翻译理论与实践第四单元

Unit 4 Amplification

Section One Amplification in E-C Translation

Step One Introduction

Purpose for adopting this technique: making the meaning complete in the TL Examples:

Mary washes before meals. 洗手

Mary washes before going to bed. 洗脚/澡

Mary washes after getting up. 洗脸

Mary washes for a living. 靠洗衣度日

Mary washes in a restaurant. 洗碗碟

Step Two: Discussion

1 adding words omitted in the original (for purpose of syntax)

1) words omitted in parallel structure

? A fool and his words are soon parted, a man of genius and his money.

愚人会很快忘记说过的话，智者会很快放弃手里的钱。

?Some books are to be tasted, others swallowed, and some few chewed

and digested.

一些书可以浅尝辄止；一些书可以狼吞虎咽(囫囵吞枣)；只有少数的书需要细嚼慢咽，好好消化。

?Reading makes a full man; conference a ready man; and writing an exact

man.

读书使人充实，讨论使人机智，笔记（写作）使人准确(精准)。

2) words omitted in comparative structure

?The footmen were ready to serve her as they were their own mistress.

仆人们愿意服侍她，就像他们愿意服侍他们的女主人一样。

?Better be wise by the defeat of others than by your own.

从别人的失败中吸取教训比从自己的失败中吸取教训更好。

3) words omitted in elliptical answer

?Is this your book? Yes, it is.

这是你的书吗？是我的。

?Are you tired? Not very.

你累了吗？不太累。

?Shall I bring you a dictionary or an encyclopedia? Both, please.

给你带一本词典还是带一本百科全书？请把两样都带来。

?Do you like sport? Yes, I do.

你喜欢体育运动吗？是的，我喜欢（体育运动）。

2 adding words for the purpose of rhetoric or meaning

1) adding verbs

?He dismissed the meeting without a closing speech.

他没有致闭幕辞就宣布结束会议。

?After the football match, he?s got an important meeting.

在观看完足球赛之后，他有一个重要会议要参加。

?There were no speeches, no foreign diplomats, no “ordinary Chinese” with

paper flags and bouquets of flowers.

没有人发表讲话，没有各国外交官到场，也没有“普通中国人”挥舞纸旗、花束的场面。

2) adding nouns

a) add a noun after an intransitive verb

?First you borrow, then you beg.

头一遭借钱，下一遭就讨饭。

?Mary washed for a living after her husband died of cancer.

玛丽的丈夫癌症去世后，就靠洗衣服维持生活。

?He ate and drank, for he was exhausted.

他吃了点东西，喝了点酒，因为他疲惫不堪了。

?Day after day he came to his work – sweeping, scrubbing and cleaning.

他每天来干活——扫地、擦地板和收拾房间。

b) add a noun before an adjective

? A new kind of aircraft – small, cheap, pilotless – is attracting attention.

一种新型的飞机正越来越引起人们的注意——这种飞机体积不大，价格便宜，无人驾驶。

?He is a complicated man – moody, mercurial, with a melancholy streak.

他是一个性格复杂的人——喜怒无常，反复多变，有些犹豫寡欢。

3) adding adjectives / adverbs

?What a leader he was!

他真是一个出类拔萃的领袖啊！

?The crowds melted away.

人群渐渐散开了。

?As he sat down and began talking, words poured out.

他一坐下来就讲开了，滔滔不绝地讲个没完。

3 adding words to convey the concept of plurality

C: no inflexion

1) adding reduplicated words 增加叠词

?Flowers bloom all over the yard. 朵朵鲜花开满了庭院。

?There were rows of houses which he had never seen before.

一排排的房子都是他从来没有见过的。

?Very acute problems exist among them.

他们之间存在着非常尖锐的种种问题。

?They carried on the work in spite of the difficulties.

尽管困难重重，他们还是把工作进行下去了。

2) adding numerals and other words增加数量词或其他词

?The tiger is the king of the animals. 老虎是百兽之王。

?The very earth trembled as with the tramps of horses and murmur of angry

men.

连大地都震动了，仿佛万马奔腾，千夫怒吼。

using other words such as 每；各；全体；所有

?Mr. Hobbs didn?t talk over my suggestions with his brother until yesterday

afternoon.

直到昨天下午，霍布斯先生才跟他兄弟讨论了我的各项建议。

4 Adding words to indicate different tenses or sequences

C: no inflexion; some words to indicate tense: 曾、已经、过、了；在、正在、着；将、就要、会、便

?I had never thought I?d be happy to find myself considered unimportant.

以往我从未想过，当我发觉人们认为我是无足轻重时，我会感到高兴。

?The old man said, “They say his father was a fisherman. Maybe he was as

poor as we are.”

老头儿说：“听人说，从前他爸爸是个打渔的。他过去也许跟我们现在一样穷。”

?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。

5 adding necessary connectives

?Without a sense your fault, how can repentance and amendment be

expected?

如果对自己的错误都不能认识到，怎么能指望你会悔改呢？

?Having a lot of advantages, this machine still needs improving.

这台机器尽管有很多优点，它仍然需要改进。

?Heated, water will change into vapor.

水如果受热就会气化。

?Many people being absent, the meeting had to be put off.

既然有这么多人缺席，会议就只好延期召开。

?Knowing English well, he finished the English homework without much

difficulty.

由于他英语很好，所以他很轻松地完成了英语作业。

6 adding words by logical analysis

?The atmosphere moderates daytime temperature and retards night heat

loss.

大气层能缓和白天气温的上升和阻止夜间热量的损耗。

?Year after year and century and century the moon goes through its cycles.

