翻译网站unit10.doc

Unit 10Attributive ClausesHighlights of the Unit 单元要点概述Practical Translation Training 实用翻译训练I. A Comparative Study of English and Chinese Attributive Structures英汉定语结构的对比II. Restrictive Attributive Clauses 限定性定语从句III. Non-Restrictive Attributive Clauses 非限定性定语从句IV. Attributive Clauses Functioning as Adverbials 兼有状语功能的定语从句Reflections and Practice 思考与练习BACK单元要点概述实用翻译训练英译汉：White Star Liner Titanic实用翻译训练汉译英：“不沉之船”的厄运I. 英汉定语结构的对比II. 限定性定语从句1. 合并法 2. 分译法 3. 混合法III. 非限定性定语从句1. 分译法 2. 合并法IV. 兼有状语功能的定语从句1. 译作汉语原因状语从句2. 译作汉语结果状语从句3. 译作汉语让步状语从句4. 译作汉语条件状语从句5. 译作汉语目的状语从句本单元详细介绍了英语定语从句的性质及其翻译方法。如语言学家们所示，英语的定语从句呈右开放状，可以向右无限扩展；而汉语没有定语从句之说，作为修饰成分的定语习惯上放在被修饰词之前（左边），呈左封闭状，不能像英语那样随意地扩展。因此我们在翻译复杂的英语定语长句时，最有效的方法就是将其切分为一个个短句再分别处理。英语限定性定语从句的翻译方法一般分为三种：1. 合并法，即在句式较短的情况下，将定语从句用“的”结构译出；2. 分译法，即化整为零，分别翻译一对于长而复杂的定语从句可以采取此法；3. 混合法，即打破原文的定语结构，译者根据自己对原文的正确理解，用自己的话译出原文的意思。英语非限定性定语从句的翻译方法与限定性定语从句的译法相似，不过，分译法的使用更为频繁一些，有时也可视情况而译成汉语的并列句、复合句或独立句。在很多情况下，英语中的定语从句兼有状语的功能，这时我们可视情况将其译作与汉语相应的表示原因、结果、目的、时间、条件、让步等的状语从句。本单元对此一一做了列举、归纳，并提出了相应的翻译方法。Practical Translation Training1. English-Chinese TranslationWhite Star Liner TitanicAfter resting on the ocean floor, split asunder and rusting for nearly three-quarters of a century, a great ship seemed to come alive again. The saga of the White Star Liner Titanic, which struck an iceberg and sank on its maiden voyage in 1912, carrying more than 1,500 passengers to their death, has been celebrated in print and on film, in poetry and song. But last week what had been legendary suddenly became real. As they viewed videotapes and photographs of the sunken leviathan, millions of people around the world could sense her mass, her eerie quiet and the ruined splendor of a lost age.Watching on television, they vicariously joined the undersea craft Alvin and Jason Jr. as they toured the wreckage of the luxury liner, wandering across the decks past corroded bollards, peering into the officers quarters and through rust-curtained portholes. Views of the railings where doomed passengers and crew members stood evoked images of the moonless night 74 years ago when the great ship slipped beneath the waves.The two-minute videotape and nine photographs, all in color and shot 12,500 ft. under the North Atlantic, were a tiny sample of the 60 hours of video and 60,000 stills garnered during the twelve-day exploration. They were released at a Washington press conference conducted by Marine Geologist Robert Ballard, 44, who led the teams from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution that found the Titanic last September and revisited it this July.Recounting the highlights of what has already become the most celebrated feat of underwater exploration，Ballard revealed some startling new information. His deep-diving craft failed to find the 300-ft. gash that，according to legend，was torn in the Titanics hull when the ship plowed into the iceberg. Instead，he suggested，the collision has buckled the ships plates，allowing water to pour in. He also brought back evidence that the ship broke apart not when she hit bottom，as he had thought when viewing the first Titanic images last September，but as she sank：the stem，which settled on the bottom almost 1，800 ft. from the bow，had swiveled 180 on its way down.Notes and Explanations1. split asunder 断裂开2. saga n. 传说，冒险故事3. leviathan n. 巨大的事物；庞大海兽4. the mined splendor of a lost age 直译：逝去的年代被毁损的辉煌5. vicariously ad. 代理地，通过他人的经验感受地6. the officers quarters 高级船员的住舱7. rust-curtained portholes 盖满了铁锈的舷窗； curtain v.用帘遮盖，掩盖8. doomed passengers and crew members 惨遭厄运的乘客和船员9. the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution 伍兹霍尔海洋研究10. plowed into the iceberg 在行驶中撞上冰山，plow v.耕犁，（船）行驶，奋力胜前进11. buckle v. 扣紧，使弯曲，凹陷12. on its way down 在下沉的过程中2. Chinese-English Translation“不沉之船”的厄运“泰坦尼克”号拥有16个防水舱隔，因此曾一度号称“不沉之船”，但是冰山扎破了其中的5个一这比原设计考虑的最严重的碰撞事故还多出一个。因此，“泰坦尼克”号在撞上冰山之后不到3个小时就迅速沉入大海。事后的调查发现，“泰坦尼克”号在撞上冰山之前，一直在危险水域快速行驶，而船上所提供的备用救生艇其运载量仅够约半数的旅客和船员使用。另外，靠近出事现场的“加利福尼亚州人”号轮没有赶来救援，因为船上的无线电接线员下班睡觉去了。Notes and Explanations1. 防水舱隔 watertight compartment2. 