增词法和减词法 translation

1、Amplification & Omission 增词法和减词法翻译的标准首先是忠实于原文。那么，忠实是否就意味着我们在翻译过程中不能增加词也不能减少词呢？实际上并非如此。美国著名翻译学家奈达曾经说过“Translation is translating meaning”，在翻译过程中主要是准确表达出原文的意思，而不必拘泥于原文用词的形式。英汉两种语言不论在词汇上还是在句法上都存在着显著的差异，一味拘泥于原文的形式，有时会令人费解、语句罗嗦或偏离原文的意思。适当地增加一些词或者省略一些词，恰恰是为了达到忠实于原文或者通顺流畅表达的目的。下面分别举例介绍一下英汉翻译过程中常见的增词和减词

2、的用法。1 增词法增词法并不是说译者可以随心所欲地增加任何词。一般说来，增加的词尽管没有出现在原文字面上，但实际上其意思都隐含在原文中。经常使用的增词法有以下几种情况：(1)增加表示时态和复数的词英语具有某些综合形语言的特征，可以通过名词、动词的词形变化来表现时态和复数。而汉语则是典型的分析形语言，词形本身没有变化，要表示时态和复数需要通过增加相应的时间副词或表示复数的词。所以一定要注意在汉语译文中添加这些词，如：例1：His father was a fisherman. He was as poor as we are.译文：他父亲过去是个渔夫。那时候他和我们现在一样穷。例2：The ag

3、reement will come into force next spring.译文：协议将于明年生效。例3：Lion is the king of animals.译文：狮子是百兽之王。例4：As is known to all, air is a mixture of gases.译文：众所周知，空气是许多种气体的混合物。(2)增加语义表达中需要的词增加语义表达中需要的词，是指为了使译文表达通顺流畅而根据汉语的表达习惯增加的一些词。经常增加的语义表达中需要的词有动词、名词、形容词、副词和量词。1) 增加动词汉语句子中动词占优势，使用的频率很高。因此英汉翻译中经常需要根据上下文的意思添加一

4、些动词，使译文表达更加清楚、通顺，如：例5：He dismissed the meeting without a closing speech.译文：他没有致闭幕词就宣布会议结束。例6：I must finish this paper before class.译文：我必须在上课之前做完这篇论文。例7：The sports meeting is schedule for May 4.译文：运动会定于五月四日举行。例8：The molecules get closer and closer with the pressure.译文：随着压力增大，分子排列得越来越紧密。2)增加名词英语中有大量由动

5、词或形容词派生的抽象名词，在翻译这些词时，有时需在其后增加一些名词才能把词义表达得更加完整、自然，如：例9：I was deeply impressed by the backwardness of the mountainous area.译文；山区的落后状况给我留下了深刻印象。例10：In terms of conductivity, aluminum is a good material for electric wires.译文：就传导性而言，铝是做电线的好材料。另外在翻译过程中为了符合表达习惯，有时也可以在某些动词后或某些形容词前增加一些名词，如：例11：After her husb

6、and died, Mary washed for a living.译文：丈夫死后玛丽靠洗衣为生。例12：This printer is indeed cheap and fine.译文：这台打印机真的是物美价廉。3)增加形容词或副词为了充分表达出原文的意思或者修辞上的需要，有些英语句子译成汉语时可以在名词或动词前相应添加一些形容词或副词，例如：例13：He sank down with his face in his hands.译文：他用手抱着头，一屁股瘫了下去。例14："I know this is grasping at the straw", said the

7、helpless man.译文：这个无助的人说：“我知道这是在抓救命稻草”，。例15：Winter lingered.译文：冬天迟迟不去。例16：The little boy tiptoed into his parents' bedroom.译文：小男孩蹑手蹑脚地走进父母的卧室。4)增加量词汉语中有丰富的量词，从而使汉语表达生动、形象。而英语中尽管有少数名词可以起量词的作用，但实际上没有专门的量词，通常是用数词或冠词直接修饰名词。因此在英汉翻译的过程中，要注意按汉语的表达习惯适当地添加量词，如：例17：A red sun rose slowly from the calm sea.译

