摘 要:英文加強(qiáng)語(yǔ)氣的方式是以用詞精練為上,點(diǎn)到為止。在進(jìn)行漢譯英的翻譯時(shí),如果一字不能增,一字不能減,一字不可先,一字不可后,那么這樣的譯法,名曰翻譯,實(shí)則是“譯猶不譯”。而中英文之間之所以不能進(jìn)行字字對(duì)應(yīng)的翻譯,其關(guān)鍵就在于兩者之間基本的意思單位不同。
關(guān)鍵詞:漢譯英;表達(dá)方式;意思單位
雖然兩個(gè)單詞組成的表達(dá)法在英文中是存在的,比如,work on,但是在絕大多數(shù)情況下,英文的基本意思單位都是單詞。比如,car, city, school, phone。所謂單詞,顧名思義就是一個(gè)單字一個(gè)詞。正是由于這個(gè)原因,英文翻譯成中文時(shí),自然就形成了一個(gè)單詞翻譯成兩個(gè)漢字的局面。本文將從多余詞匯,概括具體,意思推斷三個(gè)方面,舉例說(shuō)明減字翻譯適用的類型。
一、減字翻譯適用的類型
(一)多余詞匯
例1:中國(guó)的問(wèn)題,壓倒一切的是需要穩(wěn)定。In China the overriding need is for stability.例2:我國(guó)幾年來(lái)的發(fā)展情況表明,凡是實(shí)行改革政策的地方都發(fā)展的好。Developments in China over the last few years have shown that whenever an area carries out reform to the outside world, it prospers.在漢語(yǔ)中,“問(wèn)題”、“情況”、“狀態(tài)”、“階段”之類的詞用的很多。而英語(yǔ)中的對(duì)應(yīng)詞,雖然也用,但卻不像漢語(yǔ)中用的這樣頻繁,在多數(shù)情況下,將這些詞譯出反而會(huì)成為累贅,因此對(duì)于這些多余的詞匯,在譯文中往往省略不譯,直接用具體的詞表達(dá)即可。
(二)概括具體
例1:十億人的中國(guó)堅(jiān)持社會(huì)主義,十億人的中國(guó)堅(jiān)持和平政策,做到這兩條,我們的路就走對(duì)了,就可能對(duì)人類有比較大的貢獻(xiàn)。In China, with its one billon people, keeps to socialism and adheres to the policy of peace, it will be following the right course and will be able to make greater contributions to humanity.例2:我們真正干起來(lái)是一九八〇年。一九八一、一九八二、一九八三這三年,改革主要在農(nóng)村進(jìn)行。一九八四年重點(diǎn)轉(zhuǎn)入城市改革。We actually started the reform in 1980. In 1981, 1982 and 1983 it was carried out primarily in the countryside. In 1984 the focus shifted to urban areas. 漢語(yǔ)行文,喜歡有具體有概括??梢韵日f(shuō)具體的,然后加以概括,也可以先概括的說(shuō)一下,再說(shuō)具體的。這里所說(shuō)的“概括”,也無(wú)非是用數(shù)字總提一下,如以上兩個(gè)例子中的“做到這兩條”、“這三年”。前面既然已經(jīng)詳細(xì)說(shuō)明了,如果后面再進(jìn)行總結(jié),那么句子結(jié)構(gòu)必然會(huì)顯得臃腫不堪。
(三)意思推斷
例1:閻錫山進(jìn)攻上黨地區(qū)有三萬(wàn)八千多人,我們比他們還少一點(diǎn),也就是三萬(wàn)出頭,從編制上講,一個(gè)完整的、編制充實(shí)的團(tuán)都沒(méi)有,而且裝備很差,彈藥很少,可以說(shuō)是一群游擊隊(duì)的集合。Yan Xishan had more than 38,000 troops with which to attack the Shangdang area, while we had only a little over 30,000. Organizationally, we did not even have a complete, fully staffed regiment, and our soldiers were poorly equipped and had only a small amount of ammunition. You might say that they were only a formation of guerrilla forces.例2:還要說(shuō)遠(yuǎn)一點(diǎn),在抗日戰(zhàn)爭(zhēng)時(shí),我們就處在一個(gè)大門的地位。那時(shí)不叫二野,是二野的前身。Earlier, during the War of Resistance Against Japan, we had also stood at the gateway. At that time our forces were the predecessors of the Second Field Army.在例1中,說(shuō)敵人有三萬(wàn)八千多人,我們只有三萬(wàn)出頭,前后的數(shù)量關(guān)系對(duì)比已經(jīng)很清晰的說(shuō)明了我們比敵人的數(shù)量少,因此我們?cè)谶M(jìn)行翻譯時(shí)只需譯出具體的數(shù)字就足夠了,而在例2中,既然說(shuō)了是二野的前身,那么當(dāng)時(shí)不叫二野就是明擺著的事實(shí)。譯文保留了具體詳細(xì)的說(shuō)法,略去了形象的、籠統(tǒng)的或已涵蓋的說(shuō)法。當(dāng)然,原文的說(shuō)法是合乎中文的行文習(xí)慣的,聽(tīng)起來(lái)很自然,如果照原文翻譯也是可以的,只是略顯重復(fù)而已,但英語(yǔ)恰恰最不喜歡重復(fù),這大概也正好體現(xiàn)了中英兩種語(yǔ)言間的差異吧。
二、總結(jié)
從上面的例子可以看出,在漢譯英的過(guò)程中,減字譯法基本上是出于譯文語(yǔ)言習(xí)慣和語(yǔ)法的需要,不省去這些詞語(yǔ),譯文就顯得拖泥帶水,甚至畫(huà)蛇添足。
參考文獻(xiàn):
[1](英)林超倫.實(shí)戰(zhàn)筆譯(漢譯英分冊(cè))[M].外語(yǔ)教學(xué)與研究出版社,2014.
[2]莊繹傳.漢英翻譯九百例[M].外語(yǔ)教學(xué)與研究出版社,2015.