考研翻译基础－－定语从句

 

        今天我们来看看从句的译法，首先先看看定语从句：定语从句可以分为限制性定语从句和非限制性定语从句两种,两类定语从句在翻译方法上基本类似, 因此我们把它们放在一起介绍。在翻译定语从句时,我们经常采用下列的翻译方法:

　　一、前 置 法
　　把英语原文的定语从句翻译成带“的”的定语词组, 放置于被修饰的词之前, 将英语原文的复合句翻译成汉语的简单句, 这种方法一般用于限制性定语从句比较短的情况。
一些较短的具有描述性的非限制性定语从句也可采用前置法, 但没有限制性定语从句使用得普遍。
　　例1.For example, one function of friendship seems to fulfill¹ is that it supports the image we have of ourselves, and confirms the value of the attitudes we hold.
　　例如, 友谊的一个作用似乎是支持我们在自己心目中的形象, 并使我们持有的价值观念更加坚定。
　　例2.The first two must be equal for all who are being compared, if any comparison in terms of intelligence is to be made. (92年考题)
　　如果要从智力方面进行任何比较的话, 那么对所有被比较者来说, 前两个因素 必须是一样的。
　　例3.The first method is to give a synonym², a word that has nearly the same meaning as the word you wish to define: face for countenance³, nervousness for anxiety.
　　第一种方法是同义词法, 即给出一个与　要释义的词在意义上几乎相同的, 如用face表示countenance, 用nervousness表示anxiety.
　　例4.Behaviourists, in contrast, say that difference in scores are due to the fact that blacks are often deprived of many of the educational and other environmental advantages that whites enjoy. (90年考题)
　　相反, 行为主义者认为, 成绩的差异是由于黑人常常被剥夺了白人在教育及其他外界环境方面所享有的许多有利条件而造成的。
　　
　　二、后 置 法
　　当定语从句较长时, 如果翻译成前置的定语, 就会不符合汉语的表达习惯, 在这种情况下, 往往把该定语从句翻译成并列的分句, 放置于原来它所修词的后面。另外在处理此类定语从句时, 一般遵循的原则是: 若保留先行词, 则在第二个分句中加以重复, 若省略, 则两个并列分句中均不再保留。当然, 在实际的翻译过程中也有例外。
　　例6.All the water that flows through the wide pipe in a second must somehow get through a narrow part too, which it can do only by going faster.
　　在一秒钟内流过粗管子的全部水量, 一定会以某种方式通过细管子, 这只有靠加快流速才能做到。
　　例7.Perhaps light is some sort of electric wave, whose nature we do not yet understand.
　　也许,光是某种电波,其性质我们尚不清楚。
　　例8.They are striving for the ideal which is close to the heart of every
Chinese and for which, in the past, many Chinese have laid down their lives.
　　他们正在为实现一个理想而努力, 这个理想是每个中国人所珍爱的, 在过去,许多中国人曾为了这个理想而牺牲了自己的生命。
　　例9.“In short”, a leader of the new school attends, “the scientific revolution, as we call it, was largely the improvement and invention and use of a series of instruments that expanded the reach of science in innumerable directions.” (94年考题)
　　新学派的一位　袖人物坚持说:“简而言之, 我们所称谓的科学革命, 主要指一系列器具的改进、发明和使用, 这些改进、发明和使用使科学发展的范围无所不及。
　　三、翻译成状语从句
　　英语中有些定语从句, 兼有状语从句的职能, 在逻辑上(即意义上)与主句有状语关系, 说明原因、结果、让步、假设等关系, 翻译时应善于从英语原文的字里行间发现这些逻辑上的关系, 然后翻译成汉语中相应的偏正复合句。　　

　　例10.He did not remember his father who died when he was three years old.
　　他不记得他父亲了, 因为他父亲死时他才三岁。
　　例11.However, iceberg⁴ water could be extremely cheap for some countries when compared with desalination⁵, a process which requires much more fuel and much more money.
　　不过, 对某些国家来讲, 用冰山化水比海水脱盐相比, 费用可能极为便宜, 因 为脱盐过程　要更多燃料和更多的资金。
　　例12.Anyone who thinks that rational knowledge need not be derived⁶ from
perceptual knowledge is an idealist.
　　如果认为理性知识不必由感性知识得来, 那他就是一个唯心主义者。 
　　例13.In office, figures, lists and information are compiled which tell the managers or heads of the business what is happening in their shops or factories. (85年考题)
　　在办公室里, 工作人员将各种数据、表格和信息加以汇编, 以便让经理或主管人员了解他们的商店或工厂目前正在发生的情况。
　　我们讲了定语从句的各种翻译方法，在这里我们还要提醒大家，在翻译含有定语从句的句子时，我们应该特别注意在分析句子的结构上面下工夫，务必要搞清定语从句所修饰的先行词是哪一个。 下面我们再通过下面的练习巩固一下今天所学到的知识：
　　

