【2】 Now the integrated circuit has reduced by many times the size of the computer of which it forms a part, thus creating a new generation of portable minicomputer.
掌握“英语重形合、汉语重意合”的差异是做好英汉互译的核心。英译汉时,要尽量在理清英语各句关系的基础上,打乱其原有的句式结构,按照“汉语重意合”的表达习惯和方式,重新组织句序;相反,在汉译英时,要把汉语各个分句的关系尽量用连接词、时态和标点符号等予以表示,最后按照英语的表达习惯组合成复杂的句子结构。例如,众所周知的,虽然“long time no see”(好久不见了)这句典型的中式英语也广为接受,但它是不符合英语表达习惯的,是典型的不顾英语语法和句型结构的误译。其实,按照英语的语法结构,应该这样表达:It’s a long time since we saw.
【4】 Plastics is made from water which is a natural resource inexhaustible and available everywhere, coal which can be mined through automatic and mechanical processes at less cost and lime which can be obtained from the calcinations of limestone widely present in nature.
【分析】原文是一个典型的英语复杂长句,由42个单词组成,全靠一个逗号和几个连词结合成一个多层次的、内容丰富的句子。主句的主干是:Plastics is made from water, coal and lime; water, coal和lime之后各有一个定语从句,其中的后两个定语从句还是被动语态。所以,按照汉语的表达习惯,翻译时要化整为零,可以把主句和各个定语从句分开译成短句,其中的一些状语比如at less cost也可以单独处理成短句。
尽管英语和汉语中都存在被动语态,但相比较而言,英语更喜欢使用被动语态,特别是在一些正式的书面文体中,比如科技英语、医学英语等。有时,汉语也会经常使用一些由“被”引导的被动句,但是更多的时候是用主动表被动,比如由“让”、“给”、“由”、“据”等词语表达的句子。所以,在英译汉时,要尽量把英语的被动句翻译成汉语的主动句,尤其是一些习惯的表达方法,比如:it is said that…(据说……),it is generally considered that…(大家普遍认为……)等这些约定俗成的习惯用法。一般说来,可以把英语句子的主语变成汉语句子的宾语,再将被动语态部分翻译成主动;如果英语句子有by引导的施动者,将其译为汉语的主语;如果没有,则可不要或根据需要予以补充。
【例5】 It was still thought unusual in some places that programs could be called up by viewers to be displayed on their TV screens at home.
【译文】有些地方的人们仍然认为,观众打电话要求在自己家里的电视屏幕上播放节目是一件不平常的事情。
【分析】原文中有三个被动语态形式was thought, could be called up, to be displayed, 都译成了汉语的主动语态:“认为”、“打电话”和“播放”。其方法是:it was thought that…,按照汉语习惯,补充了主语,译为“人们认为……”;could be called up,将by后施动者viewers译成主语,被动部分译成主动;to be displayed译成主动修饰programs。
【例6】 New actions must be taken to prevent air pollution.
【例11】 However, government intervention has been found necessary from time to time to ensure that economic opportunities are fair and accessible to the people, to prevent flagrant abuses, to dampen inflation and to stimulate growth.