1、 America was at peace, and the nations 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 candidat
2、e 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 govern
3、ment 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
4、 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
5、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 r
6、enewed 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。这是六月份的最后一个星期六,早晨 10 点,其他办公室几乎无人。即使这样,他们仍紧闭大门,严拉窗帘。三个主要人物和两个副手从全国各地赶来,聚在这里召开一个重要会议,旨在制定出一套策略,以确保里根再次当选总统,入主白宫
7、。再次当选应该不是件难事。他们久经沙场,跟随里根多年,为共和党干的时间更长,没有谁比他们更熟悉总统竞选那一套儿。另外,竞选条件也十分有利,很多好消息可供炒作。例如,美国上下一片和平,经济这一永恒的竞选要素也在经过一段时间的衰退之后开始强劲反弹。此外,这次竞选本身得到了慷慨资助,足以支付一流竞选班子、巡回演讲以及电视广告的费用。最重要的是,他们的候选人是罗纳德 里根,他极具个人魅力,精通沟通技巧。自约翰 F 肯尼迪总统以来,里根最成功地勾勒出美国蓝图:国家军事力量复兴,国人积极进取,政府机构精简。1997年:English to Chinese Opera is expensive: that
8、much is inevitable. But expensive things are inevitably the province(范围) of the rich unless we abdicate(退位、放弃) societys power of choice. We can choose to make opera and other expensive forms of culture, accessible(易接近的,可达到的) to those who cannot individually pay for it. The question is: why should we
9、? No body denies the imperatives(必要的)of food, shelter, defence, health and education. But even in a prehistoric cave, man-kind stretched out a hand of not just to eat, drink or fight, but also to draw. The impulse(冲动) towards culture, the desire to express and explore the world through imagination a
10、nd representation(表述、陈述)is fundamental. In Europe, this desire has found fulfillment(完成、成就) in the masterpieces of our music, art, literature and theatre. These masterpieces are the touchstones(标准、试金石) for all our efforts; they are the touchstones for the possibilities to which human thought and ima
11、gination may aspire(立志、追求目标、渴望); they carry the most profound (深厚的、深刻的)messages that can be sent from one human to another.这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。这篇文章理解起来不难,但翻译时却发现不好用贴切的汉语表达,因此在处理这样表面看起来比较容易但难翻译的文章时,注意一定不要拘泥于英文的表达形式。本文翻译中涉及长句译法、定语从句译法,以及增词法、转译法等。 that much is inevitable :若直译即“歌剧很
12、贵,那种贵不可避免。”但读者要问“是听歌剧很贵还是演歌剧很贵?”因此,在“歌剧”前要加具体动词,根据上下文,可以看出“听歌剧”比较恰当。But expensive things are not inevitably the province of the rich unless we abdicate societys power of choice : province 意为“领域、范围”; abdicate 意为“放弃”。 societys power of choice 如果直译,即“社会的选择权”,但这样翻译有些抽象,可采用意译法,即“社会左右选择的力量”。We can choose to make opera, and other expensive forms of culture, accessible to those who cannot individually pay for it : to make something accessible to someone 使某人也能得到某事(物),因此全句可译为“使歌剧和其他形式的高消费文化也能让那些作为个体消费不起的人们所享受。Nobody denies the imperativ
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