We here highly resolve that these dead should not die in vain-that this nation, under god, shall have new birth of freedom--and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the world. (參考譯文:我們在此立志誓愿,不能讓他們白白死去--要使這個國家在上帝庇佑之下,得到新生的自由--要使那民有、民治、民享的政府不致從地球上消失。)
在本句中,“We here highly resolve......”是整個句子的主句,作者通過“that”引導(dǎo)“that these dead should not die in vain”,“that this nation, under god, shall have new birth of freedom” ,“that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the world.”等三個從句,那么在最后一個從句之前還用了“and”這個連接詞將幾個從句連接起來。 而缺少 “that”, “ and”這幾個連接詞,這個句子在英語中就不能表達(dá)現(xiàn)有的意思,而且也是不符合英語的語法的。
例如,漢語說“他不來,我不走”。這句話包含了兩層意思,完全通過意義聯(lián)系起來,兩分句之間不用任何連詞。而如果翻譯成英文則必須用連接詞語,即:I won’t go unless he comes. 或者我們說:I will stay until he comes.
下面我們舉一個2003年考研的題目來看一下。
Furthermore, humans have the ability to modify the environment in which they live, thus subjecting all other life forms to their own peculiar ideas and fancies.(參考譯文:而且,人來還有能力改變自己的生存環(huán)境,從而使所有其他形態(tài)的生命服從人類自己獨(dú)特的想法和想象。)
Interest in historical methods had arisen less through external challenge to the validity of history as an intellectual discipline and more from internal quarrels among historians themselves。▍⒖甲g文:人們對歷史研究方法產(chǎn)生了興趣,這與其說是因為外部對歷史作為一門學(xué)問的有效性提出了挑戰(zhàn),還不如說是因為歷史學(xué)家內(nèi)部發(fā)生了爭吵。)
英文原句是個典型的長句,由27個詞組成,中間沒有使用任何標(biāo)點(diǎn)符號,完全靠語法結(jié)構(gòu)使整個句子的意思化零為整:less through…and more from構(gòu)成一個復(fù)雜的狀語修飾動詞arisen。在中文翻譯中,“產(chǎn)生興趣”這一重要內(nèi)容通過一個獨(dú)立的句子表達(dá),兩個不同的原因則分別由不同的句子表達(dá),整個句子被化整為零“…產(chǎn)生興趣…,這與其說是因為…,還不如說是因為…”
例如:Darwin was convinced that the loss of these tastes was not only a loss of happiness, but might possibly be injurious to the intellect, and more probably to the moral character. (參考譯文:達(dá)爾文確信,沒有了這些愛好不只是少了樂趣,而且還可能會有損于一個人的思維年能力,更有可能導(dǎo)致一個人道德品質(zhì)的下降。)
was convinced 這里被翻譯成了確信,類似的這種很多已經(jīng)演變成固定翻譯方法,如果有人翻譯成達(dá)爾文被說服或被確信之類的,那可就真要貽笑大方了。再看2002年真題:
The behavioral sciences have been slow to change partly because the explanatory items often seem to be directly observed and partly because other kinds of explanations have been hard to find. (參考譯文:行為科學(xué)之所以發(fā)展緩慢,部分原因是用來解釋行為的依據(jù)似乎往往是直接觀察到的,部分原因是其他的解釋方式一直難以找到。)
例如:1999年真題 “It applies equally to traditional historians who view history as only the external and internal criticism of sources, and to social science historians who equate their activity with specific techniques.”( 譯文:這種謬誤同樣存在于歷史傳統(tǒng)派和歷史社科派,前者認(rèn)為歷史就是史學(xué)界內(nèi)部和外部人士對各種史料來源的評論,后者認(rèn)為歷史的研究就是具體方法的研究。 )
Everybody has a responsibility to the society of which he is a part and through this to mankind.(參考譯文)每個人都對他所屬的社會負(fù)有責(zé)任,并且通過社會而對人類負(fù)責(zé)。
本句雖短,但是and 后的成分不好理解,因為它省略了一些成分。如果沒看到這一省略,就不能理解原文的含義,更會譯出難懂的中文:每個人都對他所屬的社會負(fù)有責(zé)任,并且由此走向人類。(每個人不是都屬于人類嗎?怎么又走向人類呢?)其實(shí),該句是在this后省略了前面出現(xiàn)的“everybody has a responsibility”(符合省略的規(guī)則),this指“the society”。所以,根據(jù)漢語習(xí)慣,將其補(bǔ)充完整,即可得到正確的譯文。
再例如2001年真題:
There will be television chat shows hosted by robots, and cars with pollution monitors that will disable them when they offend. (參考譯文:屆時,將出現(xiàn)由機(jī)器人主持的電視談話節(jié)目以及裝有污染監(jiān)控器的汽車,一旦這些汽車排污超標(biāo)(違規(guī)),監(jiān)控器將會使其停駛.
翻譯到when they offend 的時候,可能會有人想,offend 的賓語是什么呢?要理解成冒犯了什么呢?如果我們了解英語的省略特點(diǎn),就會知道其實(shí)這里是省略了monitors. 這些汽車應(yīng)該是冒犯了汽車污染監(jiān)控器,符合漢語表達(dá)習(xí)慣的說法是:排污超標(biāo)。
Additional social stresses may also occur because of the population explosion or problems arising from mass migration movements -- themselves made relatively easy nowadays by modern means of transport.