高级口译四字格的翻译问题.docx

1、高级口译四字格的翻译问题高级口译四字格的翻译问题1. Example: 联合国千年宣言确定的发展目标应该切实得到落实，以早日建立一个各国互惠、平衡发展、彼此共赢、共同繁荣的世界。Version: The development goals set out in The UN Millennium Declaration should be fulfilled so as to build, at an early date, a world where reciprocity, balanced development, win-win cooperation and common prosp

2、erity prevail. 2. As we cast our eyes over the horizon and towards the future, one thing is absolutely clear: China, with its ancient civilization and renewed economic and political vigor, will have a profound influence on the new world of the 21st century. 当我们展望世界，放眼未来，有一件事是非常清楚的：中国拥有悠久的古代文明史和新的经济和

3、政治活力，将对21世纪的新世界产生深远的影响。 汉语中有些四字格词语，前一半和后一半并列，两个字意义上明显有重复，翻译时只要翻译两个字就可以了。 升级换代 upgrade 日新月异 develop with each passing day/ bring about new changes with each passing day 千家万户 each and every household 五湖四海 all corners of the world 生龙活虎 bursting with energy 不慌不忙 unhurried 单枪匹马 single-handedly 高谈阔论 a lou

4、d and empty talk 唇枪舌战 a battle of words/ a verbal combat 暴风骤雨 a violent storm 鸡毛蒜皮 trifles/ trivial matters 甜言蜜语 honeyed words 质疑问难 raise doubts 评头品足 be overcritical 百年大计 a fundamental task crucial for generations to come 千载难逢 once in blue moon百孔千疮 a hundred holes/ a thousand scars/heavily damaged班门

5、弄斧 show off in the presence of an expert/ teach Grandma how to suck an egg/teach fish how to swim包办代替 do everything on behalf/ take everything into ones hands背道而驰 run counter to/ be incompatible with本末倒置 put the cart before horse/confuse cause and effect/ turn the things inside out/ take the root fo

6、r branch本性难移 A leopard wont change its spots.比学赶帮 The campaign to emulate the advanced, learn from and surpass them, and help the less advanced/ The campaign to emulate, learn from, overtake and help必然王国 the realm of necessity变本加厉 intensify/aggravate别有风味 have a particular flavor病入膏肓 past all hope/ i

7、ncurable/ have no hope for recovery博古通今 be versed in both ancient and modern knowledge 不耻下问 not ashamed to ask and learn from people below不偏不倚 without bias and without favor/impartial不择手段 by hook or by crook惨淡经营 take pains with the work/ take no end of pains to do something刮目相看 hold a person in high

8、 esteem/ have a completely new appraisal of somebody不卑不亢 be neither humble nor pert不辞辛苦 make nothing of hardships/ make light of discomfort/ take the trouble to不打自招 Without being pressed, he let the cat out of the bag./ a confession made without duress/ admit gratuitously不分彼此 with no distinction bet

9、ween “them” and “me”不分轻重缓急 without regard to the degree of importance or urgency不分是非 fail to distinguish right from wrong/ confuse right and wrong/confuse truth with falsehood不欢而散 The meeting ended in discord.不可分割 an inalienable part of Chinese territory不求甚解 with little understanding of the nature o

10、f the matter/ have but little knowledge of不屈不挠 unswerving/ unyielding / tenacious / unflagging/ unrelenting/ indefatigable struggle不胜枚举 too numerous to be counted/ defy enumeration不疼不痒 superficially不闻不问 turn a blind eye to/shut ones eye to不相上下 match/ balanced/ more or less of equal strength不择手段 use

11、all kinds of methods/ by fair means or foul才子佳人 talents(scholars) and beauties层出不穷 emerge in an endless stream常备不懈 all-time preparedness against something畅行无阻 advance unimpeded陈词滥调 often-repeated trash/ old stuff趁火打劫 fish in troubled waters/ plunder a burning house/ stir up trouble to serve ones own

12、 ends乘风破浪 ride on the wind/ brave winds and waves/ ride the winds and break the waves驰名中外 win fame both at home and abroad重整旗鼓 dig up the hatchet/ rally forces again崇山峻岭 high mountains and lofty hills出类拔萃 eminent above all others出其不意 catch one unawares处之泰然 take it easy传遍人间 spread everywhere传为笑谈 beco

13、me standing jokes 粗制滥造 Care should be taken to maintain a high quality and not to turn out rough and slipshod work.措辞刻薄 harsh terms/language/cutting words/terms错综复杂 intricate and complex conditions大发横财 make piles of money/reap huge profits大风大浪 be tempered in violent storms and waves/be tested in gre

14、at storms大势所趋 irresistible general trend/ general course of development大同小异 The means they used, while differing in minor points, were the same in essentials as those of the Petofi Club./for the most part the same大兴土木 be busy at putting up installations/large scale building constructions大有作为 There i

15、s plenty of room in the countryside for them to develop their talents to the full.答非所问 answer beyond the question当仁不让 take something as ones obligation/ take it as their obligation to assume such authority当之无愧 worthy of the admiration and support/ merit the reward倒转乾坤 turn back the course of events得

16、寸进尺 give him an inch and he will take a mile得到多助 It was just and, being just, enjoyed abundant support.得意洋洋 have ones nose in the air/ elated/ exulting/ jubilant德才兼备 combine ability with political integrity/ equal stress on integrity and ability独树一帜 fly ones own colors 渡过困难 get over economic difficu

