翻译理论与实践之汉译英讲义(Key)

第1讲汉英词汇比较与翻译

练习1

一、译出下列词语，注意词语的不同搭配。

1. a swarm of bees a brood of chickens a litter of pups

2. a bevy of beautiful ladies a pack of hounds

a team of ducks a herd of antelopes

3. unfailing support proactive fiscal policy

make effective use of overseas resources

4. make a phone call take a taxi knit a woolen sweater

fetch water play basketball spray insecticide

5. basic wage capital construction essential commodity

primary industry fundamental interest

二、翻译下列句子，注意划线词语的理解。

1. The two leaders exchanged views on bilateral relations and issues of common concern.

2. Party members should listen carefully to the opinions of the general public.

3. They offered some suggestions for the revision of the plan.

4. Everyone complained against such a practice.

5. They had a dispute at the meeting.

6. You should follow the doctor’s advice.

7. They reached a consensus on this issue.

练习2

一、翻译下列各句，注意词的选择和搭配。

1. That depends upon circumstances.

2. This state of affairs must be changed.

3. How do matters stand with them?

4. He presents all his books to the library.

5. A teacher should devote himself to the casue of education.

6. The committee consists of 15 members.

7. Air is made up of a mixture of gases.

8. Go in for rigorous training and set strict demand.

二、翻译下列词组，注意词汇的搭配方式。

1. set sail

2. open quotation

3. the beginning of spring

4. go into operation

5. be taken in

6. make progress

7. distinguished guests 8. be on duty

三、翻译下列各句，注意汉语中词汇的词义范围。

1. It rained cats and dogs (hard / heavily) three days on end (in succession / running).

2. He likes talking big (talking large / talking horse/ talking tall).

He likes saying big words / large words.

3. They are giving the classroom a good (general / spring / through) clean(ing).

4. A person like him is by no means (in no way/ on no account/ never/ not absolutely) rare.

5. We should go in for industry in a big way in accordance with your suggestion.

6. If you do it like that, you’ll be completely (gravely/seriously) mistaken (be absolutely wrong / make a big mistake / make a major blunder / commit a very gross error).

练习3

一、翻译下列句子，注意划线词语的多样性译法。

1. 尤二姐听说，笑道：“依你说，你两个已是情投意合。竟把你许了他，岂不好？”

“It sounds as if the two of you are always of one mind,” Second Sister chuckled, “How would it be if we were to betroth you to him?”

2. 一面说，一面咬牙切齿的，又说道……

Through clenched teeth he added, …

3. 凤姐笑道：“他倒不怨我，他临死咬牙切齿，倒恨宝玉呢。”

“She bore me no grudege,” replied Xifeng. “It was Baoyu who made her grind her teeth with rage just before she died.”

4. 凤姐收了怯色，反喝道：“死了罢了，有什么大惊小怪的！”

But after her initial firght Xifeng put on a bold face. “If she’s dead,” she retorted, “What’s all the fuss about?”

二、翻译下列句子，注意划线部分的成语。

1. The more you get, the more you want.

2. It’s only natural for man to hanker for more.

3. Goodness knows what they’re being so secretive about.

4. She’s been creeping in here the last couple of days in a very sneaky way. Goodness knows what she’’s up to.

5. Who told you to make such a fuss over nothing?

6. Anything will do; don’t fuss.

7. Our grandma is ill, don’t kick up such a shindy.

8. When others herad this they commented, “We thought it was someone who mattered, but this isn’t worth making such a fuss about.”

短文翻译练习1

A Water Bridge

Across Panama runs a world-famous “water bridge”, and that is the Panama Canal. Last summer vacation I went with my parents on a sightseeing tour along it, which is still fresh in my memory.

Having got to Panama City by air, we boarded a pleasure boat in the port of Balboa and sailed into the canal. The boat traveled 13 km and reached the first group of water locks. The Panama Canal is thus a “water bridge” that allows ships to cross land by the open ing and closing of water locks.

W e began “getting onto the bridge”. When the boat had sailed into the lock chamber, the steel gate, 2 meters thick, 20 meters high and wide and hundreds of tons in weight, slowly closed, and water began running into the chamber, which continued for a few minutes. The boat rose with the water and advanced slowly, pulled along by power cars along both banks. Two lifts like that raised the boat 16 meters. It sailed out of the lock across a small lake and came to the second group of locks, which raised the boat another 9.5 meters. In this way, the boat, now 26 meters above sea level, had got onto the “top of the bridge”. It sailed along the main channel, which stretched 13 km between beautiful hills as steep as if cut apart with a sword and covered with green trees and colorful flowers.

