第二节 翻译与句式文化
句子由词和词组构成,它是可以表达完整含义的语言单位,也是语言运用的基本单位。由于所属语系的不同和思维方式的区别,英汉语言在句式上也表现出显著的差异。以下就对英汉句式文化进行对比分析,并在此基础上说明英汉句式的翻译方法。
一、英汉句式文化对比
(一)形合与意合对比
英汉语言在句法结构上最基本、最主要、最根本的差异可以说就是形合(hypotaxis)与意合(parataxis)的差异。学者奈达认为,从语言学角度来说,汉、英语言之间最重要的区别特征莫过于意合与形合的差别。
形合与意合是语言连词成句的内在依据,其概念有广义与狭义之分。广义上的形合包括显性的语法形态标志和词汇两种形式手段,指一切依借语言形式和形态手段完成句法组合的方式,包括语汇词类标记、词组标记、语法范畴标记、句法项标记、分句与分句之间的句法层级标记、句型标记、句式标记等。而狭义上的形合仅指词汇手段,即语言中词与词、句与句的结合主要凭借关系词和连接词等显性手段。
广义上的意合指不借助形式手段来体现词语之间或句子之间的意义或逻辑关系,而狭义上的意合只指句子层次上的语义或逻辑关系。
许多专家和学者都指出,英语属于形合特征明显的语言,汉语属于意合特征明显的语言。但实际上,语言并没有完全的形合与意合之分,只是一种语言更侧重于某一方而已。
英语注重形合,所以造句时十分重视形式的接应,要求句子结构完整,而且句子以形寓意,以法摄神,因此英语句式较为规范和严密。也正是由于英语的这些特点,所以英语中有丰富的连接手段,如连词、关系代词、连接代词、天系副词等。此外,英语重形合的特点也使得英语句子结构如同一棵大树一样,主干分明、枝繁叶茂,句子也呈现出以形驭意、以形统神的特点。
例句1:
His children were as ragged and wild as if they belonged to nobody.
他的几个孩子都穿得破破烂烂,粗野不堪,没爹没娘似的。
例句2:
And I take heart from the fact that the enemy,which boasts that it can occupy the strategic point in a couple of hours,has not yet been able to take even the outlying regions,because of the stiff resistance that gets in the way.
由于在前进的道路上受到顽强抵抗,吹嘘能在几个小时内就占领战略要地的敌人甚至还没有能攻占外围地带,这一事实使我增强了信心。
例句3:
Some fishing boats were becalmed just in front of us.Their shadow slept,or almost slept,upon that water,a gentle quivering alone showing that it was not complete sleep,or if sleep,that it was sleep with dreams.
渲舟三五,横泊眼前,墙影倒映水面,仿佛睡去,偶尔微颤,似又未尝深眠,恍若惊梦。
汉语注重意合,所以造句时非常重视意念的连贯,通常不求句子结构的整齐,句子常以意役形,以神统法。正是由于汉语的这一特点,所以汉语中较少使用显性的连接手段和连接词,句子各成分之间的逻辑关系主要依靠上下文和事理顺序来间接显示。这也就使得汉语的句子结构就好似竹子一般,地上根根分离,地下盘根错节,呈现出形散而神聚的特点。例如:
例句1:
跑得了和尚,跑不了庙。
The monk may run away,but never his temple.
例句2:
到南京时,有朋友约去游逛,勾留了一日;第二日上午便需渡江到浦口,下午上车北去。
(朱自清《背影》)
A friend kept me in Nanjing for a day to see sights,and the next morning I was to cross the Yangtze to Pukou to take the afternoon train to the north。
例句3:
我从此便整天地站在柜台里,专管我的职务。虽然没有什么失职,但总觉得有些单调,有些无聊。掌柜是一副凶脸孔,主顾也没有好声气,教人活泼不得;只有孔乙已到店,才可以笑几声,所以至今还记得。
(鲁迅《孔乙己》)
Thenceforward I stood all day behind the counter,fully engaged with my duties.Although I gave satisfaction at this work,I found it monotonous and futile.Our employer was a fierce-looking individual,and the customers were a morose lot,so that it was impossible to be gay.Only when Kung I-chi came to the tavern could I laugh a little.That is why I still remember him.
