科技英语翻译基本方法和技巧.docx

1、科技英语翻译基本方法和技巧 科技英语翻译基本方法和技巧 1.词义的引申2.词类转换2.1转换成汉语动词2.2转换成汉语名词2.3转换成汉语形容词2.4转换成汉语副词3.增词3.1增加表示名词复数概念的词语3.2增加表示时态的词语3.3增加表示句子主语的词语3.4增加原文中省略的词语3.5增加具体化、明确化的词语3.6增加起语气连贯作用的词语 1.词义的引申 英译汉时，有时会遇到某些词在词典中找不到适当的词义，如果生搬硬套词典中的释义，译文则不能确切地表达原文的意思，甚至造成误译。这时就应结合上下文和逻辑关系，根据汉语的表达习惯，引申词义。所谓词义引申，就是指对某些英语词汇的含义加以扩展和变通，

2、使其更准确地表达原文词汇所表达的特定意思。词义的引申主要包括三个方面的内容。1.1专业化引申 英语科技文章所使用的词汇有些借自日常生活用语，但在科技语境中已赋有了不同于日常语境的专业化语义。因此，翻译时应基于其基本意义，根据所涉及专业引申出其专业化语义。例如：(1)His mother died of difficult labor 他母亲死于难产。(不译作“困难的劳动”)(2)The major problem in manufacturing is the control of contamination and foreign material 制造时的一个主要问题是控制污染和杂质。(不

3、译作“外界物质”)(3)The running of such automated establishments remains only a matter of reading various meters mounted on panels 管理这种自动化工厂只不过要求查看一下控制台上的各种仪表而已。(不译作“阅读”)(4)More weight must be placed on the past history of patients必须更加重视患者的病史。(不译作“过去的历史。”)(5)The bacterial pneumonia may complicate influenza

4、at both extremes of age 幼儿和老年流行性感冒患者可并发细菌性肺炎。(不译作“年龄的两个极端”)(6)The doctor may insert thin needles into the skin of a patient at key points along meridians 医生可以把一些细针沿病人身上的经络插进穴位中。(不译作“关键点”)(7)Everything is ready，so I call the morning paper up on the screen一切准备就绪，于是我把早报调入屏幕。(不译作“喊，叫”)(8)This kind of wo

5、od works easily 这种木料易于加工。(不译作“工作”)(9)The patient had been given three transfusions after he Was admitted into the hospital 病人人院后已输过三次血了。(不译作“给”)(10)This medicine acts well on the heart 这种药治疗心脏病疗效很好。(不译作“对起作用”)1.2具体化或形象化引申 英语科技文章中有些字面语义颇为笼统或抽象的词语，若按字面译出，要么不符合汉语表达习惯，要么就难以准确地传达原文所表达的意思，在这种情况下，就应该根据特定的语

6、境，用比较具体或形象化的汉语词语对英文词语所表达的词义加以引申。例如：(1)Other things being equal，copper heats up faster than iron其他条件相同时，铜比铁热得快。(不译作“事情”)(2)There are many things that should be considered in determining cutting speed 在测定切削速度时，应当考虑许多因素。(不译作“事情”)(3)The thermometer rises or falls according as the air is hot or cold 温度计的

7、液柱随空气的冷热而下降或上升。(不译作“温度计”)(4)Australian researchers have developed an implantable hearing prosthesis that inserts 22 electrodes into the inner ear and is connected to a pocket speech processor 澳大利亚研究人员已经研制了一种可植入的假耳。该假耳将22个电极插入内耳并与一台袖珍语言信息处理机相连。(不译作“听觉假体”)(5)For the average consumer，voice-activated de

8、vices are a convenience；for the elderly and handicapped，they may become indispensable for a wide variety of chores in the home对一般使用者来说，声触发装置能提供方便，而对老年人和残废者来说，它可能成为从事各种家庭杂务时必要的帮手。(不译作“不可缺少的”)(6)A large segment of mankind turns to untrammeled nature as a last refuge from encroaching technology 许多人都想寻找

9、一块自由自在的地方，作为他们躲避现代技术侵害的世外桃源。(不译作“最后的避难所”)(7)Her soft features effectively hid her strong mechanical foundation 她柔媚的容貌巧妙地掩饰了她那强有力的机械躯体。(不译作“基础”)(8)While the results may seem discouraging to smokers whod like to quit without gaining weight 对于那些想戒烟但又不想发胖的吸烟者来说，实验结果似乎给他们泼了盆冷水。(不译作“令人泄气”)(9)In general，th

10、e design procedure is not straightforward and will require trial and error 一般说来，设计过程不是一帆风顺的，而需要反复试验。(不译作“简单的”)(10)Steel and cast iron also differ in carbon 钢和铸铁的含碳量也不相同。(不译作“碳”)1.3概括化或抽象化引申 英语科技文章中有些词语的字面意思比较具体或形象，但若直译成汉语，有时则显得牵强，不符合汉语的表达习惯，使人感到费解。在这种情况下，就应用含义较为概括或抽象的词语对英文词语所表达的词义加以引申。例如：(1)American

