翻译的技巧
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贰 由构造来分的造句

(1)用单句来翻译

所谓单句,英文叫作Simple Sentence,是在一个句子中,只包含得有一个主语和一个述语的,例如


Birds sing.(鸟鸣。)

What have you been doing?(你在做什么?)

What beautiful hair that little girl has!(那小女孩有多么美丽的头发呀!)


单句并不一定是很短的,有时因为修饰语加多了,也可以把句子拉得很长,现举几个例子如下:


Nearly all the boys in this class go somewhere for the summer.(几乎班上所有的学生都要到什么地方去过暑假。)

They saw a burning house,standing a little distance from the road,with some stately fir-trees in the foreground.(他们见到离开大路不远的地方,有一幢房子起火了。在那房子前面长得有一排森森的枞树。)

Caught in a shower on his way to his house in Lloyd Road,a tall English gentleman,a teacher of English in one of the most flourshing private schools in Singapore,began running,with some books under his arm,in order to catch a bus going at full speed about twenty yards ahead of him.(一个身材高大的英国人,是新加坡顶发达的一间私立学校的英文教员,在回返劳益路他的住宅去的途中,遇到了骤雨,他手臂下夹着几本书,开始向前跑,想去搭乘在他二十码光景前面以全速力在开行的那辆巴士车。)


我们由中文翻译英文的时候,应运用英文各种惯用的句法,采取各种不同的方式,即以单句而论,也是有许多方式可以用来把句子扩大的:(一)用补语的,(二)用宾语的,(三)用形容词或副词的,(四)用动词片语的,(五)用独立片语的,(六)用副词片语的,(七)用介词片语的,(八)用名词片语的,(九)用代名词片语的,(十)用分词片语的。所以在主语和述语以外,还可以增加许许多多的字句,因为上述十种方式,并不限于一句只许用一种,我们同时可以用上好几种,如上举最后的一个例句,caught in a shower是分词片语,a tall English是形容词,a teacher of English是同格名词,running是宾语,with some books under his arm是副词片语,in order to catch a bus是介词片语,going at full speed是形容词片语等等,所以原来只有主语gentleman和述语began两个字,现却拉长到五十五个字了。

(一)用补语的

不完全的动词必须有补语,才能使句子表达出一个完全的意念来。自动词用主格补语,他动词用宾格补语。

(a)主格补语


他看去很年轻。

He looks young.

华盛顿小时是一个好孩子。

Washington was a good boy.

中国是要养儿防老的。

In China a son should be the staff of his parents’ old age.


(b)宾格补语


人民选举他做总统。

People elected him president.

他使国家富强了。

He made his country wealthy and powerful.


(二)用宾语的

英文的他动词是要加上宾语才能成句的。用宾语的句子可分下列六种译法:

(a)用一个宾语


除你以外我没有朋友。

I have no friend but you.

天生丽质。

Nature has molded her form and features with masterly touch.


(b)用两个宾语


那老人讲一些有趣的故事给我们听。

That old man tells us amusing stories.

一磅烟丝只够他吸两个礼拜。

A pound of tobacco only lasts him a fortnight.


(c)用表结果的宾语(Object of Result)


她点燃了一把火。

She lights a fire.

他在木板上钻了一个洞。

He bores a hole in the plank.

我在那上面画了一朵花。

I painted a flower on it.


(d)用同系宾语(Cognate Object)


他发出了一声短促的苦笑。

He laughed a little short ugly laugh.

他过着一种凄凉寂寞的生活。

He is living a sad and lonely life.


(e)用反身宾语(Reflexive Object)


他在晚会上感到很快乐。

He enjoyed himself at the party.

你应利用图书馆的书。

You should avail yourself of the books in the library.


(f)用保留宾语(Retained Object)

凡有间接和直接两个宾语的文句,如由主动改为被动时,通常有两种说法,即每次只能用一个宾语,间接的或直接的,作为主语,其未用作主语的,就称为保留宾语,如


我给了那孩子一支自来水笔。

I gave the boy a fountain pen.


如将上句改为被动时态,则有下列两种形式:


The boy was given a fountain pen by me.

A fountain pen was given the boy by me.


(三)用形容词或副词的

(A)用形容词的,又可分为(a)叙述的用法,(b)限定的用法,(c)名词的用法,(d)副词的用法,(e)同格的用法五种译法。

(a)叙述的用法(Predicative Use)


这朵玫瑰花是红的。

This rose is red.