号称不沉之船 proclaim unsinkable3. 扎破 v. puncture4. 事后的调查 subsequent investigations5. 救生艇其载客量 lifeboat space6.“加利福尼亚州人”号（轮船） the Californian7. 靠近出事现场 close to the scene8. 赶来救援 come to the rescue9. 下班 be off duty （比较：be on duty值班，当班）Of various English subordinate clauses, the attributive clause is perhaps the most complicated and therefore it always poses a hard nit for the translator to crack. This is either because of the disparity between English and Chinese syntax or because of their habitual modes of expressing the same idea in different ways. And here are some instances from the above Practical Translation Training： The saga of the White Star Liner Titanic, which struck an iceberg and sack on its maiden voyage in 1912, carrying more than 1, 500 passengers to their death, has been celebrated in print and on film, in poetry and song. 白星公司班轮“泰坦尼克”号在1912年的处女航中因撞上冰山而沉没，致使船上1500多名乘客罹难。此后关于它的种种传说就一直成为各种刊物、电影以及诗歌、歌曲的内容而广为流传。 Views of the railings where doomed passengers and crew members stood evoked images of the moonless night 74 years ago when the great ship slipped beneath the waves. 看到那些栏杆，不由使人想起74年前这艘巨轮船体倾斜沉入波涛的那个暗无星月的夜晚，当时那些惨遭厄运的乘客和船员也曾站在这些栏杆旁。 They were released at a Washington press conference conducted by Marine Geologist Robert Ballard, 44, who led the teams from the Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution that found the Titanic last September and revisited it this July. 这些录像带和照片是44岁的海洋地质学家罗伯特巴拉德在华盛顿举行的一次记者招待会上公布的。巴拉德领导的伍兹霍尔海洋研究所科学探险队，于去年9月发现了“泰坦尼克”号，并于今年7月重访了该船。 His deep-diving craft failed to find the 300-ft. gash that，according to legend，was torn in the Titanics hull when the ship plowed into the iceberg. 他的深潜工作船没能找到泰坦尼克号船壳上那条长达300英尺的裂缝。据传闻，这条裂缝是“泰坦尼克”号巨轮在行驶中撞上冰山而造成的。 the stem，which settled on the bottom almost 1,800 ft. from the bow，had swiveled 1800 on its way down. 船尾在下沉时旋转了180度，它在海底离船首几乎有1800英尺远。I. A Comparative Study of English and Chinese Attributive StructuresA comparative study of English and Chinese attributive structures helps us to bring this disparity to light. As some linguists have pointed out, an English sentence may be followed by an unlimited number of attributive clauses following the word being modified，while a Chinese sentence allows only a limited amount of words preceding the word being modified. And eventually，there is no correspondence between their sentence structure. Lets compare the structure of the following English sentences and its Chinese versions:1. This is the cat.这就是那只猫。2. This is the cat that killed the rat.这就是那只捕杀了老鼠的猫。3. This is the cat that killed the rat that ate the cake.* 这就是那只捕杀了偷吃了蛋糕的老鼠的猫。4. This is the cat that killed the rat that ate the cake that was put in the house.* 这就是那只捕杀了偷吃了放在房间里的蛋糕的老鼠的猫。5. This is the cat that killed the rat that ate the cake that was put in the house that Jack built.* 这就是那只捕杀了偷吃了放在杰克修建的房间里的蛋糕的老鼠的猫。Apparently，its impossible for a translator to put all the information into one Chinese sentence in the same sequence as in English. Therefore，a readable Chinese version of the above English sentences 3，4，5 should be like these：3.这就是那只捕杀了老鼠的猫。老鼠偷吃了蛋糕。4.这就是那只捕杀了老鼠的猫。老鼠偷吃了放在屋里的蛋糕。5.这就是那只捕杀了老鼠的猫。老鼠偷吃了放在屋里的蛋糕。屋子是杰克盖的。Consequently，some efficient ways have been suggested to tackle the problems that occurs in the translation of English attributive clauses.II. Restrictive Attributive ClausesRestrictive attributive clauses, which are characterized by the absence of a comma between the subordinate clauses and the principal clauses, are very closely related to the nouns or pronouns ( also called antecedents) that they are modifying. The meaning of the complex sentence would not be complete unless the restrictive attributive clause is taken into consideration. Generally, the following three methods ace used to translate restrictive attributive clauses.1. CombinationThis is the most common practice，in which an English restrictive attributive clause is embedded in the Chinese sentence with 的, and is placed before the words being modified（the antecedents）. By combination, we have actually converted the complex English sentence into a simple Chinese sentence. The people who worked for him lived in mortal fear of him. 