名词的译法

4.1　名词的译法

【译技自测】

学习本节之前，请先指出下列译文中的失误并修改。

1.Pigs are a gamble this year．

［原译］今年，猪是赌博。

2.Exotic pets are the latest status symbol．

［原译］珍禽异兽是最新的地位象征。

3.He was a paradox—a loner who loved to chat to strangers．

［原译］他是个矛盾人物——一个喜欢与陌生人闲聊的孤僻的人。

4.His industry，perseverance and determination ultimately brought him a rich harvest．

［原译］他的勤奋、坚持和毅力终于带给他丰富的收获。

5.If the retired people do not have pension big enough to live on，their children in the sandwich generation will have to bear the financial burden longer．

［原译］退休人员如果没有足够的退休金来维持生计，他们在三明治一代的子女将不得不承担更长时间的经济负担。

英语“抽象名词(或一些普通名词)+动词”的句型常常见于论说体裁和科技文体中，句法简洁洗练，信息包容量大，是英语造句的一大优势。译成汉语往往需要扩展成短语或句子，而且位置也应做很大的调整。可以有以下几种译法。

4.1.1　译为条件或时间状语

【译例欣赏】

【例1】Further delay would cause us greater losses．

［译文］我们如果再耽搁，将会蒙受更大的损失。

【例2】Foresight now tells us that travel to Mars is not impossible．

［译文］如果我们把眼光放得远些，我们就可知将来前往火星旅行不无可能。

【例3】A little forethought would have saved you much trouble afterwards．

［译文］你如果事先略作盘算，后来也不至于有那么多的麻烦了。

【例4】The high risk of injection puts a premium on the use of sterile needles．

［译文］由于注射时受感染的风险大，无菌注射针的使用受到了重视。

【例5】A man of less courage would not have dared to work inside enemy headquarters．

［译文］如果换一个勇气不足的人，就不敢在敌人心脏里工作。

【例6】Shortly after the family's move to Lime Rock，paralysis disabled Captain Lewis．

［译文］刘易斯一家搬到莱姆洛克后不久，刘易斯中尉就因中风而瘫痪了。

【例7】A stone dropped from its outer edge would have fallen sheer downward one thousand feet to the tops of the pines．

［译文］如果有一块石头从边缘处掉下去，会正好落到下面一千英尺处的松树顶上。

【例8】The May Fourth Movement of 1919 saw the beginning of the “New Redology”，represented by scholars such as Hu Shi and Yu Pingbo．

［译文］1919年五四运动以后，开始了“新红学”时代，代表人物有胡适、俞平伯等这样一些学者。

4.1.2　译为短句或短语

【译例欣赏】

【例1】Some say fear and caution are now a part of their daily routine．

［译文］有人说，现在总是提心吊胆地过日子。

【例2】It was an excellent site，its remoteness effectively masking its activity．

［译文］这是一个相当不错的地方。它地处边陲，人们不易了解其中的活动。

【例3】Energy can neither be created nor destroyed，a universally accepted law．

［译文］能量既不能创造也不能被消灭，这是一条普遍公认的规律。

【例4】He shook his head and his eyes were wide，then narrowed in indignation．

［译文］他摇了摇头，两目圆睁，接着又眯成一条线，脸上露出了愤怒的神色。

【例5】They were at home in the home of the people，moving confidently without fear．

［译文］他们在群众家里感到自在，行动时心里踏实，无忧无虑。

【例6】The youth cult of the 1960s is fast giving way to an older and more settled lifestyle．

［译文］20世纪60年代盛行的青年至上风气现在正在迅速衰退，代之而起的是一种较为老练、安定的生活方式。

【例7】The prospect of the collapse of the public manners is not merely a matter of etiquette.Society's first concern will remain major crime，but a foretaste of the seriousness of incivility is suggested by what has been happening in Houston．

［译文］人们期望，不要把公共礼貌之沦丧仅仅看成是礼仪的问题。社会首先关注的当然还是重大犯罪，但休斯顿的不文明现象已经使这座城市预感到这一问题的严重性了。

【例8】Much of the historical splendour of China strains the imagination of Western people:its expanse，its cultural diversity，the length of its history，the beautiful objects produced thousands of years ago with a technology that still makes the experts gasp．

