1.中国传统文化是我们先辈传承下来的丰厚遗产。她无时无刻不在影响今天的中国人,为我们开创新文化提供历史根据和现实基础。传统文化在影响现实的同时,也必然在新时代的氛围中发生蜕变。中国传统文化犹如一条奔腾了五千年的永不干涸的大河,她亦旧亦新,不断吐故纳新,持续创新。
解析:
中国传统文化:traditional Chinese culture;不要写成Chinese traditional culture
先辈:forefather, ancesters
无时无刻不: at the time; constantly;也可以用keep句型
历史根据和现实基础:可以合并翻译为historical and current bases。
传统文化在影响现实的同时:由于前面一直在讲这个话题,所以可简化翻译为at the same time,或者meanwhile
蜕变:翻译为(huge/great) change, transformation即可。
亦旧亦新:比较抽象,可以理解为“中国传统文化既有旧的(元素),又有新的(元素)”
吐故纳新:exhale the old and inhale the new; get rid of the stale and take in the fresh
吐故纳新,持续创新:可以梳理一下二者之间的关系,把“创新”做主要动词,“吐故纳新”作为手段。
参考译文
As a rich heritage passed down from our ancestors, traditional Chinese culture constantly impacts the Chinese people of the present time, underpinning the creation of a new culture with both historical and current bases. At the same time, it inevitably undergoes a dramatic transformation in the context of the new era. Like a river that has been running for 5,000 years and never dries up, traditional Chinese culture has both old and new elements. It keeps renewing itself, embracing the new while getting rid of the stale.
原文(难度★★★★☆)
他们发现无论是潺潺小溪,还是浩荡大河,都一去不复返,流逝之际,青年变成了老翁而绿草转眼就枯黄,很自然有错阴的紧迫感。流逝也许是缓慢的,但无论如何缓慢,对流逝的恐惧使人们必须用“流逝”这个词来时时警戒后人,必须急匆匆地行动,给这个词灌注一种紧张感。

解析
1. 译文时态。纵观全文,主要讲古人对于时间的理解,故采用一般过去时。
2 第一句-断句。按照语义关系,第一句可切割为如下三小句:
他们发现无论是潺潺小溪,还是浩荡大河,都一去不复返//流逝之际,青年变成了老翁而绿草转眼就枯黄//很自然有错阴的紧迫感。//
(1) 潺潺小溪: a small stream; 浩荡大河: a mighty river
(2) 一去不复返: 强调“不复返”,作为主要谓语。一去: once gone;不复返:never return。
(3)流逝之际: As the water flew away
(4) 转眼:考虑前文提到“流逝之际”,已经有表示时间的词语了,因此不宜直译为“in a flash; in the twinkling of an eye”。可以换个说法“before sb. knew it”
(5) 很自然有错阴的紧迫感:这个小句隐含的主语是前面提到的“水流一去不复返、青年变老翁”等,可以用these来指代。“错阴的紧迫感”有两层意思:虚度的时光+紧迫感(虚度的时光造成的紧迫感),可以意译为produced a sense of urgency to make up for lost time, 或reminded them of lost time.
3 第二句-断句。按照语义关系,可切割为如下两小句:
流逝也许是缓慢的//但无论如何缓慢,对流逝的恐惧使人们必须用“流逝”这个词来时时警戒后人,必须急匆匆地行动,给这个词灌注一种紧张感。//
(1) 流逝: lapse (of time) n.&vi.; passage n.; elapse vi.
(2) 必须用“流逝”:“必须”强调“坚持”的含义,故不宜翻译为must,而应该翻译为insist on
(3) 用“流逝”这个词: use the word “lapse”。根据The handbook of good English, “the word” 为累赘词,应该删除。lapse也可以换成elapse/passage,前提是译文前面用了elapse/passage。
(4) 急匆匆地行动:take prompt action; act promptly,不能翻译为in a hurry (匆匆忙忙).
(5) 给这个词灌注一种紧张感:这个小句是前面两个小句的结果,可以使用动词-ing结构作为状语。紧张敢:即“紧迫感”(urgency)。可以翻译为injecting a sense of urgency into the meaning of the word。

参考范文
They discovered that the water of both small streams and mighty rivers, once gone, would never return. As the water flew away, young people grew old, and green grass turned yellow and withered before they knew it. These, naturally, conveyed to them a sense of urgency to make up for lost time. The lapse of time might be slow. But no matter how slow it was, people were so frightened that they insisted on using “lapse (liushi)” to warn future generations to take prompt action, injecting a sense of urgency into the meaning of the word.
原文总览[翻译加下画线部分]
我小的时候特别盼望过年,往往是一过了腊月,就开始掰着指头数日子。对于我们这种焦急的心态,大人们总是发出深沉的感叹,好像他们不但不喜欢过年,而且还惧怕过年。他们的态度令当时的我们感到失望和困惑,现在我完全理解了。
我想长辈们之所以对过年感慨良多,一是因为过年意味着一笔开支,二是飞速流逝的时间对他们构成巨大压力。小孩子可以兴奋地说:过年了,我又长大了一岁;而老人们则叹息:嗨,又老了一岁。过年意味着小孩子正在向自己生命过程中的辉煌时期进步,而对于大人,则意味着正向衰朽的残年滑落。
解析
(1) 我想:这段话一直在强调过年的感慨和原因,“我”不是这段文字的焦点。故将其采用插入语翻译。
(2) 之所以:the reason why + 句子//the reason for + 名词(词组)//the reason + 句子。
(3) 一笔开支:a considerable/huge expense
(4) 飞速流逝的时间: the rapid lapse of time
(5) “过年了,我又长大了一岁”与“嗨,又老了一岁”:单纯字面理解,似乎都可以翻译为“Now I am older by one year.”。但是通读全文,可知原文强调小孩和大人对过年不同的思考角度,因此,翻译需要有所区别。拟分别翻译为I gained one more year!和Alas, I lost another year!(注意时态)
(6) (人生的)辉煌时期:the prime of life
(7) 衰朽的残年:a decrepit old age;declining years【注:部分版本原文为“残念”,疑似打字时出错】
参考范文
There are, I suppose, two reasons why adults tend to have a lot of deep thoughts about celebrating the Chinese New Year. For one thing, the festival meant considerable expense. For another, the rapid lapse of time exerted tremendous pressure on them. Young children could excitedly proclaim, “I gained one more year!” whereas elderly people may sigh, “Alas, I lost another year!” By celebrating the Chinese New Year, young children are marching towards the prime of life, while adults are sliding into a decrepit old age.
