1. 增加时态、语态、单复数概念方面的词

英语中有人称、时态、语态、单复数等变化，汉语中则没有。翻译时，有可能需要增加一些词来补充说明原句意思。

举例

I have done the job.

我完成了那项工作。

I could have passed the exam.

我本应该通过考试的。

Flowers bloom all over the yard.

朵朵鲜花开满了庭院。

Newsmen went flying off to Mexico.

新闻工作者纷纷乘飞机前往墨西哥。

We have to face different problems.

我们得面对各种不同的问题。

Man, was, is and always will be trying to improve his living conditions.

人类过去、现在而且将来总是在尽力改善生活条件。



2. 对某些由动词或形容词派生出的抽象名词进行翻译时，可根据上下文在其后增添适当的名词以做进一步的解释。

举例

After all preparations were made, our meeting will begin.

一切准备（工作）就绪以后，我们的会议就将开始。

They wanted to ease the tension in the Middle East.

他们想缓解中东的紧张（局势）。



类似的还有：

举例

to innovate 革新——innovation 革新措施

to evolve 进化——evolution 进化过程

to solve 解决——solution 解决方法

to derive 推导——derivation 推导过程

to persuade 说服——persuasion 说服工作

to prepare 准备——preparation 准备工作

backward 落后——backwardness 落后状态

arrogant 自满——arrogance 自满情绪

mad 疯狂——madness 疯狂行为

antagonistic 敌对——antagonism 敌对态度

redundant 多余——redundancy 多余信息



3. 英语中的某些代词、连词、冠词可以减少或省略不译。

举例

I put my hand into my pocket.

我把手放进口袋。

She listened to me with her rounded eyes.

她睁大双眼，听我说话。

Outside it was pitch dark and it was raining cats and dogs.

外面一团漆黑，大雨倾盆。

As it is late, you had better go home.

时间不早了，你最好回家吧。

If winter comes, can spring be far behind?

冬天来了，春天还会远吗？

If I had known it, I would not have joined in.

早知如此，我就不参加了。





三 重复和转换


1. 重复，有一种排比的修辞效果，常用于翻译英语中的并列结构。

举例

Students must be cultivated to have the ability to analyze and solve problems.

必须培养学生分析问题和解决问题的能力。



翻译英语的定语从句时，也可以采用重复先行词的方式。

举例

He gave me a book which I kept to this day.

他曾经送给我一本书。这本书我一直保存至今。

Yesterday afternoon, I met an old friend of mine, who said that he would go abroad the next week.

昨天下午，我遇到了一位老朋友。他告诉我说他下个星期要出国。



还可以把英语的并列结构中省略的部分重复译出。

举例

We talked of ourselves, of our prospects, of the journey, of the weather, of each other—of everything.

我们谈到自己，谈到前途，谈到旅程，谈到天气，谈到彼此的情况——谈到所有的事情。



2. 转换是指“词性上的转换”。比如英语中用名词，汉语译文则不一定用名词，有可能转化成动词译出，或者动词译为名词，形容词译为副词，形容词译为动词等。

举例

He is a good singer.

他唱歌唱得好。

I am anxious about his health.

我担心他的身体健康。

Rockets have found application for the exploration of the universe.

火箭已经用来探索宇宙了。

A careful study of the original text will give you a better translation.

仔细研究原文，你会翻译得更好。

This kind of behavior characterizes the criminal mind.

这种行为具有罪犯的心理特征。

Our performance was a success.

我们的演出很成功。

We must make full use of existing technical equipment.