［译文］中国历史上的许多辉煌成就令西方人心驰神往:其内容博大精深，其文化多姿多彩，其历史悠长久远，它在数千年之前在制作众多极品中所使用的精湛技艺至今还令专家们惊叹不已。

【例9】The man in the street scarcely realizes that many forms of business，some major industries，and one or two minor professions could be completely abolished without gravely injuring American society;whereas the disappearance—or even what we see in some quarters，the continuous neglect and degradation—of the teaching profession must mean a disaster to the entire nation．

［译文］在美国，许多行业可以完全停业，某些主要工业可以废除，一两个次要职业也可以完全取消，而不至于严重影响到美国社会;但如果没有教师这一职业，或者像在某些地区那样，教育事业长期未受重视，因而每况愈下，那么就整个国家而言，必将是一场灾难。关于这一点，一般人是很少认识到的。

4.1.3　化“虚”为“实”

英语中许多抽象名词译成汉语时都需增加范畴词或引申为具体指谓，即化“虚”为“实”。

【译例分析】

【例1】She is Tsinghua vintage of 1966．

［译文］她是清华大学1966届毕业生。

［分析］“vintage”的意思是“葡萄酒产量”、“一批产品或同期产生的人物”，这里化“虚”为“实”，译为“毕业生”。

【例2】The hard facts have shown the objectivity and correctness of the report．

［译文］铁一般的事实证明了这一报道是客观而正确的。

［分析］句中有两个抽象名词“objectivity”和“correctness”，可翻译成名词“客观性”和“准确性”，但是在这个句子中将它们翻译成形容词显然更符合汉语习惯。

【例3】I questioned the feasibility and effectiveness of this kind of management．

［译文］我对这种管理方式是否可行、是否有效表示怀疑。

［分析］句中两个抽象名词“feasibility”和“effectiveness”共同担任谓语动词“question”的宾语，按汉语表达习惯，应分别增译范畴词，否则译文不够地道。试比较“我怀疑这种管理的可行性和有效性”，可以接受，但不够自然。

【例4】There is more to their life than political and social and economic problems;more than transient everydayness．

［译文］他们的生活远不止那些政治的、社会的和经济的问题，远不止一时的柴米油盐问题。

［分析］这里把“everydayness”译为“柴米油盐”，是化“虚”为“实”的一个比较突出的例子。类似的还有“mindlessness(思想上的混浊状态)”，“togetherness(不分彼此的亲近感)”，“oneness(融为一体的状态)”，等等。

【译例欣赏】

【例1】What they wanted most was an end of uncertainties．

［译文］那时他们最渴望的就是结束这摇摆不定的局面。

【例2】The sight of his native place called back his childhood．

［译文］见到自己的故乡，他想起了童年的情景。

【例3】This is the day for our two peoples to rise to the heights of greatness which can build a new and a better world．

［译文］现在该是我们两国人民为缔造一个崭新的、更加美好的世界而攀登这一伟大境界高峰的时候了。

4.1.4　化“实”为“虚”

所谓化“实”为“虚”，就是把具体的事物或描述变成抽象化的意思，这也是翻译英语名词时常用的一个方法。英文实说一个意思有时说得非常具体，而汉语又没有类似的具体说法，如勉强照译便可能使读者不得要领，甚至歪曲原意。如能从虚处着眼译成模糊一些的虚说，反而能使原意表达得清晰一些。这就是模糊语言在翻译中的运用。

【译例分析】

【例1】He is a bright student floundering because of poor study habits．

［译文］他是一个聪明的学生，但因学习习惯不良而学得很吃力。

［分析］“flounder”是“挣扎，踉跄，肢体乱动”的意思。这里显然不能这样“实译”出来。

【例2】Electric power became the servant of man only after the motor was invented．

［译文］发动机发明之后，电才开始造福于人类。

［分析］试比较:“发动机发明以后，电才变成人类的仆人。”这样实译显然可读性较差。

【例3】The canal had been built by rule of thumb by engineers who had no blueprints to guide them．

［译文］运河是工程师们土法上马建成的，当时他们没有图纸可以参照。

［分析］“by rule of thumb”译成笼统的“土法上马”是恰当的。

【例4】The professor's scholarly paper published in the authoritative paper has extraordinary depth and solidity．

［译文］这位教授发表在该权威刊物上的学术论文立意极深，内容特别充实。

［分析］“depth”的表面意思是“深度”，这里作“虚”化处理，译为“立意极深”，“solidity”的字面意思是“坚固”，这里译为“内容充实”，从而保证了译文的流畅。

