定语从句的翻译.doc

定语分句的翻译一 理论探讨定语分句是在句中起形容词作用的主谓结构，通常分为限制性定语分句和非限制性定语分句两大类。限制性定语分句对所修饰的先行词起限制作用，与先行词关系较为密切；非限制性定语分句对先行词不起限制作用，只对它加以叙述、描写和解释，并用逗号与之隔开。二 译例分析（一）前置译法 限制性定语分句往往要译成前置定语结构，这是因为它与所修饰的词关系甚密，若分开译出则会影响主句意思的完整。也有一些非限制性定语分句，或因结构短小，或因与被修饰词关系较密切，或因拆译后会造成译文结构松散，在这种情况下也可以译成前置定语结构。例1原文：This is the reservoir that we built after the flood last year.译文：这就是去年洪水过后我们修建的水库。例2原文：Every day many tourists come to visit the house where Chaplin was born.译文：每天都有许多游客前来参观卓别林出生的那幢房子。例3原文：Our two countries are neighbours whose friendship is of long standing.译文：我们两国是有着悠久友谊的邻邦。例4原文：My brother-in-laws laugh, which was very infectious, broke the silence.译文：我姐夫富有感染力的笑声打破了沉默。（二）后置译法后置译法在非限定性定语分句中使用得比较普遍。有些限制性定语分句结构相对复杂，译成前置定语结构往往显得冗长，而且也不太符合汉语表达习惯。在这种情况下也可以译成后置的并列分句，作进一步的连贯叙述。1） 重复英语关系代词所代表的含义，必要时还需加译一些代词或连词。例1原文：I told the interesting story to Bonita, who told it to her husband.译文：我把这个有趣的故事告诉了伯妮塔，伯妮塔又告诉了她的丈夫。例2原文：Mechanical energy is changed into electric energy, which in turn is changed into mechanical energy.译文：机械能转变为电能，而电能又反过来转变成机械能。例3原文：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.译文：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，许多中国人曾为了这个理想而牺牲了自己的生命。2）省略英语关系代词或关系副词所代表的含义，必要时还须加译一些代词或连词。例1原文：The tourists, who knew about the floods, took another motorway.译文：游客都知道发大水了，就走了另外一条高速公路。例2原文：I looked at several houses, most of which were quite unsuitable.译文：我看了好几座房子，大多数都不太合适。例3原文：The library has a system that you can phone and tell us the numbers and you will get the book you want.译文：图书馆有一个制度，只要打个电话告诉了书号，你就能拿到你要的书。3) 英语关系代词转译成汉语人称代词或指示代词。例1原文：We have seen chemical changes, from which physical changes are quite different.译文：我们见过许多化学变化，它们与物理变化截然不同。例2原文：They turned a deaf ear to our demands, which enraged all of us.译文：他们对我们的要求置之不理，这使我们大家都很气恼。例3原文：He is a foreigner, as is evident from his accent.译文：他是个外国人，这从他的口音中可以清楚地听出。（3） 合成译法所谓合成译法，是指把原句中的被修饰词与定语分句合在一起译成一个独立的汉语句子的翻译方法。定语分句有时还可以简化成汉语中的一个词组。例1原文：We have a social and political system which differs in many respects from your own. 译文：我们的社会、政治制度在许多方面与你们的不一样。例2原文：There are some metals that are lighter than water.译文：有些金属比水轻。例3原文：There is a sense in which morality and expedience need not conflict.译文：从某种意义上说，道义和权宜之计不一定冲突。例4原文：The factory has produced three kinds of chemicals, the quality of which is good.译文：这家工厂生产了三种高质量的化学制品。例5原文：Let ABC be a triangle whose sides are of unequal length.译文：设ABC是不等边三角形。（4） 转换译法英语中有些定语分句在意义上与主句有着逻辑状语关系，起着主句的原因、结果、目的、让步、条件等状语的作用，翻译时应按照逻辑功能，将这些定语分句转译成相应的状语从句。例1原文：The computer, which seems to play the role of a human brain, is often called an electronic brain.译文：由于计算机起着类似人脑的作用，所以常常被称作电脑。例2原文：She took Chinese medicine which relieved her symptoms.译文：她吃了中药，结果缓解了症状。例3原文：We recognize the need to establish and develop institutions which help to tame the unbridled exercise of power.译文：我们认识到需要建立和发展一些机构，以便有助于控制滥用权利。例4原文：There is no bad habit but may be cured by a strong willpower.译文：只要有坚强的意志，就没有什么坏习惯不能改掉。例5原文：The boy insisted on buying another pair of roller skates, which he had no use for.译文：这个男孩坚持要再买一双溜冰鞋，尽管他还用不着。三 翻译比较与赏析例1原文：The Hall was a queer place. and with some shining black portraits on the walls, which my inartistic eye regarded as a composition of hard-bake and sticking-plasters. (From Great Expectations)译文一：镇公所实在是个古怪的地方，.墙上挂着几幅乌黑发亮的画像，我这双毫无眼光的眼睛看去，还以为是几盘杏仁糖，几条橡皮膏搭成的什么玩意儿呢。（王科一 译）译文二：镇公所是个古怪的地方，.镇公所的墙壁上挂了几幅油黑发亮的画，就我这个对艺术毫无欣赏力的人来看，还以为是一个盛了杏仁糖和橡皮膏的大拼盘呢。（罗志野 译）译文三：我觉得镇公所大厅是一个稀奇古怪的场所，.