我们必须充分利用现有的技术设备。





真题演练


请先翻译以下真题，注意其中可能会用到的一些词语翻译方面的技巧，再仔细对比后面的详细解析，结合前面学习到的“评分标准”和“考试要点”，进一步分析自己译文的对错得失。这里要提醒同学们的一点是：如果中文译文读起来不通顺或者不符合表达习惯，则有可能需要做相关的词语调整。

例1. (2001年74题) But that, Pearson points out, is only the start of man-machine integration: //“It will be the beginning of the long process of integration // that will ultimately lead to a fully electronic human // before the end of the next century.”（句子详细解析，请参考本书第105页）

例2. (2008年46题) ...he believes that this very difficulty may have had the compensating advantage // of forcing him to think long and intently about every sentence, // and thus enabling him to detect errors // in reasoning and in his own observations. （句子详细解析，请参考本书第156页）





第二节 名词性从句的翻译


英语的名词性从句包括主语从句、宾语从句、表语从句和同位语从句等。翻译的时候，大多数可以按照原文的语序译成相应的汉语。但是，有时候，我们也可以采用其他翻译方法来灵活处理。





一 主语从句


1. what, whatever, whoever, whether, when, where, how, why等词引导的主语从句，在翻译的时候，一般可以按照英语原文语序来翻译。

举例

What he told me was only half-truth.

他告诉我的只是一些半真半假的东西而已。

Whatever is worth doing should be done well.

任何值得做的事情都应该被做好。

Whether he comes or not makes no difference.

他来不来都没有关系。

When we can begin the expedition is still a question.

我们何时才能开始这次探险仍然悬而未决。

How he is going to do it is a mystery.

他准备怎么做这件事情是个谜。



2. 用it作形式主语的主语从句，可以把主语从句放到最前面翻译。为了表示强调，it一般可以译出来；如果不需要特别强调，it也可以不译出来。

举例

It doesn't make much difference whether he attends the meeting or not.

他是否参加会议没有多大关系。（it没有翻译）

It seemed inconceivable that the pilot could have survived the crash.

驾驶员在飞机坠毁之后，竟然还能活着，这似乎是不可想象的。（it翻译为“这”）



如果主语从句仍然按照英语原文语序翻译的话，it一般不需要译出来。在汉语译文的开始，一般可以用“……的是”这样的结构来翻译。

举例

It is strange that she should have failed to see her own shortcomings.

真奇怪，她竟然没有看出自己的缺点。（it不用翻译，还可以用“奇怪的是……”这样的结构来翻译）



下面是一些常用形式主语结构的翻译方法：

举例

It is hoped that... 希望；有人希望

It is assumed that... 假设；假定

It is claimed that... 据说；有人宣称

It is believed that... 有人相信；大家相信

It is reported that... 据报道；据通报

It is considered that... 人们认为；据估计

It is said that... 据说；有人说

It is supposed that... 据推测；人们猜测

It has been announced that... 已经宣布

It is asserted that... 有人主张；有人断言

It is rumored that... 听说；谣传

It is noticed that... 有人指出；人们注意到

It is suggested that... 有人建议；建议

It is reputed that... 人们认为；可以认为

It is learned that... 据说；据闻；已经查明

It is demonstrated that... 据证实；已经证明

It is estimated that... 据估计；有人估计

It is pointed out that... 有人指出；有人建议

It is proposed that... 有人提出

It was told that... 有人曾说

It was first intended that... 最初就有这样的想法

It will be said that... 有人会说

It will be seen from this that... 由此可见；因此可知

It was noted above that... 前面已经指出

It must be admitted that... 必须承认；老实说

It has been illustrated that... 据图示；据说明

It is stressed that... 有人强调说；有人列举出

It cannot be denied that... 无可否认

It can be said without exaggeration that... 可以毫不夸张地说

It is sometimes asked that... 人们有时会问

It was felt that... 有人认识到了

It is universally accepted that... 人们普遍认为

It is unanimously agreed that... 大家一致同意

It is alleged that... 据说

It is calculated that... 据计算

It has been proved that... 已经证明

It has been found that... 人们已经发现

It is still to be hoped that... 我们仍然希望

It is well-known that... 众所周知；大家都知道

It should be realized that... 我们应该认识到





真题演练


请先翻译以下真题，注意其中形式主语结构的翻译，再仔细对比后面的详细解析，结合前面学习到的“评分标准”和“考试要点”，进一步分析自己译文的对错得失。

例1. (2009年46题) It may be said that // the measure of the worth of any social institution // is its effect in enlarging and improving experience, // but this effect is not a part of its original motive. （句子详细解析，请参考本书第163页）