　　1.The method of scientific investigation⁷ is nothing but the expression of the necessary mode of working of the human mind; it is simply the mode by which all phenomena⁸ are reasoned about and given precise and exact explanations. (94年考题)
　　2.This will be particularly true since energy pinch will make it difficult to continue agriculture in high-energy American fashion that makes it possible to combine few farmers with high yields. (91年考题)
　　
　　3.The food supply will not increase nearly enough to match this, which means that we are heading into a crisis in the matter of producing and marketing⁹ food. (91年考题)
　　4.…it was not until sixty years ago that a method of extracting aluminum¹⁰ or was found which could lead to a cheap large-scale process. (88年考题)

参考答案：

1、科学研究的方法不过是人类思维活动的必要表达方式, 也就是对一切现象进行 思考并给以精确而严谨解释的表达方式。
2、这种困境将是确定无疑的, 因为能源的匮乏使农业无法以高能量消耗这种美国耕种方法继续下去了, 而这种耕种方式使投入少数农民就可获得高产成为可能。
3、食品的供应将赶不上人口的增长, 这就意味著我们在粮食的生产和购销方面正陷入危机。
4、……直到60年前人们才找到开采铝矿的方法, 从而使低成本、大规模冶炼金属铝成为可能。

1 fulfill   

vt.履行，实现，完成；满足，使满意

参考例句：

• If you make a promise you should fulfill it.如果你许诺了，你就要履行你的诺言。
• This company should be able to fulfill our requirements.这家公司应该能够满足我们的要求。

2 synonym   

n.同义词，换喻词

参考例句：

• Zhuge Liang is a synonym for wisdom in folklore.诸葛亮在民间传说中成了智慧的代名词。
• The term 'industrial democracy' is often used as a synonym for worker participation. “工业民主”这个词常被用作“工人参与”的同义词。

3 countenance   

n.脸色，面容；面部表情；vt.支持，赞同

参考例句：

• At the sight of this photograph he changed his countenance.他一看见这张照片脸色就变了。
• I made a fierce countenance as if I would eat him alive.我脸色恶狠狠地，仿佛要把他活生生地吞下去。

4 iceberg   

n.冰山，流冰，冷冰冰的人

参考例句：

• The ship hit an iceberg and went under.船撞上一座冰山而沉没了。
• The glacier calved a large iceberg.冰河崩解而形成一个大冰山。

5 desalination   

n.脱盐(作用)

参考例句：

• Crops can be grown on this land after desalination. 这片土地经过脱盐就可以种植庄稼了。
• One source is by desalination-taking the salt out of salt water to make it drinkable. 淡水的来源之一是使水淡化--把含盐的水中的盐份去掉，使之能够饮用。

6 derived   

vi.起源；由来；衍生；导出v.得到( derive的过去式和过去分词 )；（从…中）得到获得；源于；（从…中）提取

参考例句：

• Many English words are derived from Latin and Greek. 英语很多词源出于拉丁文和希腊文。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• He derived his enthusiasm for literature from his father. 他对文学的爱好是受他父亲的影响。 来自《简明英汉词典》

7 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

8 phenomena   

n.现象

参考例句：

• Ade couldn't relate the phenomena with any theory he knew.艾德无法用他所知道的任何理论来解释这种现象。
• The object of these experiments was to find the connection,if any,between the two phenomena.这些实验的目的就是探索这两种现象之间的联系，如果存在着任何联系的话。

9 marketing   

n.行销，在市场的买卖，买东西

参考例句：

• They are developing marketing network.他们正在发展销售网络。
• He often goes marketing.他经常去市场做生意。

10 aluminum   

n.(aluminium)铝

参考例句：

• The aluminum sheets cannot be too much thicker than 0.04 inches.铝板厚度不能超过0.04英寸。
• During the launch phase,it would ride in a protective aluminum shell.在发射阶段，它盛在一只保护的铝壳里。