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中式英语——字词准确性22

要不要

要不要我陪你去医院?

【查阅辞典】要want,ask for陪accompany医院hospital

【中式英语】Do you want me to accompany you to hospital?

【求疵笔记】译文语法无误,但给人一种“要我去”,而不是“我要去”的感觉,没有反映说话者的体贴关切之情。如果按照原文,主语采用I,而不是译文中的you,就好多了。例如“要不要我帮你接电话?”可译作Shall 1 answer the phone for you?

【修改建议】Should I accompany you to hospital?

一看到……就

一看到这些照片,我就想起了自己的家乡。

【查阅辞典】一……就as soon as,no sooner than照片photo家乡native place,hometown

【中式英语】As soon as l saw these photos, I thought of my native place.

【求疵笔记】我们一见到或者一听到“一……就”就会在脑海中浮现as soon as no sooner than这两个短语。毋庸置疑,许多的“一……就”确实可以用它们译出。比如“他一到这儿就怨天尤人。”No sooner had he arrived here than he began to complain.但是,具体来说,“--见到就”、“一听到就”、“一想到就”之类则不必套用该句型。比如本句,在口语中可以说Seeing these photos called back my native place.在书面语中可以用the sight of取代seeing,也可以用the moment表示“一……就”:I thought of my native place the moment I saw these photos.再如“一想到与您重逢我就高兴。”可译作I was delighted at the thought of seeing you again.

【修改建议】The sight of these photos reminded me of my native place.

有价值

我们公司老总经常抽时间拜访一些有价值的人物。

【查阅辞典】拜访visit有价值的 worthwhile

【中式英语】Our CEO often finds time to visit some worth-while people.

【求疵笔记】英语常常避免说拜访对象有没有价值,而说“拜访”本身有没有价值。

【修改建议】Our CEO often finds time to pay worthwhile visits.

有望

这些规则和准则的实施有望为考试增添理性、连贯和公正。

【查阅辞典】有望hopeful

【中式英语】The implementation of these rules and guidelines holds the promise of adding to the rationality, consistency and fairness of the tests. (摘自《中国翻译》)

【求疵笔记】译文的意思很容易理解,但是读起来非常不舒服。经过仔细推敲,我们可以发现问题出在hold一词。hold如果用在这样的句子:This test holds the promise of fairness.(这次考试很可望具有公正性)就没有任何问题了。既然以“实施”(implementation)作主语,“考试”(tests)作宾语的宾语,那么谓语动词就只可能是give了。另外,“实施”不必特地译出。因为这些“规则和准则”(rules and guidelines)本身就够诱人的,“实施”是自不待言的。再有,“考试”本来就是理性、连贯和公正的,有了这些“规则和准则”后,只是更理性、连贯和公正罢了。

【修改建议】These rules and guidelines give the promise of adding more rationality, consistency and fairness to the tests.


取自《汉译英求疵录:从中式英语到准确英语》,曾凯民编著;如有侵权,联系删除

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