Lesson 5增减词法

1、Lesson Five（第五课）（第五课）增增/减词法减词法Amplification and OmissionI. Amplification in English-Chinese TranslationA good translation, generally speaking, is a bit longer than the original (we dont mean that a good translation must be longer than the original) primarily because translators must faithfully turn

2、the obvious form of the original language into target language, and at the same time, must convey what implied in the original context, especially that closely connected with the background of the original culture and history in target language. Therefore, a translator must, sometimes, add something

3、 (that is implied but not obviously expressed in words) to the original in his translation to make explanations. In this way, translation is lengthened, form changed, but the meaning of the original remains unchanged, and is only adapted to capability of readers.1. supplying what is omitted in the o

4、riginalOmission is frequently used in English out of rhetorical device or to meet the need of English syntax. But, nine cases out of ten, whats omitted, must be supplied in translation which will otherwise disagree with the syntax of the receptor language or misrepresent the original meaning. Here a

5、re some illustrations:n1) Histories make man wise; poetry witty; the mathematics subtle; natural philosophy deep; moral grave; logic and rhetoric able to contend. Absunt studia in mores.n 读史使人明智，读诗使人使人灵秀，数学使人使人周密，科学使人使人深刻，伦理学使人使人庄重，逻辑修辞学使人使人善辩，凡有所学，皆成性格。n2) We, in Britain have every reason to wish f

6、or better relations with the states of eastern Europe. And we do sincerely want them.n 我们英国人有充分理由同东欧国家改善关系，我们衷心希望改改善同他们的关系善同他们的关系。n3）I went to an exhibition this morning. With whom？ 我今天上午去参观了一个展览。 和谁去的去的？2. supplying overlapping words or numerals to express the plural form of nounsnUnlike English la

7、nguage that has the change of plural form of nouns as well as that of verb tenses, Chinese language has no change of plural form of nouns which is usually expressed by supplying overlapping words or numerals, such as “朵朵鲜花” “百花齐放” “徐徐凉风” “阵阵寒风”， etc. Sometimes Chinese words “们” “诸位” “大伙”are used in

8、translation to express plural form of nouns. Even uncountable nouns can also be expressed in Chinese overlapping words or numerals as Chinese language owes a lot of idioms and proverbs partly composed of numerals, such as “一鳞半爪” “两袖清风” “三心二意” “四面楚歌” “五马分尸” “六神无主” “七零八落” “八仙过海，各显神通” “九牛一毛” “十年寒窗” “百步

9、穿杨” . Now turn the following words, phrases or sentences into Chinese by supplying overlapping words or numerals.n songsnripplesncheersna chilly windna murmuring brookndeadly stilln galloping horsesna golden opportunitynthroughout agesnEven Homer sometimes nods.nIn spring, a gentle wind rippled the

10、tranquil lake.3. supplying category words to make the original translation clearernMost of the category words are conceptional nouns with rather abstract meaning. But they are common use in Chinese. Translators must be familiar with the category of the words they are going to deal with. Such as “ten

11、sion”, its generally put into Chinese “紧张” and if need be, we can add “局势” to “紧张”; jealousy is generally put into Chinese “嫉妒” and we can add “心理” to it if necessary according to the context. Look at the flowing examples: 1) According to scientists, it takes 500 years to create an inch of topsoil.n

12、根据科学家的看法的看法，自然界要用500年的时的时间间才能形成一英寸厚的表层土壤。 2) He looked at me in amazement.n他用惊奇的神情神情看着我。n3） After all preparations were made, the planes flew across the U.S. to San Francisco. n一切准备工作工作就绪之后，飞机便飞越美国，直达旧金山。Now put the following words into Chinese by supplying category words:nallergynnecessitynreadabil

13、itynrelativitynindifferencenlightheartednessnhostilityngayetynarrogance4. Amplification by logical thinkingnAccording to the adding of words for purpose of logical thinking of the translator, the translation can be clearer. n 1) Air pressure decreases with altitude.n 气压随海拔高度的增加增加而下降。n2) He allowed t