(杨宪益、戴乃迭译)
(二)英汉句子语序对比
每一种语言的使用习惯都反映了其民族的思维模式和文化习惯。英语民族强调“人物分立”,注重形式论证与逻辑分析,提倡个人思维,思维体现出“主语—行为—行为客体—行为标志”的模式,所以其语言就呈现出“主语+谓语+宾语+状语”的顺序。英语属于综合性语言,句子的语序相对固定,但也有一定的变化。而汉民族主张“物我交融”、“天人合一”,注重个人的感受,崇尚主体思维,思维体现出“主体—行为标志—行为—行为客体”的模式,因此语言的表达也就呈现出“主语+状语+谓语+宾语”的顺序。汉语属于分析型语言,句子的语系比较固定。从语言的表达顺序上就可以看出,定语和状语位置的不同是英汉语言在语系上的主要差异。因此,以下就针对定语和状语的位置来分析英汉句子语序的差异。
1.定语位置对比
英语中定语的位置较为灵活,一般有两种情况:以单词作定语时,通常放在名词前;以短语和从句作定语时要放在名词之后。而汉语中定语的位置较为固定,一般位于所修饰词的前面,后置的情况十分少见。
例句1:
It was a conference fruitful of results.(后置)
那是一个硕果累累的会议。(前置)
例句2:
English is a language easy to learn but difficult to master.(后置)
英语是一门容易学但很难精通的语言。(前置)
例句3:
We have helped Russia privatize its economy and build a civil society marked by free elections and an active press.(后置)
我们帮助俄罗斯使其经济私有化,并建设一个以自由选举和积极的新闻媒体为标志的公民社会。(前置)
例句4:
This time he changed his mind.He did not encourage him to become a hero,because he could no longer stand the poignancy of losing his last child(后置)
老人改变了主意,决心不让小儿子成为一个出众的英雄好汉的人物,因为他实在是不能再忍受那种折损儿子的痛苦。(前置)
2.状语位置对比
英语中状语的位置灵活且复杂,一般包含两种情况:(1)由单个单词构成的状语一般位于句首、谓语之前、助动词和谓语动词之间,或者句末;(2)如果状语较长,则一般放在句首或句尾,不放在句中。但在汉语中,状语的位置较为固定,一般位于主语之后谓语之前,有时为了起强调作用,也位于主语之前或句末。
例句1:
I will never agree to their demand.
我绝不同意他们的要求。
例句2:
Given bad weather.l will stay at home.
假使天气不好,我就呆在家里。
例句3:
The flight was canceled due to the heavy fog.
班机因大雾停航。
例句4:
The news briefing was held in Room 201 at about eight O'clock yesterday morning.
新闻发布会是昨天上午大约八点在201会议室召开的。
有时一个句子中会包含多个状语,如时间状语、地点状语、方式状语、让步状语等有时会同时出现。针对这种情况,英语的表达顺序是:方式、地点、时间;而汉语的则恰恰相反,其表达顺序为;时间、地点、方式。
例句1:
The bank will not change the check unless you can identify yourself.
只有你能证明你的身份,银行才会为你兑换支票。
例句2:
Many elderly men like to fish or play Chinese chess in the fresh morning air in Beihai Park every day.
很多老人都喜欢每天上午在北海公园清新的空气中钓鱼、下棋。
例句3:
我出生于阿帕拉契山脉煤矿区中心的肯塔基州柏定市。
I was born in Burdine,Kentucky,in the heart of the Appalachian coal-mining country
例句4:
“神州三号”飞船今晚10点15分,在我国甘肃酒泉卫星发射中心成功升入太空。
The spacecraft“ShenzhouⅢ”was successfully launched at 22:15 pm.today in the Jiuquan Satellite Launch Center in Northwest China's Gansu province.
另外,当句子含有两个较长的状语时,英语一般将其置于句中,而汉语则习惯将其置于句首和句尾。
例句1:
Suddenly the President,looking out over the vast landscape,said,with an underlying excitement in his voice,the words I gave earlier...
