翻译理论与实践 Chapter 5 Texture of the Sentence Structure

Baishi and Qian Zhongshu who are the Chinese greatest litterateurs and artists, no less than Yang Zhenlin, Qian Xueshen and Hua Luogeng who are the Chinese greatest scientists, and no less than Tao Xingzhi and who are the greatest educators.

（foreignization: to remain the SL cultural elements）

(2) In the eyes of the villagers, he (the teacher) was no less than a great man of letters, a great artist, a great scientist as well as a great educator. （domestication: to convey the information）

? 不管跟人交朋友，还是跟书交朋友，都应该交好朋友。

One should always live in the best company, whether it be of books or of men. 我们承诺：追求天人和谐，人际和谐，身心和谐，追求人人相亲，人人平等，天下为公，努力实现我们城市的和谐统一。（选自“世界历史文化名城市长论坛南京宣言” 2006年9月23日）

We are committed to achieving harmony between man and nature, in people-to-people relationships, and in the development of urban societies. We will work for fraternity, equality, and justice.

? 2) Substitution

我们的民族将再也不是被人侮辱的民族了，我们已经站起来了。

Ours will no longer be a nation subject to insult and humiliation. We have stood up.

? “妈，别听王奶奶的！王奶奶是个老顽固！”

“Mum, don’t listen to Granny Wang; she’s an old diehard/fogy.”

? 非洲人民正在为争取非洲的彻底解放进行着艰苦的斗争。

The people of Africa are waging a hard struggle to win the complete emancipation of the continent.

? 你答应了帮助他就应当帮助他。

You should help him since you have promised to do so. ? 3) Combination

? 中国人民历来是勇于探索、勇于创造、勇于革命的。

The people of China have always been courageous enough to probe into things, to make inventions and to make revolution.

? 4) Partial Repetition

? 新民主主义的文化主张实事求是，主张客观真理，主张理论与实践的一致。

New democratic culture stands for seeking truth from facts, for objective truth and for the unity of theory and practice. 重重叠叠山， 曲曲环环路， 丁丁冬冬泉， 高高下下树。 The hills---range after range

The trails---winding and climbing

The creeks---murmuring and gurgling;

The trees---high and lowly.

? 5) Complete Repetition

? 他们偷，他们抢，他们欺诈，谁也不敢惹他们。

They steal, they rob, they swindle; no one dares to cross their path. ? ?

? 6) Plural Nouns for Repetition

? 战争是民族和民族，国家和国家，阶级和阶级，政治集团和政治集团之间

的互相斗争的最高形式。

War is the highest form of struggle between nations, states, classes or political groups. ? 我们的国家现在还是一个很穷的国家。 Ours is still a very poor country. ? 你不愿意落后，她也不愿意落后。

You don’t want to lag behind. Neither does she. ? 要采取果断措施，快出人才，多出人才。

Resolute measures must be taken to train able people in greater numbers and at a faster rate.

? 赶超世界先进水平，关键是时间。时间就是生命，时间就是速度，时间就是力量。 In catching up with and surpassing the world’s advanced levels, time is the key factor. Time means life, time means speed, and time means strength. 6. Information Condensed in the Attributive Modifier (P207-222) Attributive Modifier can contain much information and help make the sentence succinct. When translating, we should analyze the semantic or logical relationship in order to bring out the meaning condensed in the attributive. Eg. 1) He resumed his meditative smoking of the cigar. 他重新抽起雪茄，一边抽一边思考。（ meditative tells us what he is doing while he smokes his cigar.）

2) He cast a weather eye ahead to a low bank of clouds on the horizon. 他看了一眼前方地平线上很低处的云堤，预测天气情况。

? Very often attributives can be translated into different adverbials: 1) As cause

There was an amazed silence. Slowly Alexander turned away. 人们一阵惊讶，默不作声，亚历山大慢慢转过身去走了。 2) As purpose

The crowd fell into respectable silence. 人们出于尊敬，安静了下来。 3) As manner

He watched all this through sophisticated eyes, meditating his next move with a studied coldness.