8、文：一轮红日从平静的海面上冉冉升起。例18：The heavily laden infantry could not keep to schedule.译文：这支负载很重的步兵不能按计划行动。例19：Please prepare a ruler, a metal spoon, a coin and a pencil for this experiment.译文：请为实验准备一把尺子，一把金属勺子，一枚硬币以及一支铅笔。(3)增加英语句式中省略的词按照英语的表达习惯和修辞要求，一些重复的部分在句子中往往可以省略。但在汉语表达中，如果不将省略的部分补充完整，译文表达就会不通顺或不清楚，如：例20：

9、It's more expensive than it was last time, but not as good.译文：它的价格比上次贵，但质量却没有上次好。例21：Everybody will remember this promise as we will.译文：每一个人都会记得这个承诺，就象我们会记得一样。例22：Shall I bring you a dictionary or an encyclopedia? Both, please.译文：给你带一本字典，还是带一套百科全书？请把两样都带来。例23：Ice is the solid state, water the li

10、quid state, and water vapor the gaseous state.译文：冰是固态，水是液态，水蒸气是气态。2 减词法减词法是指在翻译过程中将原文的一些词省略不译。减词法的最根本原则是“减词不减意”，也就是说在不改变原文意思的前提下，省略一些译文中可有可无的词。由于英汉两种语言在句法和表达方式上存在很大差异，在译文中按照译入语的表达习惯，省略一些词可以使译文更加简练、清晰。常用的减词法有以下几种情况：(1)省略冠词冠词是英语中特有的一种词性，汉语中没有冠词。尽管英语中的冠词只有“a, an, the”三个，但用途极广，用法复杂。在英译汉时，应当注意区分冠词只是起语法作用

11、，还是表达某种实际的意义。对于仅起语法作用而没有实际意义的冠词，在翻译过程中应当省略不译，如：例24：A teacher should have patience.译文：教师应当有耐心。例25：This dinner cost us five dollars a person.译文：这顿饭我们每人花了五美元。在这里例24的不定冠词同例25不同，并没有实际意义。因此在翻译时不必译出，可以省略。类似省略冠词的例子还有：例26：The earth is larger than the moon, but smaller than the sun.译文：地球比月亮大，但是比太阳小。例27：A came

12、l is much inferior to an elephant in strength.译文：骆驼在体力方面远不及大象。(2)省略介词大量使用介词是英语的一个显著特点。相对于英语来说汉语中介词使用的频率要低得多。因此在英译汉时，在很多情况下英语介词要转换为其他词性或省略不译，尤其是表示时间和地点的介词，例如：例28：Columbus arrived in America in the 15th century.译文：哥伦布15世纪到达美洲。例29：There is a temple at the top of the mountain.译文：山顶上有一座寺庙。例30：Most substa

13、nces expand on heating and contract on cooling.译文：大多数物质热胀冷缩。(3)省略代词英语中大量使用代词以求得句式的严谨，而汉语中则要避免使用过多的代词。因此，在英译汉过程中经常需要省略一些代词，包括人称代词，物主代词，做宾语用的反身代词以及用在强调句等特殊句形中的代词“it”等。例如：例31：He who made the mistake should have the courage to admit.译文：凡是犯了错误就要有勇气承认。例32：How do atoms arrange themselves in a solid?译文：原子在固

14、体中是怎样排列的？例33：I glanced at my watch. It is already 11 oclock.译文：我看了一下手表，已经11点了。例34：It was in this mountain that this rare kind of plant was found.译文：正是在这座山上发现了这种珍稀植物。(4)省略连接词英语句子讲究形式上的严密，句子内部的逻辑关系主要依靠连接词来体现。而汉语句子注重的是意思的连贯而不是形式的严密，所以句子内部的逻辑关系是暗含的，在很多情况下不一定需要加连接词。例如汉语句子“他来了，我走”，这两个分句之间关系是松散的，没有连接词。但是，在