他对那结果感到满意。

He was content with the result.(Cf. contented)

这不值得那样麻烦。

It is not worth the trouble.(Cf. worthy)


专限于叙述用法的形容词有:ill(Cf. sick),well(Cf. healthy),glad,sorry,exempt等,其他还有以“a-”开头的字,如alone,asleep,awake,afraid,alike,ashamed,akin等,例如:He was fast asleep.(熟睡)也多半只有叙述用法。

(b)限定的用法(Attributive Use)


这是一朵红玫瑰花。

This is a red rose.

知足常乐。

A contented person is happy with his status quo.

他找到一个敢于和他相抗的敌人。

He found a worthy enemy.

儿童教育必须由所能聘到的最好的教师来施行。

The education of children must be conducted by the best D instructors.

没有一件伟大的事不是由热忱来做成的。

Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm.(Emerson)


(c)名词的用法(Noun Use)


他有审美的眼光。

He has an eye for the beautiful.

阔人也有他们的苦恼。

The rich have their troubles too.

级长阻止强者欺侮弱者。

The monitors hinder the strong from bullying the weak.

她是一个俗气的富婆。

She’s one of the vulgar rich.(Gissing)

他对周围老少的人群投以一瞥。

He cast a look at the crowd of old and young about him.(对称时可略去冠词)


(d)副词的用法(Adverbial Use)


他们平安到达了。

They arrived safe.( = They were safe when they arrived. 句中的safe为补语)

红颜薄命。

He died young.( = He was young when he died. 句中的young为补语)

我很想对你做得诚实一点。

I want to act honest with you.

看得轻松一点吧。

Take it easy.

我大为吓到了。

I’m awful frightened.

那会很合我的式。

That will suit me fine.


(e)同格的用法(Appositive Use)


一个饥饿疲惫的猎户睡在床上。

A hunter,hungry and exhausted,slept on the bed.

他又忧伤又疲倦,慢慢地走回家去了。

Sad and weary,he slowly walked home.

他老是神经过敏,这时尤其如此。

Always sensitive,he was especially so at this moment.(Gissing)

她的面貌虽不难看却很平凡。

Her features,though not plain,were insignificant.(Austen)

仍然是绿的叶子被风吹得从灌木篱笆上飘落下来。

The leaves,still green,were tossed off the hedgerow trees by the wind.


(B)用副词的,又可分为(a)修饰动词、形容词或其他副词,(b)修饰名词或代名词,(c)修饰副词片语,(d)修饰全句,(e)作形容词用,(f)作名词用,(g)作补语用七种译法。

(a)修饰动词、形容词或其他副词:


她听了那笑话开心地大笑。

She laughed heartily at the joke.

我现在已准备好了。

I am ready now.

她英语说得非常好。

She speaks English remarkably well.


(b)修饰名词或代名词:


这事小孩子也能做。

Even a child can do it.

圣人也不免有过。

Even Homer sometimes nods.

只有你能猜。

Only you can guess.

已有大批人聚集在那里了。

Quite a crowd had already gathered there.

唯有约翰知道这事。

John alone knows about it.

你还要什么?

What else do you want?

我也有烦心的事。

I,too,have troubles.


(c)修饰副词片语:


我们及时到达。

We arrived just in time.

我在战争结束后随即来到新加坡。

I came to Singapore soon after the war.

正十时关大门。

The gate is shut exactly at 10 o’clock.

他差不多快渡过河去了。

He is almost across the river.

他旅行了世界一周。

He has traveled entirely around the world.


(d)修饰全句:


简单地说,事实就是这样。

Briefly the facts are these.

很幸运地我去时他正在家。

Fortunately I found him at home.

确实你是错了。

Certainly you are in the wrong.

他愚笨地把那鹅杀了。

He foolishly killed the goose.

那真是一个好计划。

That is an excellent plan indeed.


(e)作形容词用:


这是下行车吗?

Is this a down train?

在那边那位绅士是他的父亲。

That gentleman there is his father.

我在归途中遇到了他。

I met him on my way back.

从这件事产生的不愉快情形,和吃了大肉的早餐,可能就是他对一般世界失去希望的原因吧。

The unpleasant circumstances resulting from this together with heavy meat breakfasts,may probably have contributed to his desponding views of the world generally.(Eliot)

他一切都完了。

All is over with him.

