interpreting figures

数字口译
Interpreting figures
Main content
• A brief introduction Major difference between C&E figures expression; Skills in taking notes; Expression of fractions, decimals, multiples and indefinite numbers
point seven; zero point seven point five four six zero point o o nine percent 8,000；eight thousand 70,000,000; seventy million ninety-three million 560,800; five hundred and sixty thousand eight hundred
On the earth everything is six times as heavy as on the moon. 地球上每件东西的重量为月球上的6倍。
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―倍数＋比较级＋than‖的译法 表示“几倍于”的概念，还可以用“X times +比较级＋than‖结构。此结构表示的 倍数与（一）结构相同，所以汉译时，同 样译成“是……的X倍”、“为……的X 倍”、“X倍于……‖或“比……（X－1） 倍”。
• Interpreting exercise
Difference between C & E figures
1, 0 0 0, 0 0 0, 0 0 0 b
亿
m
th
万 千
E: (trillion), billion, million, thousand, hundred C: (兆) 千 百 十 亿 千 百 十 万 千 百 十 个
英语中还可以用具有减少意义的词加倍数来表示减少的 数量。句中的倍数是指原量为现量的倍数。由于汉语不能说 “减少多少倍”，所以汉译时需要将原文倍数化为分数，译 成“减少了”（指减去部分），或译成“减少到“（指剩下 部分）。 By using this new process the loss of metal was reduced four times. 采用这种新工艺使金属损耗减少了四分之三。（或译 为……降到了四分之一） The principal advantage is a four-fold reduction in volume. 主要优点是体积缩小了四分之三。
What to take down?
• Figures
• Words/phrases that figures modify
b Some Practical Hints to Remember 1) Two significant points: as indicated earlier, it is risky trying to do a long series of figure in interpreting without jotting them down in a feasible way. To ensure accuracy it is always helpful and reassuring to speedily jot them down as they are being uttered (or read) by the original speakers.
二、“增加几倍”的译法
英语表示“增加几倍”，常用具有增加意 义的动词加倍数，或只用具有倍数意义的动 词。句中的倍数是指所增加的倍数与原有数 之和。因此若译出净增加的倍数，就将原文 减一，译成“增加了（X－1）倍“，或”增 加（X－1）倍”。若要译出增加部分与原有 部分之和，则照译不减，译成“增加到X 倍”。
vi. Interpretation of times (倍数的译法)
In scientific English the use of times is quite common. As for the expression of times, there are many differences between English and Chinese. For example, ―to increase 4 times‖, in Chinese it can be put into ―increase 3 times‖ (增 加3倍), and also be put into增加到4倍. In English we can say ―to reduce 4 times‖ but in Chinese we cannot say in the same way. We can say ―to reduce three quarter‖ (减少四分之三), or ―to be reduced to one quarter‖.
– 你们队得了第几名？ Did your team win the championship? Did you get/win the first place in the competition?
– 这孩子是（你的）老几呀？ Is this your oldest/youngest child/son/daughter?
一、“几倍于”的译法
英语表示一事物的某种数量为另一事物的几倍时，通常 使用一下三种结构来表达：
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“倍数＋as…as‖的译法
英语表示“几倍于”常用倍数加as…as即 “X times + as 形容词（副词） as‖ 结构（X代表任意整数）。 因此又译为“是……的X倍”、“为……的X倍”或“X 倍于……‖，其倍数照译不减。如果要译成双方比较相差 的倍数，则将其倍数减一，译成“比……（X－1）倍”。 如 “…10 times as large as…‖, 译成“大小是 （为）……的10倍”，或“比……大9倍”。
Fractions
(cardinal no./ordinal no.)
六分之一： 二分之一： 四分之一： 四分之三：
one-sixth a/one half a/one quarter three quarters
Decimals
0.7: 0.546: 0.009%: 0.8 万 ： 0.7亿： 0.93亿： 56.08万：
Skills in taking notes(1)
点线法：中译外时，应在听到“亿”时即斜向划 一长线/，听到“万”时再划同样的斜长线/，剩下 的数字则仍用“符号结合阿拉伯数字”的通用方 式完成，即三个零为—，两个零为～，或者一律 记阿拉伯数字，但不一定立即译成相应的译语数 字。 eg1：一亿三千零二万零八百五十八→ 1/3002/0858 eg2：一百零一亿七千四百八十九万零五百四十 → 101/7489/0540
Skills in taking notes(2)
• 口译时，从右向左，逆着原记录顺序每三位打一 个逗号（分节号），便可将这些数字切分成印欧 语系诸语言的进位单位了。从右向左：第一个分 节号左位是“千”位，第二个分节号左位是“百 万”位，第三个分节号左位是“十亿”位。
eg1：1/30,02/0,858 → 130M 20Th 8Hu &58 eg2：10,1/74,89/0,540 → 10B 174M 890Th 5Hu &40
Some commonly used figures
• • • • • • 1万=ten thousand 10万=one hundred thousand 100万=one million 1000万=ten million 1亿=one hundred million 10亿=one billion
With the result of automation productivity has increased 6 times in that factory. 由于自动化的结果，那个工厂的生产率增加了5倍。 （或译成……增加到6倍）
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―表示倍数意义的动词＋宾语” 作动词用的倍数常见的有double（两倍）、 triple（三倍）、quadruple（四倍）等。 As the high voltage was abruptly trebled, all the valves burnt. 由于高压突然增加了两倍，管子都烧坏了。
Ordinal numbers
In Chinese we often hear or talk about ordinal numbers. If we interpret in English, we have to change the ways of asking/inquiry.
– 这是你第几次来中国？ Is this your first visit to China? This isn’t your first visit to China, is it? How many times have you been in China?
2) In the case of C-E and E-C interpretation, figures do require a sufficient amount of training. By figures we mean, in a larger sense, not only a long series of figures combined with various units of measurements but also a long string of document symbols and long series of proper names (of persons/es).
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“表示增加意义的动词＋倍数”
表增加意义的动词有increase、rise、grow、raise、 exceed等。 与其连用的倍数有三种形式： “数词＋times‖; 数词与fold组成的合成词; ―by a factor of +数词“。 比如3倍，又用3 times 或 three-fold（threefold），也 可用by a factor of three来表示。