The boat sailed out of the gorge and into the wide Gatún Lake, with white clouds and distant hills reflected in it and pretty isles passing into and out of sight. After a leisurely journey of 38 km on the lake, the boat came to th e Gatún Locks, and there began its “descent down the bridge”. The Gatún Locks, three in number, looked like so many gigantic steps. After getting through the locks, the boat had descended to the same level as the surface of the Atlantic Ocean. The beautiful Caribbean Sea came into view as it sailed into the Limón Bay.

We had come from the Pacific to the Atlantic, two great oceans separated by land but linked by the Panama Canal. The canal is 81.8 km in length and 150 to 304 m in width. Ships of 50,000 tons can pass it unimpeded all around the clock. It is truly worthy of the name of “the Bridge of the World”. Full of hearty praises am I for man’s wisdom and courage in transforming nature! I admire you, the people of Panama!

The guide told us that the Panamanian people had high aspirations. On the one hand, they were working to improve the existent canal, and on the other hand, they were planning for an even longer one, which, it was estimated, would take 10 years to complete, and which would be the greatest project in man’s history. We look forward to its early completion.

第2讲词法翻译的一般技巧

练习1

一、翻译下面的句子，注意搭配产生的假朋友。

1. a faithful Christian

2. a loving parents

3. an obedient child

4. a virtuous wife

5. a dutiful husband

6. a hardworking student

7. strong wind 8. thick fog

9. heavy rain

二、翻译下列句子，注意不顾语境而产生的假朋友。

1. Only when they find much in common and hope to keep in touch later on, will they offer their cards.

2. Another exampl. The reading of Chinese classics is a must for all Chinese. Nevertheless, it was not until I was over thirty that I came to realize the importance of self-study in the matter of classics.

3. Dear young friends, my advice to you is: Do physical exercises perseveringly. That has nothing to do with merry-making or time-wasting. Good health is the wherewithal for a successful life and career.

三、用对等译法，翻译下列成语。

1. fish in troubled waters

2. be after one’s own heart

3. kin and bones

4. touch and go

5. hit the nail on the head

6. be head and shoulders above others

7. turn a deaf ear to

8. burn one’s boat

9. turn a blind eye to

10. look for a needle in a bundle of hay

四、用对等译法，翻译下列谚语。

1. Practice makes perfect.

2. More haste, less speed.

3. East or west, home is best.

4. All is fish that comes to the net.

5. Everything comes to him who waits.

6. The moon is not seen when the sun shines.

7. Look before you leap.

8. There is no smoke without fire.

练习2

一、翻译下列句子，注意增补冠词。

1. Even a child can answer this question.

2. This is the head of our delegation.

3. He put the paper aside and turned on the radio.

4. The Chinese people are industrious and brave

5. We must have faith in the masses.

二、翻译下列句子，注意增补代词。

1. Hand in your exercise-books, please.

2. I can’t express myself in English.

3. Liberalism manifests itself in various ways.

4. This article is easy to read and understand.

5. I wish to avail myself of this opportunity to express our gratitude to you.

三、翻译下列句子，注意增补动词。

1. They are in high spirits.

2. They beamed with joy.

3. He is quick of eye and deft of hand.

4. This article is easy to read and understand.

5. I stood aloof from him.

四、翻译下列句子，注意增补介词。

1. The book is very popular among young people.

2. She inquired about your illness.

3. The mountain is 1,000 feet above the sea level

4. Shut the door after / when you go out.

5. Dinner was at one o’clock.

五、翻译下列句子，注意增补连词。

1. Promote physical culture and build up the people’s health.

2. Men and women, old and young, all joined in the battle.

3. We worked neither for fame nor for personal gain.

4. We should strike while the iron is hot.

5. I shall stay here until I’ve completed my studies.

六、翻译下列句子或短语，从文化角度增补词语。

1. You might have the genius of Li Bai or Du Fu, who was a great poet in the Tang Dynasty and the moral worth of Yan Hui or Zeng Shen – both of them were disciples of Confucius, no one would ask your advice.

2. to show off one’s proficiency with the ax before Lu Ban the master carpenter

3. Jigong, Robin Hood in China, robbed the rich and helpd the poor.

4. let a hundred flowers bloom, permit the airing of conflicting views

5. black children, who are born in violation of China’s one-child policy

练习3

一、翻译下列句子，注意省略范畴词。

1. Reform and opening-up reversed the stagnation of national economy.

2. His rudeness shocked me.

3. He has undertaken / taken up the translation of Lu Xun’s works.

4. The export is not permitted to exceed its limit.

5. The discusssion covers Sino-US relations.

6. In the Summer of 1969, the Administration publicly urged an easing of tensions with China.

7. His arrogance made everyone dislike him.

8. Now, birth control became a possibility.

9. China is carrying out nationwide pollution control and environmental protection.

10. During the talk, their discussion centered around the protection of intellectual properties rights.

二、翻译下列句子，注意省略原文的重复成分。

1. The two sides held that Sino-US relations should be viewed in a global context and from a perspective of the future and the 21st century in particular.

