北外翻译笔记 第18课 翻译难点--习语译法(1)
时间:2019-01-08 作者:英语课 分类:北外翻译笔记
英语课
D. 意译
当直译原文结果会令人为费解或造成误解时,如使用套译的结果不理想,还可以采用意译。例如:
Look at the chaps in politics and business, whose whole lives were passed in skating on thin ice, and getting knighted for it. 试看那些政治上和商业上的家伙们, 他们整个儿的生活都是在风险中度过的,可是都因此封了爵。(to skate on thin ice 若直译为"如履薄冰",则会产生谨慎从事的联想, 有违原意。)
to come like a dog at a whistle 一呼即来
Hilter was once as proud as a peacock. 希特勒曾是一个不可一世的家伙。
Mary and her mother are as like as two peas.玛丽和她妈妈长得一模一样。(而不是"像两颗豌豆一样相似")
英语习语中有些明喻或由于年代久远,或以讹传讹,或由于比喻与被比喻的相互关系甚为隐晦, 单从字面上难以理解,这时就不必追求原文形式了,而要把原文深层所蕴涵的意思译出来,便于读者直接了解原文的意义。例如:
She likes to rubber-neck. 她爱问长问短。
start a hare 话离本题
to bring down the house 全场喝彩
plain sailing 一帆风顺
to show one's clean heels 逃之夭夭
to go on a wild goose chase 枉费心机
as greedy as a wolf 贪得无厌
Every bean has its black. 人皆有短处。
E.直译加意译
这种译法既能保持原文的比喻形象, 同时又能明白清楚地表达寓意。例如:
laugh off one's head笑掉了牙
break the earth破土动工
wash off one's hands洗手不干
There is no rose without a thorn.玫瑰皆有刺,乐中必有苦。(比意译的"世上没有十全十美的幸福。"简洁形象。)
Every flow has its ebb 1. 潮有涨落日, 人有盛衰时。
A rolling stone gathers no moss 2. 滚石不生苔, 转业不聚财。
I had won 0 at poker 3 that ordinarily would have burned a hole in my pocket,but I couldn't shake an overwhelming sadness. 我玩扑克游戏赢了三百元。通常,钱烧口袋漏,一有就不留。可我当时极为忧愁烦闷怎么也无法摆脱那种恶劣的心境。
Every family is said to have at least one skeleton in the cupboard.俗话说, 衣柜里面藏骷髅, 见不得人的事儿家家有。
F. 意译加注
有些英语习语意译成汉语时,如有必要可提供相关的背景的知识,以帮助读者加深对原习语的理解。例如:
throw in the sponge 认输,投降 (注:若拳击运动员的副手把擦身用的海绵抛向空中,则表示这个运动员认输因而不进入下一轮比赛。)
pour oil on troubled waters 平息风波,息事宁人(注:传说航海遇到风浪时,若把油倒进海里,可起到使海浪平息的作用。)
open sesame 敲门砖, 过难关的秘诀(注:《天方夜谈》中的《阿里巴巴与四十大盗》故事说:一个山洞内藏有无数的金银财宝,但洞门紧闭,必须用咒语"开门芝麻"才能打开。)
Good wine needs no bush. 酒好客自来。(注:英国从前流行一种风俗,人们常在商店的门口外挂某种东西作为该店经营某种商品的标志, 挂常春藤ivybush标志的常为酒店。)
vi.衰退,减退;n.处于低潮,处于衰退状态
- The flood and ebb tides alternates with each other.涨潮和落潮交替更迭。
- They swam till the tide began to ebb.他们一直游到开始退潮。
n.苔,藓,地衣
- Moss grows on a rock.苔藓生在石头上。
- He was found asleep on a pillow of leaves and moss.有人看见他枕着树叶和苔藓睡着了。