墙上挂着几幅乌黑发亮的画像，在我这毫无艺术细胞的眼睛看来，纯粹是硬面包和橡皮膏的组合。（陈俊群 译）例2原文：A fire had been lately kindled in the damp out-fashioned grate. and the reluctant smoke which hung in the room seem colder than the clearer airlike our own mash mist. (From Great Expectations)译文一：潮湿的旧式壁炉里刚刚生了火. 弥漫在屋子里迟迟不散的烟，看来真比清新的空气还冷很像我们沼地里的雾。（王科一 译）译文二：潮湿的旧式火炉中刚刚生了一炉火. 火炉散发出令人讨厌的烟气，弥漫在整个在房间中，似乎比外面的凉气更要寒冷，冷得和我们沼泽地里的雾气差不多。（罗志野 译）译文三：潮湿的旧式壁炉里刚刚生起了一炉火. 迟迟难以散去的烟弥漫在屋子里似乎比清新的空气还寒冷，恰似我们村旁沼泽上的雾。（陈俊群 译）例3原文：Emma had hardly expected them: for Mr. Weston, who had called in for half a minute, in order to hear that his son was very handsome, knew nothing of their plans; and it was an agreeable surprise to her, therefore, to perceive them walking up to the house together, arm in arm. （From Emma）译文一：爱玛几乎不曾料到他们会来，因为要听人家夸他儿子漂亮而刚刚进来半分钟的魏斯吞先生，对他们的计划毫无所知，所以，看到他们手挽手地一块走来，他便惊喜交集。（刘重德 译）译文二：爱玛没有想到他们会来，因为韦斯顿先生为了听几句夸他儿子长得漂亮的恭维话刚来过，不知道他们的打算。爱玛看到他们两人手挽手走了过来，吃了一惊，却有求之不得。（张经浩 译）译文三：爱玛几乎没料到他们会来，因为威斯顿先生想听听别人夸奖他儿子非常漂亮，刚才来过一会儿，他并不知道他们的打算。所以她看到他们臂挽臂朝这所房子走来，又惊又喜。（朱维广 译）例4原文：Sleep is most graceful in an infant; soundest, in one who has been tired in the open air; completest, to the seaman after a hard voyage; most welcome, to the mind haunted with one idea; most touching to look at, in the parent that has wept; lightest, in the playful child; proudest, in the bride adored. (From A Few Thoughts on Sleep)译文一：婴儿的睡眠，最为优美；疲劳的人在户外睡眠，最为酣畅；水手在艰苦航程之后的睡眠，最为圆满；为某种意念所苦的人，对睡眠最为欢迎；哭泣之后的母亲的睡眠，最动人心弦；一个顽皮小孩的睡眠，最为轻松；一个深受爱慕的新娘的睡眠，最为骄傲。（刘炳善 译）译文二：睡眠，于婴儿，最为优美；于户外疲劳之人，最为酣畅；于远行回家之水手，最为完满；于思虑问题之人，最受欢迎；于哭泣过后之父母，最令人同情；于顽皮之小孩，最为轻松；于人见人爱之新娘，最为骄傲。（李明 译）四 翻译练习1 The old lady died on the day when her son arrived.2 Lets discuss only those questions as concern everyone of us.3 The American businessman, who had long been interested in Chinese products, was invited to visit a development zone in East China.4 There have been many great men who have emerged from slums.5 She wore a quaint old-fashioned dress that was rare nowadays.6 Good clocks have pendulums which are automatically compensated for temperature changes.7 The newswoman wishes to write an article that will attract public attention to that assassination.8 My brother may have acute appendicitis, in which case he will have to be operated on.9 Alice would have to be careful not to offend the foreman, who would give her the sack at any time.10 Air will completely fill any container in which it may be placed.11 There was something original, independent and heroic about the plan that pleased all of them.12 The jobless people become desperate for work, any work, which will help them to keep alive their families.13 Friction, which is often considered as a trouble, is sometimes a help in the operation of machines.14 In some societies people want children for what might be called familial reasons; to extend the family line or the family name, to propitiate the ancestors; to enable the proper functioning of religious rituals involving the family. Such reasons may seem thin in the modern, secularized society but they have been and are powerful indeed in other places. In addition, one class of family reasons shares a border with the following category, namely, having children in order to maintain or improve a marriage: to hold the husband or occupy the wife; to repair or rejuvenate the marriage; to increase the number of children on the assumption that family happiness lies that way. The point is underlined by its converse: