英语翻译基础教程
总主编：冯庆华 主编：冯庆华 陈科芳
1 “意思”的译法
甲：这是一点小意思，请务必收下。
乙：你这个人真是有意思，怎么也来这一套。
甲：哎，只是意思意思，
乙：啊，真是不好意思。
译文：A：This is a little gift as a token of my appreciation .Please do take it .
B：Oh， aren't you a bit too polite ? you should not do that .
A: Well ,it just conveys my gratitude.
B: Ah, thank you then ,though i really do not deserve it .
2 “说”
（1）阿Q将衣服摔在地上，吐一口唾沫，说：“这毛虫”！ 《阿Q正传》
译文：Ah Q flung his jacket on the ground ,spat ,and swore ,“hairy worm!”
(2) “三个臭皮匠，合成个诸葛亮”，这就是说，群众有伟大的创造力。 《毛泽东选集》
译文: The old saying ,\"three cobblers with their wits combined would equal Zhuge Liang the mastermind ,\"simple means the masses have great creative power.
（3）：也不知安居乐业，最早见于什么典籍，四个字一针见血的点名了生活中的一个因果关系。
译文：I can not say in what canon the words \"secure in one's home and happy in one's work\" first appeared ,but that expression cuts to the core of a primary determinant in human life.
3 你们偶然看见一颗花生瑟缩的长在地上，不能立刻分辨出它有没有果实，非得等到你接触到它时你才能知道。
译文1:When you come upon a peanut plant lying curled up on the ground ,you can never immediately tell whether or not it bears ant nuts until you touch them .
译文2：When you come upon a peanut plant lying curled up on the ground ,you can never tell whether or not it bears any nuts until you dig it up.
4金杯牌充气床垫工艺先进，结构新颖，造型美观，款式繁多，舒适大方，携带方便。
译文：The 'Gold cup' Brand air-filled bed cushions are made in advanced technology .with novel，structure, beautiful shape and various patterns ,they are comfortable and convenient to carry.
5 人民犯了法，也要受处罚，也要坐班房。
译文：when anyone among the people breaks the law ,he too should be punished ,imprisoned..
6只有充分发展商品经济，才能把经济真正搞活，使各企业增加效率。
译文：the development of a commodity economy is the only way to invigorate our economy and prompt enterprise to raise their efficiency .
7 我的姐姐又因为我不爱整洁而向我唠叨地劝戒了。
译文：my sister has been preaching at me again about my lack of neatness.
8我国人民在中国共产党第十五次全国代表大会的精神鼓舞下，正沿着建设有中国特色的社会主义道路，满怀信心，昂首阔步地迈向二十一世纪。
Inspired by the spirit of 15th National Congress of the Communist Party of China , the people of China are advancing confidently towards the 21st century along the road to socialism with Chinese characteristics .
9本公司生产的地毯美丽大方、光彩夺目，富丽堂皇。
The carpets made in our company are beautiful and magnificent .
10我们进行了长期不懈的努力。
We have made unremitting efforts for it .
11目标的轻重缓急，孰先孰后应该仔细研究、认真考虑和反复推敲。
Target priorities should be very carefully studied .
12那件令人不快的事件，已经搞得满城风雨、人人皆知了。
There has been much publicity about the unpleasant case .
13在长期的革命历程中，各民主党派与中国共产党同呼吸共命运。
In the protracted process of the Chinese revolution ,the various democratic parties shared a common fate with the Chinese Communist Party .
14我们的教育方针，应该使受到教育者在德育，智育，体育几方面都得到发展，成为有社会主义觉悟，有文化的劳动者。
Our education policy must enable everyone who receives an education to develop morally ,intellectually and physically and become a worker with both
socialist consciousness and culture。
15一定文化是一定社会的政治和经济的反映，一定的文化又给以一定社会政治和经济以巨大的作用和影响。
Any given culture is a reflection of a given society ，and the former in turn has a tremendous effect and influence on the later。
16潘一堂虽然没有儿没女，但很爱穷人的小孩。
译文1：Pan Yitang ，an old bachelor ，liked the children of the poor very much。
译文2：Pan Yitang， though with no family of his own ，liked the children of the poor very much。
17他等着她来， 急的像热锅上的蚂蚁。
He waited for her arrival with a frenzied agitation。
18妈妈非常激动，我感到她的背在颤抖，就在那一刻，我第一次明白妈妈也有脆弱的一面。
In that moment，feeling mother’s back racked with emotion， I understood for the first time her vulnerability。
19语言这东西不是随便可以学好的，非下苦功夫不可。
The mastery of language is not easy and requires painstaking effort 。
20交易增加，要求流通的货币量也增加。
译文1：The fact that business increases requires that the amount of money ，which is generally circulated，also increased。
译文2：An increase in business requires an increases in the amount of money coming into general circulation。
21政府支持这个项目。
The government is behind this project。
22这时，只见一个人，头上蒙着一个湿淋淋的口袋，从冒着熊熊烈火的后门直冲进去。
Then a figure with a dripping-wet bag round its head dashed through the flame-filled back door。
23我看不起他，他酗酒，好赌，语言粗俗。
