中英文因?yàn)楸磉_(dá)習(xí)慣的不同,往往在句子表現(xiàn)形式上有很大的差異。中文里的句子經(jīng)常出現(xiàn)一個(gè)很長的句子用很多逗號并列再加一個(gè)句號結(jié)尾的情況,而英文中的句子往往受語法和句法的限制,一個(gè)句子不能用逗號并列。所以,同學(xué)們在處理漢譯英翻譯的時(shí)候?qū)h語中出現(xiàn)的長句子經(jīng)常束手無策,不知道該如何下手。以下,本人就結(jié)合新視野第三版課本第三冊第三單元課后出現(xiàn)的《水墨畫》翻譯中的長句給同學(xué)們舉例說明幾種常見的處理辦法:
例句1. 水墨畫(ink and wash painting)是中國獨(dú)具特色的傳統(tǒng)藝術(shù)形式之一,是中國國畫的代表。
關(guān)于中文中“是……,是……”的并列表達(dá),在翻譯成英文時(shí)可以采用以下幾種方法:
1) 并列句,即“is…, and is…”并列:
Ink and wash painting, is one of the unique traditional art forms of China, and is representative of Chinese painting.
2) 確定其中的一個(gè)為主要的謂語系動(dòng)詞,將剩下的(幾個(gè))部分作為主語的插入語,用逗號隔開,作為同位語插入到主語后面:
Ink and wash painting, one of the unique traditional art forms of China, is representative of Chinese painting.
3) 確定其中的一個(gè)為主要的謂語系動(dòng)詞,將剩下的部分用“which”引導(dǎo),作為定語從句跟在主語后面:
Ink and wash painting, which is one of the unique traditional art forms of China, is representative of Chinese painting.
4) 確定其中的一個(gè)為主要的謂語系動(dòng)詞,將剩下的部分用“as”引導(dǎo),作為狀語放到句首或者插入到主語后面:
As one of the unique traditional art forms of China, ink and wash painting is representative of Chinese painting.
Ink and wash painting, as one of the unique traditional art forms of China, is representative of Chinese painting.
例句2. 它大約始于唐代,興盛于宋代和元代,距今已有一千多年的歷史,其間經(jīng)歷了不斷的發(fā)展、提高和完善。
在上面的句子中,“它大約始于唐代,興盛于宋代和元代”,和后面的內(nèi)容關(guān)系比較松散,且后面句子內(nèi)容很長,所以選擇斷句,將前面一部分單獨(dú)成句:
It began around the time of the Tang Dynasty, and then prospered in the Song and Yuan dynasties.
“距今已有一千多年的歷史,其間經(jīng)歷了不斷的發(fā)展、提高和完善。”該部分主干的確定取決于“有”表達(dá)的選擇。可以將“有……年的歷史”部分用“with”引出來,作為整句的時(shí)間狀語,整句的謂語動(dòng)詞可以確定為 “經(jīng)歷了……”:
With a history of over one thousand years, it has experienced constant development, improvement and perfection.
或者,將“有……年的歷史”用“has”來表示,作為主句謂語動(dòng)詞,后面是介詞加關(guān)系代詞“during which”表達(dá)成狀語從句,處理為:
It has a history of over one thousand years, during which it has experienced constant development, improvement and perfection.
總結(jié),漢譯英時(shí)中文逗號的處理可以根據(jù)情況做以下的處理:1. 斷句,分割成兩個(gè)或者幾個(gè)獨(dú)立的句子;2. 并列句;3. 同位語;4. 從句。請同學(xué)們在平時(shí)的翻譯練習(xí)中嘗試一下吧。 |