英语中长句的翻译

Chapter 13 英汉长句的翻译

Translation of English Long Sentences

1. 何谓长句

所谓长句，主要指语法结构复杂、修饰成分较多、内容层次在两个或两个以上的复合句，亦可指含义较多的简单句。

2、汉英长句比较

英、汉两种语言在句法上存在差异,英语多为形合句,汉语多为意合句。汉语句子多属于紧缩型,英语的句子多属于扩展型.英语修辞语位置相对灵活,前置后置,比较自如,尤其倾向于后置,十分有利于句子的扩展。英语句子较长,且较多使用关联词和从句。多种从句(主语、状语、定语、表语从句)并存的长句比比皆是。因为英语结构复杂,层次变化多样,容易产生误解,所以英语长句翻译成为难点。

3、英语长句的分析

在分析长句时可以采用下面的方法:

(1) 找出全句的主语、谓语和宾语（主干/句）, 从整体上把握句子的结构。

(2) 找出句中所有的谓语结构、非谓语动词、介词短语和从句的引导词。

(3) 分析从句和短语的功能, 例如, 是否为主语从句, 宾语从句, 表语从句等,若是状语, 它是表示时间、原因、结果、还是表示条件等等)。

(4) 分析词、短语和从句之间的相互关系, 例如, 定语从句所修饰的先行词是哪一个等。

(5) 注意插入语等其他成分。

例：Behaviorists suggest that the child who is raised in an environment where there are many stimuli which develop his or her capacity for appropriate responses will experience greater intellectual development.

Behaviorists suggest that the child who is raised in an environment where there are many stimuli which develop his or her capacity for appropriate responses will experience greater intellectual development.

分析: (1) 该句的主语为behaviorists, 谓语为suggest, 宾语为一个从句, 因此整个句子为Behaviorist suggest that-clause 结构。

(2) 该句共有五个谓语结构, 它们的谓语动词分别为suggest, is raised, are, develop, experience等。

译文：行为主义者认为, 如果儿童的成长环境里有许多刺激因素, 这些因素又有利于其适当反应能力的发展, 那么, 儿童的智力就会发展到较高的水平

4. 翻译方法

4 . 1 顺译法Synchronizing

有些英语长句叙述的一连串动作按发生的时间先后安排，或按逻辑关系安排，与汉语的表达方式比较一致，可按原文顺序译出。

例（1）In international buying and selling of goods, there are a number of risks, which, if they occur, will involve traders in financial losses.

(在)国际贸易货物的买卖(中)存在着各种各样的风险，这些风险的发生将会给(有关的)商人们带来经济损失。

例（2）

(1)In Africa I met a boy,(2) who was crying as if his heart would break and said,(3)when I spoke

to him,(4)that he was hungry ,(5) because he had had no food for two days.

(1)在非洲，我遇到一个小孩，(2)他哭得很伤心。(3)我问他为什么哭，(4)他说肚子饿，(5)两天没有吃东西了。

例（3）The world is undergoing profound changes: the integration of economy with science and technology is increasing, the restructuring of the world economy is speeding up, and economic prosperity depends not only on the total volume of resources and capital, but also directly on the accumulation and application of technological knowledge and information.

译文：世界正在发生深刻的变化：经济与科学技术的结合与日俱增；世界经济的重组加快步伐；经济繁荣不仅仅取决于资源和资本的总量，而且直接有赖于技术知识和信息的积累及其应用。

4.2 逆译法Reversing

“逆译法”又称“倒置译法”，主要指句子的前后倒置问题。有些英语长句的表达次序与汉语习惯不同，甚至语序完全相反。因为：

表现在因果关系上，英语常常从果到因，强调果对主体的影响，而汉语则从因到果顺理推移，从解释到结论，从条件到结果。

在叙和议的关系上，英语一般先表态后叙事，而汉语一般先交代事情，后发表议论。

翻译时，我们必须从原文的后面译起，逆着原文的顺序翻译。

例（1）His delegation welcomed the fact that UNDP was prepared to respond to emergency needs as they rose, despite the basically long-term operations that characterized those programs.

尽管联合国开发计划署的特点是开展长期业务活动，但是该机构也作了应急准备，对此，他的代表团表示欢迎。

例(2)

This will remain true whether we are dealing with the application of psychology to advertising and political propaganda, or of engineering to the mass media of communication, or of medical science to the problem of overpopulation or old age.

无论我们说的是把心理学应用于广告宣传和政治宣传，还是把工程学应用于大众传播媒体，或是把医学运用于人口过剩问题和老年问题，这种情况总是如此。

例（3）

It should be the pressing task in international postal cooperation to actively help developing countries overcome difficulties in their development of postal services and to energetically narrow the gap between the developing and the developed countries in this field.

积极帮助发展中国家克服邮政建设中面临的困难，努力缩小发展中国家与发达国家在邮政领域的差距，应成为国际邮政合作的当务之急。

例(4)

It is probably easier for teachers than for students to appreciate the reasons why learning English seems to become increasingly difficult once the basic structures and patterns of the language have been understood.

一旦了解英语的基本结构和句型, 再往下学似乎就越来越难了, 这其中的原因, 也许教师比学生更容易理解。

例(5)

Insects would make it impossible for us to live in the world; they would devour all our crops and kill our flocks and herds, if it were not for the protection we get from insect-eating animals.

假如没有那些以昆虫为食的动物保护我们, 昆虫将吞噬我们所有的庄稼, 害死我们的牛羊家畜, 使我们不能生存于世。