(1) x:How much have you suffered, Irene? y:A lot. x:爱玲,你吃了多少苦? y:一言难尽。 (2) x:你这人真是“狗嘴里长不出象牙。” x:A filthy mouth cannot utter decent language. You are really such a person. 如果把第一句里的“a lot”直译为“许多”或“很多很多”,这句话自然吗?如果把第二句译成“A dog’s mouth doesn’t spit out an ivory”,只懂英语的人听了不会莫名其妙吗? 意译技巧最常见于中英惯用语的对译。除了上述“狗嘴里长不出象牙”之外,再看些其他意译的例子。 (3) Don’t put on airs.(别摆架子) (4) What is done is done.(木已成舟) (5) Kicking a man when he is down.(打落水狗) (6) Pull out the evil by the roots.(斩草除根) 意译虽重要,直译也可贵;能字字对译最好,若不能,就稍微整容或变型,以符合译文的外貌,保持原文的精髓。 现在就让我先举些中英直译的好例子: (7) 他是只纸老虎。 (He is a paper tiger) (8) 别流鳄鱼泪。 (Don’t shed crocodile tears) (9) 应该弥补代沟。 (We must bridge the generation gap) (10) 这事使他丢脸。 (This matter makes him lose face) (11) 如何提高生产力? (How to increase productivity?) 现在再看看词语上或句子上需要调整或变动的例句: 一、英文的修饰短语,不管是形容词性的,介词性的、分词性的或不定式动词性的,一概出现在名词之后;中译时,就要移到名词之前;形容词从句(Adjective Clause)也一样。例如: (12) Please identify the factors responsible for the increasing cost of living.(请指出引起生活费高涨的因素。) (13) Jenny is a girl of great intelligence.(珍妮是个很聪明的女孩。) (14) Do you know the man sitting next to Peter?(你认识坐在彼得旁边的那个人吗?)
(15) An effective way to learn a language well is to practise it regularly.(学好语文的有效方法是不断地练习。) (16) Doesn’t the manager know the reasons why his staff are in low spirits?(经理不知道职员死气沉沉的原因吗?) (17) Here are some grammatical errors you have made in your essay.(这里是一些你在作文中所犯的语法错误。)