我们一定要想办法赶走这些苍蝇。

We must do something to keep the flies off.

他把袜子穿反了。

He put on his socks wrong side out.


(f)作名词用:


从这儿去有多远?

How far is it from here

今天是我生日。

Today is my birthday.

那个描写了人生的浮沉。

It described the ups and downs of life.


(g)作补语用:


火熄灭了。

The fire is out.

战争结束了。

The war is over.

蔷薇开了。

The roses are out.( = open)

幕已揭开。

The curtain was up.


(四)用动词片语的

英文动词除单字(如come等)及群字(如will come或will have come等)外,还有动词片语(verb phrase),那是动词和其他词类,尤其是名词,结合而成的一种片语,常另具特殊意义,所以我们特别列成一项,来供翻译时采用。


你不应该拿你小弟弟们来开玩笑。

You should not make fun of your little brothers.

明天市公会堂要举行音乐会。

A concert is to take place at the town hall tomorrow.

我们没有钱就生活不了。

We cannot get along without money.

他赶不上班。

He couldn’t keep up with the class.

我期待着你的回信。

I look forward to receiving your reply.

你必得把所作的决定重新加以考虑。

You must think better of your resolution.

我规定在晚饭前出外散步一回。

I make a point of taking a walk before supper.

我不作弄天真老实的人。

I don’t play a trick on innocent people.

他的脚有什么毛病。

He has something the matter with his foot.

我和那件事没有关系。

I have nothing to do with the matter.


(五)用独立片语的

独立片语有三种,有用独立不定词构成的,有用独立分词构成的,有用独立介词构成的。兹分别采用翻译如下:

(a)独立不定词。这是用来修饰全句的。从文法上讲,它和主句毫无联系。


老实说,我并不喜欢他。

To tell the truth,I do not like him.

他可谓一部活辞典。

He is,so to speak,a walking dictionary.

使事情更糟的,天又下起雨来了。

To make the matter worse,it began to rain.


此外还有to speak candidly,to be frank with you,to be sue,to return to the subject,to be brief,to make a long story short,strange to say,needless to say等等。

(b)独立分词。这个与主语无任何文法上的关系,其形式有下列三种:

1. 分词前带有意味上的主语的


太阳落山,孩子们回家去了。

The sun having set,the children went home.

有他在此,便无危险。

He being here,there is no danger.

工作做完,他们就回家了。

The work done,they left for home.

春天来了,我们到公园去散步。

Spring coming on,we go to gardens to take a walk.

他是我的长辈,我应当尊敬他。

He being my elder,I should respect him.


2. 无人称的独立分词


严格地说,他并不算一个爱国者。

Strictly speaking,he is not a patriot.

以他的年龄而论,他是够聪明的了。

Considering his age,he is very clever.

从各方面来考虑,他的命运是幸福的。

Taking all things into consideration,his lot is a happy one.


其他如judging from,talking of,等皆是。3.由with引导的独立分词


那小妇人慢慢前进,眼睛恶意地盯在那张粉红色的纸上。

The little woman advanced slowly with her eyes fixed malevolently on the pink paper.(Wells)

这个小村庄是位于平坦雄伟的牧场和麦田的中央,前有一列白杨树在风中摇曳。

This little village was set midst flat breadths of pasture and corn-lands,with long lines of poplars on the foreground bending in the wind.


(c)由表感情上之结果(resulting emotion)的“to”所引导的独立片语。


使我喜慰的,我发觉他还活着。

To my joy,I found him alive.

使我吃惊的,他居然把一切都说出来了。

To my surprise,he confessed everything.

使我失望的,他竟不同意我的计划。

To my disappointment,he did not consent to my plan.

使我满意的,是他终于解决了那个问题。

To my satisfaction,he has solved the problem at last.

使他悲伤的,他知道他父亲去世了。

To his sorrow,he learned that his father was dead.


(六)用副词片语的


当心地写。

Write it with care.

天黑了,我们才回家。

We came home after dark.

他现在住在本村。

He lives in this village at present.

亲切地对待他。

Treat him with kindness.( = kindly)

我出外散步去了。

I went out for a walk.

他们匆匆回家了。

They went home in a hurry.

我们努力用功以求考取。

We work hard to pass the examination.