在他手下工作的人对他怕得要死。 Pollution is a pressing problem which we must deal with. 污染是我们必须解决的一个迫切问题。 July and August are the months when the weather is hot. 七八月是天气很热的月份。 In the room where the electronic is kept, there must be no dust at all.在存放电子计算机的房间里，不能有一点儿灰尘。2. DivisionSometimes，an English sentence with a restrictive attributive clause is too long or too complicated for the translator to take as a whole. In this case，we may divide it in two，placing the attributive clause after the principal clause to conform to the Chinese usage，repeating the antecedent being modified. They are striving for the ideal which is close to the heart of every Chinese and for which，in the past，many Chinese have laid down their lives. 他们正在为实现一个理想而努力，这个理想是每个中国人所珍爱的，在过去，许多中国人为了这个理想而牺牲了自己的生命。 Between these two tiny particles，the proton and the electron，there is a powerful attraction that is always present between negative and positive electric charges. 在质子和电子这两个微粒之间有一个很大的吸引力，而这个吸引力总是存在于正、负电荷之间。 Newton invented a paper lantern illuminated by a candle which he carried with him to light his way to school on dark winter mornings. 牛顿发明了一只点蜡烛的纸灯笼，在昏暗朦胧的冬天早晨上学时带着灯笼照路。Sometimes，however，a sentence with a restrictive attributive clause may be translated as a compound sentence without repeating the antecedent. He managed to raise a crop of 200 miracle tomatoes that weighed up to two pounds each.他种出了200个大得惊人的西红柿，每个重达两磅。 A fuel is a material which will burn at a reasonable temperature and produce heat. 燃料是一种物质，在适当温度下能够燃烧并放出热量。 They worked out a new method by which production has now been rapidly increased. 他们制定出一种新方法，采用之后生产已迅速得到提高。3. MixtureBy mixture here we mean combining the principal clause and the attributive clause into a single Chinese sentence without any demarcation（区分）. This method is usually adopted in translating English there be. structure. There were men in that crowd who had stood there every day for a month. 在那群人中，有些人每天站在那里，站了一个月。 There is a man downstairs who wants to see you. 楼下有人要见你。 Fortunately，there are some chemical fuels that are clean and smokeless. 幸好有些化学燃料是洁净无烟的。 There are some metals which possess the power to conduct electricity and the ability to be magnetized. 某些金属既能导电，又能被磁化。Besides，there are some English complex sentences with a very simple principal clause，laying their emphasis on the attributive clauses. In this case, the principal clause may be condensed into the subject of a simple sentence，with the attributive clause as its predicate. We are a nation that must beg to stay alive, said a foreign economist. 一位外国经济学家说道，“我们这个国家不讨饭就活不下去。” We used a plane of which almost every part carried some identification of national identity.我们驾驶的飞机几乎每一个部件都有国籍的某些标志。 Good clocks have pendulums which are automatically compensated for temperature changes. 好的钟摆可以自动补偿温度变化造成的误差。III. Non-Restrictive Attributive ClausesNon-restrictive attributive clauses are characterized by a comma between the principal and the attributive clause. In comparison with restrictive attributive clauses, nonrestrictive attributive clauses hold a loose relationship with the antecedents, functioning as a supplementary part in the sentence. In terms of translation techniques, there is no significant difference between these two kinds of attributive clauses. However, the method of division is adopted more frequently in translating non-restrictive attributive clauses than in translating restrictive attributive clauses, while the method of combination is just the other way around.1. DivisionSeveral methods of division are adopted in the translation of non-restrictive attributive clauses.1) Translating into Compound Sentences by Repeating the Antecedents I told the story to John，who told it to his brother. 我把这件事告诉了约翰，约翰又告诉了他的兄弟。 Fine grains of dust can reflect blue light，which coarse grains of dust cannot. 微粒灰尘能反射蓝光，但粗粒灰尘却不能。 This is a college of science and technology，the students of which are trained to be engineers or scientists. 