4.6 英汉翻译中的减词翻译法
美国翻译理论家奈达曾经说过，“翻译就是翻译意思”，那么在两种语言之间进行的翻译并不是一个词对一个词的相互转换。在将英语翻译成汉语时，译文一定要通顺、地道、流畅、符合汉语的表达习惯。要使译文地道、流畅，就必须充分了解源语和译语在表达习惯上的区别。与英语相比较，汉语中代词（尤其是人称代词）和连接词（尤其是并列连接词“和”）使用得很少，能省略的代词和连接词一般都不在句子里出现。因此，在英译汉时，应该避免在句子里过多地使用代词和连接词，否则译文就会显得不自然、不流畅。这时就要用减词翻译法。减词翻译法是指在翻译的过程中省略原文中自然的、必不可少的、但在译文中却是多余词汇的翻译方法。例如：
The retailers perform many functions. First, he may provide a convenient location. Also, he often guarantees and services the merchandise he sells. Third, the retailer aids in promoting the product, often through displays and advertising. Fourth, the retailer may finance the customer by extending credit. Further, the retailer performs storage function in his outlet, by having goods available.
译文：零售商还发挥许多功能。其一，（  ）可提供便利的场地；其二，（  ）对他所经销的商品提供担保和服务；其三，（  ）帮助促销产品，经常进行商品展示活动和发布广告；其四，（  ）为顾客提供信贷。另外，由于供货及时，零售商还可发挥其商店的仓储功能。
析：英语语篇的衔接手段常用的有：大量使用代词，指代前文中所提到的名词，偶尔重复使用名词本身，使用省略，使用上义词或同义词。汉语中最常用的衔接手段则是多使用名词重复和省略，偶尔也使用代词和上义词或同义词。在汉语的语篇中，当所谈论的主语是同一个的时候，被谈论的主语往往只出现一次，后面句子的主语可以省略。这种省略不仅不会引起误解，而且会使行文简洁流畅。上面这一段汉语译文可以充分说明这一点。再比如下面这一段汉语是地道的汉语：柯灵，生于1909年，浙江省绍兴人。中国现代作家。1926年发表第一篇作品叙事诗《织布的妇人》。1930年任《儿童时代》编辑。1949年以前一直在上海从事报纸编辑工作，并积极投入电影、话剧运动。解放后，曾任《文汇报》副总编辑。现任上海电影局顾问。
除了英语中的代词和连接词在汉语译文中可以省略外，还有冠词、动词不定式符号、部分介词等均可以省略。当然，在汉语译文中被省略的成分不仅仅限于这些词类。任何词类都有可能被省略，但省略一定要依据具体的上下文并遵循译语的表达习惯。如：
Winter is the best time to study the growth of trees. Although the leaves are gone and the branches are bare, the trees themselves are beautiful！
译文idea是什么意思英语翻译：冬天是研究树木生长的最好季节，虽则树叶落了，树枝光了，但树木本身却是美丽的。
析：原文中所有的定冠词the在译文中都没有被翻译出来，因为它们在这里都是泛指。当英语中的“冠词the+名词”或者“冠词a/an+名词”表示泛指时，该冠词往往不翻译成汉语；但如果冠词是表示特指，就必须将该冠词翻译成汉语。
When mineral oil is refined into petrol, it is used to drive internal combustion engine. To it we owe the existence of the motor-car, which has replaced the private carriage drawn by the horse.
译文：当矿物油被提炼戍汽油之后，就可以用来驱动内燃机。就是有了这种油，我们才能用上汽车，以代替私人马车。
析：原文中短语carriage drawn by the horse的意思是“由马拉的马车”，译成汉语时如果直
译就会使译文显得很罗嗦，这样就需要采用减词翻译法而将其翻译成“马车”就可以了。这样的译文简练、地道、流畅。
Such is the so-called "business cycle" that has characterized the industrialized nations of the world for the last two centuries  ever since an elaborate, interdependent money economy began to replace the relatively self-sufficient precommercial society.
译文：这正是近两个世纪（即自从一种复杂的、相互依赖的货币经济开始取代相对自给自足的前商业化社会）以来全世界工业化国家所谓的“经济周期”。
析：英语单词characterize一词的意思是“表现…的特”，“刻画的…性格”，它的意思在汉语译文中虽然被省略末译，但既然全世界工业化国家具备所谓的“经济周期”，那么，其基本意思“表现…的特”就已经隐含在其中。
To avert the danger of major defaults and to restore security to the economic systems, Western bankers and governments will have to ensure that they are imposing reasonable repayment terms on developing countries, terms that will not provoke revolution or chaos.
译文：为了防止发生重大的宣布无力偿还债务事件，并使经济体制恢复巩固，西方各国金融机构和政府必须确保对各发展中国家强制实行公平合理的还债条件，确保这些条件不至于引发革命或混乱。
析：原文中avert的意思是“转移”，和名词danger搭配后构成短语avert the danger，意思是“转移危险”，如果直译势必使得译文不通顺。汉语译文在这里没有直译，而是将danger省略不译，而将avert一词翻译成“防止”，这样做既理顺了“防止”同后面的宾语“发生重大的宣布无力偿还债务事件”之间的搭配，“防止”这个短语本身又隐含了danger（危险）的意义，真是一举两得。
本章练习
1．将下面的短文翻译成汉语，注意增词法的运用。
Tariffs may be used simply to obtain revenue. In some developing countries, revenue tariffs provide an important part of the government's income. Often, however, tariffs are protective, and are designed to carry out a particular economic policy. They may help to r
educe a balance of payments deficit or to protect an infant industry against strong international competition from older corporations. A revenue tariff will always provide some protection, and a protective tariff will produce some revenue. Therefore, it is difficult to distinguish between revenue and protective tariffs from economic evidence alone.
When a tariff is imposed on an import, the direct impact on price is to raise it by the amount of the tariff. Market factors, however, can modify this effect. Hence, the final price increase due to a tariff may be less than, equal to, or more than the amount of the tariff. In many cases, though, the final price increase is reasonably close to the amount of the tariff. In ocntrast, the impact of a quota on price is much harder to predict. The effects are particularly uncertain with goods which are not produced at all domestically. For instance, many countries do not have their own car industry, so that an import quota can cause a considerable shift in automobile prices.
2．翻译下列短文，注意英语名词复数的翻译。
Letters of Credit for the importation of goods from foreign countries into Canada are frequ
ently required by the supplier to be established in his favor; sometimes these are for surprisingly small amounts, obviously where the importer is little known to the exporter, otherwise ordinary "bill for collection" or "open account procedure" would be followed. Many Canadian importers are therefore familiar with these instruments. The Canadian importer, when faced with such a request, applies to his bank for the facility. As the bank's undertaking will be replacing that of the importer, the bank will treat this as an application for credit and will give consideration to setting up a "line of credit" in the same way as if it were an application for a loan. If the "line" is granted or has already been arranged, the importer competes an "Application for Commercial Credit" in which he gives full details of the Credit requires. Normally, the Credit will be "irrevocable", that is, once it has been received by or advised tothe beneficiary it cannot be retracted or changed without the beneficiary's consent, and the opening bank must meet any drafts presented provided the terms of the Letter of Credit have been complied with.

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