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1、英汉基础翻译翻译要点要点 第三章 抽象名词的的译法 英语民族重抽象思维,擅长用抽象概念表达具体事物,在文章中出现大量的的表达抽象概念的的名 词.如:等等.抽象名词的的翻译翻译比较复杂,需要根据上下文具体地确定这些抽象名词的的表达. 3.1 由动词抽象而来的的名词译成动词 英语中有名词化的的亲倾向,即用名词表达动作,行为等本来由动词表达的的意义.这种词多是动 词的的同源名词. 例 1.The 1967 UN document calls for the settlement of the Middle East conflict on the basis of Israeli withdrawa
2、l from occupied territories and Arab acknowledgement of Israels right to exist. 1967 年的的联合国的的文件呼吁解决中东冲突,其基础是以色列从被占领的的土地上撤退,阿拉伯 国家则承认以色列人的的生存权. 句中的的抽象名词 “settlement“, “withdrawal“, “acknowledgement“,连同相关的的词,可以用汉语中 的的动词“解决“,“撤退“,“承认“来表达. 例 2.The growing awareness by millions of people of their intoler
3、able condition of life had promoted them to revolt. 千百万人民日益意识到自己的的生活条件不堪忍受,这促使他们起来反抗. 3.2 含有动作意义的的抽象名词译成动词 英语中另一个倾向是有许多动词意义或动作意义,这类词汇在译成汉语时通常要译为动词.如: 例 1.She said this with a provocative glance and a gleam of teeth. 她说这话时挑衅地看了一眼,还把牙一吡. 例 2.One after another, speakers called for the downfall of imper
4、ialism. 发言者一个接一个,号召打倒帝国主义. 例 3.An acquaintance of world history is helpful to the study of current affairs. 了解一点世界史,对学习时事有帮助. 例 4.Modern English polite society seems to me as corrupt as consciousness of culture and absence of honesty can make it. 英国现代上流社会,据我看来,已经被有文化却无廉耻的的人们尽其能事地弄到最腐朽的的程度. 句中 consci
5、ousness 和 absence 都是含有动词意义的的名词.前者相当于 being conscious of 或 being aware of,作“意识到“解,可译为 consciousness of culture“有文化“. 3.3 抽象名词作主语汉译时要改变其句子成分 英语中的的抽象名词可作各种成分,而且有一个常见的的现象是抽象名词作句子的的主语.这与汉语 的的习惯不同,因为汉语习惯于用表示人或生物的的词作主语,在思维方面往往以“人“为中心,认 为只有人才能做出有意识的的动作或具有有意识的的行为.因而,英文中以抽象名词作主语时,汉 译时要根据上下文予以改变,使汉语表达以“人“为中心.如
6、: 例 1.American education owes a great debt to Thomas Jefferson. 托马斯杰弗逊对美国的的教育事业做出了巨大的的贡献. 例 2.The thought of returning filled him with fear. 他一想到还要返回,心理就害怕. 例 3.My shock and embarrassment at finding mother in tears on Wednesday was a perfect index of how little I understand the pressure on her. 星期三发
7、现妈妈哭了,我感到震惊和窘迫,这说明我对妈妈身上的的压力多么不理解. 例 4. The satisfaction of killing time and of affording some outlet, however modest, for ambition, belongs to most work, and is sufficient to make even a man whose work is dull happier on the average than a man who has no work at all. (Bertrand Russell) 大多数工作使有人打发时间
8、并使自己的的抱负多多少少得到施展的的满足感,这种满足感足以使 一个从事单调乏味工作的的人通常比一个根本没有工作的的人快乐一些. 例 5. The characteristics of his family claim come attention from all who would understand Napoleon and the influence which he was to wield over modern Europe. 谁要想了解拿破仑其人及其对近代欧洲所产生的的影响,谁就得给予他的的家族特征以一定的的重 视. 3.4 抽象名词汉译时转化含有具体特指性的的词 英语中抽象名
9、词有时在句中里表示具体的的概念,我们在翻译翻译时应译出具体指明的的意思.如: 例 1.Lack of historical foundation for the long accepted view that early American banks were engines of inflation does not imply that their numerous critics were unjustified in all their charges. (The Evolution of the American Economy) 长期以来,人们接受了一种观点,认为早期的的美国银行是
10、通货膨胀的的肇事者,这是缺乏历史依 据的的,然而这并不是说,许许多多的的评论家对银行的的所有指责都是没有道理. 按中文习惯,我们可以转换词类和句子成分,把 “lack of historical foundation“ 译成中文的的动 宾结构. 例 1.If one considers the enormous variety of courses offered, it is not hard to see how difficult it is for a student the course most suited to his interests and abilities. 如果想一
11、想为学生所设置的的那些门类繁多的的课程,我们不难发现,学生要选一门符合自己兴趣 和能力的的课程是多困难. 在该句中共有三个抽象名词,interests 和 abilities 的的含义非常浅显,可以很容易地把它们分别 译为“兴趣“和“能力“;但variety一词,却须把它所表达的的含义具体化,可以把它转化成一个形容 词,再和它修饰词 enormous 一起,翻译翻译成“门类繁多的的“这一形容词结构. 例 3. For example, great efforts are made by the American tobacco industry to sell cigarettes in th
12、e Middle East and North Africa where U. S. tobacco exports increased by more than 27 percent in 1974. 例如, 美国烟草工业就力图在中东和北非推销香烟,在这些地区,美国烟草的的出口量在1974年 增加了 27%以上. 该句若把 great efforts 直译为“巨大的的努力“,给人以冗长累赘之感,如果把 great efforts 转译为 动词“力图“,译文就通顺多了.另外,把一 exports 词具体化,翻译翻译成“出口量“. 例 4. To criticize an intelligenc
13、e test for such failure (it does not measure character, social adjustment) is roughly comparable to criticizing a thermometer for not measuring wind velocity. 批评智力测试不能反映上述情况, 差不多就犹如批评温度计不能测风速一样. 该句若把 failure 直译为 “失败“,读者会不知所云,最好是结合上下文使它的的意义具体化,把 such failure 翻译翻译成“不能反映上述情况“. 抽象名词的的翻译翻译是一个非常复杂的的问题,需要根
14、据具体的的语境确定上下文中抽象名词的的汉译, 其基本的的原则是把英语中抽象名词的的抽象意义在汉译时具体化. 练习题三 试译下列各句,注意句中抽象名词的的译法: 1. The teacher told us to set a high value on our time. 2. He had a firm conviction that situation will improve. 3. A successful ban of the use of nuclear weapons must be preceded by the destruction of unclear weapons. 4
15、. No violation of this principle can be tolerated. 5. He declared his countrys firm support for the African peoples resistance to foreign aggressor troops. 6. His very appearance at any affair proclaims it a triumph. 7. Alloy steels are formed by the addition of one or more of the following elements
16、: nickel, silicon and small amounts of other alloying elements. 8. He urged upon citizens of the country the necessity of persisting in participation in political controversies. 9. Therefore, although technical advances in food production will perhaps be needed to ensure food availability, meeting food needs will depend much more on equalizing economic power among various segment of the populat