这是一所科技大学，该校学生将被培养成工程师或科学工作者。 The process of combining with oxygen is oxidation，of which bunting is one type. 与氧结合的过程就是氧化，燃烧就是其中的一种。2）Translating into Compound Sentences by Omitting the Antecedents After dinner，the four key negotiators resumed their talks，which continued well into the night. 饭后，四个主要谈判人物继续进行会谈，一直谈到深夜。 He saw in front that haggard white-haired old man, whose eyes flashed red with fury. 他看见前面那个憔悴的白发老人眼里闪耀着愤怒的目光。 This type of meter is called a multimeter，which is used to measure electricity. 这种仪表称为万用表，用来测量电。 Electrons also flow in a television，where they are made to hit the screen，causing a flash of light. 电子也流入电视显像管，撞击荧光屏，产生闪光。3) Translating into Independent Sentences One was violent thunderstorm，the worst I had ever seen，which obscured my objective.有一次是暴风骤雨，猛烈的程度实为我平生所仅见。这场暴风雨遮住了我的目标。 Nevertheless the problem was solved successfully，which showed that the computations were accurate. 不过，问题还是圆满地解决了。这说明计算很准确。 One of the greatest promoters of structural organic chemistry around the turn of the century was Emil Fisher，who，as early as 1893，had already the structure of cellulose as a polysaccharide in mind. 在上世纪末和本世纪初，埃米尔费希尔是结构有机化学方面最伟大的推动者之一。早在1893年，他就认为纤维素的结构是聚糖。2. CombinationNon-restrictive attributive clauses can also be translated by using the method of combination. This is the usual case when we try to avoid a loose structure and take coherence into consideration. The sun，which had hidden all day，now came out in all its splendor. 整天躲在云层里的太阳，现在又光芒四射地露面了。 He liked his sister，who was warm and pleasant，but he did not like his brother，who was aloof and arrogant. 他喜欢热情洋溢的妹妹，而不喜欢冷漠高傲的哥哥。 Transistors，which are small in size，can make previously large and bulky radios light and small. 采用体积较小的晶体管可以使先前那种大而笨的收音机变得又轻又小。 You can break up a beam of incoherent light with a prism，which is made of glass. 用玻璃制的棱镜就可以分解非相干光束。IV. Attributive Clauses Functioning as AdverbialsSome attributive clauses (both restrictive and non-restrictive) function as the adverbial in the complex sentence, having a very close logic relationship with fire principal clause and indicating the cause, result, purpose, time, condition, concession, and so on. Therefore, when translating such sentences, we should render them into corresponding Chinese adverbial sentences.1. Translating Into Chinese Adverbial Clauses of Cause A solid fuel，like coal or wood, can only bum at the surface, where it comes into contact with the air. 固体燃料，如煤和木材，只能在表面燃烧，因为表面接触空气。 We know that a cat, whose eyes can take in many more rays than our eyes, can see clearly in the night. 我们知道，由于猫的眼睛比我们人的眼睛能吸收更多的光线，所以猫在黑夜也能看得很清楚。 You must grasp the concept of work which is very important in physics. 你必须掌握“功”的概念，因为它在物理学中很重要。2. Translating into Chinese Adverbial Clauses of Result There was something original，independent，and heroic about the plan that pleased all of them. 这个方案富于创造性，独具一格，很有魄力，因此他们都很喜欢。 Copper，which is used so widely for carrying electricity，offers very little resistance. 铜的电阻很小，所以广泛地用来传输电力。 The diode is coated with a thin layer of hard glass which eliminates the need for a hermetically sealed package. 二极管的表面有一层薄薄的硬玻璃，故无需使用密封的管壳。3. Translating into Chinese Adverbial Clauses of Concession He insisted on building another house，which he had no use for. 他坚持要再造一幢房子，尽管他并无此需要。 The scientist，who was dog-tired, went on with the experiment. 那位科学家虽已筋疲力尽，但还是继续进行实验。 Electronic computers，which have many advantages，cannot carry out creative work and replace man. 尽管电子计算机有许多优点，但是它们不能进行创造性工作，也不能代替人。4. Translating into Chinese Adverbial Clauses of Condition Men become desperate for work，any work，which will help them to keep alive their families. 人们拼命想得到工作，不管什么工作，只要能维持一家人的生活就行。 A body that contains only atoms with the same general properties is called an element. 物质如果包含的原子性质都相同，则称之为元素。 For any machine whose input and output forces are known，its mechanical advantage can be calculated. 对于任何机器来说，如果知其输入力和输出力，就能求出其机械效益。5. Translating into Chinese Adverbial Clauses of Purpose They have built up a new college here，where students will be trained to be engine