英汉翻译的语词处理.ppt

第一章 英汉翻译的语词处理,第一节 语境还原与语义判别,语义是翻译的关键。翻译语词，务必要做到理解语义要透彻，表达语义要精当。翻译过程中语义的判别，主要依循原文所展布的语言情景，具体的翻译应借助于具体语境来检验和订正语词的语指意义，同时离析和裁断其语句意义和语用意义。从某个方面来说，翻译的首要使命就是通过语符的转换来还原原作所记述的客观语境，译作的忠实程度取决于语境的还原程度。,初学翻译的人，每每对语境重视不够而贸然动笔，有可能使自己不如歧途，试观察下面的例句：,1. Then I heard him ask the doctor if he might use his telephone and he shut the door. When he came back into the room, I was sitting in another machine. (E. Hemingway) 随后，我听见他向医生探问能否借用一下电话，房门也给关上了。等他又走进诊室时，我正坐在另一把手术椅里等待治疗。（machine不宜译成机器）,2. Mrs. Fennel, seeing the steam begin to generate on the countenances of her guests, crossed over and touched the fiddlers elbow and put her hand on the serpents mouth. (T. Hardy) 芳内尔太太瞧见客人们的脸上发出热汗，便走过来碰碰拉小提琴的人的臂肘，用手按住了蛇形喇叭的吹口。（serpent 不宜译成“毒蛇”）,如果轻视语境，将machine和serpent分别译成“机器”和“毒蛇”，就会令人百思不得其解。具体翻译的前提是具体理解，具体理解的根基是具体语境。翻译实践中为了具体判断语境，判别语词的意义从下面四个方面入手：,一、从一词多义来判别语义,一词多义在英语中比较普遍。试比较下列各句： 1. The clock was industriously ticking, but its leaden-looking hands did not discredit to their dull aspect, for they pointed to the hour of eleven, though the sun plainly showed it was some time past the turn of the day. （ J. Cooper) 时间永不停歇地滴滴答答响着，看上去是灰铅色的指针并没有使那本来就阴晦的外观更加丢脸。它们指着11时，但是凭靠太阳推度，这时已明明过了正午时分。,2. And if there had been anybody, Solomon would not have let Livvie look at them, just as he would let her look at a field hand, or a field hand look at her. 即或有什么人来过，所罗门也从不让丽薇瞧他们一眼，正如他不让她瞧任何田间帮工，也不让田间帮工瞧她一样。,3. Some one has counterfeited my hand; I never wrote a line of this; I have never seen this letter before! ( M. Twain) 有人伪造了我的笔迹，这上面没有一行字是我写的，我从未见过这么一封信。,4. So I finished with Great Getting-up Morning and I guess I can say that if I didnt stop the show I certainly ended it. I got a big hand and I drank at a few tables and I danced with a few girls.( J. Baldwin) 于是我吟唱了一首清早大好时光，我暗自揣摩，这次联欢会可以说要不是让我收了场，我演唱以后实际上就煞了尾。到场的人都热烈鼓掌，我在几张桌旁喝了酒，又跟几个姑娘跳了舞。,二、从一词多目来判别语义,一词多目是指有的词典对同形词语因其语源相异而看作分立的词目的编次，语词的词源不同，其语义也会相异。试比较下列各句： 1. He strayed down a walk edged with box; with apple trees, pear trees, and cherry trees on one side, and a border on the other, full of all sorts of old-fashioned flowers, stocks, sweet-williams, primroses, pansies, mingled with southernwood, sweet-briar, and various fragrant herbs. (C. Bronte) 他顺着一条小径信步走去，径边种着黄杨，一边还有苹果树，梨树，樱桃树，另一边砌有一长溜花坛，种满了各式各样常见的花草：紫罗兰，石竹，报春花，三色堇，夹杂着青蒿，多花蔷薇和异类花草。,2. In the stormy week since she had come aboard, the old tub had yet to move. It listed by the stone wharf, straining at its lines with the rise and fall of the tide, wallowing when waves rolled in past the mole. ( W. Wouk) 他上船以来的一个礼拜里，总是狂风暴雨，这艘破船就不免摇荡摆晃。船向石码头倾斜着，锚绳在海潮上涨下落时拉得紧绷绷的，大浪涌过防波堤，小船也就颠簸不歇。,3、从一词多性来判别语义,英语里一词多性的现象平常之极，语词的词性不同，语义也会不同，词性的划分能给语义的判别带来颇多便利，如light就可作名词、形容词或动词等，试比较下列各句： 1. In the dim light that came through the two iron-barred openings, his blinking eyes picked out the forms of five black men huddled along one wall. (A. Haley) 两个窗洞上都有铁条，从那儿射进来的冥幽光线中，他眨着眼睛，辨认出了有五个黑人正窝锁在墙根。