1、无论多长巷也有弯地方(路必有弯,事必有变)。It is a wise man that never makes mistakes.聪明人从不犯错误。无论多么聪明的人也难免犯错误。We cannot estimate the value of modern science too much.我们不能过高地估计现代科学的价值。对现代科学的价值无论怎样重视也不为过。It was not until years afterwards that he heard of Semmelweis.没过几年他就听到了Semmelweis消息。直到数年之后,他才听到Semmelweis 消息。二、长句直译误区在较
2、长英语句子中存在着比较复杂的关系,很难按原则顺序用一句汉语表达出来,这就要根据英文句子特点和内在联系进行意译,不能的直译长句主要有三种处理方法。1、根据句子内在逻辑关系和汉语表达习惯进行翻译。例如:The differences are that the dwellers of the new caves would see more greenery, under ecologically healthier conditions, than dwellers of surface cities do today.这个句子并不复杂,但不好译。这个句子有三层关系,比较、条件和结果,按这种逻辑关
3、系翻译就十分省事。同今天地面城市的居民相比,新洞穴居民如果在比较健康生态环境中生活,会有更多机会见到青枝绿叶。2、有些长句需要直译与意译结合,顺译与递译结合,需要综合处理。But a broader and more generous, certainly more philosophical view is held by those scientists who claim that the evidence of a war instinct in men is incomplete and misleading , and that man does have within him t
4、he power of abolishing war. 这个句子主句部分可以意译,从句部分可直译。有些科学家观点更开阔,更富有普遍性和哲理性。他们指出,有关人类战争本能的证据尚不完全,而且容易引起误解,事实上,人类自身具有消除战争能力。It was that population that gave to California a name for getting up astonishing enterprises and rushing them through with a magnificent dash and daring and a recklessness of cost or
5、 consequences. 这个句子虽长,结构不复杂,如果进行直译,其译文将十分逊色,如果进行综合处理,译文将有声有色地传达原文神韵。那里人们富于大无畏开创精神,建立了庞大的企业,敢冒风险,势如破竹,一干到底,不顾及成本,因此为加利福尼亚赢得了声誉。3、由于有些句型不同于汉语思维方式,常常需要进行倒译。Textile finishes have in general become a no-no in todays market place, thanks to many reasons, says a representative of fiber producer. 一位纤维厂家的代表说
6、,由于许多原因,纺织物整理剂在如今的市场上已经到了无人问津的地步。三、修辞句型中的误区同汉语一样,英语写作中大量运用修辞手段,其中有不少辞格类似于汉语辞格表达方式,因此可以直译。但有一些英语辞格很难用直译方式表达清楚,即便是同一辞格,由于处于不同场合,有的能直译,有的则不能直译。下列几种情况有时不宜直译:1、比喻:有比喻可以直译,有则不能,这往往取决于汉语表达习惯。At the door to the restaurant, a stunning, porcelain-faced woman in traditional costume asked me to remove my shoes.
7、 如果把a stunning ,porcelain-faced woman 译作一位迷人陶瓷般脸蛋妇女就显得粗俗滑稽,但是不是作者本意。这时意译就比较好。在通往餐厅门口有一位妇女,涂脂抹粉、细皮嫩肉、身着和服、十分迷人,她叫我脱下鞋子。The girl is a dead shot.这位姑娘是神枪手。(不能译作死射手) After the failure of his last novel, his reputation stands on slippery grounds.他上部小说失败之后,声誉一落千丈。(不能译为站在滑动场地上了。2、有些借喻不能直译He went west by sta
8、ge coach and succumbed to the epidemic of gold and silver fever in Nevadas Washoe Region.他乘公共马车到了西部,患了瓦肖地区金银发烧流行病。他乘公共马车到了西部,卷入了淘金热和淘银热。The rather arresting spectacle of little old Japan adrift amid beige concrete skyscrapers is the very symbol of the incessant struggle between the kimono and the mi
9、niskirt. 应译为:式样古老小巧日本房屋像小船一般,漂游在灰棕色钢筋混凝土摩天大楼之间,这引人注目的景象象征着旧传统和新发展之间不断斗争。3、引典。如果是尽人皆知典故。可以直译,不必加说明,如果多数人不知道,最好是意译,或者直译加注释。He met his Waterloo.句中meet ones Waterloo是成语典故,由拿破仑在Waterloo遇到惨败而来,所以要意译。他吃了大败仗。I asked whether for him, the arch anti-communist , this was not bowing down in the House of Rimmon.句
10、中bowing down in the House of Rimmon 是成语典故,表示表面上与宗教信仰一致,但心里却有不同政治主张,这是口是心非。Rimmon是大马士革人所崇拜的神。House of Rimmon借指英国下院。如果将这个典故直译,表达不出原意。我问道,作为头号反共人物(邱吉尔),他这样做是否言行不一,口是心非。四、习语成语中的误区英语中有丰富的习语成语,增强了语言表达能力。其中大部分可以直译,或用汉语中相应的习语套用。 例如:the open door policy开放政策,the cold war 冷战,to fish in troubled waters 混水摸鱼,str
