继续教育学院 公开学院
咨询电话

商务英语翻译教学心得——定语从句翻译的教学方法

作者:张雯娟 来源:外语系 日期:2017-12-26

  在17级商务英语本科《商务英语翻译》的各单元教学内容中,英语从句的翻译是教学重难点,而其中的定语从句的翻译是最难的部分,因此,结合教材所给案例,我总结了一些翻译方法并以此教授给学生。现整理如下:

合译法

含义:合译法通常用于句式较短的情况,主要以限制性定语从句为主。在英译汉时,一般将其译成“的”字结构,有时也将定语部分译成谓语、兼语句的一部分或带有“这”字句的简单句。

类别:
译成定语“的”字结构
译成谓语
译成兼语句的一部分
译成连动式的一部分
译成“这”字句

1.译成定语“的”字结构

这是最为常见的一种英译汉的方式,翻译成中文时,将定语部分放在被修饰名词的前面。

例1:He is not the one who will give up easily.
译文:他不是一个轻易服输的人。
例2:Our two countries are neighbors whose friendship is of long standing.
译文:我们两国是友谊长存的友好邻邦。

2.译成谓语

当定语从句是存在句,尤其是在“there be结构”和它的变体结构、以及在“it be +主语+定语从句”的结构中,定语从句的谓语在意义上也是整个主句的谓语,因此在英译汉时可将其译为主谓结构的简单句。

例1:There were men in that crowd who had stood there every day for a month.
译文:在那群人中,有的人每天都站在那里,站了一个月。
例2:There have been good results in the experiments that have given him grate encouragement.
译文:实验中的良好结果给了他莫大的鼓励。

另外,有些定语从句英译汉时要需要将主句压缩成主语,而将定语从句译成谓语,融合为一个句子。
例1: We have a social and political system that differed in many respects from your own.
译文:我们的社会和政治体制在很多方面都与贵国的不一样。
例2:We used a plane of which almost every part carried some identification of national identity.
译文:我们驾驶的飞机几乎每个部件都有国籍的某些标志。

3.译成兼语句的一部分

当先行词在定语从句中充当主语或宾语,即先行词在逻辑上与定语从句中的动词构成主谓或动宾关系时,就可采用此方法使两个分句融为一体。

例1:I need someone who can instruct me in my English study.
译文:我需要一个人来指导我学习英语。
例句2:When I passed by, I saw a man who was quarreling with his wife.
译文:当我经过时,我看到一个人和他的妻子在吵架。

4.译成连动式的一部分

为了行文方便,有时候在英译汉时就需要把主句、从句中的动词连起来一起翻译,从而使句子显得连贯,符合汉语的表达习惯。

例1:He took out a bottle of wine out of his pocket, which he began to drink slowly.
译文:他从衣兜里掏出一瓶酒慢慢地喝起来。
例2: We will send the boy to Britain, where he can receive better education.
译文:我们将要把这个孩子送到英国去接受更好的教育。

5.译成“这”字句

有时,关系代词并不仅仅只是指代先行词,它还指代前面整个句子的内容。这时,我们一般将其译成“这”或“这一点”。

例1:He admired Mrs. Brown, which surprises me most.
译文:他钦佩布朗太太,这使我大为惊讶。
例2:She was very patient towards the children, which her husband seldom was.
译文:她对孩子们很耐心,她丈夫却很少这样。

分译法

含义:分译法是指将主句和从句分开翻译的一种方法,主要用于较长的非限制性定语从句里。采用这种方法可避免句子的冗长和累赘。这种方法一般采用主句在前,从句在后的翻译形式,将句子翻译成两个相对独立的小分句。

类别:
译出关系代词或关系副词
不翻译关系代词或关系副词
译成相对独立的小分句
译成状语从句

1.译出关系代词或关系副词

根据逻辑的需要,在翻译前,我们首先应该弄清关系词所指代的内容,进而按照先行词的词义来进行翻译。

例1: He has learned French, which he thinks is the most beautiful language in the world.
译文:他学过法语,他认为法语是世界上最美的语言。
例2: This is a college of science and technology, the students of which are trained to be engineers or scientists.
译文:这是一所科技大学,该校学生将被培养成工程师或科学工作者。

