翻译第四讲(英汉翻译的影响因素).ppt

1、Translation(3-4),Understanding and Expressing Factors that Affect Understanding in E-C Translation,In English-Chinese translation, the following might be some of the factors that affect correct understanding.,I. Some Negative Structures some negative structures, which the native speakers of English

2、feel quite natural, may cause trouble in understanding for a translator whose mother tongue is Chinese. 1. notbecause A. You cant do it because it will hurt you. B. You cant do it because it hurts nobody.,More examples: In South Carolina we had never suffered discrimination because we were Jews. Tha

3、tcher said, “I do not say this because I believe that we should be in any way provocative toward the Soviet Union or anyone else.” 在南卡罗莱纳，没有因为我们是犹太人而受到歧视。 撒切尔说：“我这样说并不因为我认为（英国）该用任何形式挑衅苏联或其他（国家）。,2. allnot; everynot; bothnot TIP: When “not” is used together with the indefinite pronouns :all, every an

4、d both, it expresses partial negation, which must be kept in mind when a translator comes across sentences with such structures. For example: A. All are not here. B. Everybody cannot do it. C. We both cannot go. D. All is not gold that glitters.,3. notto A. We dont come here to discuss the weather.

5、B. He said, “Now, look, I didnt come here to get along with you guys. You are going to have to get along with me.” 我到这里是你们要和我相处好，而不是我要和你们相处好。 C. He didnt come to see me. 他没来看我。 他来不是看我。,4. not or no A. He is not wiser than his brother. B. He is no wiser than his brother. 5.It is a/an + adj.+n.+that c

6、lause A. It is an ill wind that blows nobody good. B. It is a long lane that has no turning. C. It is a good horse that never stumbles. D. It is a good workman that never blunders.,6. tooto Atoms are far too tiny to be seen even with the strongest microscope. = Atoms are so tiny that they cannot be

7、seen even with the strongest microscope. A. He is too excited to speak. B. He is too ready to speak.,Sometimes, grammatical analyses may be useful in determining the meaning of the sentence in this structure. For example: It is too ridiculous to imagine life without electricity in a city. To imagine

8、 life without electricity in a city is too ridiculous.,II. Some Words Sometimes some particular words in a sentence may cause trouble in understanding. For example: A. Edward, later Duke of Windsor, rather steals the book. B. He was obviously quite impressed by the arguments that the Chinese were ad

9、vancing. C. When he announced himself a candidate, few were so sanguine as to expect that he would be returned.,D. He was returned three times to the Senate. E. The elevator boys ooze the split and polish of West Point cadets, and in polite English remind you that you must not smoke inside their lif

10、ts. Some words and expressions are easily misunderstood when they are taken too literally. If a translator does not consult dictionaries often enough, he may make mistakes when coming across such words and expressions. The following are some of them:,busboy an apple of love go moonlighting bring dow

11、n the house panda car pull up ones socks bookkeeper pull ones leg ballroom drug store mad doctor horse sense English disease,All above can be called false friend in translation. That is, words in another language that look like the same English words but mean entirely different things. 两种语言中字面意义相同而实

12、际意义全然不同的词语。貌合神离的假朋友是翻译中的一大陷阱，如不予辨别，会惹出麻烦。,III. British English and American English Some words have different meanings in British English and American English. If a translator does not pay attention to this, he may make mistakes in translating such words. Look at the following examples: A. In May 19

13、35, the lobbies of the House of Commons and the newspapers were full of rumors of the impending reconstruction of the Government.,B. Leonard here lives in the same block of flats. C. Their tables are piled with it (junk), their bureau drawers are stuffed with it, their closet rods bend with the weig

14、ht of the clothes not worn for years. (Malcolm Cowley Vices and Pleasures: The View from Eighty),IV. Idioms and slang expressions English is a language rich in idioms, and slang expressions are so widely used by English writers. A translator whose native language is Chinese must be careful when deal

