所以，我只好呆在家里。隆冬腊月的早上，一个人观看味同嚼蜡的日间电视节目（不过，也确实在“婚礼盘头”节目中看到一个发型，说不定能派上大用场！）；边看边吃蛋奶饼干（这可是最后机会；婚前节食计划马上要全面升级啦！）；心里还胡思乱想：能不能找个按摩女郎——技术好的——到家里来，在这最后一刻纾解一下那打结的神经。

The problem with feeling guilty about pulling sickies, as I now discover, is that you end up too terrified to leave the house, and therefore waste the entire day. And of course the less you do, the less you want to do, so by two o'clock I'm bored, listless, and sleepy. Rather than taking the easy option and going back to bed, I decide to wake myself up with strong coffee, have a shower, and finally get dressed. (word count 324 words)

我现在才意识到，这种负罪感带来的问题是，你越想越拍，最后吓得根本就不敢出门，结果一整天时间就白白浪费了。当然还有，你越不做事，就越不想做事，这样到了下午两点，就觉得百无聊赖、无精打采、眼皮打架。我没有顺其自然，钻回被窝睡觉，而是决定打起精神：冲杯浓浓的咖啡、冲个热水澡，最后穿戴整齐。

评论：这篇文章是轻松活泼的文体，句子不能长，听起来要像中国话。不懂的地方要查清楚。注意用英英词典。翻译是写作。如果你觉得译文会受到作文老师的批评，就是没有译好。

这篇文章最初没有查到出处，根据现有文字，我作出的判断是，作者为白领（提到SOHO）女性（"updos for weddings"），快结婚了（before the wedding diet goes into full acceleration）（不是去参加婚礼）；last-minute jitters也是由即将结婚引起的，因为last minute第二次出现（to come to the house at the last minute to soothe the knots of tension away）的那句话，隐含作者即将结婚。但horrific amounts of stress来自哪里，无从判断。所以，就把Not unless prewedding nerves, last-minute jitters, and horrific amounts of stress count翻译为：

除非遇到了婚前的焦虑、上轿前的紧张和天大的压力。

后来为稳妥起见，又把译文改为：

除非遇到了婚前的焦虑、最后一刻的紧张和天大的压力。

再后来，查到了全文（见附录1），印证了最初的想法，而且知道horrific amounts of stress也是将要结婚引起的，所以，最后把译文改为：

除非到了结婚的前夕，紧张、焦虑、压力搅得人坐卧不安。

Count的意思是to have value, importance, or influence。译文稍微引申了一下。

建议：出题要给出全文。断章取义会引起误解。如果嫌篇幅长，可以要求仅翻译划线部分。

 Passage 2

The number of counterfeit euro coins removed from circulation in 2009 decreased by 12% compared with the year before. The evolution per denomination, however, is contrasted. Where the number of 2-euro counterfeits decreased by almost 18%, the numbers for 50-cent and 1-euro continued to increase, by 9% and 8%, respectively. The 2-euro denomination remains by far the most counterfeited euro coin, representing almost 3 out of every 4 counterfeit euro coins.

2009年，从流通中收缴的假欧元硬币数量同比减少12%，但不同面值的硬币减少数量不同。2欧元的假币减少了近18%，而50欧分和1欧元的假币数量继续上升，增幅分别为9%和8%。2欧元的硬币仍是造假最多的硬币，几乎占假硬币的四分之三。

The Commission considers that counterfeit euro coins are not, however, a significant cause of concern for the public. Indeed, the overall number is very small by comparison with the total number of around 15 billion genuine euro coins put into circulation of the three highest denominations, with a resulting ratio of 1 counterfeit for every 89 000 genuine coins. The number of detected counterfeits is also lower than the sum of counterfeit coins in the euro area countries before the introduction of the euro. These counterfeit coins, while increasingly sophisticated, should generally be rejected by properly adjusted vending and other coin-operated machines.

