考研英语：翻译真题精讲（1）一、全真试题The standardized educational or psychological tests that are widely used to aid in selecting，classifying，assigning，or promoting students，employees，and military personnel have been the target of recent attacks in books，magazines，the daily press，and even in Congress.（71）The target is wrong，for in attacking the tests，critics divert attention from the fault that lies with ill-informed or incompetent users. The tests themselves are merely tools，with characteristics that can be measured with reasonable precision under specified conditions. Whether the results will be valuable，meaningless，or even misleading depends partly upon the tool itself but largely upon the user.All informed predictions of future performance are based upon some knowledge of relevant past performance: school grades，research productivity，sales records，or whatever is appropriate.（72）How well the predictions will be validated by later performance depends upon the amount，reliability，and appropriateness of the information used and on the skill and wisdom with which it is interpreted. Anyone who keeps careful score knows that the information available is always incomplete and that the predictions are always subject to error.Standardized tests should be considered in this context. They provide a quick objective method of getting some kinds of information about what a person learned，the skills he has developed，or the kind of person he is. The information so obtained has，qualitatively，the same advantages and shortcomings as other kinds of information.（73）Whether to use tests，other kinds of information，or both in a particular situation depends，therefore，upon the evidence from experience concerning comparative validity and upon such factors as cost and availability.（74）In general, the tests work most effectively when the qualities to be measured can be most precisely defined and least effectively when what is to be measured or predicated cannot be well defined. Properly used，they provide a rapid means of getting comparable information about many people. Sometimes they identify students whose high potential has not been previously recognized，but there are many things they do not do.（75）For example，they do not compensate for gross social inequality，and thus do not tell how able an underprivileged youngster might have been had he grown up under more favorable circumstances.二、翻译题解（71）The targetiswrong,forin attacking the tests, criticsdivertattention from the faultthatlies withill-informed or incompetent users.句子拆分：拆分点参考：标点符号，从属连词The target is wrong, //for in attacking the tests, //critics divert attention from the fault //that lies with ill-informed or incompetent users.解析：（1）句子的主干为The target is wrong;后面跟了个for引导的状语从句。
（2）介词短语in attacking the tests作时间状语修饰divert，把for引导的状语从句分隔开了，调整下会有助于理解：for critics divert attention from the fault in attacking the tests（3）the target指前文提到的the standardized educational or psychological tests 词的处理：the target“目标”，根据上下文，翻译时应将其补充完整为“把标准化测试作为抨击的目标”divert attention from“把注意力从…转移开来”，引申为“没有注意到”lie with在于技巧点拨：（1）that lies with ill-informed or incompetent users是由that引导的定语从句，其先行词是the fault。
根据定语从句的翻译方法，可以把这个定语从句组合到其先行词的后面。
（2）ill-informed“不甚了解的，认识不足的”，译文中将其转译为动词（反义词well-informed:熟悉的，见识广的，灵通的）。
（3）incompetent users字面意思“不适当的使用者”，根据句意进行词性转换，转译为动词“使用不当”，使译文更通顺。
完整译文：把标准化测试作为抨击的目标是错误的，因为在抨击这类测试时，批评者没有注意到测试的弊病在于使用测试的人对测试不甚了解或使用不当。
(72)Howwell the predictionswill be validatedby later performancedepends uponthe amount, reliability, and appropriateness of the information used and on the skill and wisdom withwhichitis interpreted.句子拆分：拆分点参考：从属连词，过去分词，并列连词How well the predictions will be validated by later performance //depends upon the amount, reliability, and appropriateness of the information used //and on the skill and wisdom //with which it is interpreted.解析：（1）句子的主干为How well the predictions will be validated... depends upon the amount, reliability, and appropriateness of the information...and on the skill and wisdom...（2）depends后面两个介词短语作并列宾语upon...and on...，此处注意depend后可以加on或upon搭配，需要我们任何时候都要对介词搭配敏感，才不至于掉进专家设的陷阱，而遗漏on the skill and wisdom跟动词depend的关系。
（3）the information used中是过去分词used做定语修饰the information（4）介词短语of the information修饰the amount, reliability, and appropriateness（5）代词it指代the information（6）被动语态的翻译：be validated by为……所证实（借助于“为...所”表被动）；is interpreted解释（译为主动）含有被动意义的过去分词used：the information used 所采用的信息（借助于“所”表被动）词的处理：predictions“预测，预言”，此处根据上下文可知predictions实指standardized tests，体现英语用词的避免太重复，对同一个事物，不断变换说法be validated by为……所证实depends upon取决于reliability可靠性appropriateness适应性interpreted解释技巧点拨：（1）How well the predictions will be validated by later performance中含有一个被动结构。