15、ing with such things. A. For a time I actually believed that his wife had royal blood. Then I realized he was pulling my leg. B. Certainly he was never to have taken the smallest physical interest in a woman, although at the same time in no way setting his face against all truck with the opposite se

16、x.,C. Jeffs an Air Vice-Marshal now. Isnt that grand? Burdened with gongs. D. Ill have to proceed back now with all possible speed, or Jeff will be having kittens. E. Its a gas to ride the buses, see all the mountains and the jackrabbits.,Sometimes an expression in a sentence may appear like an idio

17、m, but actually the words are used literally. When translating such expressions, a translator must think carefully so as not to make mistakes. Here is an example: He slipped back in time, as he did so easily nowadays. in the aspect of time,V. Kinship Appellation In Chinese, the relationship between

18、relatives are described in much greater details with different terms. grandfather grandmother uncle aunt cousin brother sister,A. The Ufford, as it used to be in Uncle Giles day, would have struck too luxurious, too bourgeois a note. (Anthony Powell, A Dance to the Music of Time) 阿福德饭店就像在吉尔斯伯伯年轻时那样，

19、太奢侈，太有资产阶级情调了。 B. “She has been altering the pictures again. Pam loves doing that especially shifting round that drawing her uncle Charles Stringham left her.” (Anthony Powell, A Dance to the Music of Time),The term “uncle” in these two sentences is translated differently. In sentence A, it is trans

20、lated as 伯伯 because Uncle Giles is the elder brother of the speakers father, while in sentence B, it is translated as 舅舅 since Charles is a younger brother of Pams mother in the story.,VI. Authors names for their works and brand names or trade marks for products A. Pamela had packed her clothes, and

21、 left with the suitcases. The Modigliani and her own photographs were gone too. 莫迪里亚尼 B. Seems Ernie went out after dark last night to shoot rabbits from the Land Rover.,VII. Pronouns Pronouns are more frequently used in English than in Chinese, and sometimes they may affect the translators understa

22、nding of the original English sentence as their reference may be quite confusing. The following sentences are examples: It is easy now to see the irony of smoking. Children do it to be like adults, who smoke but wish they didnt.,VIII. Background Knowledge The process of translation is not only a tes

23、t on the translators command of both the source language and the target language, but also a test on his common knowledge. A piece of translation work always involves knowledge concerning a great variety of subjects. If the translator lacks the background knowledge involved, he may make mistakes in

24、understanding and consequently mistakes in his translated version. Look at the following examples:,A. He won the mens singles at Wimbledon. B. His writings are devoured by Arabs from the castles of Morocco to the oil derricks of the Persian Gulf, by diplomats from Foggy Bottom to Peking.,IX. Imperat

25、ive Sentences Imperative sentences are likely to cause confusion in understanding as the translator is used to the Chinese way of thinking. The following is an example of misunderstanding caused by an imperative sentence in A Solitary Reaper by Wordsworth, the famous English poet.,Behold her, single

26、 in the field, Yon solitary Highland lass! Reaping and singing by herself; Stop here, or gently pass! Alone she cuts and binds the grain, And sings a melancholy strain; O listen! For the vale profound Is overflowing with the song.,Gu Zixins (顾子欣) Chinese version is as follows: 你看！那高原上年轻的姑娘， 独自一人正在田野

27、上； 她时而停下，又轻轻走过， 一边收割一边在歌唱。 她独自在那里又割又捆， 她唱的音调好不凄凉； 在深邃的峡谷久久回荡。,Liang Shoutao (梁守涛) Chinese version is as follows: 看！那边的田野里， 苏格兰姑娘独自一人； 一面收割挥镰， 一面尽情歌唱。 这边停停， 又飘然远去。 她一边独自割谷捆扎， 一边唱着一支忧伤的歌。 哦，听！歌声洋溢回荡在山谷。,Both of the translators fail to realize that the fourth line of the poem is an imperative sentence, taking for granted that there is just one person, the Highland lass, in the poem, and therefore make a mistake in rendering this line. The following is translated by Zhe Shiding, who correctly expresses the original idea in the poem in Chinese.,你