Translation of Sentences.doc

Translation of SentencesContents:1. A comparison of English and Chinese Sentences2. Negation(否定） and affirmation（肯定） in Translation3. Restructuring in Translation4. The passive and active voice in translation5. Translation of attributive clauses（定语从句）6. Translation of adverbial clauses（状语从句）7. The rendering of long sentences1、 A Comparison Study of English and Chinese Sentences 1.1. Hypotactic vs. Paratactic(形合与意合）l As E.A. Nida points out in his Translating Meaning, . So far as English and Chinese are concerned, the most important difference linguistically is the contrast between hypotaxis and parataxis.l Hypotaxis: The dependent or subordinate construction or relationship of clauses arranged with connectives;l Parataxis: The arranging of clauses one after the other without connectives showing the relation between them. Examples:1. That is our policy and that is our declaration. - W. Churchill 这就是我们的国策，这就是我们的宣言。2. First, we make clear what is doing the travelling - a car, a bus, a plane or whatever it may be. 首先，我们要搞清旅行工具，例如小汽车、公共汽车、飞机或别的可用工具。3. 发展体育运动，增强人民体质。 Promote physical culture and build up peoples health.4. 东海缺少白玉床，龙王请来金陵王。 If the Dragon King wants a white jade bed, he applies to the Wangs of Jinling, its said. 1.2. Complex vs. Simplex(简约与繁复）l The English complex sentences are often like chains with clauses linking clauses. On the other hand, the Chinese sentences or clauses tend to be short and simple in structure. They are flowing and simplex, with one clause following the other rather in a line.l Illustrative examples: 1. The moon is so far from the earth that even if huge trees were growing on the mountains and elephants were walking about, we could not see them through the most powerful telescopes which have yet been invented. 月球离地球非常遥远，即使那边山上长着大树，有大象在移动，我们用当今发明的最高倍率的望远镜，也不能看见它们。 2. As we lived near the raod, we often had the traveler or stranger visit us to taste our gooseberry wine, for which we had great reputation, and I confess, with the veracity of an historian, that I never knew one of them to find fault with it.我们就住在路边，过路人或外乡人常到我们这里，尝尝我们家酿的醋栗酒。这种酒很有名气。我敢说，尝过的人，从没有挑剔过。我这话像历史学家的话一样靠得住。3. 文章做到极处，无有他奇，只有恰好；人品做到极处，无有他异，只有本然。-洪应明：菜根潭 When a piece of writing reaches the acme of perfection it is not because it contains some miraculous ingredient, but because it is written in exactly the right way. When a man refines his moral character to the point of perfection he does so not with the aid of any magic formula but by letting his pure inborn mature shine forth.Lesson 11 1.3. End-weight vs. Top-heavy(正三角与倒三角）l In an English sentence, the shorter elements usually go before longer ones in arrangement order, thus the weight of the sentence is put at the end, and the whole sentence looks like a pyramid. l The arrangement of a Chinese sentence seems quite the opposite, where the important elements are often said at the beginning of a sentence. So it looks like an inverted pyramid or triangle. l Illustrative examples: 1. Gone are the days when we Chinese people depended on foreign steel.中国人民靠洋钢的日子已一去不复返了。2. Before them lay miles of beautiful plain with lots of wild animals among the grass. 美丽的草原，茵茵的绿草，野生动物成群结队，绵延数英里，展现在眼前。3. 普通人在办公室使用电子计算机的时代已经到来。 The time has come when ordinary people can use electronic computers both in the office and at home.4. 学科学、学英语，对社会主义现代化建设很重要。 