11、ike while the iron is hot 趁热打铁,at sixes and sevens 乱七八糟。但是还有一些习语成语必须意译才能表达出其正确含义。She was born with a silver spoon in her mouth.她出生在富贵之家。Youre talking through your head again.你又在胡说八道了。You should keep your nose out of here. 你别管闲事。Good to begin well, better to end well.要善始善终。五、词汇翻译中的误区有些词汇在某些场合下具有了新义,如
12、果直译就会曲解原意。所以,要根据语言环境确定具体词义。英语中词义发展变化十分常见。He is the last person for such a job.他最不配干这件事。Every life has its roses and thorns.人生有苦有甜。The wedding, which Heyward still remembered with pride, was attended by a whos who of Boston Society.赫华德仍然记得,参加婚礼人中有一位波士顿的社会名流,这让他感到十分得意。从上述例句可以看出,有些词在某些场合或结构中具有特殊意义,例如th
13、e last, whos who,有的词用其比喻意义,如roses and thorns ,有的词在特殊场合与句型中词义发生了递转,如yes, no,有词义有了引申或发展。总而言之,一个词的具体意义要依其所处场合、条件、和句型而定,不可随意翻译。直译与意译各有所长、要用其所长。进行直译时要防止进入误区,在有误区的地方要采用意译,使直译与意译相互补充,只有这样才能取得比较理想效果。在翻译错误中有相当一部分出乎望文生义。如译者认真严肃对待,许多是可以避免的。white wine 不是白酒(白酒应属spirits 这一类)而是白葡萄酒;short drink 不是少量酒而浓酒,相反long drin
14、k 不是大量酒而是较淡的酒The old parts will no longer be supplied 中的no longer 不是指时间不长,而是指旧零件将不再供应Thats not half bad 不是指那不太好而是指那一点也不坏或那好极了!She did not marry him because she loved him 不是指她没有和他结婚,因为她爱他,她并不是因为爱他才和他结婚,如此等等。再以科技词汇中的top为例 top pressure (最高压力),top speed (最大速度),top science (尖端科学),top gear (高速档齿轮)中top的含义,
15、作为修词或形容词,是一目了然的。但是下面复合词中的top并无高、大等含义;topmast(中桅)和topsail (中桅帆),在这里top一词不是形容词而是名词(桅楼),与另一名词构成一个专用词汇。另外,top overhaul(中修)一词因是overhaul的修饰语,容易以为是大修实际上overhaul与complete, thorough 和general联用时才有全部、彻底、普遍之意,成为,其实是初步检修(见英华大词典)。这种望文生义、似是而非,貌合神离的现象可概括为想当然(英语中称之为take it for granted ),是翻译者的大忌。其产生的原因是复杂而多方面的,现大致归纳如
16、下六个方面,即:一、语法结构理解不当;二、词义理解不当;三、缺乏背景知识;四、缺乏专业知识;五、习惯势力影响;六、疏忽大意。一、语法结构理解不当译者对语法结构理解不当,如分不清词性、指代关系以及句型等,就会直接造成误译。1. Magnetic fields of the former kind are geerally about a million times weaker than the Earths field ,whereas those originating from the traveling signals of nerve cells are even weaker, so
17、me hundred million times less than the earths field at their strongest.原译前一类磁场通常只有地球磁场的一百万分之一左右,而由神经细胞传播的信号产生的磁场则更弱,最强的时候也只有地球磁场的几亿分之一。分析此处some 不是形容词(或称determiner限定词),而是副词,经常用在数词之前,相当于about大约,如There were some 40 or50 peop0le there.故some hundred million 应译成约一亿正译.只有地球磁场的约一亿分之一。2. Now Jeffreys points o
18、ut that, if a number of observations have been found to conform to a law, it is highly probable that next one will do so whether the law is true or not.误译现在杰佛利指出,如果已获得大量的观察资料与一条法则一致,非常可能下一条法则也将如此,不管该法则正确与否。分析此句的代词one,它指代observation而不是law,否则变成法则与法则相一致,这在逻辑上也自相矛盾。正译.非常可以下一次观察也与该法则相一致,不管它正确与否。二、词义理解不当英
19、语词汇中一词多义的情况是相当多的,如只知其一,不知其二,就会造成错误理解。勤查和细查词典(包括用英语解释英语的英英词典)才能避免;所谓勤查是多查几本词典,所谓细查是从头到尾地查阅,不厌其烦,才能扩大视野,并找到合适的词义。1. For the balance of the section, lets speak in straightforward and elementary terms to describe the function and form of the electronic computer.误译为使这一节平衡起见,我们将用简单明了的术语来描述这种电子计算机的功能和形式。分析