例2. (2005年50题) In dealing with a challenge on such a scale, // it is no exaggeration to say // "United we stand, // divided we fall".（句子详细解析，请参考本书第139页）

例3. (2000年72题) Furthermore, it is obvious // that the strength of a country's economy is directly bound up with the efficiency of its agriculture and industry, // and that this in turn rests upon the efforts of scientists and technologists of all kinds. （句子详细解析，请参考本书第92页）

例4. (2007年49题) In fact, it is difficult to see // how journalists who do not have a clear grasp of the basic features of the Canadian Constitution // can do a competent job on political stories.（句子详细解析，请参考本书第153页）





二 宾语从句


1. that, what, how, when, which, why, whether, if 等引导的宾语从句，翻译成汉语时，一般不需要改变它在原句中的顺序。

举例

I told him that because of the last condition, I'd have to turn it down.

我告诉他，由于最后那个条件，我只得谢绝。

Can you hear what I say?

你听得到我所讲的吗？

I don't know that he swam across the river.

我不知道他游过了那条河。

I don't know how he swam across the river.

我不知道他是怎么游过那条河的。

He has informed me when they are to discuss my proposal.

他已经通知我他们将于什么时候讨论我的建议。



有时可加“说”字，再接下去翻译宾语从句的内容。

举例

Smith replied that he was sorry.

史密斯回答说，他感到遗憾。

He would remind people again that it was decided not only by himself but by lots of others.

他再一次提醒大家说，决定这件事的不只是他一个人，还有其他许多人。



2. 翻译it 作形式宾语而that引导的宾语从句做真正的宾语的句子时，宾语从句一般可按原文语序翻译；it有时候可以不用译出。

举例

I made it clear to them that they must hand in their papers before 10 o'clock in the morning.

我向他们讲清楚了，必须在上午十点前交卷。（it没有翻译）

I heard it said that he had gone abroad.

听说他已经出国了。（it没有翻译）



在某些情况下，翻译这类句子也可以将that引导的宾语从句前置。

举例

I regard it as an honor that I am chosen to attend the meeting.

被选参加会议，我感到光荣。（it没有翻译）

We consider it absolutely necessary that we should open our door to the outside world.

打开国门，对外开放，我们认为这是绝对必要的。（it翻译为“这”）





真题演练


请先翻译以下真题，注意其中宾语从句的翻译，再仔细对比后面的详细解析，结合前面学习到的“评分标准”和“考试要点”，进一步分析自己译文的对错得失。

例1. (2005年48题) This alone demonstrates that the television business is not an easy world to survive in, // a fact underlined by statistics // that show that out of eighty European television networks, // no less than 50% took a loss in 1989.（句子详细解析，请参考本书第136页）





三 表语从句


英语中的表语从句放在系动词后面，充当表语成分，一般可以按照英语原文语序直接翻译。

举例

It seems that it is going to snow.

看起来要下雪了。

That is why Jack got scolded.

这就是杰克受到训斥的原因。

The question remains whether we can win the majority of the people.

问题是我们能否赢得大多数人的支持。

His view of the press was that the reporters were either for him or against him.

他对新闻界的看法是，记者们不是支持他，就是反对他。





真题演练


请先翻译以下真题，注意其中表语从句的翻译，再仔细对比后面的详细解析，结合前面学习到的“评分标准”和“考试要点”，进一步分析自己译文的对错得失。

例1. (2002年61题) One difficulty is // that almost all of what is called behavioral science //continues to trace behavior // to states of mind, feelings, traits of character, human nature, and so on.（句子详细解析，请参考本书第109页）





四 同位语从句


同位语从句主要是用来对名词做进一步的解释，说明名词的具体内容。能接同位语从句的名词主要有：belief（相信），fact（事实），hope（希望），idea（想法，观点），doubt（怀疑），news（新闻；消息），rumor（传闻），conclusion（结论），evidence（证据），suggestion（建议），problem（问题），order（命令），answer（回答），decision（决定），discovery（发现），explanation（解释），information（消息），knowledge（知识），law（法律），opinion（意见，观点），truth（真理；事实），promise（承诺），report（报告），thought（思想），statement（声明），rule（规定），possibility（可能）等。

1. 一般来说，同位语从句可以直接放在主句后翻译。

举例

He expressed the hope that he would come over to visit China again.