It is important to study English as well as science and technology for our socialist modernization drive. 1.4. Subject-prominent vs. Topic-prominent(主语突出与主题突出）l In an English sentence, prominence is usually given to the subject. There are five basic sentence patterns in English: SV（主谓）, SVC（主谓补）, SVO（主谓宾）, SVO1O2（主谓双宾）, SVOC（主谓宾补）, all with SV as its essentials. On the other hand, a Chinese sentence often lays emphasis on the thought or notion（概念，看法，意图）, so it is based on the thought pivot(支点，枢轴）.l Illustrative examples: 1. A dialect is known by every linguist in this room. 有一种方言这间屋子里的每个语言学家都懂得。 比较：在这房间里的每位语言学家都懂一种方言。 2. You dont grow the grain you eat and you dont make the clothes you wear. 你吃的粮食不是你自己种的，你穿的衣服也不是你自己做的。 比较：你不种. 3. 1978年改革开放开始了。 The year 1978 saw the beginnings of the reform and opening to the outside world. 4. 我们的事业从胜利走向胜利。 We have won one victory after another for our cause.Or : A series of victories have been won for our cause. 1.5. Static vs. Dynamic(静态与动态）l In a simple English sentence or in an English clause, only one verb is used as the predict of the sentence or clause(从句). In a Chinese sentence, a number of verbs can be used as its predict at the same time, so we may say that the Chinese is rather dynamic while the English is static.l Illustrative(用作说明的) examples:1.5.1. A mastery(精通，熟悉，掌握) of Chinese and English is essential for E-C or C-E translation 做英汉/汉英翻译必须掌握好汉语与英语。1.5.2. Engineering design is a decision-making process used for the development of engineering for which there is a human need. 工程设计是为发展人类所需工程而作决定的过程。1.5.3. 再走几步就到实验大楼了。 A few steps will bring you to the laboratory building. 1.6. Impersonal vs. Personal(有灵主语与无灵主语）l In an English sentence, the choice of its subject often falls on the inanimate(nnmt 无生命的；无生气的) or the thing that is not living. On the other hand, we Chinese tend to pick up animate things or persons to function as the subject of a sentence.l Illustrative(用作说明的) examples:1.6.1. 我突然想到一个主意。 An idea suddenly struck me. 1.6.2. 她最终明白了真相。 The truth finally dawned on her.1.6.3. Bitterness fed on the man who had made the world laugh. 这位曾使全世界发笑的人自己却饱受辛酸。1.6.4. 一见这幅画，我就记起了我故乡的童年时代。 (a）Seeing the painting, I remember the childhood in my home town. (b) The painting immediately reminds me of the childhood in my home town. 更地道1.6.5. 董事长凭他丰富的经验一眼就看出问题的所在。（a）The president at once found out by his rich experience what is wrong with the matter. (b) The rich experience of the President told him at once what is wrong with the matter. 更地道1.6.6. 我兴奋得说不出话来。Excitement deprived(剥夺，夺去) me of all power of utterance.（发声，表达）1.6.7. A strange peace came over her when she was alone. 她独处时感到一种特别的安宁。1.6.8. 闲人免进。（a）Man with no business not allowed to get in. (b ) No admission for man with nothing to do. 更地道 (c) Visitors, stop here!Lesson 12二、 Negation(否定） and affirmation（肯定） in Translation Some linguists say “Every language has its peculiarities in negation.” And there is indeed an important difference between Chinese and English in negationnegation in way of thinking and in mode of speaking. Nave speakers have their own way of thinking in the negative and expressing negative implication, quite different from ours.l Definition of Affirmation and Negation原文本来是正面表达，译文却从反面着笔；或者，原文用肯定语气的，译文不妨倒过来，采取双重否定或换反义词加否定语气。Keep off the lawn! 请勿践踏草地！I couldnt agree more with you. 我完全同意你的看法。I lay awake almost the whole night. 原译：我整晚醒着躺在那儿。