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翻译中的中式英语之鉴

时间:2022-02-06 17:19:58 其它英语写作 我要投稿

翻译中的中式英语之鉴

汉译英的过程中,常常会出现“中式英语”翻译,即所谓的Chinglish,因此我们在翻译的过程中,万不可想当然,要多查资料,多翻字典,以保证译文的地道准确,以下几例供大家参考。

翻译中的中式英语之鉴

1. 茶树在这片山地上长得很好。

〔误〕Tea trees grow well in these mountain fields.

〔正〕Tea grows well in these mountain fields.

注:“茶树”、“果树”等在翻译成英语时常常省略tree,因为这些词本身就包含“树”的意思。如orange(橘子树),banana(香蕉树)等。

2. 淡季生意不好做。

〔误〕It's hard to do business in light seasons.

〔正〕It's hard to do business in slack seasons.

注:“淡”在英语中往往不用light表示。又如:“淡茶”(weak tea),“淡水”(fresh water)。

3. 这可是件大事啊!

〔误〕This is a big thing!

〔正〕This is an important matter!

注:big thing是指体积大的东西,而“大事”是指“重要的事情”,它也可以用big issue来表达。随意中文的“大”不一定对应英文的big。如:“大雾”的表达就是thick fog。large则表示一个无体总的宽度和数量,有广阔和众多的意思。

4. 该停机检查故障了。

〔误〕It is time that we stop the machine and find the trouble.

〔正〕It is time we stopped the machine and found the trouble.

注:it is time that…表示“是……的时候了”,其后的从句应采用过去时态,这是虚拟与其的要求。

5. 今天我要到叔叔家拜年。

〔误〕I'll go to visit my uncle and say "Happy New Year" to him today.

〔正〕I'll pay a New Year call to my uncle today.

注:“拜年”用英文怎么说一定难倒了好多人。第一句译文不是不对,而是没有后一句好。“拜年”还可以被说成wish sb. a Happy New Year,如:Auntie, we've come to wish you a Happy New Year(阿姨,我们来给您拜年了。)

6. 近几年我国的第三产业增长很快。

〔误〕For the latest couple of years the third industry in our country has been developing very fast.

〔正〕For the latest couple of years the tertiary industry in our country has been developing very fast.

注:“第一产业”是the primary industry,“第二产业”是the secondary industry,但“第三产业”不是the third industry,而是the tertiary industry。其实tertiary与third是同义的,都是“第三”的意思,这样用只是约定俗成。另外,“第三产业”还可以说成the service industry,因为第三产业主要是指服务业。

7. 适当保持低调是维护好的公众形象的窍门。

〔误〕To keep an adequately low tone is a tip to maintain good public impression.

〔正〕To be adequately low-keyed is a tip to maintain good public impression.

注:tone指“音调“或“口气“,是实指。如:She always speaks with a rising tone.(她讲话总是用升调)。而这里的“低调”是“不张扬”的意思,应用low-keyed 或low-key。如:The wedding is a very low-key affair/The wedding is very low-keyed.(婚礼办得很低调)。