另外,在英语中常常会把需要强调的内容放于句首,而汉语中却习惯把附加性说明的定语部分翻译为前置型的并列分句,以求在形式上突出主句的内容。

例1: She suddenly thought of her husband, who had left her and their children behind and had never been heard of.
译文:他丈夫早就抛弃了妻儿一直杳无音信,现在她突然想起了他。
例2: The men suddenly awakened to the fact that there were beauty and significance in these trifles, which they had so long trodden carelessly beneath their feet.
译文:以前,它们一直被这些人漫不经心地踩在脚下,现在这些人突然意识到这些小玩意儿的美丽和意义了。

2.不翻译关系代词或关系副词

有些定语从句表面上是非限制性定语从句,但在意义上却已经和主句融为了一体。在翻译时,应该将引导定语从句的关系词省略,从而使句子的意思显得更为连贯。

例1: After dinner, the four key negotiators resumed their talks, which continued well into the night.
译文:晚饭后,四个主要谈判人物继续进行会谈,一直谈到深夜。
例2: His wife, Betty, is Shanghai-born Chinese who left China at the age of eight, and whose book “Moon”, tells of her sister’s life in China.
译文:他妻子贝蒂是一位出生在上海的华人,八岁离开中国,写过本名叫《月》的书,记叙了她妹妹在中国的生活。

3.译成相对独立的小分句

有些定语从句在修饰关系上与先行词之间关系显得较为疏远,这时,我们通常会将定语从句译成独立的句子。

例1: One was a violent thunderstorm, the worst I had ever seen, which obscured my objective.
译文:有一次暴风骤雨,猛烈的程度实在是我平生所鲜见的。这场暴风雨遮住了我的目标。
例2: Nevertheless the problem was solved successfully, which showed that the computations were accurate.
译文:不过问题还是圆满地解决了,这说明计算是很精确的。

4. 译成状语从句

例1: These actions, which have aroused universal and unreserved disapproval, must nevertheless give us a pause.
译文:这些行动,虽已激起普遍而毫不掩饰的反对,却也使我们举棋不定。(表让步)
例2: In a dispute between two states with which one is friendly, try not to get involved.
译文:在两国发生争端时,如与该两国皆友好,则应避免卷入。(表条件)
例3:Copper, which is used so widely for carrying electricity, offers very little resistance
.
译文:铜的电阻很小,因此被广泛用于输电。(表结果)
例4:Chaplin, whose mother was ill for many years, had to dance in streets to earn money.
译文:由于母亲病了好多年,卓别林不得不到街头表演去挣钱。(表示原因)
例5:But the Southern States wanted to set up a country of their own, where they would be free to keep black slaves.  
译文:但是南方各州却想建立他们自己的国家,以便在那里他们可以随心所欲地继续把黑人当作奴隶。(表示目的)
例6:He built a telescope through which he could study the skies.
译文:他做了一架望远镜,使他能够研究天空。(表示结果)
例7:Anyone who wants to can go for a walk.
译文:谁想去散步就可以去。(表示条件)
例8:He insisted on buying another house, which he had no use for.
译文:他坚持再买一幢房子,尽管他并无此需要。(表示让步)
     

  小结:以上定语从句的翻译规律可以让学生更好得掌握该从句的翻译方法,从而更准确地应对翻译中随时会出现的各类定语从句。


上一条:英语四六级听力训练的误区    下一条:浅谈大学生如何选择英文课外材料和学习方法

关闭窗口

您的位置: 首页>>师资队伍>>工作交流>>正文

> 师资概况 
> 师德建设 
> 教师风采 
> 工作交流 

Copyright @ 1999-2020 Institute of Advanced Continuing Education,Open College,School of Electronic Sports,GDUFS All Rights Reserved
广东外语外贸大学高等继续教育学院 公开学院 电子竞技学院 1999-2020 版权所有
地址:广州市白云大道北2号(白云山校区)/广州市白云区夏花一路165号(白云湖校区)/广州市番禺区小谷围(大学城校区)
粤ICP备06106464号-1