翻译原文(翻译下画线部分)
文学书籍起码使我们的内心可以达到这样的三感:善感、敏感和美感。生活不如意时,文学书籍给我们提供了可以达到一种比现实更美好的境界——书里面的水可能比我们现实生活中的水要清,天比我们现实中的天要蓝;现实中没有完美的爱情,但在书里有永恒的《梁山伯与祝英台》和《罗密欧与朱丽叶》。读书,会弥补我们现实生活中所存在的不堪和粗糙。
图片
翻译分析
1. 原文(中文)的一个重要特点就是,反复提到“现实”(3处)、“现实生活”(2处);是否需要一一对应翻译为英文?
(1)由于中文喜欢重复,英文忌讳重复,在翻译成英文过程中,需要变换不同的表达,如in reality, our real life等。
(2)另一种思路,对原文进行整合,化繁为简,合并处理。
2. 现实中没有完美的爱情,但在书里有永恒的《梁山伯与祝英台》和《罗密欧与朱丽叶》:
(1)原文表达不严谨,《梁山伯与祝英台》、《罗密欧与朱丽叶》两个词语既然用了书名号,表示两本书的书名,“书里”怎么会有永恒的其他书呢?作者应该是要表达“书里有永恒的爱情,如梁山伯与祝英台、罗密欧与朱丽叶之间的爱情”。
(2)“现实中没有完美的爱情”与“书里永恒的爱”又是什么关系?作者眼中的“完美的爱情”是不是就是“永恒的爱”?
3. 文学书籍:literary books。
4. 生活不如意时,文学书籍给我们提供了可以达到一种比现实更美好的境界:考虑到后半句的主语是“文学书籍”,因此“生活不如意时”的主语不要使用we。不然会造成主语不一致。
(1)When life doesn’t turn out the way we want it
(2)When life gives us lemons
(3)When life does not unfold itself as we want
(4)When life in reality is not that good
参考答案
When life doesn’t turn out the way we want it, literary books offer us a better spiritual realm to explore: clearer water, bluer skies, and even eternal love like that between Liang Shanbo and Zhu Yingtai and between Romeo and Juliet. In short, books offer a remedy for the unpleasant and the imperfect parts of our real lives.
白洋淀曾有“北国江南”的说法,但村舍的形制自具特色,与江南截然不同。南方多雨,屋顶是坡顶;这里的村舍则不同,屋顶是晒粮食的地方,而且历史上每逢水大洪泛,村民就得把屋里的东西搬到屋顶上。房屋彼此挨得很近,有些屋顶几乎相连。
中文原文比较散,如果照着中文句句对应的翻译,会发现译文不堪卒读。对中文原文进行梳理,找出原文的核心主题:屋顶、村舍。根据主位推进原则,“白洋淀”、“南方”“村民”等不宜作为译文段落中句子的主语。
1. 白洋淀曾有“北国江南”的说法,但村舍的形制自具特色,可以以形制为主语进行译文搭建,将白洋淀曾有“北国江南”的说法作为主语的后置定语。
翻译:The design of people’s houses around Baiyangdian Lake, known as Jiangnan in northern China, is distinctively different from those in areas south of the Yangtze.
2. 南方多雨,屋顶是坡顶;这里的村舍则不同,屋顶是晒粮食的地方,而且历史上每逢水大洪泛,村民就得把屋里的东西搬到屋顶上。依然以“屋顶”为主语,进行南北方对比,前后间连接考虑采用while, whereas连接词。
翻译:Whereas rooftops in rainy south of China are usually a slope, rooftops here are a place to dry harvest, and to keep things transferred from lower floors whenever there was a flood.(不用村民作主语)
3. 房屋彼此挨得很近,有些屋顶几乎相连。为了保持译文主题一致,本句依然采用“屋顶”做主语,“房屋彼此挨得很近”这个原因状语从句采用of结构处理,而不翻译为“because the houses are close to each other”。
翻译:Some rooftops of adjacent houses are almost connected.
1. 白洋淀:Baiyangdian Lake
译法参考:
(1)中国日报http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/a/202203/31/WS6244fd25a310fd2b29e54471.html
(2)人民网 http://en.people.cn/n3/2021/1223/c90000-9936757.html
2. 形制:design;structure
3. 江南:areas south of the Yangtze River;Jiangnan
4. 自具特色,与...截然不同:可以合并翻译为be distinctively different from...
5. 南方多雨:in rainy south of China
6. 晒粮食:dry grain in the sun; dry harvests
7. 历史上:in the past, in history, historically, 也可以采用过去时,直接省译。
8. 挨得很近:adjacent,in proximity,close to,near
The design of people’s houses around Baiyangdian Lake, known as Jiangnan in northern China, is distinctively different from those in areas south of the Yangtze. Whereas rooftops in rainy south of China are usually a slope, rooftops here are a place to dry grains, and to keep things transferred from lower floors whenever there was a flood. Some rooftops of adjacent houses are almost connected.