改译：我躺在那儿，几乎一夜没睡。/几乎一夜没合眼。男儿有泪不轻弹，只因未到伤心处。Men only weep when deeply hurt.中华儿女一定要永远记住这个惨痛的历史教训，引以为戒。No Chinese all over the world must never forget this bitter lesson and we must take warning for it.Contents of this lecture2.1. Negation in English Chinese Translation英语的否定除借助词汇手段外，还借助句子结构和特殊表达方式来表达诸如全部否定、部分否定、双重否定、形式否定、意义否定等概念。而汉语的否定结构则比较单纯，否定词只有“不”、“非”、“否”、“勿”、“别”、“无”、“未”、“莫”、“不是”、“没有”、“决不”、“毫无”、“几乎没有”、“几乎不”等简单的词汇。因此，在英译汉时，必须注意英汉否定的表达方法，采取不同的变译法，使译文和原文意义相符、功能相似。2.1.1. Categories of English negative words and expressions 1)”Full negatives”: no, not, none, never, nothing, nobody, nowhere, neither, nor 2)”Semi negatives”: hardly, scarcely, seldom, barely, few, little, etc. 3)”Partial negatives”: not every, not all, not both, not much, not many, not always, etc. 4)”Words with negative implication”: fail, without, beyond, until, lest, ignorant（无知）, refuse, neglect(疏忽), absence（缺席）, instead of, etc.2.1.2. Cases of negation in English-Chinese translation 1 Full negation 在英语中，全部否定是通过一些否定词来表达的。这类否定词常用的有：no, not, none, never, nothing, nobody, nowhere, neither nor等。全部否定译法一般可直接译成汉语的否定句。 e.g.: Nowadays it is not difficult to go abroad. 现如今出国并不难。 The boy was nowhere to be found. 到处都找不到那个男孩。 2Partial negation 部分否定指对叙述的内容作部分的、而不是全部的否定。当英语的某些不定代词，如all, both, every, each, 某些副词，如often, always和否定词连用时，就表示部分否定。在这类否定句中，all, both等词往往是否定的重点，通常译成“不都是”、“并非都”、“并不都”、“不全是”、“不总是”等。此外，有些副词如：hardly, scarcely, seldom, barely, few, little等词也表示部分否定。例如： 1）. All the novelists detective cases, however, were not successful. 然而，那位小说家的侦探案例并不都是那么成功的。 2）. Both the instruments are not precision ones. 这两台仪器并非都是精密的。 3）. The bell had hardly rung when the teacher came into the classroom. 铃一响老师就走进教室了。 4）. Seldom do people go to the cinema nowadays. 现在人们很少看电影。 3 Double negation 双重否定指两个否定词并用，否定同一个单词，或者一个否定词否定另一个词，其否定意义互相抵消而取得肯定意义。英译汉时可译成肯定句。如： 1）. Nothing is so difficult that it can not be done. 有志者事竟成。 2）. There is not any advantage without disadvantage. 有一利必有一弊. 3）. It is none other than zinc. 这就是锌。 4）. There is no rule that has no exception. 任何规则都有例外。 有时形式否定的句子也可译成汉语的双重否定来强调其肯定的意义。如： 1）. If there were no energy, there would be no force and work. 没有能量，就不会有力和功。 2）. He cannot but agree. 他不得不同意。 3）. There is no story without coincidence. 无巧不成书。 4 Negative in English, but Affirmative in Chinese 有些英语句子或短语形式上是否定的，意义上却是肯定的。这类句子一般可译成汉语的肯定句，现分述如下： 1）. “nothing”有时意为“零”、“正好”。 e.g. Multiply (乘以) 6 by nothing, and the result is nothing. 六乘以零等于零。 He is five foot nothing. 他整整五英尺高。 2）. “cannot be + too形容词”意为“怎么也不过分”、“越越好”。如： e.g. You cannot be too careful in answering an English paper. 答英语卷越仔细越好。 This point cannot be overemphasized. 这一点应该特别强调。（或：这一点怎么强调也不过分。） 3）. “no, none, nothing + but, like”意为“只有”、“只”、“不过”等。“nothing short of ”则有“简直可以说”的意思。如： e.g. There is no man but errs. 人人难免有过失。 Nothing but a miracle can save him. 只有奇迹才能挽救他。 4）. “no more than”,”no less than”可以译成“只”、“一样”等肯定形式。 e.g. We developed no more than three kinds of advertisers. 我们只研制了三种信号装置。 She is no less active than she used to be. 她跟从前一样活跃。 5）. Roundabout（迂回的） negative: There is an indirect way of expressing a strong affirmative, and when translated into Chinese, the emotion of the original should be properly kept. e.g. He didnt half like the girl. 他非常喜欢那姑娘。 I couldnt feel better. 我觉得身体好极了。 I couldnt agree with you more. 我太赞成你的看法了。 5 Affirmative in English, but Negative in Chinese 1）. 英语中有一些特殊结构、短语和词汇本身并无否定的意思，但和个别的词搭配在一起便表示否定，如有些动词refuse, wonder, fail等可意译成汉语否定词。 