他很世故，冷冷地看着这一切，心里却在盘算下一步棋怎么走。

4) As result

The two leaders prolonged the clasp for the photographers, exchanging smiling words.

这两位领导人握手握了很长时间，让记者们拍照，微笑着交谈。 5) Of parallel meaning with the modified

Her lips and chin had a gentle firmness. 她的嘴唇和下巴既柔和又坚决。

He kept nodding in sympathetic understanding at everything and never once collapsing into giggle at the absurdity of it all.

无论听到什么，他都点点头，表示同情和理解，从来没有因为听到什么荒唐的话而咯咯笑个不停。

? In most cases, the modifiers should be left out when translated into English.

eg. P217-220

蒸发作用 Evaporation 吹毛求疵的作法 fault-finding 优雅气质 gracefulness 必要性 necessity

现代化 modernization 冷漠态度 indifference 转化过程 transformation 隔离政策/隔离措施 segregation

轻松愉快的心境 light-heartedness to persuade 说服 persuasion说服工作 to prepare 准备 preparation准备工作 backward 落后 backwardness落后状态 tense 紧张 tension紧张局势 arrogant 自满 arrogance自满情绪 mad 疯狂 madness 疯狂行为 antagonistic敌对 antagonism 敌对态度

7. The Relative Clause (P222-228) The relative clause, usu. called attributive clause, can serve as adverbials of cause, purpose, result, concession time, condition, and contrast. (P223-225)

The translation should be based on the actual meaning of the relative clauses.

Sometimes it’s necessary to “break up” the original sentence structure and make re-arrangement. Eg.

1) When deeply absorbed in work, which he often was, he would forget all about eating and sleeping.

他常常埋头于工作，废寝忘食。

2) The fair, willowy prettiness which I used to elevate into beauty has matured into an

assured elegance.

以前在我心目中无比美丽的柳枝如今长成依依垂柳，仪态万千。

3) Time is very slow for those who wait, very fast for those who are scared, very long for those who lament, very short for those who celebrate. But, for those who love, time is eternity. (William Shakespeare)

等待中的人觉得时间过得很慢，受惊吓的人觉得时间过得飞快；对哀叹的人而言，时间漫漫悠长；对欢庆的人而言， 时间稍纵即逝。可是在热恋中的人看来，时间就是永恒。

8. Rhetorical Comparison (P228-232) The form of comparison is often used for several purposes besides

denoting comparison. 1) To express contrast

Prayer is less about changing the world than it is about changing ourselves. 其实，与其说祈祷能改变世界，还不如说能改变我们自己。

2) To express emphasis

He never says a word more than is absolutely necessary. 除非绝对必要，他不会多说一个字。

Don’t suppose they liked it, but they must have known better than to argue. 别以为他们是喜欢，只不过他们很明智，不想争论罢了。 3) To form metaphors

Having children make you no more a parent than having a piano makes you a pianist.

拥有一架钢琴不见得一定会成为钢琴演奏家，同样，有孩子也不一定会成为好父母。

A big elephant is no more an animal than a little cat is.

大象是动物，小猫（虽小）同样也是动物。/小猫（虽小）和大象一样也是动物。

4) To express mild negation

Such work requires more than indomitable will.

要做好这项工作，光有不屈不挠的意志是不够的。

Urban heat causes bigger problems than sweat stains and short tempers. 城里的酷热造成的问题不只是人们汗流浃背，脾气暴躁。 There is more to life than increasing its speed. 生活远不只是加快节奏（速度）就够了。

9. Hypotaxis (English) and Parataxis (Chinese)(P232-243)

Hypotaxis is the dependent or subordinate construction or relationship of

clauses with connectives, for example, “I shall despair if you don’t come.” English sentence building is featured by hypotaxis.