14、he father to be overruled by the judge, and declared his own son guilty.n 他让法官的职责的职责战胜父子的私情，的私情，判决他儿子有罪。n3）New fathers should have at least two weeks paternity leave to help their wives recover from postnatal（出生后的）depression.n新生儿的父亲新生儿的父亲应当有至少两个星期的产假，以帮助妻子从产后忧郁中恢复过来。5. supplying words for purpose of

15、 rhetoric or coherencenRhetoric is the common writing method in both English and Chinese. In order to achieve the same, or at least near effect of the original rhetoric, the translator must add some words.e.g.n1) Half the town came running. n“Half the town” is a case of metonymy(转喻). It is equivalen

16、t to “half of the people in the town.n镇子里的人镇子里的人有一半都跑来了。n2) The crowds melted away.nThe word “melted” is here used metaphorically, meaning “dispersed slowly”.n人群渐渐散开渐渐散开了。Sometimes in order to make the translation text coherent, words should be added. Take a look at the following example:nA scientis

17、t constantly tried to defeat his hypotheses, his theories, and his conclusion.n科学家经常设法否定自己的假设、推翻推翻自己的理论，并放弃放弃自己的结论。6. amplification by repetitionLook at the following sentences:1) Avoid using this computer in extreme cold, heat, dust or humidity.2) I had experienced oxygen and/or engine trouble.3) T

18、hey could sense her (Titanic) mass, her eerie quiet and the ruined splendor of a lost age.In the above three sentences, several wordsof the same parts of speech are juxtaposedtogether for some purposes. In translating these,the translator should add a word, usually severalwords, to express clearly.n

19、 1) 不要在过过冷、过过热、灰尘过过重、湿度过过大的情况下使用此电脑。n2) 我曾经遇到的情况，不是氧气设备出故障出故障，就是引擎出故障出故障，有时两者都出故障出故障。n3) 他们体会到它（泰坦尼克号）船体的巨大，感受到它周围感受到它周围可怕的寂静，领领略到略到因岁月的流逝而造成的凄凉景观。7. supplying words to explain cultural backgroundDifferent cultural background may lead to the fact that some obvious common sense will make the target r

20、eaders feel absurd. Meanwhile, some names of certain people, places and other words which are loaded with culture need to be further illustrated. In this case, the translator will have to add explanations to make the translation clearer and more sensible to the target readers.n1) The death of the Pr

21、incess of Wales unleashed outpouring of newly-coined honorifics, for instance “a present-day Cinderella whose clock struck midnight all too soon.”n威尔士王妃戴安娜戴安娜之死，导致有关她的新敬语如潮水一般涌现出来，比如有人说她是“当今灰姑娘，只是午夜的钟声过早地敲响”。n2) Le Monde, the BBC, and the New York Times, the entire Arab press, all quote Heikal regul

22、arly at length. n法国法国世界报、英国广播公司、纽约时报和整个阿拉伯新闻界，都经常大段引用海卡尔的话。8. supplying particles to express moodnThere are many auxiliary particles in Chinese which are used to express a certain mood. They can be classified into three categories: declarative particles (like “的”“了”“呢”“啦”“罢了”“而已”“哪”), interrogative

23、particles (like “吗”“吧”“啦”“么”) and imperative particles (like “吧”“呀”“啊”“啦”). In translating especially the spoken language, one needs to add such particles to make it idiomatic.e.g. n1) “Dont order me about like that, John. You know my name as well as I know yours.n “别对我这么吆五喝六的，约翰。咱们谁还不认识谁呀呀！”n2) “On

24、ly some six or eight thousand men,” returned Montcalm, with much apparent indifference.n “只不过六千到八千人罢了，”蒙特卡姆显然满不在乎地说II. Amplification in Chinese-English TranslationnEnglish language and Chinese language are different in syntax. Chinese language is paratactic, while English language is hypotactic. Eng

25、lish sentences, based on the S-V structure, are often connected by participles, conjunctions, prepositions, and relativals(关系词), while Chinese sentences will have more than one verbs and often, will have several sub-sentences without any linking words. In this way, we can say that syntax of Chinese

26、language is like a tree, while that of English is like a radiating circle with a core. Therefore, in the process of translating, the translator should keep in mind the lingual difference and add correspondently pronouns, articles, connectives, prepositions and so on to make the translation better.1.