e.g. The engine failed to start. 发动机（打）不着（火）。 I wonder if I can go with you. 我不知道能不能和你们一起走。 The drain just refused to work. 排水管就是不排水。 2）. 有些介词如above, beyond, out of;形容词last, short (of), far from; 副词ill; 连词before等，在某些句子的上下文中有否定含义，也可译成汉语的否定词。 e.g. It is beyond my power to make such a decision. 我没有权力做这样的决定。 He would be the last man to be in charge of such a project. 他最不合适负责这一项工程。 This question is far from being difficult. 这个问题一点也不复杂。 We are short of hands at present. 我们目前人手不够。 Mr. Green is out of town this week. 格林先生这星期不在城里。 He was ill treated in hospital. 他在医院里受到不公正待遇。 I would die before I surrender. 我宁死也决不投降。 He is anything but modest. 他一点儿也不谦虚。 We tried in vain to measure the voltage. 我们原想测量电压，但没有成功。 We gave him some good advice, but he made light of it. 我们给他忠告，但他不当一回事。 You should have known better than go out in so thin a coat in such a cold day. 你不该在这么冷的天穿这么薄的外套出门。Lesson 13 6 Transferred negation 否定转移 英语中的否定转移现象很普遍。比如有的句子形式上否定的是谓语动词，而实际意义上否定的是另一个名词短语；有的句子形式上否定的是一个名词短语，而实际意义上否定的是谓语动词；有的句子形式上否定的是主语部分，而实际意义上否定的是从句部分。这类现象称为否定的转移。在英译汉时对这些现象我们一定要加以注意，正确理解、正确翻译。例如： 1）. “no”与谓语动词的肯定式句型： “在no与名词的肯定式”句型中，no所表达的否定常常转移到谓语动词上。一般译成“不+动词”。如： At no time and under no circumstances will China be the first to use nuclear weapons. 中国在任何时候任何情况下，都不首先使用核武器。 A transformer provides no power of its own. 变压器本身不产生电力。 2）. “no”和“not”表示否定意义的区别： “no”和“not”都含有否定的意思，但在句子里意思有很大不同。例如： He is not a doctor. 他不是医生。 He is no doctor. 他根本不是医生。 It is not a joke. 这不是笑话。 It is no joke. 这绝不是开玩笑的事。 3）. 某些词后的否定转移 英语中表示看法和想法的动词的否定式后带有that引导的宾语从句时，否定往往转移到从句中。这些词常见的有think, suppose, believe, guess, expect, imagine等。对这样的句子在翻译时一定要注意所否定的部分，要做到正确理解、准确翻译。例如： I dont suppose they will arrive on time. 我想他们不会准时来。 I dont think it is good to marry early. 我认为早婚没什么好处。 4）. Notbecause The engine didnt stop because the fuel was finished. 引擎并不是因为燃料耗尽而停止运转的。 In that city we had never suffered discrimination because we were Jews. 我们在那座城市从未因为是犹太人而遭受到歧视。 This version is not placed first because it is simple. 此方案并不是因为简单而放在首位的。 I dont like teaching just because my parents are both teachers.我喜欢教书并不仅仅因为父母都是老师。2.2. Negation in Chinese English Translation1. Negative in Chinese, Affirmative in English 在他还没来得及阻挡我之前，我已经跑出教室。Before he could stop me, I had rushed out of the classroom. 俗语说,”男儿有泪不轻弹，皆因未到伤心处。” As the saying goes: ”Men only weep when deeply hurt.” 他的暗示没有引起我的注意。His hint escaped my notice. / His hint failed to attract my attention. 2. Affirmative in Chinese, Negative in English 他为这件事竭尽全力。 He spared no pains doing this. 她对他百依百顺。 She denied him nothing. 王先生这几年一直是全勤。 Mr. Wang has never missed a days work for years. 到目前为止，该组织辜负了世界人民所给予的厚望。This organization has not, so far, justified the hopes which the people of the world place in it.Conclusion下面译不顺，不妨反面着笔，以求尽量发挥翻译技巧灵活多变的特点。翻译之所以成为艺术，就是它本身具有创造性。凡是能体现创造性的技巧，都不可能是墨守成规的。所以反译自有其依据。反译有时是必需的，因为说英、汉语的两个民族的思维逻辑和表达方式不同。同一个概念，一个民族正面说，认为是合乎表达习惯的，而另一个民族则认为反着说或换个角度说才顺口。译者必须全面深入掌握两种语言，才能自觉地和自如地运用反译法这一技巧。2.3. Exercises in class: Put the following into Chinese, paying special attention to negation. 1. Im wiser than to believe what you call money talks. 我才不相信你所介绍的金钱论呢。（你说的金钱万能呢。） 2. He would do anything he was asked to do but return to his old life. 叫他干什么他都愿意，只是不要再过那种日子就行。 3. All graduates from the Foreign Languages Institutes will not be appointed to do translation work. 外语院校的毕业生并非人人被分配去做翻译工作。