,2. When the weather is fair and settled, they are clothed in blue and purple, and print their bold outlines on the clear evening sky; but sometimes, when the rest of the landscape is cloudless, they will gather a hood of gray vapors about their summits, which, in the last rays of the setting sun, will glow and light up like a crown of glory. （W. Irving) 在天气晴朗平稳的时候，它们披上蓝紫相间的外衣，把自身雄浑的轮廓印留在向暮清澄的天宇。而有时，虽然空际万里无云，山峰上却聚集着一团苍灰色的暮霭，在落日夕晖的映射下，像一顶金灿灿的皇冠闪烁着异彩。,3. When she looked down she saw that he was looking up into her face, and she saw too that his hair was light as gold. ( K. Boyle) 她朝下一望，发觉他正仰面谛视着她的脸，她还看见他的头发像金子一样亮晃晃的。,4、从一词多连来判别语义,英语里语词的连用搭配极为活泛，尤其是一些常用的多用语词，常常结伴而行，形影不离，在判别语词的语义时，必须要熟悉语词的搭配关系。试比较下列各句中make的含义： 1. At the same time she cooked for the men, took care of the children, washed and ironed, milked the cows at night, made the butter, and sometimes fed the horses and watered them while her husband kept at the shocking. (H. Garland) 与此同时，她给男人家烧火做饭，并照看孩子，洗烫衣裤，深夜起来挤牛奶，炼黄油。有时，逢遇丈夫去对麦捆，她还得喂马饮马。,2. This morning, however, on entering his state-room to make the bed and put things in order, I found him well and hard at work. ( J. London) 然而，这天清早，我到他睡舱去收拾床铺，理顺什物，一进门就看到他在辛勤工作，身体已经痊愈。,3. His reason were simple: doctors made money, their families suffering few hardships. A coal miner most of his years, he had known only the hardest kind of life. (F. Powers) 他的理由直截了当：当医生赚钱，医生的一家老小也不吃什么苦。他当了大半辈子的挖煤苦工，过着人间那种悲哀绝伦的生活。,4. Fearing to ask any more advice, she did her best alone, and discovered that something more than energy and good will is necessary to make a cook. ( L. Alcott) 她不愿多向别人询问，只是一个人尽心尽职地干，终于领悟出要当个厨子光凭力气和热心还真的不行。,以下两点要特别注意：语义的地域差别；语义的语体差别 一） 语言的地域差别,That night, he dreamed that the world was inside a box with steep sides and no top, like the walls of a frontier fort, and the sun was a huge flashlight if a billion batteries with a tube so long it never ended; and some kid in the sky watching the people groping in darkness below pressed the button and the people said “Day” and he released the button and the people said “Night”. (E. Cleaver) 当夜，他梦见世界竟落进了一个没有顶盖的箱子，四壁又高又陡，酷似边陲要塞的城墙，日轮是一个安装有10亿节电池且长得没有止境的手电筒。天空中有一童子，俯瞰着下界的黎明百姓在黑暗中摸索，他一摁亮电筒光，人们都说“白天了”；他一摁灭电筒光，人们都说是“黑夜了”。,She went up to her bedroom on the second floor, and she was so exhausted for her day that she fell asleep soon after she lay down. (R. Dahl) 她上了三楼，走进自己的卧室。这一天可把人累坏了，她一躺下就登时就进入了梦乡。,二）语言的语体差别,1. Karl asked, “You got bread?” “No.” Miles knew that if he had had money it could have eased his way already. Prisoners with financial resources on the outside, and who used them, suffered less than prisoners with none. (A Hailey) 卡尔问：“你身上有钱吗？” “没有。”迈尔斯明白，要是自己有钱的话，日子可能要比眼前好过些。在牢外边有些财路而且舍得花钱的囚犯，比之不名一文的囚犯所受的罪要少得多。,2. Quite a few guys came from these very wealthy families, but it was full of crooks anyway. The more expensive a school is, the more crooks it has-Im not kidding. (J. Salinger) 不少家伙都是来自这类殷富大户，可校舍里还是贼满为患，一个学校的费用越高，里边的贼也就越多我这不是在说着玩。