总统眺望着辽阔的景色,突然用很兴奋的语调说了我在前文已经提到过的话……
例句2:
中国远洋运输公司成立于1961年4月,至今已有28年的历史。28年来,在国家的大力支持下,经过不懈地努力,公司业务和船舶数量迅速发展和增长。
The China Ocean Shipping Corporation has Established in April 1961.in the past 28 years through arduous efforts,with the support from the state,expanded its shipping business and increased its number of ships.
二、英汉句式的翻译
(一)从句的翻译
1.名词性从句的翻译
英语名词性从句主要包括主语从句、宾语从句、表语从句和同位语从句,其中主语从句、宾语从句和表语从句可采用顺译法按照原文顺序直接进行翻译。而对于同位语从句的翻译,可以采用顺译法进行翻译,也可以将从句提前。
例句1:
What he told me was half-true.
他告诉我的是半真半假的东西而已。
例句2:
He would remind people again that it was decided not only by himself but by lots of others.
他再次提醒大家说,决定这件事的不只是他一个人,还有其他许多人。
例句3:
They were very suspicious of the assumption that he would rather kill himself than surrender.
对于他宁愿自杀也不投降这种假设,他们是很怀疑的。
2.定语从句的翻译
从上述内容了解到,英汉定语差异集中体现在位置的不同上,除此之外,英汉定语从句的发展方向也有所不同,通常英语中定语从句的发展方向为向右,汉语中定语从句的发展方向为向左。因此,在翻译定语从句时可采用以下方法进行处理。
(1)译为汉语中的“的”字结构。
例句1:
He was an old man who hunted wild animals all his life in the mountains.
他是个一辈子在山里猎杀野兽的老人。
例句2:
The early lessons I learned about overcoming obstacles also gave me the confidence to chart my own course.
我早年学到的克服重重障碍的经验教训也给了我规划自己人生旅程的信心。
(2)译为并列分句。
例如:
He was a unique manager because he had several waiters who had followed him around from restaurant to restaurant.
他是个与众不同的经理,有几个服务员一直跟着他从一家餐馆跳槽到另一家餐馆。
(3)译为状语从句。
例句1:
He also said I was fun,bright and could do anything I put my mind to.
他说我很风趣,很聪明,只要用心什么事情都能做成。
例句2:
There was something original,independent,and practical about the plan that pleased all of them.
这个方案富于创造性,独出心裁,实践性强,所以他们都很满意。
3.状语从句的翻译
在翻译英语状语从句时,一般将其译成汉语分句即可。
例句1:
He shouted as he ran.
他一边跑,一边喊。
例句2:
The crops failed because the season was dry.
因为气候干燥,作物歉收。
例句3:
Given notes in detail to the texts,the readers can study by themselves.
要是各有详细的课文注释,读者便可以自学了。
例句4:
The book is unsatisfactory in that it lacks a good index.
这本书不能令人满意之处就在于缺少一个完善的索引。
例句5:
Although he seems hearty and outgoing in public,Mr.Smith is a withdraw and introverted man.
虽然史密斯先生在公共场合是热情和开朗的,但是他却是一个性格孤僻、内向的人。
(二)长难句的翻译
英语非常讲究句子表达的准确性和严谨性,常常借助词汇、语法、逻辑等手段将句子中的各个成分连接起来,使得各个成分环环相扣,因此英语中长而复杂的句子十分常见。而这也正是英语翻译的难点,具体而言,在翻译英语长句时首先要了解原文的句法结构,明白句子的中心所在以及各个层次的含义,然后分析几层意思之间的相互逻辑关系,最后根据译文的表达方式和行文特点,正确地译出原文的含义。通常,英语长难句的翻译可采用以下几种翻译方法。
1.顺译
当英语长句内容的表达顺序是按时间先后或者逻辑关系安排的,在翻译时就可以采用顺译法进行翻译,即直接按照原文表达顺序译成汉语。需要指出的是,顺译不等于将每个词都按照原句的顺序翻译,因为英汉语言并非完全对等的,也需要进行灵活变通。
例句1:
As soon as I got to the trees I stopped and dismounted to enjoy the delightful sensation the shade produced:there out of its power I could best appreciate the sunshining in splendor on the wide green hilly earth and in the green translucent foliage above my head.