4. Africa is not kicking out western imperialism in order to invite other new master. 非洲踢出西方帝国主义并不是为了请进其他新的主子。5. One could not be too careful in a new neighborhood. 新到一个陌生的地方，越小心越好。6. Nothing is so beautiful but it betrays some defect on close inspection. 再漂亮的东西，只要仔细观察，也会发现某种缺陷。7. One may as well be asleep to read for anything but to improve his mind and morals, and regulate his conduct. 读书如果不是为了培养才德和端庄的品行，还不如睡大觉好。8. It is not our view that the substance or the tone of his remarks this morning will contribute to creating a lasting peace in the Middle East.今天上午他讲话的内容和语气，对促进中东持久和平是不利的，这就是我们的观点。9. This failure could be blamed on the apparent（显然的） failure to ensure that communicative skill inadequately（不充分地，不适当地）represented in language courses.这一失败显然可归咎于未能保证做到把交际技巧适当地运用于语言课程。10. 工作没有经验，出点差错，在所难免。 Slips(失误) are scarcely avoidable when you are new to your work.11. 他开车时心不在焉，几乎闯祸。 His absence of mind during the driving nearly caused an accident.12. 他只顾自己，不顾别人，使得大家都很生气。 His lack of the consideration for the feeling of the others angered everyone present.Lesson 14三、 Restructuring in Translation 3.1. Definition As one of the translation techniques, restructuring means the necessary or inevitable change of word order in a sentence according to the usage of the language to be translated into. It is also called rearrangement or inversion.美国驻中国大使雷德及全体使馆人员恭祝中国朋友春节愉快！e.g. All best wishes to our friends in China for a happy Spring FestivalFrom the ambassador（大使，使节） and stuff of The Embassy（大使馆） of the United States of America汉语通常是按一定的逻辑顺序，由原因到结果、由假设到推论、由条件到结果的次序有先有后、有主有次逐层叙述。英事通常开门见山、直奔主题，然后再作解释。3.2. Different Word Order in English and Chinese Most of the information we got is through that channel. 我们得到的大部分消息是通过那个渠道获得的。 （Different order of the attributive phrases and clauses） His address is 3621 Market Street, Philadelphia, PA.19104, U.S.A.他的地址是美国宾夕法尼亚州费城市场街3612号。邮政编码19140。（Different order of the sequence of events）My uncle passed away in hospital at 2.30 a.m. on September 12, 1999.我的伯父于1999年9月12日凌晨2点30分在医院逝世。（Different order of the adverbials of time）3.3. Different Sequences in Customary Sentence ArrangementEnglish sentences are generally bound by syntactical(语法的) rules and they are often arranged in order of importance; while Chinese sentences are more flexible（灵活的，可变通的）, and usually arranged according to the sequence(顺序) of time.e.g. He had to quit the position and went into exile, having been deprived of power.他被剥夺了权利之后，只好离职，流落他乡。Rocket research has confirmed a strange fact which had already been suspected: there is a “high temperature belt” in the atmosphere, with its center roughly thirty miles above the ground. 人们早就怀疑大气层中有一个“高温带”其中心在距地面大约30英里高的地方。利用火箭加以研究以后，这一奇异的事实已得到了证实。3.3.1. Adjusting the position of adverbial clauses(状语从句):Adverbial clauses of condition, purpose, concession or cause, and so on in English may stand either before or after a principal clause, however, when translated into Chinese, they are normally placed before the principal clause.The government is determined to keep up pressure whatever the cost it will pay in the end.不论最终将付出什么代价，政府决心继续施加压力。No matter how hard he tried, he failed at last. 不管他怎么努力，最后还是没有成功。Cases Involving AdverbialsThere are cases in which an adverbial (or an adj. phrases) in which English functions as an adverbial clause (or non-restrictive clause). In Chinese the adverbial (or adj. phrase) is usually placed at the end of the sentence an