翻译经验和技巧:剖析翻译中的"望文生义"

作者:秩名 2014-09-09 14:54

北京天译时代语言培训公司为广大考生整理“翻译经验和技巧”,希望对大家有所帮助,祝大家备考顺利!......

  北京天译时代语言培训公司为广大考生整理“翻译经验和技巧”,希望对大家有所帮助,祝大家备考顺利!
  在错误中有相当一部分是因为望文生义。如译者认真严肃对待,许多错误是可以避免的。例如:white wine 不是"白酒"(白酒应属spirits 这一类)而是"白葡萄酒";short drink 不是"少量酒"而是"浓酒";相反long drink 不是"大量酒"而是"较淡的酒"。The old parts will no longer be supplied 中的no longer 不是指"时间不长",而是指"旧零件将不再供应"。That's not half bad 不是指"那不太好"而是指"那一点也不坏"或"那好极了!";She did not marry him because she loved him 不是指"她没有和他结婚,因为她爱他,"而是指"她并不是因为爱他才和他结婚",如此等等。
  再以科技词汇中的top为例: top pressure (最高压力),top speed (最大速度),top science (尖端科学),top gear (高速档齿轮)中top的含义,作为修饰词或形容词,是一目了然的。但是下面复合词中的top并无"高、大"等含义;topmast(中桅)和topsail (中桅帆),在这里top一词不是形容词而是名词("桅楼"),与另一名词构成一个专用词汇。另外,top overhaul(中修)一词因是overhaul的修饰语,容易以为是"大修"(实际上overhaul与complete, thorough 和general联用时才有全部、彻底、普遍之意,成为"大修"),其实是"初步检修"(见《英华大词典》)。
  这种望文生义、似是而非,貌合神离的现象可概括为"想当然"(英语中称之为take it for granted ),是翻译者的大忌。其产生的原因是复杂而多方面的,现大致归纳如下六个方面,即:一、语法结构理解不当;二、词义理解不当;三、缺乏背景知识;四、缺乏专业知识;五、习惯势力影响;六、疏忽大意。
  一、语法结构理解不当
  译者对语法结构理解不当,如分不清词性、指代关系以及句型等,就会直接造成误译。
  1. Magnetic fields of the former kind are geerally about a million times weaker than the Earth's field ,whereas those originating from the traveling signals of nerve cells are even weaker, some hundred million times less than the earth's field at their strongest.
  [原译]前一类磁场通常只有地球磁场的一百万分之一左右,而由神经细胞传播的信号产生的磁场则更弱,最强的时候也只有地球磁场的几亿分之一。
  [分析]此处some 不是形容词(或称determiner限定词),而是副词,经常用在数词之前,相当于about"大约",如There were some 40 or50 peop0le there.故some hundred million 应译成"约一亿"。
  [正译]......只有地球磁场的约一亿分之一。
  2. Now Jeffreys points out that, if a number of observations have been found to conform to a law, it is highly probable that next one will do so whether the law is true or not.
  [误译]现在杰佛利指出,如果已获得大量的观察资料与一条法则一致,非常可能下一条法则也将如此,不管该法则正确与否。
  [分析]此句的代词one,它指代observation而不是law,否则变成"法则与法则相一致",这在逻辑上也自相矛盾。
  [正译]......非常可以下一次观察也与该法则相一致,不管它正确与否。
  二、词义理解不当
  英语词汇中一词多义的情况是相当多的,如"只知其一,不知其二",就会造成错误理解。勤查和细查词典(包括用英语解释英语的英英词典)才能避免;所谓勤查是多查几本词典,所谓细查是从头到尾地查阅,不厌其烦,才能扩大视野,并找到合适的词义。
  1. For the balance of the section, let's speak in straightforward and elementary terms to describe the function and form of the electronic computer.
  [误译]为使这一节平衡起见,我们将用简单明了的术语来描述这种电子计算机的功能和形式。
  [分析]在《朗文当代英语词典》balance词条下可查到money or something else which remains or is left over,又见例句:May I take the balance of my holidays before the end of September ?
  [正译]在本节的其余部分,我们将用简单明了的术语来描述这种电子计算机的功能和形式。
  2. We have a sales force at present of twenty-four salesmen of the road, each with his own territory.
  [误译]目前我们有一支由20名外勤推销员组成的推销队正在途中,每人都有他们自己的推销领域。
  [分析]在商业英语中on the road =away from home use,in regular travel on business esp. as a traveling salesman (Webster's Third New International Dictionary of the English Language) ,故salesmen on the road 作"外勤推销员"解。
  [正译]目前我们有一支由24名外勤推销员组成的推销队伍,每人有自己的推销地盘。
  3. Sleeping late on weekends can also disrupt your circadian rhythm.
  [误译]周末迟睡也会打乱人体的日夜周期。
  [分析]此句sleeping late误译为"迟睡"即"睡得晚","晚睡"),实际上它表示"起得晚"或"睡懒觉"。《从中式英语到英语》的作者Janet Adams 写道:"Remember that sleep late means to get up late and not go to bed late.
  [正译]周末睡懒觉也会打乱人体的日夜周期。
  三、缺乏专业知识
  科技翻译往往涉及众多领域,各种专业,为了提高翻译质量,译者不仅要熟练掌握英汉两门语言,而且也应具有一定的专业知识的素养。隔行如隔山,每个专业都有各自一套术语。
  1. By the age of 19 Gauss had discovered for himself and proved a remarkable theorem in number theory known as the law of quadratic reciprocity.
  [误译]高斯十九岁已经独立地发现并证明了数理定理——二次互反律。
  [分析]将number theory 误为"数理",系不了解专业所致,其实它在数学上是指"数论",与"数理"是两个不同的概念。
  [正译]......并证明了数论中的一个卓越定理,名谓二次互反律。
  2. Designed to predict the motions of heavenly bodies ,it does its job with unbelievable accuracy--better than one in a hundred million for the motion of the earth around the sun--and it remains in daily use to predict the orbits of moons and planets ,comets and spacecraft.
  [误译]这个旨在预测天体运行的理论,其准确性令人难以置信--以地球绕太阳运转为例,其误差仅略大于一亿分之一,并且时至今日仍然每日要用它来预测卫星和行星、慧星和航天器的运行轨道。
  [分析]原文并无"仅略"的含义,应删去。Better than 修饰accuracy,意为"准确度胜于"或"比......更为准确",即"误差小于"。
  [正译]......,其误差小于一亿分之一,......
  3. When allowance is made for the separate auxiliary load the consumption can rise to nearly 1 Ib/SHP hour and this is generally about 20% better than the overall fuel consumption of a steam plant at cruising speed.
  [误译]当考虑分开的辅机负荷时,其耗油率几乎能增加到1磅/轴马力小时,一般来说比蒸汽装置的巡航总油耗大约多20%。
  [分析]此处better than 用来修饰"油耗"时必然指油耗低,而不是指油耗高。

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