【译文改进】

1.There is a mixture of the tiger and the ape in his character．

［原译］他的性格是老虎与猿猴的混合物。

2.His preoccupation with business left little time for his family．

［原译］他全神贯注于事业，为他的家庭留下了很少的时间。

3.Failure to answer half the questions they asked made the police suspect him．

［原译］未能回答他们所问问题的一半，使警察起了疑心。

4.Nepal's wide range of topographies support similarly broad cultural variations．

［原译］尼泊尔广泛的地貌特征支持同样宽广的文化多样性。

5.The barbed shaft of love had penetrated his dull hide.Six weeks—affection—opportunity—had victimized him completely．

［原译］爱情的带刺的箭头终于把他的厚皮射穿了。六周时间的亲近和机会使他完全牺牲了。

6.The isolation of the rural world because of distance and the lack of transport facilities is compounded by the paucity of the information media．

［原译］农村社会因为距离所产生的隔绝以及缺乏交通工具，被通信工具的不足混合起来。

7.The fallacy of detente was that it led Americans to expect too much，too soon.Little steps，not giant strides，may in the long run be more effective．

［原译］“缓和”的谬误是它引起美国人寄予它的期望过大、过快。小步，而不是大步，从长远来看，可能会更加有效。

8.The inability to satisfy those expectations will mean increased social tensions，especially where the regimes are already a byword for corruption and instability．

［原译］不能够满足这些期望，将意味着社会形势越来越紧张，尤其是在那些腐化和动荡已经成为政权绰号的国家里。

【译技提高】

(一)请按提示翻译下列各句。

1.Their success is problematic．

［提示］从全句语境出发，把“Their success”译为句子。

2.That hasn't happened in living memory．

［提示］把“living memory”综合在一起考虑，“living”可译为名词，“memory”可译为动词。

3.This explanation strained my credulity too far．

［提示］此处的“credulity”应放在语境之中综合考虑，不应拘泥于其名词词性。

4.His wife served him a steady diet of complaints．

［提示］这里的“a steady diet of complaints”译时不宜译为名词结构，而应译为动词词组。

5.Time consecrates:what is gray with age becomes religion．

［提示］此处“religion”可译为短句或动宾结构。

6.Handicap on British business was the innumeracy of the population．

［提示］这里的“Handicap”是“障碍”的意思，宜改变词性，译为“阻碍……发展的不利因素”。

7.The war was a paradigm of the evil and destructive side of human nature．

［提示］把“paradigm”译为动词。

8.A dramatic change of U.S.policy in the horn of Africa would create problem in Washington's relation with Ethiopia．

［提示］“a dramatic change”译为条件状语从句，会更通顺一些。

9.A resurgent American economy would do more to restore the confidence of the world in its own future than anything else we can do．

［提示］“A resurgent American economy”宜译为条件状语从句。

10.Eating too much will not make you healthier;on the contrary，too much food—especially fatty food—will do you harm.Therefore，dieting is preferable．

［提示］“too much food—especially fatty food”宜译为动词词组。如译为“太多的食物——特别是含脂肪多的食物”就不会很自然地与后面的动词搭配起来。

(二)翻译以下篇章。

What is it that we mean by literature? Popularly，and amongst the thoughtless，it is held to include everything that is printed in a book.Little logic is required to disturb that definition.The most thoughtless person is easily made aware that in the idea of literature one essential element is some relation to a general and common interest of man—so that what applies only to a local，or professional，or merely personal interest，even though presenting itself in the shape of a book，will not belong to Literature.So far the definition is easily narrowed;and it is as easily expanded.For not only is much that takes a station in books not literature;but inversely，much that really is literature never reaches a station in books.The weekly sermons of Christendom，that vast pulpit literature which acts so extensively upon the popular mind—to warn，to uphold，to renew，to comfort，to alarm—does not attain the sanctuary of libraries in the tenthousandth part of its extent.The Drama again—as，for instance，the finest of Shakespeare's plays in England，and all leading Athenian plays in the noontide of the Attic stage—operated as a literature on the public mind，and were(according to the strictest letter of that term)published through the audiences that witnessed their representation some time before they were published as things to be read;and they were published in this scenical mode of publication with much more effect than they could have had as books during ages of costly copying or of costly printing．