一年又一年，一个世纪又一个世纪，月亮盈亏/ 圆缺变化，周而复始。

(here, “cycle” refers to the waxing and waning of the moon)

7 adding words for generalization 概括词

?The Soviet Union, the United States, England and France

苏、美、英、法四国

?The frequency, wavelength, and speed of sound are closely related.

声音的频率、波长和速度三者是密切相关的。

8 repetition

?Students should learn from teachers and vice versa.

学生应该向老师学习，老师也应该向学生学习。

? A government of and by and for the exploiting class cannot possibly

survive.

一个为剥削阶级所占有，由剥削阶级所组成(操纵) 并为剥削阶级服务的政府是不可能存在下去的。

?He was proficient both as a flyer and as a navigator.

他既精于飞行，又善于导航。

?He wanted to send them more aid, more weapons and a few more men.

他想给他们增加些援助，增添些武器，增派些人员。

?He no longer dreamed of storms, nor of great occurrences, nor of great

fish, nor fights, nor contests of strength.

他不再梦见风暴，不再梦见惊人的遭遇，也不再梦见大鱼、搏斗和角力。

9 Adding words to indicate the mood语气词

C: 的、了、呢、啦、罢了、而已；吗、么；啊、呀

?Rain or shine, I?ll go there.

雨也罢，晴也罢，我都要去那。(more vivid)

?“It doesn?t matter about the place, that?s not the question.”

“那地方嘛，没什么要紧的，那不是要谈的问题。”

?“Who are you, John Durbeyfield, to order me about and call me …boy?? You

know my name as well as I know yours.”

“你是谁哟，约翰·德北，对我这么吆三喝四的，还叫我…小家伙?？咱们俩谁还不知道谁叫什么呀！” (from Tess of the d’Urbervilles)

?Let?s watch TV.

咱们一块儿看电视吧。

?“Only some six or eight thousand men,” said Montcalm, with much

apparent indifference...

“只不过六千到八千人罢了,”蒙特卡姆显然满不在乎地说……

10 adding quantifiers 量词

E: less quantifiers, mainly modifying uncountable nouns

two languages 两种语言; three eggs 三个鸡蛋; five students 五名学生

Section Two Amplification in C-E Translation

1 Adding Necessary Pronouns

?一天天冷起来了。

It is getting colder day by day.

?尝试而失败还是比不尝试好。

It is better to try and fail than never try at all.

?把钟拆开比把它装起来容易。

It is easier to take a clock apart than to put it together again.

?别把手搁在口袋里。

Don?t put your hands in your pockets.

?即使在危机时刻也要保持冷静。

We should keep calm even when we are in danger.

?没有调查就没有发言权。

He who makes no investigation has no right to speak.

2 Adding Necessary Articles

?正与误、善与恶、美与丑总是作为对立面而存在的。

There will always be such opposites as the right and the wrong, the good and the evil, the beautiful and the ugly.

?地球绕太阳转。

The earth goes around the sun.

?当老师的应当有耐心。

A teacher should have patience in his work.

?我们对问题要做全面的分析，才能解决得妥当。

We must make a comprehensive analysis of problem before it can be properly solved.

3 Adding Necessary Connectives

?有条件要上；没有条件，创造条件也要上。

When conditions exist, go ahead; when they don?t, create them and go ahead.

?对不起，昨天病了，没来上课。

Sorry for my absence, but I was sick yesterday.

?再试一次，你就会成功。

Try again, and you will succeed.

?东西是新的好，朋友是老的好。

Everything is good when new, but friends when old.

?只许州官放火，不许百姓点灯。

While the magistrates were free to burn down houses, the common people were forbidden to light lamps. (literal translation)

One man may steal a horse while another may not look over a hedge.

(substitution)

?你死了我去当和尚。

If you died, I would go and become a monk.

?他不去我（就）去。I?d like to go if he wouldn?t.

?他不去我也去。I?d go there even I he wouldn?t go with me.

?他不去我才去。I?d go there only if he won?t.

4 Adding Necessary Prepositions

?我们早上八点上班。

We go to work at 8 o?clock in the morning.

?我七月五号会回来。

I will come back on July 5.

?十号清晨这里发生了一场火灾。

On the early morning of the 10th there was a big fire.

?他病了一个星期，在那一星期中他没有吃东西。

He was ill for a week, and during that week he ate nothing.

?公共场所不准吸烟。

Smoking is prohibited in public places.

5 Adding Necessary Background Words

?可以鼓励台湾首先跟我们搞“三通”

We can encourage Taiwan first to have “three links” with us: link of trade, travel and post. (通邮，通商，通航)

?这对年轻夫妇并不般配，一个是西施，一个是张飞。

This young couple is not well-matched, one is a Xishi – a famous Chinese beauty, while the other is Zhangfei – a well-known ill-tempered brute.

?世上先有伯乐，然后有千里马，千里马常有而伯乐不常有。

Only when the world has a Pailo, who knows about horses, can there be fine steeds (can fine steeds be found out). There are always fine steeds that can cover a thousand li a day, but we cannot frequently find a Pailo.

6 Adding Words to make the meaning more accurate

?人和动物不同。

Man is different from other animals.

?谁都知道朝鲜战场是艰苦些。

Everyone knows that life on the Korean battle-field was rather hard.

?结婚大办宴席，实在可以免去了。

The practice of giving lavish feasts at weddings can well be dispensed with.

?在农村，特别是比较偏僻落后的农村，还残存着少数包办买卖婚姻的陋习。

In China?s more remote and backward rural areas, corrupt practices exist in the form of forced marriage. (arranged and mercenary marriage)

?也许您忘记了7月份的购货帐还没有结算。

Perhaps you have overlooked the fact that your account for July purchases has not been settled.

?要提倡顾全大局。

We should advocate the spirit of taking the whole situation into consideration.