What I despise about him was his drinking ，gambling and cursing。
24看来我们的发展，总是要在某一个阶段，抓住时机，加速搞几年，发现问题及时加以治理，尔后继续前进。
译文1：it seems that we should hold on to opportunity in a certain period accelerate our development for several years。As problems crop up in the process ，we will solve them immediately and continue to forge ahead。
译文2：it seems to me that ，as a rule，at certain stages we should seize the opportunity to accelerate development for a few years ，deal with problems as soon as they recognized，and then moved on。
25美国移民研究中心1999年9月发表的一份报告指出，移民的贫困率1979年至1997年间增长了123%，移民贫困人口从270万增加至770万。1989年至1997年在新增贫困人口中，移民达300万人，占75%。
A report by the American center for Immigration Research in September ，1999pointed out that the poverty rate of poor immigration increased 123percent between 1979and1997，and the population of poor immigrants soared from 2.7million to7.7million .indeed ，between1989 and 1997 ，the newly increased poor population， 3 Million were immigrants，accounting for 75 percent of the total。
26你是知道的，咱们家所有的这些管家奶奶们，哪一个是好缠的？错一点儿他们就笑话打趣，偏一点他们就指桑骂槐的抱怨。
译文1：And you know how difficult our old stewardess are ，laughing at the least mistake and “accusing the elm while pointing at the mulberry tree” if one shows the least bias 。
译文2：And you know what a difficult lot those old stewardesses are. The tiniest mistake and they are all laughing at you and making fun : the tiniest hint of favouritism and they are grumbling and complaining .you know their way of “curing the oak-tree when they mean the ash”
27只为工业积累，农业本身积累的太少或者没有积累竭泽而渔，对于工业的发展反而不利。
If agriculture accumulated only for industry and very little or none for itself ,that would mean “draining the ponds to get all the fish “and would only harm the development of industry.
28不要动声色，不要打草惊蛇。我们不妨看看他们如何活动，。
Don’t say anything about it; we mustn’t beat the grass and startle the snake. There is no harm in our keeping an eye on the sort of activities they engage in,
29对于他们，第一步不是锦上添花，而是雪中送炭。
For them, the prime need is not “more flowers on the brocade’ but “fuel in snowy weather”
30我们强调直译是翻译成语的第一选择。然而，汉语成语并非是每条都能按字面直译，有些成语的比喻形象是译文读者所不能接受的。如“眉飞色舞”，死翻译成 his eyebrow are flying and his countenance is dancing，势必会贻笑大方的，使读者不知所云，莫名其
妙。我们可根据改成语的实际意义译为：to beam with joy。请看下例：
粗枝大叶 to be crude and careless
死译 with big branches and large leaves
无孔不入 to take advantage of every weakness
死译 to get into every hole
扬眉吐气 to feel proud and elated
死译 to raise the eyebrows and let out a breath
红灯酒绿 dissipated and luxurious
死译 with red lights and green wine
纸醉金迷 luxury and dissipation
死译 with drunken and bewitched
开门见山 to come straight to the point
死译 to open the door and see the mountain
单枪匹马 to be single-handed in doing sth
死译 with a solitary spear and a single horse
大张旗鼓 on a large and spectacular scale
死译 to make a great array of flags and drums
风雨飘摇 being unstable
死译 the wind and rain are rocking
海阔天空 at random
死译 with a vast sea and a boundless sky
31有的小伙子还总结出一条恋爱经验，“先不能让她知道你是矿工，等把她俘虏了，再亮番号。”
Some of them even came to some conclusions about “the art of the love” ; first of all ,you should never let her know you are a miner until you have completely at your feet .
32我一律回答：“不知道。”跟着就会听到一句，“别来这个了，你还能不知道！”
I invariably answered “ I don’t know” which was usually followed by”
come .Don’t tell me you don’t know by now.
33同学和老师觉得我有问题，精神不正常了，家纺.谈话，拉我回正道——老老实实的念最为普通的，也是最普遍的书。我有我的主见，绝不反悔。
My classmates and teachers thought there was something wrong with me ,that I was off my head .they came to our places to talk to me round ,steer me back on to the “right track”——get me to crack the standard textbooks. But I struck to my guns
34由于大多数谚语采用生动形象的比喻只要不影响读者的理解，我们应尽可能的使用直译方法，把原文的内容，形式和精神都输入到译文中，努力减少翻译中的损失。
明枪易躲暗箭难防。 It is easy to dodge a spear in the open ,but hard to guard against an arrow shot from hiding.
城门失火，殃及池鱼。 A fire on the city wall brings disaster to the fish in the moat .
路遥知马力日久见人心。 As a long road tests a horse’s strength so a long task proves a person’s heart.
路遥知马力日久见人心。 New-born calves make little of tigers.