17、lties/ tidy over the difficulties断然拒绝 peremptorily dismiss others views/ flatly reject断章取义 a garbled quotation/ take sentences out of context/quote out of context对答如流 fluent repartee/answer without hesitation对牛弹琴 cast pearls before swine/preach to deaf ears/talk over peoples heads恩威并用 justice temper

18、ed with mercy发挥潜力 bring potential into play翻天覆地 a tremendous change/ earth-shaking changes繁荣昌盛 thriving and prospering/ unprecedented flowering of the economy/a flourishing and invigorating scene方兴未艾 rising/in the ascendant/on the upgrade放眼世界，展望未来 keep the whole globe in view and look ahead into the

19、 future飞扬跋扈 be arrogant/ throw ones weight on分道扬镳 part company with/ go by different roads分秒必争 count every minute and second/ every minute counts/ race against time/ outpace time/ Not a second is to be lost.纷至沓来 come thick and fast风土人情 local manners and practices/ manners and customs风云人物 men of the

20、day/ a celebrity风靡一时 become fashionable for a time丰功伟绩 valiant record/ gigantic contribution/heroic deeds/feats they performed奉公守法 respect justice and abide by the laws/law-abiding敷衍了事 perfunctory/ try to meddle through扶老携幼 help the aged and the young釜底抽薪 take away (extract) firewood from under a ca

21、uldron/ undermine/ remove the ground on which someone stands负债累累 be up to the neck in debt/ over head and ears in debt改天换地 transform heaven and earth/ remake the nature改邪归正 give up evil ways and return to the right/ mend ones ways肝胆相照 loyal-hearted甘拜下风 willingly acknowledge defeat甘心情愿 willingly and

22、gladly高歌猛进 advance boldly with songs on ones lips高瞻远瞩 look far ahead and aim high/ take a broad and long view/far-sighted高枕无忧 sleep without anxiety/relax ones vigilance/sit back and relax各行其是 act as one pleases各有千秋 Each has its merits.根深蒂固 deeply-rooted/well-established/have a firm foundation/become

23、 deeply ingrained in孤陋寡闻 solitary and inexperienced/ ill-informed孤掌难鸣 You cant clap with one hand./ a weak minority/ He who stands alone has no power.孤注一掷 cast the die/ make a last desperate effort/stake everything on/risk it all on a single throw古今中外 at all times and in all countries/both ancient a

24、nd modern, Chinese and foreign/ past and present, at home and abroad故步自封 stand still and cease to make progress/ hold fast to established ideas光彩夺目 .brightness dazzles the eyes/ dazzling radiance 归根结底 in the final analysis/ in the long run/ get to the root of the problem滚滚向前 roll ahead国计民生 national

25、economy and the peoples livelihood/ national welfare and the peoples livelihood国泰民安 state prosperous and people at ease过河拆桥 remove the plank after crossing the river/ leave one in the lurch海底捞针 hunt for a needle in a haystack/look for a needle in the ocean/dredge for a needle in the sea汗马功劳 achievem

26、ents in war/ exploits/toil and hardship in the wars毫不隐晦 outspokenly/ with great candor浩浩荡荡 demonstrate in massive, streaming columns/ march in mighty 和睦相处 live side by side with/ be/live on friendly terms with和衷共济 work together with one heart轰轰烈烈 amid fire and thunder/ with vigor and vitality后生可畏 Th

27、e young are to be regarded with awe./The young generation will grow up one day and surpass the older./Every oak has been an acorn.互通有无 mutual help to make up what the other lacks/ each making up what the other lacks画蛇添足 ruin the effect by adding what is superfluous患难与共 come together through thick an

28、d thin/share weal and woe/joy and sorrow回顾过去，展望未来 look into the past and future/review the past and look forward to the future诲人不倦 never tired of teaching others/ tireless in teaching others/teaching with tireless zeal饥不择食 When one is hungry one does not choose ones food./ Beggars cant be choosers.既

29、来者，则安之。 Since this is so, its better to accept it.既往不咎 be let off for ones past misdeeds/Let bygones be bygones.寄人篱下 depend on other people/live under someones thumb家丑不可外扬 conceal the family shame/ Domestic shame should not be published./Do not wash dirty linen in public家喻户晓 make known to every fami

30、ly驾轻就熟 be able to deal with the situation with ease/well qualified for a post价廉物美 a small price for a good article/a good buy艰苦努力 unrelenting and strenuous efforts间明扼要 concise and to the point江山易改，本性难移 A fox may grow grey, but never good./A sow, when washed, returns to the muck.娇生惯养 be spoiled/ be p

31、ampered骄傲自满 indulge in self-exaltation and self-complacency/ become conceited and complacent脚踏实地 down-to-earth/ in a down-to-earth manner叫苦连天 invariably pour out endless grievances/constantly complain街谈巷议 street gossip/ pick up a good deal of gossip竭尽全力 strive to the utmost of ones strength/ strain

32、ones efforts/ spare no efforts / do ones utmost/ do all one can捷足先登 outstrip everyone else解放思想 free oneself of old, entrammelled ideas解铃仍需系铃人 The one who creates a problem should be the one to solve it./It is better for the doer to undo what he has done戒骄戒躁 be on guard (to guard) against conceit and impetuosity/ shun complacency and im