之一，既可以用来造福人类，也可以用来宣扬邪恶；知名人士通过电视可向坐在自己家里的成百万观众进行讲演，好像身临其境。

2) The men had suddenly awakened to the fact that there were beauty
and significance in these trifles (flowers), which they had so long trodden carelessly beneath their feet.
这些花一直被一些人漫不经心地踩在脚下，现在他们突然意识到它们的美丽和重要了。

四、译成独立的句子
此译法是指将非限制性定语从句与主句分开来进行翻译，把定语从句译成一个独立的句子。

该独立句可以后置，亦可前置。

例如:
1) One was a violent thunderstorm, the worst I had ever seen, which
obscured my objective.
有一次暴风骤雨，猛烈的程度实为我平生所仅见。

这暴风雨遮住了我的目标。

2) A well-dressed man, who looked and talked like an American, got into
the car.
一位身着讲究的人上了车。

他的外表和谈吐都像个美国人。

3) It was an old woman, tall and shapely still, though withered by time, on
whom his eyes fell when he stopped and turned.
他站住，转过身来，定睛一看，是位年迈的妇女。

她身材修长,虽然受了岁月的折磨，显得有点憔悴，但风韵犹存。

4) Nevertheless the problem was solved successfully, which showed that
the computations were accurate.
不过，问题还是圆满地解决了。

这说明计算很准确。

6) The elderly gentleman, who was poorly but neatly dressed, accepted
the spoon and began to sample one after another of the puddings, only breaking off occasionally to wipe his red eyes with a large torn handkerchief.
那位老先生衣着虽然破旧，但却十分整洁。

他接过调羹，便开始一只接一只地品尝起布丁来，只是偶尔停下来，用一大块儿破手绢擦擦他那红眼睛。

五、译成汉语偏正复句中的各种分句
英语中有些定语从句兼有状语从句的功能，表示原因、结果、目的、条件、时间和让步等意义。

在翻译这类定语从句时，可根据逻辑关系和语言结构所表示的实际意义，译成汉语偏正复句中的各种分句。

(一)译成表“原因”的分句
1) The computer, which seems to play the role of a human brain, is often
called an electronic brain.
由于电子计算机起着类似人脑的作用，所以常称作电脑。

2) Man can not live on the moon, where there is no air and water.
人类不能在月球上生存，因为那里没有空气和水。

3) The police arrested several youths that were causing trouble at the
football game.
警察逮捕了几个青年，因为他们在足球比赛中闹事。

4) We know that a cat, whose eyes can take in many more rays than our
eyes, can see clearly in the night.
我们知道，由于猫的眼睛比我们人的眼睛能吸收更多的光线，所以猫在黑夜也能看得很清楚。

5) You must grasp the concept of ”work” which is very important in physics.
你必须掌握“功”的概念，因为它在物理学中很重要。

(二)译成表“结果”的分句
1) There was something original, independent, and heroic about the plan
that pleased all of them.
方案富于创造性，独出心裁，很有魄力，使他们都很喜欢。

2) The design of this machine was a complex one, which took us a lot of
time to do.
这台机器的设计很复杂，以致花了我们很多时间。

3) Copper, which is used so widely for carrying electricity, offers very little resistance.
铜的电阻很小，所以广泛地用来传输电力。

(三)译成表“目的”的分句
1) There is an emergency exit in the roof of the car through which passengers can escape.
车顶上有一个应急出口，以便乘客能在紧急情况下由此逃出。

2) He wishes to write an article that will attract public attention to the matter.
他想写一篇文章，以便能引起公众对此事的注意。

3) They have built up a mew college here, where students will be trained to be engineers and scientists.
他们在这里建了一所学院，以培养科技人才。

(四)译成表“条件”或“假设”的分句
1) A suggestion which will do a lot of good to the majority of the people is likely to be supported and accepted.
如果一个建议会给大多数人带来许多益处的话，它就能得到人们的支持，并被采纳。

2) Men become desperate for work, any work, which will help them to keep alive their families.
人们十分渴望得到工作，不管什么工作，只要它能帮助他们维持全家人的生活就行。

(五)译成表“让步”的分句
1) Electronic computers, which have many advantages, cannot carry out creative work and replace man.
虽然电子计算机有很多优点，但它们不能进行创造性的工作，也代替不了人。

2) Nowadays it is understood that a diet which contains nothing harmful may result in serious disease if certain important elements are missing.
现在，人们已经认识到，如果食物中缺少了某些重要成份，那么即使其中不含有任何有害物质，也会引起严重的疾病。

3) He insisted on building another house, which he had no use for.
他坚持要再造一幢房子，尽管他并无此需要。

4) The scientist, who was dog-tired, went on with the experiment.
那位科学家虽已筋疲力尽，但还是继续进行实验。

(六)译成表“时间”的分句
1) Electrical energy that is supplied to the motor may be converted into
mechanical energy of motion.
把电能供给发电机时，它就能变成运动的机械能。

2) The heat that warms a body does not change either the weight of the body or its inertia.
加热物体时，既不能改变物体的重量，也不能改变物体的惯性。