离婚与孩子(双语)被动语态.ppt

翻译实例评析 nDivorce And Kids nBarbara Dafo Whitehead n离异对子女的影响 n巴巴拉达福怀特黑德 【概述】 这是一篇社会学方面的文章，反映了父母 离异对子女生活的负面影响，并以研究数字 证实了家庭破裂给孩子带来的危害。文章语 言精练，句子结构简单。翻译时应注意被动 语态的翻译，可采用以下方法翻译文中的句 子：词类转移法、合句法、分句法、增词法 、反说正译法等。根据全文内容，本文标题 可用意译译成“离异对子女的影响”，他比 “离婚与孩子”这一标题更清晰明了。 Divorce is transforming the lives of American children. In the post- World War II generation, more than 80 percent of children grew up with both biological parents. Today only half will do so. Each year more than a million children experience family breakup1 ; about as many are born out of wedlock 2 n离异正在改变美国儿童 的生活。二次世界大战 后的一代人中，百分之 八十以上的儿童都在亲 生父母身边长大。今天 只有半数是如此。每年 有一百多万儿童的家庭 破裂，这与非婚生儿的 数量大体相同。 At the same time, the problems associated with family disruption have grown. Over-all child well-being has declined, despite historically high public spending3 . The teen suicide rate has almost tripled4 . Juvenile crime has increased and become more violent. School performance has been poor. n与此同时，家庭破 裂带来的问题层出 不穷。尽管政府的 开支历来很大，儿 童总的生活水平却 有所下降。青少年 的自杀率几乎增长 了两倍。青少年犯 罪率上升，而且暴 力案件越来越多， 而学业成绩甚差。 Given such a dramatic impact on childrens lives, one might expect todays high divorce rate to be viewed more widely as a national crisis5 . Yet, those who argue that it poses a serious threat are dismissed as being pessimistic or nostalgic, unwilling to accept the new facts of life. The dominant view in the popular culture is that the changes in family structure are, on balance, positive. And until recently there was little hard evidence to confirm or dispute this assumption. n儿童的生活既然受 到如此显著的影响 ，有人可能把当今 的高离婚率视作一 场全国性的危机。 然而，持有这种观 点的人却被斥之为 过分悲观或怀旧， 被认为是不愿接受 新的生活现实。大 众文化普遍认为， 家庭结构的变化总 的说来是积极的。 但直到最近还没有 什么确凿的证据可 以证实或反驳这种 说法。 A 1940s book on divorce asserted: “Children are entitled to the affection and association of two parents, not one.6” In the 1950s most Americans believed parents should stay in an unhappy marriage to avoid damaging the children. n40年代一本论述 离婚的书曾称： “孩子有权享有 父母双方而不是 其中一方的宠爱 和关怀”。50年 代，多数美国人 认为，做父母的 即使婚姻不美满 ，也要维持下去 ，以免伤害孩子 。 But by the mid-1970s what had once been regarded as hostile to childrens best interests was considered essential to adults happiness 7. “A two-parent home is not the only emotional structure within which a child can be happy and healthy.”8 a popular divorce book of this era proclaimed. “The parents who take care of themselves will be best able to take care of their children.” n但到70年代中期， 人们的观念有所改 变，原先说离婚会 伤害子女们的最高 利益，此时则认为 离婚是关乎成人幸 福的大事。当年一 本论述离婚的畅销 书声称：“双亲家 庭并不是唯一能让 孩子过得健康快乐 的情感寄托所，做 父母的只有照顾好 自己才能更好地照 顾好孩子。” As this optimistic view took shape, many experts believed that the psychological impact of divorce on children was like a bad cold. There was a phase of acute discomfort, then a short recovery 9. Kids would be back on their feet in no time, with no lasting harm. n这种乐观的看法一 形成，就有许多专 家认为，离异对孩 子心理上的影响好 比患了重感冒：开 始一段时间会极不 舒服，接着是短暂 的恢复期。不久孩 子得到康复，痛苦 渐渐消失。 By the early 1980s, however, nearly two decades had passed since the changes in family life had begun. During the intervening years a fuller body of empirical research had emerged10: studies that used large samples, or followed families through time, or did both11. Moreover, several of the studies offered a childs-eye view of family disruption. n然而到80年代初，家 庭生活中发生的这种 婚姻变化已经历了近 二十个年头。