这本书太难懂。

This book is too difficult to understand.


(七)用介词片语的

介词片语有两种形式皆可用来翻译。一种是介词片语(preposition phrase),另一种是介词的片语(prepositional phrase)。所谓介词片语是一个名词或形容词前后都有介词而构成的片语,如by means of,on account of,at the mercy of,for the purpose of,in return for,in respect to,in love with等等,而所谓介词的片语,则为介词加名词。其中的名词实为那个介词的宾语,如of diligence,in my hand,with pleasure等等,其功用可修饰名词,有时也可修饰动词。

(a)介词片语


他因生病,所以没有来。

He did not come on account of illness.

他们远赴台湾。

They went as far as Formosa.

贾克由于不屈不挠的精神而获得成功。

Jack succeeded by dint of perseverance.

思想由言语表达。

Thoughts are expressed by means of words.

旅人以驴代马。

The traveller is using an ass as a substitute for a horse.

他和她结婚是看上了她的财产。

He married her with an eye to her fortune.

我喜欢小黑(狗名),是因为它的头脑好。

I love Blackie for the sake of his sense.

他想要建房子,所以买了一块地皮。

He has bought a piece of land with a view to building a house.


(b)介词的片语


一个品行优良的人受人尊敬。

A man of good character is to be respected.


凡of + abstract noun = adjective,of use = useful,of diligence = diligent,of freedom = free,of security = secure,of importance = important,of wisdom = wise,of kindness = kind,of beauty = beautiful等等。


苹果放在篮子里。

The apples are in the basket.

国王死后政府改变了很多。

After the king’s death,many changed were made in the government.

玛丽对他那样不客气使我感到羞辱。

I am mortified by Mary’s treating him so unkindly.

那个大建筑工程已经开始五年了。

The great structure has been under construction about five years.

他的语言教授法是最新式的。

He is very up to date in his methods of language teaching.

我们吃点鹿肉换个口味。

Let us have venison for a change.

一个健康的人一般都是乐天的。

A healthy man,as a general rule,is optimistic.


(八)用名词片语的

凡作名词用的片语,便是名词片语,例如:


他是一个诚实的人。

He is an honest man.

狮为万兽之王。

The lion is the king of beasts.

我喜欢打网球。

I like to play tennis.

我不晓得要怎样办。

I did not know what to do.

教育部批准了他出国深造。

The Ministry of Education has ratified his going abroad for higher studies.

母亲很高兴,他这样快回家。

Mother rejoiced at his coming home so soon.


(九)用代名词片语的


夫妻应当互助。

Husband and wife should help each other.

人们喜欢互殴。

People like to fight one another.


(十)用分词片语的

(a)用现在分词的


在路上走着,我遇见了一个老朋友。

Walking along the street,I met an old friend.

因为疲倦了,他躺下睡一会儿。

Being tired,he lay down to sleep.

用趾尖行走,我蹑足走到了他的背后。

Walking on tiptoe,I approached him behind.

说完这个他递了一封信给我。

Saying this,he handed a letter to me.

向右转弯,你就可看到你要找的屋子。

Turning to the right,you will find the house you are looking for.

他说英语,时常说错。

He often makes mistakes when speaking English.

情侣的时间是很长的,虽则感觉很短。

For lovers’ hours are long,though seeming short.


(b)用过去分词的


划船划得疲倦了,我一定要休息一下。

Fatigued with rowing,I must have a rest.

极其细心建筑出来的这些庙宇,是不容许加以冒渎的。

Built with infinite care,the temples are not allowed to desecrate.


习题6

试用英文单句译出下列各句:

1. 太阳落山了,我们回家去。

2. 忙中有错。

3. 我两年前才认识他的。

4. 请代我谢谢他的礼物。

5. 言归正传,他们当天便结婚了。

6. 以貌取人,失之子羽。

7. 贪爱钱财是万恶之源。

8. 他来看我目的在借钱。

9. 同盟国家互相猜忌。

10. 名誉与金钱无关。

11. 他赚了一大笔钱,他母亲高兴极了。

12. 写完了那封信,我就出去散步了。

13. 他易于满足。

14. 早起三朝当一天。

15. 病从口入。

16. 一寸黄金买不到一寸光阴。

17. 知人知面不知心。

18. 破帽之下多好人。

19. 智慧就在认识机会。

20. 人谁无过。