,第二节 语义的分歧,翻译过程中，我们会察觉到语义的分歧这一常见现象。这是语句的形式与内容形成单一与众多之比的特定反映。从造成语义分歧的原因看，一类是由于原语形式有的地方不甚严紧，其结构可以依赖逻辑分析作出迥殊诠释，特别是意群语次、成分功能等方面的歧义更其典型；另一类是由于原语内容有的地方不尽周密，其情节可以依顺逻辑推阐引出迥别的结论，尤其是语词所指、人事关涉等方面的歧义尤为突出。 从语义分歧产生的后果看，多数实例则是马虎从事的误译，属于虚假性歧义的病象，在翻译过程中应尽量防范更正。下面从几个方面语义剖析。,1、语词多义引起的歧义,语词多义一般指称比较模糊，这是滋蔓歧义的主要根源之一，其语义在同词多指、同形异物、同体褒贬等方面不宜分辨，从而造成翻译中的某些歧义。 1. If Sydney Carton ever shone anywhere, he certainly never shone in the house of Doctor Manette. (C. Dickens) 或许悉尼卡顿早已在其它地方放过光，但是在曼内特大夫家里却从未亮过。（因为：“出类拔萃显得出色）,2. The peacock stood still as if he had just come down from some sun-drenched height to be a vision for them all. The priests homely red face hung over him, glowing with pleasure. (Fl. OConnor) 孔雀一动也不动站着，仿佛刚从一个阳光灿烂的高地上下来，让他们大伙一饱眼福。神父那亲切的红脸向孔雀的上头伸过去，欣喜得容光焕发。（应为“难看的”）,2、语词组合引起的歧义,语词派生合成、搭配连用通常集结繁杂，其构件在语义关系、接连切线、延伸幅度等方面不易区分，从而造成翻译中的某些歧义。 1. Overhaul their whole damn jaws if necessary, this is the age of the perfect mouth!(J. Guest) 假使有必要，尽可以把他们的下巴吊起来，这可真是个完美无缺的嘴巴的时代啊！（应为“好好检查修补一下”）,2. In the week I promised myself I should naturally read, for to the habitual reader reading is a drug of which he is the slave; deprive him of printed matter and he grows nervous, moody, and restless; then, like the alcoholic bereft of brandy who will drink shellac or methylated spirit, he will make do with the advertisements of a paper five years old; he will make do with a telephone directory.(W.Maugham) 这个星期里，我指望能阅读点书，因为对一个读书成癖的人来说，读书就好比一剂奴仆受命于主子而不得不一饮而尽的药。一旦失去机会享用这些书籍，他就会心神不定，烦躁不安，喜怒无处。不过，他会翻腾出五年前的旧报纸读起广告来，甚至会查阅电话号码簿，就像一个嗜酒如命之徒一旦弄不到白兰地时，无奈会饮用虫胶制剂或变质酒精一样（应为“读书是一种摆脱不了的习惯”）,3、句法功能引起的歧义,句法功能一向纵横交错，其作用在结构叠垒、修饰平面、挂钩序列等方面不易判定，从而造成翻译中的某些歧义。如： 1. There are, after all, thousands of different languages in the world, and it is in the nature of language that each one seems uniquely important to those who speak it as their native language-that is, their first (normally sole) tongue: the language they acquired at their mothers knee. But there are more objective standards of relative importance. (R. Quirk et al) 世界上不同的语言毕竟有数千种，每种语言对于将其用作本族语的人来说都似乎是事关重大的也就是他们启蒙而知的（通常是唯一的）语言，即他们幼小时在母亲怀里学得的语言。但是，每种语言的重要性都是相对的，还有更多的客观标准。（应为：语言的相对重要性却是有其较为客观的标准的）,2. “What an excellent father you have, girls,” said she, when the door was shut. “I do not know how you will ever make him amends for his kindness; or me either, for that matter. At our time of life, it is not so pleasant I can tell you, to be making new acquaintance every day; but for your sakes, we would do anything”（J. Austen) “孩子们，你们竟然有这么好的爸爸！“她说，门也关上了。“我不知道你们你们会怎样报答他的恩情，我自己也不知道该怎样报答他的恩情。我可以告诉你们，到了我们这个年纪，谁也没有兴致天天去结交友朋。不过为了你们，我们做什么事情都心甘情愿”（应为：“也不知道你们会怎样为此来报答我的恩情”）,4、否定范围引起的歧义,1. As for the time of the attack, Hitler told his reluctant generals, “the start cannot take place too early. It is to take place in all circumstances (if at all possible) this autum” (W. Shirer) 至于进攻的时间,希特勒对手下那些勉为其难的将军们说, “不能开始得太早. 只要有可能,无论如何必须在今秋发动攻击.” (应为: “越早开始越好”),