但欧盟委员会认为，假硬币问题不大，公众不必忧虑。事实上，面值最高的三种欧元真币，流通量为150亿枚。与此相比，假硬币的数量很小。真假硬币的比率为89 000：1。在欧元正式流通前，各国也有硬币造假现象。目前欧元区国家已查获的假硬币数量，也低于欧元流通前各国假硬币数量之和。尽管这些假币制作日益精良，但自动售货机和其他投币机经过适当调整，一般都可以拒收假币。

The evolution in the number of counterfeit euro coins removed from circulation reflects the efforts Member States are making to implement Commission Recommendation of 27 May 2005 concerning the authentication of euro coins. The take-up of these measures caused sharp increases of counterfeits removed from circulation in 2006 and 2007. However, efforts vary among Member States.The Commission therefore adopted on 11 September 2009 a proposal for a Regulation on the authentication of euro coins. The aim of this proposal is to implement such procedures EU-wide so as to fight effectively against euro coin counterfeiting. (word count 268)

2005年5月27日，欧盟委员会提出关于鉴别欧元硬币真伪的“委员会建议”。假硬币流通数量的变化，反映了各成员国在执行建议方面付出的努力。由于这些努力，2006年和2007年从流通中收缴的假币数量激增。然而，各国的执法力度有所不同。于是，2009年9月11日，欧盟委员会通过一项关于“制定鉴别欧元硬币真伪条例”的提案，目的是在欧盟全境统一实施鉴别措施，有效打击伪造欧元硬币的行为。

评论：这篇短文意思清楚，主要是表达方面，不要使用长句。要把一个意思，分成几句话来说。多用逗号。汉语的逗号是为了喘口气。只要稍微长一点的句子成分后面，都可以加个逗号。大家不妨做个调查，数一数中国作者写出来的句子，平均一个标逗号或句号之间有几个字，你翻译出来的有几个字。

Passage 3

The two-thirds rule has, in most cases appropriately distinguished between concentrations having Community relevance and those that do not. However, there are a small number of cases with potential cross-border effects in the Community. More generally, it is desirable that, independently of which authority is the reviewing agency, merger control across the EU ensures the protection of undistorted competition. The majority of stakeholders also have indicated that, generally, increased convergence of merger control rules at the national level and between the EU level and the national level of the like achieved in the antitrust field would be an important way to improve the effectiveness of the merger control system across the EU. (word count 112)

大多数情况下，“三分之二”规则都能有效区分对欧共体重要和不重要的产业集中。但是，有少数（企业兼并）案例在欧共体可能存在跨境影响，但根据该规则仍归各国竞争部门（NCAs）管辖。从更宏观的角度讲，不管哪个机构负责审查，在欧盟范围内的兼并管制都应确保公平竞争。¹大多数利益相关方也指出，在反不正当竞争领域，各国之间以及各国与欧盟之间制定更加一致的兼并管理规则，将大大改善欧盟兼并管理体系的有效性。²

评论：这段话出自欧盟的文件（相关内容见附件2）¹。需要把整个文件看一看，才能透彻理解。这段话的主要问题是，试题的作者没有整段摘抄欧盟文件，而是在没有理解的情况下，东一句、西一句拼凑出一段话。结果出现不合逻辑之处。比如，这一句：However, there are a small number of cases with potential cross-border effects in the Community.仅看试题这一段，无论如何无法理解。但看看欧盟文件，就清楚了：However, there are a small number of cases with potential cross-border effects in the Community which nevertheless fell under the competence of the NCAs as a result of this rule.重点是划线部分，但试题作者省掉了。

教训：原文是一个整体，牵一发而动全身。出题的人，除非你比作者聪明，否则不要随意改动原文。如果长度不符合要求，可以把整篇给出来，要求翻译划线部分。

如何翻译：如有可能，查清楚补充完整再翻译（如参考译文）。如果是闭卷考试，只能翻译字面意思。

这一句话：The majority of stakeholders also have indicated that, generally, increased convergence of merger control rules at the national level and between the EU level and the national level of the like achieved in the antitrust field would be an important way to improve the effectiveness of the merger control system across the EU.也是攒出来的（见附录），但并不符合原意。欧盟文件相关段落仅仅提到各国之间要统一反不正当竞争的规定，并没有提及欧盟与各国之间统一。实际上，各国与欧盟的关系，不是统一的关系，是服从关系。鉴于出题人的写法也大体说得过去，参考译文也没有追究。