15、英语句子中，这两个分句之间一定要加上连接词，指出他们之间的逻辑关系，比如可以说“If he comes, I will go”也可以说“When he comes, I will go”等。因此在英译汉时英语中的连接词并非都要译出，适当地省略连接词可以使译文更加简洁、自然。如：例35：If winter comes, can spring be far behind?译文：冬天来了，春天还会远吗？例36：He is thin and haggard and he looked miserable.译文：他又瘦又憔悴，看上去一副可怜相。例37：When the train stopped he

16、stood up gloomily, for he thought of his sick mother.译文：火车停了下来，他忧郁地站了起来，想起了自己生病的母亲。(5)修辞性省略修辞性省略是指按照汉语的修辞习惯省略那些累赘冗余的词语，以使译文更加洗练。如:例38：Part-time waitress applicants who had worked at a job would receive preference over those who had not.译文：应聘业余女招待，有工作经验者优先。例39：He asked the divisions to give their mut

17、ual cooperation to this project.译文：对于这个计划他要求各个部门给予合作。例40：The price of the products should be fixed by the two parties at a level that will bring profit to both.译文：产品价格应该由双方共同商定，须照顾到双方的共同利益。上面主要介绍了一些常用的增词和减词的方法。在翻译过程中，完全可以根据实际的需要适当地增加或省略一些词，以达到忠实于原文以及符合译文表达习惯的目的。但此时一定要注意把握最基本的原则，即不改变原文意思的前提下才能够增减，绝不能

18、随意增删、篡改原文的意思。Exercises:1. 将下列句子译成汉语，注意词量的增减：  (1) Reading makes a full man; conference a ready man; writing an exact man.   (2) For me teaching is a red-eye, sweaty palm, sinking-stomach profession.   (3) The baby elephants were drinking from their mothers.   (4) The very earth t

19、rembled as with the tramps of horses and murmur of angry men.   (5) Better be wise by the defeat of others than by your own. (1) 读书使人充实；讨论使人机智；写作使人准确。(2) 对我而言，教书是要经常熬红眼、手心出汗、吃不下饭的职业。(3) 几头小象正在吸吮母象的奶。(4) 大地都在震动，仿佛万马奔腾，千夫怒吼。(5) 从别人的失败中吸取教训比从自己的失败中吸取教训要好。  (6) A big nation has its problems; a

20、 small nation has its advantages.   (7) Modesty helps one to go forward whereas conceit makes one lag behind.   (8) He put his hands in his pockets and then shrugged his shoulders.   (9) It is impossible to master a foreign language in a few months.   (10) One hundred thousand ci

21、tizens in Hiroshima of Japan were killed by the first atomic bomb in the world. 2.将下列短文译成汉语：The ocean covers three quarters of the earth's surface, produces 90 percent of all its life-supporting oxygen,   and is the driving force behind the entire weather system. There are over 450 mil

22、lion cubic miles of sea water on the earth; and each cubic mile contains over 150 million tons of minerals.Advanced atmospheric diving suits permit researchers to descend to depths of 1500 feet. Yet the ocean's average depth is greater than 12000 feet. It is at these depths that remarkable disco

23、veries are being made, discoveries which only a short time ago would have been impossible.In that depth, where darkness is absolute and pressure exceeds eight tons per square inch, robotic submersibles have discovered enormous gorges, four times deeper than the Grand Canyon. Here, too, are volcanoes

24、 that vastly outnumber those on land. Landslides the size of Rhode Island have been recorded, as well as raging undersea storms that go completely unnoticed on the surface while dramatically rearranging the underwater landscapes. And under these seas the largest single geological feature on earth ha

25、s been found - a mountain range that dwarfs the Himalayas. It's a range that covers nearly one quarter of the earth's surface. All these discoveries have come from the exploration of less than one-tenth of this undersea mountain range.Nowadays technology is literally parting the waves for to

26、day's undersea explorers. It's bringing about the opportunity to transform vision, curiosity, and wonder into practical knowledge. Properly managed as a tool to serve society, technology is the best hope for overcoming economic and social problems facing people everywhere. It always has been. The earliest relics of human life are to