第四节　翻译案例

1.As they grow old,people also accumulate belongings for two other reasons:lack of physical and mental energy—both of which are essential in turning out and throwing away—and sentiment.

【分析】该句包含了并列结构被分割的情况。lack of physical and mental energy和sentiment 是并列结构，作two other reasons的同位语。但是被非限定性定语从句both of which are essential in turning out and throwing away分割。

【译文】人们随着日趋年迈，积存物品还有其他两个原因：一是缺乏体力和精神，两者在清理和扔掉无用之物时不可或缺；二是感情上的原因。

2.Old Henry and his wife Phoebe were as fond of each other as it is possible for two old people to be who have nothing else in this life to be fond of.

【分析】连词as引导的比较状语从句中，it代替for two old people to be。to be后省略了fond of each other。to be做分割成分。

【译文】像两位老人一生中没有其他什么东西可爱而彼此相爱一样，老亨利和妻子芬比也互相爱慕。

3.It is the insistence,as a first consideration,upon the interdependence of the various elements in,and parts of,the United States—a recognition of the old and permanently important manifestation of the American spirit of the pioneer.

【分析】insistence后接upon the interdependence of the various elements in,and parts of，the United States，中间被插入语as a first consideration分割，作进一步说明。该句选自美国总统罗斯福在1933年的就职演说。汉语中动词用得较多，翻译时可把名词转译为动词。

【译文】我们首先应考虑的是，坚持美国国内各种因素之间、各个部分之间的相互依赖关系，即承认体现传统的和永远重要的美国开拓精神。

4.A better knowledge of China’s civilization would lay open to us an empire of learning,hitherto fabulously described.

【分析】lay open和 an empire of learning被介词短语to us分割。本句选自英国首相撒切尔夫人1982年在中国欢迎宴会上的讲话。翻译时要注意转译的应用。如把better译为副词“更好地”。

【译文】更好地了解中国的文明，将为我们打开一个知识的王国，对这个王国迄今只有神话般的描述。

5.In the last eight years there were difficult,almost non-stop negotiations and reported threats of failure,ultimately overcome by a combination of creative compromise and stubborn determination—indeed,some call it unprecedented determination—to succeed.

【分析】本句的主干结构是：...there were negotiations and...threats of failure，overcome by...是过去分词短语，修饰 threats of failure。stubborn determination 和其定语动词不定式to succeed被indeed,some call it unprecedented determination分割。

【译文】在最后的八年里，进行了艰苦卓绝的、几乎是不间断的谈判，其间屡经失败之虞，但最终通过创造性的协调和要取得成功的顽强决心——确实有人称之为前所未有的决心——而渡过难关，取得了胜利。

6.To such length did she go in rehearsal that two actors walked out.

【分析】such...that 结构可将such或含有such 的词组放在句首，使全句采用部分倒装。与此用法类似的还有so...that结构。

【译文】她在排演中搞得太过分，以致两名男演员退出不干了。

7.Tapping the new spirit,there can be no nobler nor more ambitious task for America to undertake on this day of a new beginning than to help shape a just and peaceful world that is truly humane.

【分析】no nobler nor more ambitious中的nor是连词，常与neither或nor连用，有时也与no,never等表示否定的词连用。主句是含有no more...than的普通比较句型。分词短语tapping the new spirit是表示目的的状语。本句选自美国总统卡特在1977年的就职演说。

【译文】为了发扬这种新的精神，在这一新的开端开始之际，对美国来说，最崇高和最有雄心勃勃的任务是帮助建立一个真正人道、正义、和平的世界。

8.When the lights came on again,hardly a person in the city can have turned on a switch without reflecting how great a servant he had at his fingertips.

【分析】在这句话中，hardly...without构成了“双重否定”（double negation）。虽然只有without在词形上具有明显的否定特征，但是hardly（以及scarcely,barely,few,little等）虽然没有明显的否定特征，却有否定的词义。实际上，双重否定表达的是肯定的意思，因此在翻译成汉语时，既可以将原句按照两个否定的形式表述出来，也可按照否定的语气译出。

【译文】电灯又亮了，该城的人们打开开关的时候，想必几乎人人都会想到，电灯是随时可供他们使用的多么有用的东西呀

9.So,tips will no doubt net much less during the summer and the company will be less interesting.

【分析】这是并列句，由and连接。第一句中的谓语动词是net，意为“挣得、赢得”。第二句的谓语动词是will be，因为两个句子在结构上是平行的，所以省略了will，又因为省略的是助动词，因此汉语中不必译出。

【译文】整个夏天净挣的小费必将少得少，而且还得和乏味的人在一起干活。

10.When the media add interpretation and analysis,as they must to do their job fully,strong dislike of the messengers may become intense.

【分析】as 引导的从句说明when从句的内容，可以说是从句的从句，翻译时最好放在主句之后，起补充说明作用。句中must后省略了谓语add interpretation and analysis。

【译文】媒体一旦增添了解释和分析，就会引起人们的强烈反感，然而，媒体又必须这样做才能充分发挥其作用。