1.       全文见：http://ec.europa.eu/competition/publications/cpn/cpn2009_2_4.pdf

结论

第一：出题者要慎重，不能断章取义，否则会给译员带来困惑，鼓励译员在不求甚解的基础上逐字翻译。最好给出整篇文章，请译者翻译其中一部分。

第二：译员要在完全理解的基础上进行翻译。闭卷考试没有办法，开卷考试一定要利用网络资源，进行详尽的调查，确保译文万无一失。

第三：译文要符合汉语习惯。把翻译当成写作，做到前后连贯、语言通顺，避免欧化句式。如果感到自己的译文可能受到作文老师的批评，一定是没有翻译好。

附录1：

THE OTHER WOMAN
Jane Green
Viking
Fiction
ISBN: 0452287146

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Pulling a sickie is not something I'm prone to do. And, while I'd like to say I feel sick, I don't. Not unless prewedding nerves, last-minute jitters, and horrific amounts of stress count.

But nevertheless this morning I decided I deserved a day off --- hell, possibly even two --- so I phoned in first thing, knowing that as bad a liar as I am, it would be far easier to lie to Penny, the receptionist, than to my boss.

"Oh, poor you." Penny's voice was full of sympathy. "But it's not surprising, given the wedding. Must be all the stress. You should just go to bed in a darkened room."

"I will," I said huskily, swiftly catching myself in the lie --- migraine symptoms not including sore throats or fake sneezes --- and getting off the phone as quickly as possible. I did think vaguely about doing something delicious for myself today, something I'd never normally do. Manicures, pedicures, facials, things like that. But of course guilt has managed to prevail, and even though I live nowhere near my office in trendy Soho, I still know, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that should I venture outside on the one day I'm pretending to be sick, someone from work will just happen to be at the end of my street. So here I am. Watching dreadful daytime television on a cold January morning (although I did just manage to catch an item on "updos for weddings," which may turn out to be incredibly useful), eating my way through a packet of custard creams (my last chance before the wedding diet goes into full acceleration), and wondering whether there would be any chance of finding a masseuse --- a proper one --- to come to the house at the last minute to soothe the knots of tension away.

I manage to waste forty-five minutes flicking through the small ads in the local magazines, but somehow I don't think any of those masseuses are what I'm looking for: "guaranteed discretion," "sensual and intimate." And then I reach the personal ads at the back.

I smile to myself reading through. Of course I'm reading through. I may be about to get married but I'm still interested in seeing what's out there, not that, I have to admit, I've ever actually gone down the personal-ad route. But I know a friend who has. Honestly. And a wave of warmth, and yes, I'll admit it, smugness, comes over me. I don't ever have to tell anyone that I have a good sense of humor or that I look a bit like Renée Zellweger --- but only if I pout and squint my eyes up very, very small --- or that I love the requisite walks in the country and curling up by a log fire.

Not that any of that is not true, but how lovely, how lucky am I, that I don't have to explain myself, or describe myself, or pretend to be someone other than myself ever again.

Thank God for Dan. Thank you, God, for Dan. I slide my feet into huge fluffy slippers, scrape my hair back into a ponytail, and wrap Dan's huge, voluminous towelling robe around me as I skate my way down the hallway to the kitchen.

Dan and Ellie. Ellie and Dan. Mrs. Dan Cooper. Mrs. Ellie Cooper. Ellie Cooper. I trill the words out, thrilling at how unfamiliar they sound, how they will be true in just over a month, how I got to have a fairy-tale ending after all.

And, despite the cloudy sky, the drizzle that seems to be omnipresent throughout this winter, I feel myself light up, as if the sun suddenly appeared at the living-room window specifically to shine its warmth upon me.

The problem with feeling guilty about pulling sickies, as I now discover, is that you end up too terrified to leave the house, and therefore waste the entire day. And of course the less you do, the less you want to do, so by two o'clock I'm bored, listless, and sleepy. Rather than taking the easy option and going back to bed, I decide to wake myself up with strong coffee, have a shower, and finally get dressed.

