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1、第二章 第二节 英语多长句,汉语多短句,由于“多枝共干”是英语的一个突出特征,就像竹子一样,很多枝叶共生在一根主干上。只要符合句法结构,许多意思往往可以放在一个长句中表达(尤其是在正式的文体中),有很多修饰和补充成分,通过各种语法结构连接起来,理论上句子可以无限延长,因此英语多长句。而汉语则正好相反,是“人治”的语言,“以意统形”,“以神摄形”,“遗形写神”是汉语的一大特点。语义通过字词直接表达,不同的意思往往通过不同的短句表达出来。其修饰成分一般多前置,因为前置空间有限,必然造成修饰成分不能太多。,正是由于这个原因,英译汉要化整为零,译成多个短小的句子;而汉译英要化零为整。当然有些英语句子尽
2、管也较长,但结构比较简单,内容以句序排列,即所谓的“流水句”,比较容易译,一般可以按顺序翻译。有些长句比较复杂,就要根据具体情况实行逆序翻译或分句翻译。,1. So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was a delight to the eyes, and that a tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband, who
3、was with her, and he ate.,于是女人见那棵树的果子好作食物,也悦人的眼目,且是可喜爱的,能使人有智慧,就摘下果子来吃了。又给她丈夫,她丈夫也吃了。,当英语长句的内容的叙述层次与汉语基本一致时, 可以按照英语原文的顺序翻译成汉语。例如:,1. 顺译法,例2. But now it is realized that supplies of some of minerals are limited, and it is even possible to give a reasonable estimate of their “expectation of life”, the
4、 time it will take to exhaust all known sources and reserves of these materials.,可是现在人们意识到, 其中有些矿物质的蕴藏量是有限的, 人们甚至还可以比较合理地估计出这些矿物质的“可期年限”, 即这些矿物的所有已知矿源和储量将要耗尽的时间。,英语有些长句的表达次序与汉语表达习惯不同, 甚至完全相反, 这时就要考虑从原文后面开始翻译。例如:,2. 逆译法,1. I merely desired to point out the principal reason which I believe exists for
5、the greater exaggeration which is occasionally to be observed in the estimate of the importance of the contradiction between current Religion and current Science put forward by thinkers of reputation.,我仅仅想要指出,有名气的思想家提出的当今宗教和当今科学之间的矛盾的重要性的估计里偶尔被人看出的我相信存在的较大的夸张的主要理由而已。,原译:,这样的译文真是诘屈聱牙,令人不忍卒读。见到这样的句子就要
6、弄清句意后,要努力摆脱英语句法结构的束缚,用通达的汉语表达出来。思果提供的通达的译文如下:,出名的思想家把当今宗教和当今科学之间的矛盾,偶尔估计得过高,我仅仅想指出他们这种看法的主要理由是什么而已。,2. We wanted to avoid the mistake made by many couples of marrying for the wrong reasons, and only finding out ten, twenty, or thirty years later that they were incompatible, that they hardly took the
7、 time to know each other, that they overlooked serious personality conflicts in the expectation that marriage was an automatic way to make everything work out right.,许多夫妻因为错误的理由结了婚,结果在10年、20年或30年后发觉他们原来合不来,他们在婚前几乎没有化时间去互相了解,他们忽视了严重的性格差异,却指望婚姻会自然而然地解决一切问题。我们希望避免重蹈复辙。,英文原句是一个典型的长句,of后接了两个动名词短语来修饰coupl
8、es,第二个动名词finding又跟了三个that宾语从句和一个介词短语引起的状语。句子结构清晰,逻辑关系严密。像行云流水般连绵不绝。而译文的句法结构与译文完全不同,根据事件发生的先后和汉语的特点,化整为零,分成6个短句来分层表达,而且意思表达得清楚明白。充分体现了英语多长句,汉语多短句的特点。,3. It is a curious fact, of which I can think of no satisfactory explanation, that enthusiasm for country life and love of natural scenery are stronges
9、t and most widely diffused precisely in those European countries which have the worst climate and where the search for the picturesque involves the greatest discomfort.,欧洲的一些国家,天气极为恶劣,在那里要想找到风景优美的地方定要大大辛苦一番。可是,人们却最热爱乡村生活,也最爱欣赏自然风光,并且这种情况也极为普遍。对于这种奇怪的现象,我真想不出令人满意的解释理由来。,3. 分句法,有时英语长句中主语或主句与修饰词的关系并不十分
10、密切, 翻译时可以按照汉语多用短句的习惯,把长句的从句或短语化成句子, 分开来叙述,为了使语意连贯, 有时需要适当增加词语。例如:,1. The number of the young people who cant read in the United States is incredible about one in four.,Try to translate it better:,没有阅读能力的美国青年人的数目令人难以相信,约为1/4。,大约有1/4的美国青年人没有阅读能力, 这简直令人难以置信。,2. Television, it is often said, keeps one i
11、nformed about current events, allow one to follow the latest developments in science and politics, and offers an endless series of programs which are both instructive and entertaining.,人们常说, 通过电视可以了解时事, 掌握科学和政治的最新动态。从电视里还可以看到层出不穷、既有教育意义又有娱乐性的节目。,4. 综合译法,上面讲述了英语长句的逆序法、顺序法和分句法, 事实上,在翻译一个英语长句时, 并不只是单纯地
12、使用一种翻译方法, 有时要求我们把各种方法综合使用。尤其是在一些情况下, 一些英语长句不宜单纯采用上述任何一种方法, 这就需要进行仔细分析, 或按照时间的先后,或按照逻辑顺序, 顺逆结合, 主次分明地对全句进行综合处理,以便译成通顺忠实的汉语句子。例如:,例1. People were afraid to leave their houses, for although the police had been ordered to stand by in case of emergency, they were just as confused and helpless as anybody else.,分析: 该句共有三层含义: A: 人们不敢出门; B: 尽管警察已接到命令, 要作好准备以应付紧急情况; C: 警察也和其他人一样不知所措和无能为力。在这三层含义中, B表示让步, C表示原因, 而A则表示结果, 按照汉语习惯顺序, 可以作如下的安排:,尽管警察已接到命令, 要作好准备以应付紧急情况, 但人们不敢出门, 因为警察也和其他人一样不知所措和无能为力。,