英语翻译技巧5

关于加词、减词等在翻译时应注意的问题。

所谓加词就是根据原文的思想内涵透过文字表达上的表面现象,充分照顾到另一种语言的文法特征、描述规律,在将其翻译成另一种语言时该加词的地方加词,该减词的地方减词,千万不可以为了可以追求所谓的“精练、简洁”而随随便便地减词;也不可以离开原文,凭空腻测,随随便便加词。具体地说:

加词:

i.由于词汇方面的原因而引起的加词现象:1.加动词由于英语是一门“静止”的语言,在所有的词汇当中,用名词的居多;而相比较而言,汉语则无此限制,不管有多少动词都可以并排使用。因此,许多英语的名词翻译成汉语时都要加上一些动词,否则,意思则很不完整,例如:a. but by 1981 he had to have further surgery on his hand. and a month later, he suffered as stroke. (到了1981年,他的手不得不又做了一次手术。一个月以后,他又中风了。)

b. his speech in at the meeting turned out exert an stimulating effect on the mind of the people present that day. (他那天在会上所做的报告使所有在场的人深受鼓舞。)

c. he maintain that only hard work and unswerving perseverance can lead to improved performance.(他坚持认为,只有通过勤奋工作加上不懈的努力才会取得好的成绩。)

d. the lives claimed by shoddy construction projects should be enough to put governments at all levels on the alert. (伪劣建筑夺取了很多人的生命,这一点足以使我们的各级部门提高警惕。)

e. efforts must be made to improve service for more than 1 million domestic and overseas tourists. (为了一百万的国内外旅客的利益,我们一定为改善服务质量而进行努力。)

f. you ought to know better than to go swimming straight after a meal.(你不应该一吃过饭,马上就去游泳,这是很不明智的。)

2.加名词:在汉语中,及物和不及物动词的区别不是很明显,有时所谓及物动词后面的宾语如果上下文中能够看的出,往往可以省略不说;而英语则不然。由于英语对及物动词和不及物动词的区别很明显,因此翻译成汉语时则很麻烦。特别是一些不及物动词必须带上它后面的宾语句子意思才能显得完整。因此,我们在翻译时往往就需要增补。

  b. it was two hours before the old couple mustered up enough courage to get up and called the police and they explained that they‘d done that after much deliberation.(直到两个小时以后,那对老夫妻才有勇气敢从床上爬起来给警察打电话,并解释说那也是经过仔细考虑才敢作的。)

c.这见事据说是一个组织严密团伙干的。

(the operation is believed to be the work of a well-organized organized group. )

d.我是为友谊和求学而来。

(i came here in the spirit of friendship and learning. )

有时形容词前面也可以加上名词:e. his wife thinks that this furniture is too expensive and , moreover looks very ugly.(他妻子认为,这件家具价格昂贵而且外表难看。)

f. i thus appeared to them to be quite familiar with this sort of situation and it confirmed them in their belief that i was a thoroughly disreputable character.(然后,我继续装着对这种事情很内行的样子,结果更使他们认定我是一个名声很坏的人。)

有时,一些名词或者数量词的复数形式翻译成汉语后前面也要加词表示重叠:g. thousands of students from the city‘s colleges and universities jammed the railway station awaiting the arrival of their football team. (成千上万的高校学生一起涌到火车站欢迎他们的足球队凯旋。

h. these she bought the medical supplies with the large sums of money given to her by many friends to help her in the crimea (她用朋友们给她的一笔笔钱购买医疗设备。)

i. to look after the hordes of sick men there were only a few old doctor who were helpless before such scene of suffering and misery. (只有这些老医生来照看一群群的伤员,他们在如此的痛苦、悲伤面前,显得无可奈何。

3.加代词:这里的代词主要是指作动词宾语的代词,因为英语中的所有及物动词都必须带有宾语,所以汉语翻译成英语时也需要增补: a. if you like this novel , i can lend it to you.(如果你喜欢这本小说,我可以借给你。)

b. i think she‘d appreciate it if we all helped out a bit more.(我觉得如果我们能帮她一把,她回很感激的。)

c. would you please look for the key once more? i remembered clearly putting it in the drawer last time. (能不能再找一遍钥匙?我记得上次放在抽屉里了。)

4.加连词和介词:汉语可以通过上下文来连接句与句之间的逻辑关系,而英语则靠一些连接词来完成:a. if you want to go, i would give you my advice that you take an umbrella.(你要去,我建议你别忘了带把伞。)

b. since its opening five years ago , the shop has attracted a lot of customers.(这家商店五年前开业以来,吸引了大批顾客。)

d. his friends asked him to write them as soon as he got ther

e. (他的朋友要他到了那儿就给他们写信。)

e. he went so far as to cheat openly on test. (他居然敢公开作弊。)

f. the factory has decided to mass-produce the equipment at a low cost. (这家工厂已经决定低成本、大批量的生产这种仪器。)

g. why was he absent from school yesterday?