我一走进树丛,便跳下车来,享受着这篇浓荫产生的喜人的感觉:通过它的力量,我能够尽情赏玩光芒万丈的骄阳,它照耀着开阔葱茏、此起彼伏的山地,还有我头顶上晶莹发亮的绿叶。
例句2:
It begins as a childlike interest in the grand spectacle and exciting event;it grows as a mature interest in the variety and complexity of the drama,the splendid achievements and terrible failures;it ends as deep sense of the mystery of man's life of all the dead,great and obscure,who once walked the earth,and of wonderful and awful possibilities of being a human being.
我们对历史的爱好起源于我们最初仅对一些历史上的宏伟场面和激动人心的事件感到孩童般的兴趣;其后,这种爱好变得成熟起来,我们开始对历史这出“戏剧”的多样性和复杂性,对历史上的辉煌成就和悲壮失败也感兴趣;对历史的爱好,最终以我们对人类生命的一种深沉的神秘感而告结束。对死去的,无论是伟大与平凡,所有在这个地球上走过而已逝的人,都有能取得伟大奇迹或制造可怕事件的潜力。
2.逆译
英语句子和汉语句子的表达顺序并非是完全相同的,大多数情况下,英语句子与汉语句子在表达相同的意思时在表述顺序上有很大差异,有时甚至完全相反,此时就可以采用逆译法进行翻译,也就是逆着原文顺序从后向前译。
例句1:
There is no agreement whether methodology refers to the concepts Peculiar to historical work in general or to the research techniques appropriate to the various branches of historical inquiry.
所谓方法论是指一般的历史研究中特有的概念,还是指历史研究中各个具体领域适用的研究手段,人们对此意见不一。
例句2:
Safety concerns over mobile phones have grown as more people rely on them or everyday communication,although the evidence to date has given the technology a clean bill of health when it comes to serious conditions like brain cancer.
虽然迄今为止的证据都证明手机不会导致脑癌等重大疾病,但是由于越来越多的人依靠手机进行日常通讯,因而手机安全问题也日益受到关注。
3.分译
分译又称“拆译”,是指将英语句子中某些成分(如词、词组或从句)从句子中拆出来另行处理,这样不仅利于句子的总体安排,也便于突出重点。
例句1:
Television,it is often said,keeps one informed about current events,allows one to follow the latest developments in science and politics,and offers an endless series of programs which are both instructive and entertaining.
人们常说,通过电视可以了解时事,掌握科学和政治的最新动态。从电视里还可以看到层出不穷、既有教育意义又有娱乐性的新节日.
例句2:
While the present century in its teens,and on one sunshiny morning in June,there drove up to the great iron gate of Miss Pinkerton's academy for young ladies,on Cheswick Mall,a large family coach with two fat horses in blazing harness,driven by a fat coachman in a three-cornered hat and wig,at the rate of four miles an hour.
(当时)这个世纪刚过了十几年。在6月的一天早上,天气晴朗,契息克林荫道上平克顿女子学校的大铁门前面来了一辆宽敞的私人马车。拉车的两匹肥马套着雪亮的马具,一个肥胖的车夫截了假头发和三角帽子,赶车子的速度是1小时4英里。
4.综合译
在具体的翻译实践中,有时很难使用一种翻译方法对原文进行恰当地翻译,更多的时候是综合使用多种翻译方法,这样可以使译文更加准确、自然、流畅。
例句1:
She was a product of the fancy,the feeling,the innate affection of the untutored but poetic mind of her mother combined with the gravity and poise which were characteristic of her father.
原来她的母亲虽然没受过教育,却有一种含有诗意的心情,具备着幻想、感情和天生的仁厚;他的父亲呢,又特具一种沉着和稳重的性格,两方面结合起来就造成她这样一个人了。
例句2:
But Rebecca was a young lady of too much resolution and energy of character to permit herself much useless and unseemly sorrow for the irrevocable past;so having devoted only the proper portion of regret to it,she wisely turned her whole attention towards the future,which was now vastly more important to her.And she surveyed her position,and its hopes,doubts,and chances.
幸而利倍加意志坚决,性格刚强,觉得既往不可追,白白的烦一点儿也没有用,叫别人看着反而不雅,因此恨恨了一阵便算了。她很聪明地用全副精神来盘算将来的事,因为未来总比过去要紧得多。她估计自己的处境,有多少希望,多少机会,多少疑难。