在此期 间，大量以经验为依 据的研究工作脱颖而 出：或广泛调查大批 实例，或长期跟踪家 庭进行研究，或双管 齐下。而且，不少研 究还提供了孩子对家 庭破裂的看法。 In 1971 Judith Wallerstein, a clinical psychologist, and her staff began interviewing middle-class children in the San Francisco area at the time their parents broke up, as well as a year later. She discovered no miraculous recovery; in fact, the children seemed to be doing worse12. n1971年，临床心理 学家朱迪斯沃勒 斯坦及其工作人员 开始走访旧金山地 区一些中产阶级家 庭的孩子当时 他们父母的关系已 破裂，有的已离异 一年之久。她并没 有发现孩子的感情 有什么奇迹般的恢 复；事实上，这些 孩子的情况似乎越 来越糟。 Five years after breakup, her research shows, more than a third of the children were experiencing moderate or severe depression. At ten years a significant number appeared to be troubled, drifting, underachieving. At 15 years many, now adults, were struggling to establish strong love relationships of their own13. n她的研究表明，在 家庭破裂五年后， 三分之一以上的孩 子患有中度或严重 的抑郁症。10年后 ，有一大批孩子表 现得心情苦闷，自 暴自弃，学习成绩 退步，15年后，许 多人都长大成人， 就拼命建立自己亲 密的夫妻关系。 Research shows that girls in single-parent families are at greater risk for precocious sexuality, teen-age marriage, teen pregnancy, no marital birth, and divorce than are girls in two-parent families and that this is true regardless of race or income. Also, children in disrupted families are nearly twice as likely to drop out of high school. Boys are at greater risk for dropping out than girls and are more prone to aggressive behavior14. n研究表明，单亲家 庭女孩的冒险性大 于双亲家庭的女孩 ：性早熟，早婚， 少年怀孕，非婚生 育，离婚 而 且不分种族、肤色 和收入如何，都是 如此。再者，父母 离异的中学生退学 率几乎要高出一倍 。男孩比女孩更容 易退学，更好寻衅 闹事。 Scholars also find significant difference in educational attainment. According to a 1980 study by the National Association of Elementary School Principals, 30 percent of two-parent elementary students ranked as high achievers, as compared with 17 percent of single- parent students15. The children in single-parent families were also more likely to be truant or receive disciplinary action. n学者们还发现，在学 业成绩上也有显著差 异。根椐1980年全国 小学校长协会的一项 调查，在双亲家庭的 小学生中，有百分之 三十为优等生，而在 单亲家庭的孩子中只 有百分之十七为优等 生。单亲家庭的子女 逃学或受处分的情况 也屡见不鲜。 Since most children live with their mothers after divorce, one might expect that the mother-child bond would even be strengthened. Yet research shows that only half the children whose mothers were protective before a divorce maintained that kind of relationship after the divorce. Moreover, the mother-child relationships deteriorated over time. n由于多数孩子在 父母离婚后跟母 亲过，有人以为 母子关系会因此 而加深，但研究 表明，仅有半数 孩子的母亲在离 婚后还能像离婚 前那样爱护孩子 。而且，随着时 间的推移母子关 系还会进一步恶 化。 Family disruption has been suggested as a central cause of many vexing social problems, as well. Nationally, over 70 percent of juveniles in state reform institutions come from homes without both parents present. Family breakup is thought to be an important source of high crime rates in the nations cities. And, according to one study, its influence is independent of race or income. n有人提出，家庭破裂 还是引发许多恼人的 社会问题的主要原因 。 n从全国来看，在州立 管教所中，有百分之 七十的少年犯来自非 双亲家庭。家庭破裂 是全国城市犯罪率高 的一个重要原因。有 一项调查还说，其影 响之广，遍及不同种 族或不同收入的各类 家庭。 Nowhere has the impact of family breakup been more profound than in our schools16. Across the notion, principals report a dramatic rise17 in the aggressive, acting-out behavior characteristic of children living i