27、 adding necessary pronounse.g.n1) 大作收到，十分高兴。n I was very glad to have received your writing.n2) 交出翻译之前，必须读几遍，看看有没有要修改的地方。n Before handing in your translation, you have to read it over and over again and see if there is anything in it to be corrected or improved.n3) 她懒洋洋地站起来，估量丈夫不会再回来了。n Lazily she r

28、ose. Her husband probably would not come home, she supposed.n4) 即使在危机时刻也要保持冷静。n We should keep calm even when we are in danger.n5) 好好保重。n Take good care of yourself.2. adding necessary articlese.g.n1) 耳朵是用来听声音的器官，鼻子用来嗅气味，舌头用来尝滋味。n The ear is used for hearing. The nose for smelling, and the tongue fo

29、r tasting. n2) 现在一定是天亮了，因为鸟儿在歌唱。n It must be morning now, because the birds are singing.3. supplying necessary connective wordse.g.n1) 小孩子受了惊吓就会哭。n Little children will cry when they are frightened.n2) 虚心使人进步，骄傲使人落后。n Modesty helps one to go forward, whereas conceit makes one lag behind.n3) 留得青山在，不怕

30、没柴烧。nSo long as green hills remain/firewood remains, there will never be a shortage of firewood.n4) 其实地上本没有路，走的人多了，也便成了路。nFor actually the earth had no roads to begin with, but when many men pass one way, a road is made.nWithout “to begin with”, the parts of translation would fail to be logically co

31、nnected with each other; without adding “but when”, the translation would not be in agreement with the syntax of English language.4. adding necessary prepositionsnUse of Prepositions is a typical characteristic of English language. In translating from Chinese to English, it is necessary to add prepo

32、sitions before time, place, and some set phrases.e.g.n1) 我们早上八点上班。n We go to work at 8 oclock in the morning.n2) 咱们校门口见吧。n Lets meet at the school gate.n3) 该地区已经没什么城乡差别。n There is little difference between town and country in this region.n4) 他已经把这事忘得一干二净了。nHe has forgotten all about it.n5）接到信时我高兴得跳了

33、起来。nI jumped with joy when I received the letter.5. adding necessary background wordsIn translating Chinese idioms and other culture-loaded words or phrases, the translator should add some information to bridge the language and cultural gap.n 1) 世上先有伯乐，然后有千里马，千里马常有而伯乐不常有。n Only when the world has Pa

34、ilo, who knows about horses, can there be fine steeds. There are always fine steeds that can cover a thousand li a day, but we cannot frequently find a Pailo. n2) 三个臭皮匠，顶个诸葛亮。n Three cobblers with their wits combined equal Zhuge Liang, the mastermind.n3) 别班门弄斧。n Dont show off your proficiency with t

35、he axe before Lu Ban, the master carpenter.n4) 这真是俗话说的，“旁观者清”。n It is just as the proverb goes, “The onlooker/stander-bys sees most of the game.”6. adding particles to express moodsnFor the purpose of expressing different moods, the translators should add some small particles or auxiliary words in t

36、ranslating. e.g.n1) 我想到李白杜甫在那遥远的时代，以一叶扁舟搏浪急进，该是多么雄伟的搏斗，会激发诗人多少瑰丽的诗思啊！nThis makes me think of the poets Li Bai and Du Fu in those ancient days when they sailed upstream against the current and how such a magnificent struggle would stir the poets great imagination!n2) 不过你打算去请多少人来呢？n Now how many men d

37、o you figure to have sent here?III. Omission in English-Chinese TranslationOmission, just as amplification, is one of the useful techniques used in translation. By omission, we dont mean “cutting the feet to fit the shoes”, instead, we try to make our translation more expressive and explicit. Liu Xi

38、e, a famous ancient Chinese literary critic, pointed out “善删者字去而意留, 善敷者辞殊而意显”. That is to say, omission is supposed to be done just to the point, to convey the essence of the original more effectively. For example: “Judges are supposed to treat every person equal before the law.” Suppose we put the

39、sentence into “法律面前，人人平等”， “judges” and “are supposed to” are omitted in the translation, and then the original meaning is thus misrepresented. 1. Omitting the PronounnPronouns are more frequently used in English then in Chinese. Therefore, when translated into Chinese, many English pronouns may be