11、s every year swallow 15 000 tons of aspirin，one of the safest and most effective drugs invented by man 阿司匹林是人类发明的最安全、最有效的药物，美国每年要消耗15 000吨。(不译作“吞咽”)(2)AHoys belong to a half-way house between mixtures and compounds合金是介于混合物和化合物之间的一种中间结构。(不译作“两地间中途歇脚的客栈”)(3)In 24 hours the heart in a human body receiv

12、es and pumps out some l 000 quarts 0fblood24小时内，通过人的心脏循环的血液约为l 000夸脱。(不译作“接受或泵出”)(4)The year 2000 problem brings the largest companies in the world to their knees 2000年问题使世界上最大的公司都要向它屈服。(不译作“使跪下”)(5)Industrialization and environmental degradation seem to go hand in hand 工业化发展似乎伴随着环境的退化。(不译作“携手”)(6)I

13、n the microbial transformation of contaminantsorganisms can either“eat”the toxins or break them down in the process of consuming other substances 在对污染物进行微生物转化的过程中，生物会清除毒素或在消耗其他物质时把这些毒素分解。(不译作“吃掉”)(7)The research performed on smokers at rest indicates that smokers burn more calories than nonsmokers 对

14、处于静息状态的吸烟者所作的研究表明，吸烟者比非吸烟者消耗的热量要多。(不译作“燃烧”)(8)The plan for launching the man-made satellite still lies on the table那项发射人造卫星的计划仍被搁置，无法执行。(不译作“放在桌子上”)(9)The furnace eats up fuel at the rate of three tons per hour炉子以每小时三吨的速度消耗燃料。(不译作“吃光”)(10)Superconductivity technology is now in its infancy 超导体技术正处于发展

15、的初级阶段。(不译作“婴儿期”)2. 词类转换 英汉两种语言属于不同的语系，英语属于印欧语系，汉语属于汉藏语系。不同语系的语言，无论在词汇方面或在语法方面都有很大的差别。就词类来说，同一意思在不同语言中可以用不同的词类来表达。由此，在科技英语翻译实践中，在很多情况下需要进行词类转换。所谓词类转换，是指把原文语言中的某一词类(如名词)转译成汉语的另一词类(比如动词)而言。原文语言中的动词译成汉语后变为副词，原文中的名词译成汉语的动词等等，便是翻译上的词类转换译法。掌握翻译中的词类转换译法，就可使我们敢于脱离原文词类的限制，跳出原文词类的框框，用汉语的适当词类予以表达。2.1转换成汉语动词 英语和

16、汉语比较起来，汉语中动词用得比较多，这是一个特点。往往在英语句子中只用一个谓语动词，而在汉语中却可以几个动词或动词性结构连用。因此，英语中不少词类(尤其是名词、形容词、副词)在汉译时往往可以转译成动词。2.1.1名词转换成动词 英语中大量具有动作意义的名词和由动词派生出来的名词往往可以译成动词。例如：(1)Global warming observed over the past century has focused attention on mantled greenhouse gas，presumed to be the likely cause在过去的一个世纪中发现的全球变暖趋势据推测

17、可能是由人为的温室气体造成的。(2)law enforcement agencies went on a hunt for hackers in the aftermath of the AT&T system crash of 15 January 1990执法机构继续通缉导致1990年1月15日美国电话电报公司系统崩溃的黑客。(3)Attempts to program a computer to integrate gesture with speech began back in the 1970s at the Massachusetts Institute of Technolog

18、y Architecture Machine Lab 早在70年代，麻省理工学院建筑机械实验室就开始尝试在计算机中将语言和手势集成在一起。(4)The application of electronic computers makes for a tremendous rise in labor productivity 使用电子计算机可以大大提高劳动生产率。(5)Desertification is not a case of irreversible desert advance 沙漠化并不意味着沙漠前进不可逆转。(6)With the click of a mouse，informati

19、on from the other end of the dobe will be transported to your computer screen at the dizzying speed of seven-and-a-half times around the earth per second 只要一点鼠标，来自世界另一端的信息便会以每秒绕地球七周半的惊人速度传输到你的电脑屏幕上。(7)As we cross the threshold into the next century,human society is beginning its move from the indust

20、rial economy into the knowledgebased economy 当我们步入下一世纪时，人类社会也正由工业经济向知识经济转变。(8)Can artificial fibers be used as substitutes for natural fibers? 人造纤维能代替天然纤维吗?(9)Computers can provide analyses of every operation in a factory电子计算机能对工厂的每道工序进行分析。(10)We must place stress on the prevention of diseases我们应以预防

21、疾病为主。2.1.2形容词转换成动词 英语中某些表示情态、感受、感觉、信念等意义，在句中作表语的形容词以及同介词搭配构成句子表语或定语的形容词，通常可译成汉语中的动词。例如：(1)Our river was dirty，our seas were polluted and our natural environment was destroyed 我们的河水被污染了，我们的海洋被污染了，我们的自然环境被破坏了。(2)The amount of work is dependent on the applied force and the distance the body is moved 功的

22、大小取决于所施加的力与物体所移动的距离。(3)Kerosene is not so volatile as gasoline 煤油不像汽油那样容易挥发。(4)When is the next earthquake due? 下次地震将在什么时候发生?(5)They are sure that theyll be able to build the factory in a short period of time 他们肯定能在短期内建成那座工厂。(6)The amount of work is equal to the product of the force by the distance

23、功的大小等于力和距离的乘积。(7)Copper wire is flexible铜线容易弯曲。(8)While the Chinese are eager to import modem medical technology from the West，increasing members of Westerners are equally eager in adopting the traditional medical remedies of China 现在中国人热衷于从西方国家进口现代化医疗技术，而越来越多的西方人则热衷于接受中医疗法。(9)The test piece shall b

24、e of length suitable for the apparatus being used试件的长度应与所使用的装置相适应。(10)Heat is a form of energy into which all other forms are convertible 热是能的一种形式，其他一切能的形式都能转化为热能。 除上述形容词外，其他一些和介词构成词组在句中用作表语或定语而且常可译成动词的形容词还有： destructive of有害于，有损于 devoid of缺乏，缺少 different from不同于，有别于 empty of缺少，没有 equivalent to等于，胜任

25、 exclusive of (from)不算，免除 famous at善于 free from (of)免于，免除，不 full of充满 harmful to有害于，有损于 inferior to不及，次于 next to次于 normal to垂直于 parallel to(with)平行于 peculiar to限于 perpendicular to垂直于 poor in缺乏 pregnant with包含，充满 preferable with优于，胜过 responsible for担负，负责 scarce of缺乏，不足 similar to类似于 short of缺乏，缺少 sub

26、ject to易受，受支配 suitable for(to)适于，与相适应 worthy of值得 relative to和有关2.1.3副词转换成动词 英语中有些作表语的副词或复合宾语中的副词，往往可译成汉语中的动词。例如： (1)The test was not over yet试验还没结束。 (2)Open the valve to let air in 打开阀门，让空气进入。 (3)An exhibition of new products is on there那儿正在举办新产品展览会。 (4)Motor vehicles，already the main source of cit

27、y air pollution in rich countries，will increasingly pollute poor cities，too在发达国家，机动车辆是空气污染的主要来源，在落后的城市，这种污染也将增加。 (5)The experiment in chemistry Was ten minutes behind这个化学试验延误了10钟。 (6)The radio is on收音机在广播。 (7)The electric current flows through the circuit with the switch on如果开关接通，电流就流过线路。 (8)The two

28、 bodies are so far apart that the attractive force between them is negligible 这两个物体相距很远，它们之间的吸引力可以忽略不计。 (9)He took the machine apart yesterday 他昨天把机器拆开了。 (10)The force due to the motion of molecules tends to keep them apart 由于分子运动而引起的力能使分子分离。2.1.4介词转换成动词 英语中的介词或介词短语在许多情况下可以译成汉语的动词，尤其当它们用作表语或状语时。例如：(

29、1)The volume of a gas becomes smaller when the pressure upon it is increased 当作用在气体上的压力增大时，气体的体积就缩小。(2)The letter E is commonly used for electromotive force通常用字母E表示电动势。(3)No body at rest can be set in motion without a force being acted upon it 没有力的作用，静止的物体不可能开始运动。(4)It is clear that numerical contro

30、l is the operation of machine tools by numbers 很显然，数控是指机床采用数字来操纵。(5)Many laboratories are developing medicines against AIDS许多实验室正在研制治疗艾滋病的药物。(6)Atomic power for ocean-going vessels is already a reality原子能动力用于远洋船只已经成为现实。(7)This is a kind of alloy with high strength 这是一种具有高强度的合金。(8)The shaft turns abo

31、ut its axis轴围绕轴线转动。(9)So long as we have means of producing heat we can keep the steam engine at work 只要能产生热，就能使蒸汽机做功。(10)Usuauy the working pans of the machines are made from carbon steels通常，机器的工作部件是用碳素钢制造的。2.2转换成汉语名词2.2.1动词转换成名词 英语中有些动词在翻译成汉语时很难找到相应的动词，这时可将其转译成汉语名词。例如：(1)Neutrons act differently from protons 中子的作用不同于质子。(2)Gases differ from solids in that the former have greater compressibility than the latter 气体和固体的区别在于前者比后者有更大的可压缩性。(3)The electronic computer is chiefly characterized by its accurate and rapid com