李长栓《非文学翻译理论与实践》第2版复习笔记(句子的长短和简繁)【圣才出品】

李长栓《非文学翻译理论与实践》第2版复习笔记

第10章句子的长短和简繁

一、简明英语提倡短句和简单句

简明语言的原则之一是使用短句，避免长句。

英语产生长句的原因，一是流水句，二是复杂的嵌套句式。例如：

流水句：

Janice is an enthusiastic basketball player,and she is the top-scoring player on our team,but unfortunately,she will not be able to play in tomorrow’s game,for her sprained ankle is not completely healed.

建议改为：

Janice is an enthusiastic basketball player,and the top-scoring player on our team.Unfortunately,she will not be able to play in tomorrow’s game,for her sprained ankle is not completely healed.

复杂句：

The train stopped at the small station,which was a few miles from the center of the city,because it was a local run that picked up passengers who chose to ride in the late morning.

建议改为：

The train stopped at the small station a few miles from the center of the city.It was a local run that picked up passengers who chose to ride in the late moming.

二、汉译英时化长为短，化繁为简

汉译英时有两类长句值得注意。一是流水句，二是结构复杂的句子，与英语相似。翻译时要避免翻译为英语的流水句或复杂句。

1.流水句

汉语流水句的特点是一个分句接一个分句，很多地方可断可连，能省略的成分就省略。翻译流水句要注意断句和分清层次。

(1)断句

在市场经济体制下，收入分配机制与竞争机制相联系，必然造成社会成员之间在收入分配方面的不均等，甚至收入相差十分悬殊，强者成为富翁，弱者陷于困境。为了解决这一社会问题，就需要运用政府的力量对社会经济生活进行干预，通过提供社会保障措施，通过对社会成员的收入进行必要的再分配调节方式，将高收入者的一部分收入适当转移给另一部分缺少收入的人，从而在一定程度上缩小社会成员之间的贫富差距，弥补市场经济的缺陷，缓和社会矛盾，以促进社会公平目标的实现。(两个句号)

In a market economy,where income distribution is a function of competition, wealth is inevitably distributed unequally.Sometimes the income gap widens because the strong gets richer and the weak poorer.This is a problem that can be addressed only with government intervention.Social security is a form of intervention that increases social equity by redistributing wealth,for part of the income of the rich is rechannelled to the lower income.By narrowing the income gap and mitigating the flaws of the market economy in some extent,social security enhances social cohesion and equity.(五个句号)

原来的2个句号变为5个句号。

(2)分清层次

汉语的流水句在形式上看是并列的，但意思可能存在包含、因果、递进等关系，翻译时要体现出来。例：

强化企业内部改革，选择少量中央管理的大型企业和境外上市公司，进行收入分配制度改革试点，建立对企业经营者有效的激励和约束机制。(政府工作报告)

We should deepen the reform in businesses,initiate pilot reform of the income distribution system in selected large corporations managed by the central authorities and in foreign-listed companies,and develop effective incentive and control mechanisms for business managers.

这里把汉语的并列也译为英语的并列，笔者认为不一定妥当。从上下文的意义来看，“选择少量中央管理的大型企业和境外上市公司，进行收入分配制度改革试点”是“强化企业内部改革”的内容；而“建立对企业经营者有效的激励和约束机制”是“收入分配制度改革”的目的。所以，似乎可以译为：

We will deepen internal reform of SOEs.We will initiate pilot reform of the income distribution system in selected large enterprises managed by the central authorities and in companies listed on overseas stock markets,in order to develop incentives and disincentives for business managers.

2.复杂句

汉语中也有一些结构复杂的嵌套句子，翻译时应当分解为短句。

针对中国发展中党治与法治的内在矛盾——中国在1924年由国民党提出“以党建国”、“以党治国”，20世纪50——70年代，共产党把“以党治国”发展到极至，后来共产党主动推进开放和改革，在1997年提出“依法治国”和建设“社会主义法治国家”，而在走向