40、omitted so as to conform the rendering to the accustomed usage of Chinese expression.ne.g.n1) He put his hands into his pockets and shrugged his shoulders.n他将双手放进衣袋，然后耸了耸肩。n2) For two weeks, he had been studying the house, looking at its rooms, its electric wring, its path and its garden.n两周以来，他一直注意

41、观察房子的情况，查看各个房间，留心电线的走向、通道和花园的布局。nSometimes even the subject can be omitted. For example:n“I have never begun a novel with more misgiving. If I call it a novel it is only because I dont know what else to call it. I have little story to tell and I end neither with a death nor a marriage.”n我以前动手写小说从未象现

42、在感到惶惑过。我叫它作小说，只是因为除了小说之外，想不出能称它作什么。故事几乎没有可述的，结局既不是死，也不是结婚。2. omitting the articleThe article is the hallmark of English nouns. When translated into Chinese, it is usually omitted except when the infinite article is intended to indicate the numeral “one”, or “a certain”.e.g.n1) The moon was slowly ri

43、sing above the sea. n月亮慢慢从海上升起。n2) The direction of a force can be represented by an arrow.n力的方向可以用箭头表示。3. omitting the prepositionChinese is characterized by its succinctness and the preposition appears less frequently in Chinese than in English, and therefore omission of prepositions is a common p

44、ractice in English-Chinese translation.n1) Smoking is prohibited in public places.n公共场所不准吸烟。n2) The difference between the two machines consists in power.n这两台机器的差别在于功率不同。.4. omitting the conjunctionChinese is considered an analytic language and many conjunctions that are indispensable in English may

45、 seem redundant in Chinese. Therefore, omission of the conjunction is a common practice in E-C translation.e.g.n1) He looked gloomy and troubled.n他看上去有些忧愁不安。n2) If I had known it, I would not have joined in.n早知如此，我就不参加了。n3) Like charges repel each other while opposite charges attract.n同性电荷相斥，异性电荷相吸。

46、5. omitting the verbAs Chinese is a language of parataxis(意合连接), its grammar is not so strict as that of English, and predicative verbs(谓语动词)in Chinese sometimes may be omitted.n1)When the pressure gets low, the boiling point becomes low.n气压低，沸点就低。n2) Solids expand and contract as liquids and gases

47、do.n如同液体和气体一样，固体也能膨胀和收缩。6. omitting the impersonal “it”nThis often occurs when “it” is meaningless or empty.n1) Outside it was pitch-dark and it was raining cats and dogs.n外面一团漆黑，大雨倾盆。n2) It was not until the middle of the 19th century that the blast furnace came into use.n直到19世纪中叶，高炉才开始使用。IV. Omiss

48、ion in Chinese-English TranslationOmission as a translation technique is also used in C-E translation, and in most cases it is used to avoid unnecessary repetition. Omission in C-E translation is generally employed in three circumstances: 1) redundant words; 2) the original Chinese meaning that has

49、already been implied in the context of the English version; 3) the original meaning obviously shown in the English version without further elaboration. 1. omitting redundant wordsn1) 我已经提前完成了交给我的工作，他也提前完成了交给他的工作。nI have fulfilled my assigned work ahead of schedule, so has he.n2) 匪军所至，杀戮人民，奸淫妇女，焚毁村庄，

50、掠夺财物，无所不用其极。nWherever they (the bandit troops) went, they massacred and raped, burned and looted, and stopped at nothing. 2. omitting words of conceptual categorynSometimes, omission is used in C-E translation when the original Chinese indicates not a specific case but a conceptual category, especia

51、lly such nouns as “任务、工作、情况、问题、事业、局面” and so on. e.g.n1) 他在我不知道的情况下私自拿走了那东西。nHe took it away without my knowledge.n2) 要加快建立城市贫困居民的最低生活保障制度。nWe should accelerate the establishment of a minimum standard of living for impoverished urban residents. 3. Omitting Meticulous(过于详过于详细的细的) DescriptionOccasionally, omission is used for the sake of simplification, especially when the original Chinese is too meticulous in description. n1) 200公里航道上遍布着无数险滩。险滩上江流汹涌，回旋激荡，水击礁石，浪花飞溅，声如雷鸣。nNumerous shoals scattered o