[译文1]新年一开头,这个地区就下了一场大雪。(口语体,但通顺流畅)
[译文2]新年伊始,这个地区就普降瑞雪。(书面体,颇有文才)
「句2」形势尚未明朗化。
[译文1]No clear picture has yet emerged.
[译文2]The situation has not yet been clarified.
[分析]译文1比译文2更生动,因为用了“picture”和“emerge”两个词搭配,使“明朗化”更加鲜明了。
段子:
最近几年美国并不平静。美国非但没有松一口气,享受一下“胜利果实”,反而面临到比过去更加难以处理的问题。不错美国比过去任何时期富足得多,强大得多。不过美国伴随着繁荣而来的是十分紧张和分裂的状态;要美国这样一个长久以来以不受旧世界纷争与联盟牵连而自傲的国家去领导世界,可不是件容易的事。
译文:
The last few years have not been tranquil in the United States.Far from being able to relax and enjoy “the fruits of victory”,America faced more serious and more intractable problems than ever before in her history.True,she was also richer and more powerful than ever before.But the prosperity was accompanied by acute tensions and divisions;and world leadership did not come easily to a nation that had so long prided itself on being exempt from the conflicts and alliances of the Old World.
[分析]每句话都有“美国”,如果都译成“The United States”,显得太单调。我这里用了倒装,拟人等手法。所以在翻译的时候,为了使疑问生动,活泼,更符合英语的表达习惯,一定要注意使用多样化的句型。