汉英翻译能力的培养

用手摸还是用脚触？
•石头是大石头还是小石头(rock, stone, pebble, etc.)？
•如果意译为 learning by experiment / by trial and error是否可取？
•直译和意译相结合wading across the stream by feeling the way如何？
Since there is no previous experience to fall back on, we have to “wade across the stream by feeling the way,” as we say in Chinese.

第三：中文和英文的对应词有时意思并不相同或者不完全相同，不能照字面翻译。例如下面例子中的“外国人”和foreigner: 如果我们要把“他的英语说得真好，就像外国人一样。”翻译成这样的英语He speaks English so well, he sounds like a foreigner.那么这里的修饰语like a foreigner 是指说得不好，听起来很别扭。这种看上去非常准确的翻译其效果却适得其反。正确的翻译方法应该是：He speaks English so well, he sounds like a native speaker.
“拉动经济增长”不能翻译为pull economic growth，这不符合英语的表达习惯，而要用下列动词才能与economic growth相匹配：push/lift/increase/boost/stimulate/
spur/drive/fuel/speed up/accelerate/generate/ fire up/ propel/ facilitate/reinforce/
aid/assist/support/promote/encourage/foster/(sustain/maintain)。
我们也不能把“素质教育”翻译成quality education，那是指“高质量的教育”。正确的翻译应该是caliber-focused education 或trait-centered education。

第四：有时候中文字面的意思表达不充分，部分信息被省略了或被隐藏起来了。例如下面的例子：特区是个窗口，是技术的窗口，管理的窗口，知识的窗口，也是对外政策的窗口。有人把它翻译为：The special zone is a window. It is a widow for introducing technology, management and knowledge. It is also a window for foreign policy.
这样的翻译外国人是无法理解的，我们必须把那些被省略了或被隐藏起来的信息都翻译出来：The special economic zones are a window opening onto the outside world. They are a window through which to bring in from abroad sophisticated technology, advanced managerial expertise and up-to-date know-how. It is also a window through which to disseminate China’s external policies.
与此相似的例子还有很多，如“退耕还林”不是return farmland to forest(把耕地退还给森林)，而应该是restore “woodland-converted farm-plots” back for afforesting (把从林地开垦出来的耕地还原成林地，即重新进行植树造林)。“春运”也不能简单地说成是spring transportation(春季的运输) 而是the rush / peak season of passenger transportation during the Spring Festival(春节期间的客运高峰)。

第五：有些中文词语没有什么特殊涵义，而与之相对应的英文词语却有着特殊的涵义。例如，与“便宜”、“价廉”相对应的“cheap,”它有时候会带有贬义，成为“质次价低”的意，如cheap jewelries, cheap dresses, cheap furniture 等。我们可以说I bought a cheap watch for my child，对小孩无所谓；但不能说I bought a cheap dress for my girlfriend. 因为这样说会冒犯对方。在后一种情况下必须用inexpensive一词。

第六：避免用中式英语进行表达，而要尽量用地道的英语进行表达。假如我们要把“我过去学过一些法语，但现在都忘了，都还给老师了”这句话翻译成英语，最好不要说 I learned some French in the past. Now I have forgotten it. I’ve returned it to the teacher. 比较好的说法是 I used to know some French, but I’

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