2. When problems emerge, they can be easily put right.

3. distance / length / size / height

4. Increase the awareness about self-reliance, competition, efficiency, and democracy and the rule of law, as well as the pioneering and innovation spirit.

5. Silence! Silence! Unless we burst out, we shall perish in this selence.

三、翻译下列句子，注意省略多余的或空洞的词。

1. I went there to have a look. All I remember now is that the guards at the entrance were Swiss soldiers in yellow uniforms.

2. We need to import advanced industrial equipment.

3. Past experience teach us …

4. That is a facade.

5. We must adhere to the principle of plain living and hard struggle.

练习4

一、运用合并译法，翻译下列四字成语或词组。

1. fine words

2. glib tongue

3. exhausted

4. stumbling

5. move forces

6. burn one’s boat

二、结合合并译法，翻译下列句子。

1. We must have this ambition.

2. I got into my old rags and my sugar-hogshead again, and was free and satisfied.

3. Each of the five performances enjoyed a full house, with many spectators having to stand.

4. He is determined to turn over a new leaf.

5. He worked hard at his studies even in early childhood.

6. The Chinese on both sides of the Tainwan Straits are of the same flesh and blood.

7. All the staff unite in absolute sincerity.

8. Before you came, I did nothing but idle and drift into anything that offered itself.

9. He sought the distraction of distance.

练习5

一、翻译下列句子，注意汉语形容词和副词的转译。

1. There is no difference in their views.

2. We found difficulty in solving this complicated problem.

3. The delegate unanimously expressed their determination to oppose the nuclear weapons.

4. His new book is a great success.

5. He looked at me in amazement.

6. The sun shines over the earth.

7. The news quickly spread throughout the world.

8. Her voice rings through the house.

9. This area is densely populated.

10. Our government shows great concern for the Chinese students.

二、翻译下列句子，注意其中名词的转译。

1. Oxygen is one of the important elements in the physical world; it is very active chemically.

2. This kind of behavior characterizes the criminal mind.

3. The earth is shaped like a big ball.

4. He aims to be a successful writer.

5. This coffee tastes of chocolate.

6. All the students should develop morally, intellectually and physically.

7. The magnificent Great Hall of the People impressed us tremendously.

练习6

一、翻译下列句子，注意名词性替代。

1. A; Can I have a cup of blck coffee with sugar, please?

B: Give me the same, please.

2. When the colck struck three, Elizabeth felt that she must go; and very unwillingly she did so.

3. A: Would you like this teapot?

B: No, I want a square one.

4. This represented a great shift from the cunturies-long history of reclaiming farmland from lakes to restoring it to them on a large scale.

5. This is the key workshop in our factory. Here we have comparatively complete equipment. Cooling-fan installations, heating devices and communications facilities are also equipped over those machineries.

二、翻译下列句子，注意应用动词性替代。

1. I do not know any more than you do.

2. He did not often grumble, and when he did, no one paid much attention to him.

3. He rose early, as he had always done.

4. Although most of the people bowed to him, they spat into the dirt as they did so.

5. Peter is joining our group. I am not sure whether David will do so or not.

6. I promised to get a ticket for him and I will do so.

7. They say that the Prime Minister will soon dissolve Parliament and call for new elections. I doubt very much if he will do so.

8. Are you busy this afternoon? If not, I hope you would stay with me for a while.

练习7

一、给出下列词语的褒义词、贬义词和中性词形式。

1. gathering / assembly crowd mob

2. portly overweight tubby

3. slim/slender/slim underweight / thin / fleshy skinny / gaunt / lanky

4. comrade friend crony

5. man of letter writer wordmonger

6. persevere continue persist

二、翻译下列句子，注意划线词语的褒贬。

1. He is always hankering after personal fame and gains.

2. She is fond of figure skating.

3. He is in the fur trade.

4. You are peddling national nihilism.

5. He collaborated with the invaders and betrayed his motherland.

6. We should enhance our mutual cooperation.

7. He is deeply engrossed in medical research.

8. That chap is infatuated with fame and fortune.

9. It shall be strictly prohibited that more forests and pastures be turned onto farmland.

10. China’s economy is a major question.

11. The stubborn boy refused to listen to his paren’s advice.

12. He accomplished the work with stubborn effort.

短文翻译练习2

1.