他表示希望再到中国来访问。

There is a possibility that he is a spy.

他可能是一名间谍。



2. 有时候在翻译同位语从句时，可以将其放在所修饰的名词前面，相当于前置的修饰语，但不一定使用定语的标志词“的”。满足这种情况的同位语从句通常都是比较简短的。

举例

We know the fact that bodies possess weight.

我们知道物体具有重量这一事实。

The rumor that he was arrested was unfounded.

关于他被捕的传闻是没有根据的。



3. 增加“即”或者“以为”这类词语来连接，也可用冒号、破折号直接将主句和同位语从句隔开。

举例

But this does not in any way alter the fact that they are now, from a practical point of view, irrational.

但这却丝毫改变不了这样一个事实，即从实用的观点来看，它们现在仍是不合理的。

We have reached the conclusion that practice is the criterion for testing truth.

我们已经得出这样的结论：实践是检验真理的标准。

Not long ago, the scientists made an exciting discovery that this waste material could be turned into plastics.

不久前，科学家们获得了一个令人振奋的发现——可以把这种废料变成塑料制品。





真题演练


请先翻译以下真题，注意其中的同位语从句的翻译，再仔细对比后面的详细解析，结合前面学习到的“评分标准”和“考试要点”，进一步分析自己译文的对错得失。

例1. (2004年64题) Being interested in the relationship of language and thought, // Whorf developed the idea // that the structure of language determines the structure of habitual thought in a society. （句子详细解析，请参考本书第129页）

例2. (1997年74题) Arguing from the view // that humans are different from animals in every relevant respect, //extremists of this kind think // that animals lie outside the area of moral choice. （句子详细解析，请参考本书第68页）

例3. (2007年48题) But the idea that the journalist must understand the law more profoundly than an ordinary citizen // rests on an understanding of the established conventions and special responsibilities of the news media. （句子详细解析，请参考本书第152页）

例4. (2010年48题) Time was // when biologists somewhat overworked the evidence // that these creatures preserve the health of game by killing the physically weak, // or that they prey only on "worthless species". （句子详细解析，请参考本书第172页）





第三节 倒装结构的翻译


英语中的正常语序应该是主语在前，谓语动词在后。但有时候为了表示强调，或者达到某种特殊的修辞效果，会把部分或整个谓语置于主语之前，构成“部分倒装”或“全部倒装”的特殊结构。





一 否定词引起的倒装


某些具有否定意义的副词，如never, not only, not once, rarely, scarcely, hardly，little等置于句首时，会引起倒装。这种情况可以还原正常语序后再进行翻译。

举例

Never before had I seen such a magnificent exhibition.

我从来没有见过如此壮观的展览。



only后面直接跟状语，若置于句首，也会引起倒装。

举例

Only here were the police visible in any strength at all.

只有在这里才能看到廖廖几名警察。





二 条件和让步状语从句中的倒装


有些if引导的条件状语从句，尤其是在虚拟语气中，可以省略if，引起部分倒装。有些让步状语从句，为了表示强调，可以把表语或者部分谓语前置引起倒装。翻译这些句子时，也需要先还原正常语序，再进行翻译。

举例

Had I known, I'd never have gone there.

要是我知道，我肯定不会去那里了。

Strange though it may seem, he still loves her.

尽管似乎有点奇怪，他竟然还爱着她。





三 修辞中的倒装


有时候，为了达到某种生动的修辞效果，可以把状语或者分词和表语提到句首来引起倒装。这一类倒装，为了保持同样的修辞效果，一般可以按照原句语序进行翻译。

举例

At the top of the hill stood the tiny chapel.

在山顶上矗立着那座小教堂。

Standing beside the table was an interpreter.