第六讲翻译技能--长句翻译
长句翻译
长句语段(句)结构的调整是语段翻译的难点和主要内容之一。语段是由几个意义关系密切的句子组成,语段的调整实际上是各个有关句子受语段总体意义的制约而引起的句际结构调整。翻译时应注意以下几个方面:(1)保持描写角度的一致;(2)语句的“前言”和“后语”要配合;(3)句际时间概念要相互呼应;(4)句间逻辑要互相照应。
具体翻译操作时,可以使用以下几种方法:保持原序;改变语序;拆开句子;合并句子。
例如:
1. The global economy that boomed in the 1960s, growing at an average of 5.5% a year, and pushed ahead at a 4.5 % a-year rate in the mid-1970, simply stopped growing in 1981-198
2. 世界经济在60年代很繁荣,每年平均以5.5%的比率增长,到了70年代中期仍以平均以4.5%的比率增长,但是在1981年到1982年就完全停止增长了。(按照时间顺序)
2. This is no class war, but a war in which the whole British Empire and Commonwealth of Nations is engaged, without distinction of race, creed, or party
这不是一场阶级之间的战争,而是一场不分种族、不分信仰,不分党派,整个大英帝国及英联邦全体成员国无不参加的战争。(注意:定语的顺序)
3. Congress has made laws requiring most pressure groups to give information about how much they spend and how they spend it, the amount and sources of funds, membership, and names and salaries of their representatives.
国会已经制定法律,要求大部分压力集团呈报他们花费了多少钱,怎样花的,款项的总额以及来源、成员人数、代表姓名和薪金等情况。
4. As the West sleepwalks into a decade in which moral confidence and steadfast ness will be increasingly needed and decreasingly found, and as a cry for leadership issues from millions who probably would not recognize it if they saw it, and probably reject it they did, John Paul II becomes more fascinating. (分析句子结构要从语法上开始)
当西方恍恍惚惚地进入八十年代的时候,人们的道德信念和坚韧精神日益沉沦,而获得这一切的希望又日趋渺茫。千百万人迫切要求加强“领导”,而当胜任的领导出现的时候,他们却又可能视而不见,或者见到了又加以摒弃。约翰·保罗二世之所以在西方变得越发具有魅力。
5. 句子前后调整:全部倒置
With a view to successfully maintaining a balanced system implemented by a basically even distribution of Federal resources, Federal financial aid is given only if a state has acceptable standards of administration.
各州一先要制定符合规章的管理标准,联邦政府才会拔给财政援助,这是为了使联邦政府财源基本上得到平均的分配,确保实施一种平衡的财政制度。(结论—条件)
6. A great number of graduate students were driven into the intellectual slam when in the USA the intellectual poor became the classic poor, the poor under the rather romantic guise of the Beat Generation, a real phenomenon in the late fifties.
五十年代后期的美国出现了一个任何人都不可能视而见的现象,穷知识分子的“垮掉的一代”这种颇为浪漫的姿态出现而成为美国的典型的穷人,正是在这个时候大批大学毕业生被赶进了知识分子贫民窟。
注:倒置只是一种变通手段,并不是唯一可行的手段。(2)部分倒置
7. I think that①it will be of interest to every one of us hereafter,
②whether we keep a diary or not, to ③note down a sheet of pages the actual circumstance which ④made him or her realize that this terrific episode had begun, and ⑤to record the exact time and hour when he or she experienced that circumstance.
不论你是否有记日记的习惯,当可怖的一幕揭开的时候,试在纸上记下当时的真情实景和准确的时间,往后读来,我想也是饶有兴味的。(注意中文表达的顺序和表达的简洁性)
分译(Splitting/ dividing)某些成分从句子主干中拆开,另行处理(按照汉语句子结构安排以及词组之间的搭配)
8. An ou tsider’s success could even curiously help the two parties to get the agreement they want.
说来奇怪,一个局外人取得成功竟然能够促使双方达成一项他们希望取得的协议。(单词拆离)
9. The number of the young people in the U.S. who cannot read is incredible about one in four.
大约有四分之一的美国青年人没有阅读能力。这简直令人难以置信。
词组拆离
10. Strolling unescorted at midday past a major concentration of the huts just a block from the city’s central avenues I none the less saw many signs of occupation.
pushed原译:中午,我在没有导游陪伴的时候,独自漫步街头,发现了一个很大的棚户区,很多茅棚里还住了人。这个棚户区离中央大道很近。
改译:中午,我独自漫步街头,路过一个离中央大道很近的棚户区,很多棚里还住了人。(是不是更加简洁明了呢?)分析:原译用了分译法,但是显得太散不够紧凑,而且将“这个棚户区离中央大道很近”位移至句末,似乎成为句子的焦点。原文的信息却不是这样。
11. This land, which once barred the way of weary travelers, now has become a land for winter and summer vacation, a land of magic and wonder.
原译:这个地方现在已经成为冬夏两季的休假胜地,风光景物,蔚为奇观,而从精疲力竭的旅游者都只能到此止步。(比较通顺,下面两种译法同样可以传递原文的信息)
A: 这个地方现在已经成为冬夏两季的休假胜地,风光景物,蔚为奇观,而从前精疲力竭的旅游者都只能到此止步。B: 这个曾经让筋疲力尽的旅游者都到此止步地方,现在已经成为冬夏两季的休假胜地,风光景物,蔚为奇观。
注:只要译者善于变通语句又不影响原意,通常可以顺译,即采取切断式,以分句译出句首。难以连接时用冒号或逗号隔开,因为它对下文有提示作用,便于下文承接,可以表示对前提、结果、结论、条件、背景等等句首成分的推演、阅释、说明、铺叙或分解,引导出后续分句来。
12. Such is human nature in the west that a great many people are often willing to sacrifice higher pay for the privilege of becoming white collar workers.
许多人常常宁愿牺牲比较高的工资以换取成为白领工人的社会地位,这在西方倒是人之常情。
13. A justification beyond dispute follows that planned obsolescence and its resultant throw-away mentality ought to be
done away with.
人为地将产品过早地废弃以及由此而产生的那种用过就扔的浪费心理都应该去掉,这是无可厚非的。
14. Sometimes I have thought it would be an excellent rule to live each day as if we should die tomorrow. Such an attitude would emphasize sharply the values of life. We should live each day with a gentleness, a vigor, and a keenness of appreciation which are often lost when time stretches before us in the constant panorama of more days and mon
ths and years to come. 有时我想,把每一天都当作生命的最后一天来过,也许是一种极好的生活准则。这种态度会使生命的价值鲜明突出,使我们以优雅的风度、旺盛的精力和高度珍惜的心情度过每一天;而当我们觉得岁月延绵不断,来日方长时,往往失掉这种态度。(注意增词)

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