8)that natural scientists use for the study of natural phenomena.这个定语从句的先行词是manner。整个句子可改写为“Natural scientists…use the same…manner for the study of natural phenomena”。故翻译为:自然科学家用的同样的方式研究自然现象。
8)that will disable them when they offend这个定语从句根据汉语习惯应该先翻译其中的状语从句。“when they offend”中的they指“汽车”,这个从句不能译成“当汽车冒犯时”,因为这样不符合汉语习惯。根据上下文稍加联想,我们就可以知道“汽车冒犯”实际上就是我们平常所说的“汽车排污超标”。
典型例题4 Children will play with dolls equipped with personality chips,computers with inbuilt personalities will be regarded as workmates rather than tools,relaxation will be in front of smelltelevision,and digital age will have arrived.(2001年第72题)
这句英语是由四个独立句构成的并列句,前三个句子都用简单将来时,后一个句子用的是将来完成时,句子之间的关系过时态、逗号和并列连词and表示得一清二楚。而汉语译文明显就是简单的叙述,至于句子之间的关系完全过句子的语义表现出来:前三个句子可以看成是并列关系,后一个句子则表示结果。从中文到英文的翻译中,语义与结构的区别就更加明显。街头笑话“Good good study,day day up.”和“You don"t know,who know!”之所以好笑,是因为“好好学习,天天向上。”和“你不知道,谁知道?”是典型的中文表达,直接翻译成英文不符合英文语法。正确的翻译其实很简单: Work hard and make progress everyday。If you don"t know,who knows? 动词work和make是句子的核心,两者之间用并列连词连接 If引导从句使who knows成为整个句子的主句。如果没有这样结构上的调整,中文句子的语义是无法用英语表达出来的。
典型例题5 Interest in historical methods had arisen less through external challenge to the validity of history as an intellectual discipline and more from internal quarrels among historians themselves(1999年第72题)。
英文原句是个典型的长句,由27个词组成,中间没有使用任何标点符号,完全靠语法结构使整个句子的意思化零为整:less through…and more from构成一个复杂的状语修饰动词arisen。在中文翻译中,“产生兴趣”这一重要内容过一个独立的句子表达,两个不同的原因则分别由不同的句子表达,整个句子被化整为零“…产生兴趣…,这与其说是因为…,还不如说是因为…”
典型例题6 In the doorway lay least twelve umbrellas of all sizes and colors.参考译文门口放着一堆雨伞,少说有十二把,五颜六色,大小不一。
典型例题7 On the whole such a conclusion can be drawn with a certain degree of confidence but only if the child can be assumed to have had the same attitude towards the test as the other with whom he is compared,and only if he was not punished by lack of relevant information which they possessed(1992年第75题)。
原文中两个only if引导的从句显然使整个句子变得很复杂,可是由于有并列连词but和and,整句话的逻辑关系十分清楚:…能够得出结论…但是只要…而且只要…。从上面的译文我们可以看出,为了使中文表达更加清楚,but only if…and only if…被首先提纲挈领地先来了个介绍,但是必须具备两个条件…,这种做法给我们的感觉是译文中没有从句,有的只有一些不同的分句。
典型例题8 Can you answer a question which I want to ask and which is puzzling me?参考译文我有一个问题弄不懂,想请教你,你能回答吗?
典型例题10 They are the possessions of the autonomous(self–governing)man of traditional theory,and they are essential to practices in which a person is held responsible for his conduct and given credit for his achievements.(2002年第64题)
参考译文:自由和尊严是传统理论当中自治者(自我约束者)拥有的宝贵的东西,一个人必须对其行为负责,他的成绩必须得到赞扬,在这些实践中,自由和尊严是必不可少的。原文中的“they”在句中显然找不到指代对象,根据上下文,它应该指前面提到的freedom and dignity(自由和尊严),在翻译的时候如果译成“它们”就已经表达不清,如果译成“他们”,显然就是大错特错的了,因此应该译成名词“自由和尊严”。 12、就语态而言,英语和汉语有何不同?
典型例题11 And it is imagined by many that the operations of the common mind can by no means be compared with these processes,and that they have to be required by a sort of special training(1993年第74题)。
典型例题12 It must have been taken away by him. 那一定是(被)他拿走了。You will be drowned if you are not careful. 若是不小心,你就会(被)淹死。
In the development of social economy,the culture tradition must be kept. 在社会经济发展过程中,文化传统必须(被)保持。
The economic development is decided to great extent by science and technology.经济的发展在很大程度上是(由)科学技术决定的。
有些英语被动需要把主语译成汉语的宾语,这样才能更加符合中文的表达习惯。
典型例题13 New sources of energy must be found,and this will take time,but is not likely to result in any situation that will ever restore that sense of cheap and plentiful energy we have had in the past time.(1991年第72题)