The cappuccino machine --- an early wedding present from my chief executive --- shouts a shiny hello from its corner on the kitchen worktop, by far the most glamorous and high- tech object in the kitchen, if not the entire flat. Were it not for Dan, I'd never use the bloody thing, and that is despite a passion for strong, milky cappuccinos. Technology and I have never got on particularly well. The only technological area in which I excel is computers, but even then, now that all my junior colleagues are messing around with iPods and MPEGs and God knows what else, I'm beginning to be left behind there too. My basic problem is not so much technology as paper: instruction manuals, to be specific. I just haven't got the patience to read through them, and almost everything in my flat works eventually if I push a few buttons and hope for the best. Admittedly, my video recorder has never actually recorded anything, but I only ever bought the machine to play rented videos on, not to record, so as far as I'm concerned it has fulfilled its purpose admirably.

Actually, come to think of it, not quite everything has worked that perfectly: The freezer has spent the last year filled with ice and icicles, although I think that somewhere behind the ice may be a year-old carton of Ben & Jerry's. And my Hoover still has the same dust bag it's had since I bought it three years ago because I haven't quite figured out how to change it --- I cut a hole in it when it was full one time and hand-pulled all the dust out, then sealed it back up with tape and that seems to do the job wonderfully. If anything, just think how much money I've saved myself on Hoover bags.

Ah yes, there is also the superswish and superexpensive CD player that can take four hundred discs at a time, but has in fact only ever held one at a time.

So things may not work the way they're supposed to, or in the way the manufacturers intended, but they work for me, and now I have Dan, Dan who will not lay a finger on any new purchase until he has read the instruction manual cover to cover, until he has ingested even the smallest of the small print, until he can recite the manual from memory alone.

And so Dan --- bless him --- now reads the manuals, and gives me demonstrations on how things like Hoovers, tumble dryers, and cappuccino machines work. The only saving grace to this, other than now being able to work the cappuccino machine, is that Dan has learned to fine-tune his demonstrations so they last no longer than one minute, by which time I'll have completely tuned out and will be thinking either about new presentations at work, or possibly dreaming about floating on a desert island during our honeymoon. But the cappuccino machine, I have to say, is brilliant, and God, am I happy I actually paid attention when Dan was showing me how it worked. It arrived three days ago, and thus far I've used it nine times. Two cups in the morning before leaving for work, one cup when I get home, and one, or two, in the evening after dinner, although after 8:00 p.m. we both switch to decaf.

And as I'm tapping the coffee grains into the spoon to start making the coffee, I find myself thinking about spending the rest of my life with only one person.

I should feel scared. Apprehensive at the very least. But all I feel is pure, unadulterated joy.

Any doubts I may have about this wedding, about getting married, about spending the rest of my life with Dan have nothing whatsoever to do with Dan.

And everything to do with his mother.

THE OTHER WOMAN by Jane Green is the story of almost every married woman's nightmare: the Mother-In-Law. The book traces Ellie and Dan Cooper's marriage, using flashbacks and present-day narrative to help tell the story.

Ellie Black's relationship with her mother-in-law slowly evolves from one of friendship to that of an adversary. The two women meet while Dan and Ellie are dating. Ellie's own mother was an alcoholic, and so Ellie never truly knew what it was like to have a maternal figure in her life. Meeting Linda Cooper is not a bad experience, and Ellie is looking forward to becoming friends with her future mother-in-law.

But as Ellie and Dan's relationship grows closer and the wedding draws near, Ellie starts seeing a different side to Linda, and it's not very favorable. Ellie could use the word "controlling" to describe her, especially since Ellie no longer feels in control of her own wedding. It has now become Linda's wedding. And when Ellie and Dan find out they are about to become new parents, it is Linda who rushes out to buy baby things, without giving Ellie a chance to enjoy the first pleasures of motherhood. It is as if Linda has no regard for Ellie's feelings or opinions. What makes it worse is that Dan never seems to back up Ellie when she feels that his mother is manipulating her. He thinks his wife is behaving in an unreasonable and childish manner.

At first Ellie wants to believe that she and Linda can be friends, but she finds herself becoming angrier with Linda and Dan with each passing day. As her relationship with Linda deteriorates, so does her relationship with Dan. The man she felt so much love for at the beginning of their marriage is no longer that same man. And when an accident that involves Michael and Linda and the newborn baby occurs, this is all Ellie can take. The reader will watch as Ellie's marriage to Dan changes from one that is idyllic and wonderful to one that is strained and full of misery.