20、在朗曼当代英语词典balance词条下可查到money or something else which remains or is left over,又见例句:May I take the balance of my holidays before the end of September ?正译在本节的其余部分,我们将用简单明了的术语来描述这种电子计算机的功能和形式。2. We have a sales force at present of twenty-four salesmen of the road, each with his own territory.误译目前我们有一支由20
21、名外勤推销员组成的推销队正在途中,每人有他自己的推销领域。分析在商业英语中on the road =away from home use,in regular travel on business esp. as a traveling salesman (Websters Third New International Dictionary of the English Language) ,故salesmen on the road 作外勤推销员解。正译目前我们有一支由24名外勤推销员组成的推销队伍,每人有自己的推销地盘。3. Sleeping late on weekends can a
22、lso disrupt your circadian rhythm.误译周未迟睡也会打乱人体的日夜周期。分析此句 sleeping late误译为迟睡即睡得晚,晚睡),实际上它表示起得晚睡懒觉从中式英语到英语的作者Janet Adams 写道:Remember that sleep late means to get up late and not go to bed late.正译周末睡懒觉也会打乱人体的日夜周期。三、缺乏专业知识科技翻译往往涉及众多领域,各种专业,为了提高翻译质量,译者不仅要熟练掌握英汉两门语言,而且也应具有一定的专业知识的素养。隔行如隔山,每个专业都有各自一套术语。1.
23、By the age of 19 Gauss had discovered for himself and proved a remarkable theorem in number theory known as the law of quadratic reciprocity.误译高斯十九岁已经独立地发现并证明了数理定理-二次互反律。分析将number theory 误为数理,系不了解专业所致,其实它在数学上是指数论,与是两个不同的概念。正译.并证明了数论中的一个卓越定理,名谓二次互反律。2. Designed to predict the motions of hesavenly bod
24、ies ,it does its job with unbelievable accuracy-better than one in a hndred million for the motion of the earth around the sun-and it remains in daily use to predict the orbits of moons and planets ,comets and spacecraft.误译这个旨在预测天体运行的理论,其准确性令人难以置信-以地球绕太阳运转为例,其误差仅略大于一亿分之一,并且时至今日仍然每日要用它来预测卫星和行星、慧星和航天器
25、的运行轨道。分析原文并无仅略的含义,应删去。Better than 修饰accuracy,意为准确度胜于比.更为准确,即误差小于正译.,其误差小于一亿分之一,.。3. When allowance is made for the separate auxiliary load the consumption can rise to nearly 1 Ib/SHP hour and this is generally about 20% better than the overall fuel consumption of a steam plant at cruising speed.误译当考
26、虑分开的辅机负荷时,其耗油率几乎能增加到1磅/轴马力小时,一般来说比蒸汽装置的巡航总油耗大约多20%。分析此处better than 用来修饰油耗时必然指油耗低,而不是指油耗高。正译 .,一般来说,这是比蒸汽装置在巡航速度时的总油耗约低20%。四、缺乏背景知识译者如不了解所译内容的背景,也易造成望文生义。1. Anyone who has tugged heavy hand baggage down endless airport corridors, or waited for a deluged flight in a sterile lounge will bow how user un
27、friendly many airports are in design terms .误译任何人只要他曾拖着沉重的随身行李,走过无止境的机场走廊,或者曾在枯燥乏味的休息室里等候延误的班机,都会体会到许多机场在设计上对旅客多么不方便。分析此处endless 误译为无止境的,实际上作环状的解(circular,with the ends joined ),一般大型国际机场,从候机室通向各跑道的走廊呈环状,两头是相联接的。正译 .,走过环形的机场走廊,.2. I am/ we are carrying currency or monetary instruments over $ 10000 U.
28、S. or foreign equivalent.误译我(我们)携带有货币或价值超过10000美元的仪器或相当于10000美元的外币的仪器。分析原译将instruments 作仪器解,显然是缺乏背景知识和脱离上下文所造成的失误。此处系指证券,票据monetary instruments 应译金融证券正译我(我们)携带超过10000美元或等值外币现金或金融证券。五、习惯势力影响习惯势力也会造成误译,如下列句中的at the same time,也许这一短语太熟悉了,因此往往习惯地译成同时,其实此处上下文并不存在时间上的关系,而是让步关系。1. In most cases,.he knows that certain manufacturing processes will have to be employed .In many instances ,the selection of a specific material may dictate what processing must be used .At the same time .when certain processes are used ,the design may have to be modified in order for the process t
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