上面的谚语的比喻生动形象，其深层意思更能为读者所接受。如果把这些谚语进行直译，就无法传达原文中的形象比喻，这是翻译中不应有的损失。试看下面2例的意译
路遥知马力日久见人心。Time reveals a person’s heart.
初生牛犊不怕虎。Young people are fearless.
这样的句子明显失色于真译，失去原文中的活力。
35有一部分也因为语言结构和文化背景的差异，无法进行直译。这部分谚语一般有很强的比喻，或者根本没有比喻。我们就没必要追求原文的形式了。硬是直译反而会使读者不知所云。或者译文牵强附会。意思会帮助译文读者更好的理解原文。
失之东隅收之桑榆。What one loses the swings one gets on the roundabouts
(如直译为lose where the sun rises and gain where the sun sets,会使读者感到很费解).
塞翁失马焉知非福？a loss may turn out to be a gain ,(由于读者不理解该谚语的意思，无法理解他的直译：when the old man on the frontier lost his mare, who could have guessed it was a blessing in disguise?
庆父不死鲁难未已 there will always be trouble until the trouble-maker is removed.(如直译为 Until Qing Fu is done away with ,the crisis in the state of Lu will not be over.读者无法搞清文中的人名和国名)
此地无银三百两。A guilty person gives himself away by conspicuously protesting his innocence.(由于读者不了解该谚语出处，不宜直接译成NO 300 taels of silver buried here)
饱汉不知饿汉饥。The well-fed don’t know how the starving suffer .
不要译为：a magnates is unconscious of the misfortune of a pauper.
一物降一物there is always one thing to conquer another.
不要译为：every existence has its vanquisher
36谚语翻译要注意语言的艺术性，一要注意用词的精炼，二要注意上下句的对仗。不能只用于随便的口语句子来翻译原文。
嘴上没毛。说话不牢。Downy lips make thoughtless slips
不可译为：a man without mustache or beard may make careless remarks。
吃一堑长一智 a fall in the pit，a gain in the wit .
不可译为：let us learn from our mistakes.
37我能和你说句话吗？--滚开! Can I have a word with you ?—Sod off!
38去你们的，我可要回家了。Balls to the lot of you . I’m going home!
39谁他妈的把电视机搞坏了?Who has fucked up the TV?
40不要胡说八道！don’t talk crap/shit!
41小妇养的！动了兵器了。
Son of bitches！ They’re using weapons now。
42忘了本的小娼妇！
Ungrateful slut！
43他妈的，你们有话就说吧！
If you have something to say ,say it ,damn you !
44还有你这个浪货，跟谁不行，非跟他！
And you too, you baggage. Couldn’t you have picked somebody else ? why did it to be him ?
45王八蛋们，怎么又在这碰上啦？
You devils ，so we meet again。
46鲁侍萍：（大哭起来）哦，这真是一群强盗。（走至周萍面前，抽噎）你是萍，——凭——凭什么打我儿子的？
Lu Shiping (breaking down) you are hooligans, too! (going across to Zhou Ping )you’re my——mighty free with your shits! What right have you to bit my son?
47中国还有一句成语，3个臭皮匠顶个诸葛亮。单独的诸葛亮总是不完全的，总是有缺陷的。
Sill another Chinese proverb says three cobblers with their wits combined equal zhuge liang the mastermind. Zhuge liang by himself can never be perfect ,he has his limitations.
48这对年轻夫妇并不匹配，一个是西施，一个是张飞。
This young couple is not well matched ,one is a XiShi——a famous Chinese beauty ,while another is a ZhangFei ——a well-known ill-tempered brute.
49鸳鸯：“我是横了心的，当着众人在这里，我这一辈子莫说是‘宝玉’，便是 ‘宝金’, ‘宝银’ ‘宝天地’, ‘宝皇帝’，横竖不嫁人就完了！”
译文1：Well，my mind’s made up. Everybody here can bear witness. I shall never marry so long as I live ,neither Bayu with his precious jade, nor someone born with silver or gold ,not even a Heavenly or Emperor!”
译文2 :But I’ve made my mind up, and I’m telling your Ladyship here, in front of all these witnesses. I don’t care whether it’s Master Bao or Prince Bao or
the Emperor Bao, I don’t ever want to marry anyone . .
50有话明说，在这鬼鬼祟祟的做什么？
Why not talk openly instead of in this hole-and corner fashion?
51钱先生周岁时 “抓周”，抓了一本书，因此得名为 “钟书”。
When Qian was just one year old ,he was told by his parents to choose one thing among many others:; he picked up a book of all things. Thereupon his father very gladly gave him the name ;Zhongshu.
52 他说他老师认为他的文章很精彩，但我从他老师那里听到的确是“王婆卖瓜自卖自夸”
He said that his teacher considered his work brilliant ,but I would rather hear it from his teacher’s own mouth, every potters praises his own pot.
53 一肚子的酒，几乎化为醋酸。。。
The wine in Hsin-mei’s stomach turned to sour vinegar in his jealousy.
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