PANAMA (City)

capital and largest city of the country, located at the Pacific entrance of the Panama Canal. It has an area of 106.5 sq km, and a population of 386,000. Greater Panama’s population is 695,000 (1980 census), accounting for more than one third the country’s total. Situated on a lithologic peninsula at an average altitude of 36 m, the city faces the sea with hills for a background. It has a humid and hot climate, with an average annual rainfall of 1903 mm and an annual average temperature of 26.9℃, which does not vary much through the year. The city was established on the basis of an Indian fishing village in 1519, but was burned down by British buccaneers in 1671. It was rebuilt 8 km west of the original site and was made the national capital in 1903. With a population of only 38,000 in 1911, the city later grew with the opening of the Panama Canal to navigation. It is the economic center of the country, whose industry and commerce mostly cater to the needs of the development of the Canal Zone. Products include refined oil, rolled steel, footwear, clothing, processed food, tobacco, cement, and wood items. It practices an open financial policy,

and over 80 foreign banks have registered and operate here. Balboa, the outer port, is 3 km west of the city, where the canal is spanned by the 1653-m-long American Bridge. With a waterway of 13.71 m in depth and a total wharf length of 954.9 m, the port has complete facilities to accommodate large ocean liners. The Panama Railroad and the trans-Isthmus Highway extend to Colon at the north entrance of the canal, and the Pan-American Highway connects North and South Americas. The airport at Tocumen, 32 km away from the city, is an important international airport in Central America. The city consists of three parts: the Ancient City, the Old City and the New City. Burned down in the 1671 fire, the Ancient City has been developed into a tourist resort and luxury residential district; west of that, the Old City, with its typical Spanish architecture, is an administrative and cultural district; and located between the other two parts, the New City, with its many modern skyscrapers, is a bustling shopping center.

2.

Mei Lanfang--Great Master of Beijing Opera

Mei Lanfang was a great performing artist of Beijing opera. But when a child, he was judged to be “of mediocre speech and plain appearance,” without the makings of an actor.

In his childhood, Mei Lanfang was a neglected child. He began to learn acting at 8, but with mediocre endowment, he remained unable to act at all after having learnt for a long time. Usually taciturn, he wasn’t good at talking to people, always listless with lackluster eyes. His aunt said that he was no good, and, having taught him for some time, even his master lost confidence and refused to go on teaching him.

Child as he was, he was rather sensible, and stubborn, too. “You say I’m no good, but I will go on learning,” he said to himself, making up his mind.

From then on, he would, whenever he was free, stand in the clear space in the yard looking up at the sky. From time to time there were pigeons flying across the blue sky, and he would look up and strain his eyes to follow them into the distance, never winking. At first, it was painful, and his eyes were sore and tired, with tears running and eyelids overstrained. But he persisted in training in spite of pain and tiredness. In this way, his eyes became brighter and brighter, which helped to lay a good foundation for his acting in days to come.

……*

Thus Mei Lanfang developed from a person who hadn’t got the makings of an actor into a performing artist of Beijing opera with a unique style.

When he became successful as an actor, it was natural that many people would name him to act for them. At that time, not a few social celebrities, tycoons and rich and powerful people hoped to buy him off and make fortunes by exploiting his popularity. But he was never moved by money.

One day, he was backstage, removing his makeup and costume, when a rich merchant came in and said to him, all smiles, “I’m most impressed by your excellent acting, Mr. Mei. Here is a mere trifle for you, to show my respect.” So saying, he handed over a 10000-yuan check. Mei Lanfang, knowing that the man had other fish to fry, took over the check, struck a match and burnt it without looking. He said to the man, “Art can’t be bought off with money. So beat it.” Snubbed, the man apologized to Mei Lanfang and went away in disgrace.

3.

Wang Mian

However, at the end of the Yuan Dynasty a really remarkable man was born. His name was Wang Mian, and he lived in a village in Zhuji County in Zhejiang. When he was seven his father died, but his mother took in sewing so that he could study at the village school. Soon three years had passed and Wang Mian was ten. His mother called him to her and said, “Son, it’s not that I want to stand in your way. But since your father died and left me a widow, I have had nothing coming in. Times are hard, and fuel and rice are expensive. Our old clothes and our few sticks of furniture have been pawned or sold. We have nothing to live on but what I make by my sewing. How can I pay for your schooling? There’s nothing for it but to set you to work looking after our neighbour’s buffal o. You’ll be making a little money every month, and you’ll get your meals there, too. You start tomorrow.”

“Yes, mother,” said Wang Mian. “I find sitting in school boring anyway. I’d rather look after buffaloes. If I want to study, I can take a few books along to read.” So that very night the matter was decided.

The next morning his mother took him to the Qin family next door. Old Qin gave them some breakfast, and when they had finished he led out a water buffalo and made it over to Wang Mian.

From this ti me onwards, Wang Mian looked after Old Qin’s buffalo; and every evening he went home to sleep. Whenever the Qin family gave him salted fish or meat, he would wrap it up in a lotus leaf and take it to his mother. He also saved the coppers he was given each day to buy a snack with, and every month or so would seize an opportunity to go to the village school to buy some old books from the book-vendor making his rounds. Every day, when he had tethered the buffalo, he would sit down beneath the willows and read. (杨宪益、戴乃迭译)