(他昨天为什么不上学?)

h. the older leader gave us the suggestion that we be free from arrogance and rashness.(老领导告戒我们要戒骄戒躁。)

i. this , he said, deprived him of his civil rights , and he asked for $150,000 in damages. (他说,这等于是剥夺了他的公民权力,因此申请$150,000 的赔偿。)

j. his marriage suffered and ended in divorce.(他的婚姻也受到影响,最后还是离了婚。)

k. after a few rounds of talks, both sides regarded the territory dispute as settled.(几轮会谈以后,双方认为边界问题可以解决了。)

l. as her year as chief resident drew to a close, mrs. white decided to specialize in children ‘s diseases. (在她作住院总医师要结束时,怀特太太决定专攻病理。)

5.下面的一些句子则是为了修辞目的而加词:a. he was sentenced as much as six months in jail for drunk driving.(他因酗酒驾驶而被判入狱半年。)

b. as many as twenty people were killed in the accident yesterday.(二十个人在昨天的事故当中丧生。)

c. i came here as early as eight o‘clock this morning. (我今天八点钟就来了。)

6 . 在某些作定语的不定式结构中,介词有时需要加上:a. i‘d like to find someone to play with (我想找人玩。)

b. would you please pass me a piece of paper to write on. (你能否递张纸给我,我想写点东西。)

c. totally alone in the room, her mother wanted to find someone to talk to (她妈妈觉得一个人在房间里太孤单了,想找个人说说话。)

7.某些独立结构中:with a book in his hand , the teacher came into the class. (老

师走了进来,手里拿本书。)

8.加副词a. they started up into the sky until the noise of the rocket died away.(他猛地抬头往天空看,直到火箭发射的声音渐渐远去。)

b. he stole a glance at the pretty girl walking alongside with him. (他偷偷地瞥了他一眼。)

9.有时还要根据实际需要,加上一些表示“范畴”的词,即表示笼统意思的单词,意见、想法、道理等等。

b. a situation in which such a large number of students cheat openly on the exam and escape punishment is very dangerous and cannot last long(如此多的学生作弊,居然没人管,是很危险的,也不可能持久。)

c. so he began to study the children‘s responses in situation where no milk was provided(所以,他开始研究小孩子得不到牛奶时的反应是什么样的。)

以上的几句虽然没有“局面”、“情况”等词,但其意思却已经包含在了里面。如果不加上“policy”,“business”,“situation ”等词,意思就不是很清楚,句子也不通顺。

ii. 由于汉英结构不同而造成的加词现象:

1.由上下文的逻辑关系而引起的加词现象:句子结构方面:a. in most cases, this action will produce results. however , if it does not , there are various means the consumer may use to gain satisfaction. (在大多数情况下,这样做有一定效果。如果还不行,顾客可以采取许多措施直至满意为止。)

b. they illustrate, for one thing, the underlying american faith that our future rests on the way our children turn out, and that a basic way to affect children ‘s development is through their education. (有一点,他们表明了美国人内心深处的一个信念,那就是,我们的孩子如何成长将决定我们的未来,而影响他们发展的一个基本途径就是通过e a piece of paper to write on. (你能否递张纸给我,我想写点东西。)

c. totally alone in the room, her mother wanted to find someone to talk to (她妈妈觉得一个人在房间里太孤单了,想找个人说说话。)

7.某些独立结构中:with a book in his hand , the teacher came into the class. (老师走了进来,手里拿本书。)

8.加副词a. they started up into the sky until the noise of the rocket died away.(他猛地抬头往天空看,直到火箭发射的声音渐渐远去。)

b. he stole a glance at the pretty girl walking alongside with him. (他偷偷地瞥了他一眼。)

9.有时还要根据实际需要,加上一些表示“范畴”的词,即表示笼统意思的单词,意见、想法、道理等等。

b. a situation in which such a large number of students cheat openly on the exam and escape punishment is very dangerous and cannot last long(如此多的学生作弊,居然没人管,是很危险的,也不可能持久。)

c. so he began to study the children‘s responses in situation where no milk was provided(所以,他开始研究小孩子得不到牛奶时的反应是什么样的。)

以上的几句虽然没有“局面”、“情况”等词,但其意思却已经包含在了里面。如果不加上“policy”,“business”,“situation ”等词,意思就不是很清楚,句子也不通顺。

ii. 由于汉英结构不同而造成的加词现象:

1.由上下文的逻辑关系而引起的加词现象:句子结构方面:a. in most cases, this action will produce results. however , if it does not , there are various means the consumer may use to gain satisfaction. (在大多数情况下,这样做有一定效果。如果还不行,顾客可以采取许多措施直至满意为止。)

b. they illustrate, for one thing, the underlying american faith that our future rests on the way our children turn out, and that a basic way to affect children ‘s development is through their education. (有一点,他们表明了美国人内心深处的一个信念,那就是,我们的孩子如何成长将决定我们的未来,而影响他们发展的一个基本途径就是通过