词义的选择、引申和褒贬
一、词义的选择
英汉两种语言都有一词多类、一词多义的现象。
在英汉翻译过程中，我们弄清原句结构后就要善于选择和确定剧中关键词的词义。
选择和确定词义通常从以下两个方面着手：
（一）根据词在句中的词类来选择和确定词义
给出下列练习
1.It is not right for children to sit up late.
2.The plane was right above our heads.
3.In the negative, right and left, and black and white are reversed.
4.She tried her best to right her husband from the charge of robbery.
(二) 根据上下文联系以及词汇在句中的搭配关系来选择和确定词义
给出下列练习
Account for
1.He is ill; that accounts for his absence.
2.In this battle he accounted for the five of the enemy
3.I want you to account for every cent you spent.
Make up
1.If the stove is not made up, it will go out.
2.There is not any girl called Clementine. He is just made her up.
3.Half the roads in the region are still to be made up.
4.Society is made up of people with widely differing abilities.
5.It took Laurence Oliver more than an hour to make up for the part of “Othello”
6.They made up a bed on the sofa for the unexpected visitor.
7.We have to drive fast to make up the hour we lost in Boston.
Figure
1.The foreign trade ha risen to unprecedented figures
2.Dr. Eliot was one of the most revered figures in the world of learning.
3.On the desk, there was a bronze figure of Plato.
4.He saw dim figures moving towards him.
5.June was good at figure skating.
二、词义的引申
英译汉时，有时会遇到某些词在英语词典上找不到适当的词义，如任意硬套或逐个死译，会是译文生硬晦涩，不能确切表达意愿，甚至造成误解。
这是就应根据上下文和逻辑关系，从该词的根本含义出发，进一步加以引申，选择比较恰当的汉语来表达。
（一）将词义作抽象化的引申
1.将表示具体形象的词译成改形象所代表的属性的词
There is a mixture of the tiger and the ape in the character of the imperialists.
帝国主义者的性格既残暴，又狡猾。
这里把tiger和ape这两个具体形象引申为这两个形象所代表的属性：残暴和狡猾
2.将带有特征的形象的词译成改形象所代表的概念的词
See-sawing between partly good and faintly ominous, the news for the next four weeks was never
distinct.
在那以后的四个星期内，消息时而有部分有所好转，时而又有点儿不妙，两种情况不断地交替出现，一直没有明朗化。
See-sawing 是从see-saw（跷跷板）转化而来的动词，本作“玩跷跷板”，这里根据上下文引申为“两种情况不断地交替出现”
（二）将词义作具体化的引申
1.英语中也有用代表抽象概念或属性的词语表示一种具体事物，译成汉语时一般可以作具体化引申
Vietnam was his entrée to the new Administration, his third incarnation as a foreign policy consultant.
越南战争成了他进入新政府的敲门砖。
他担任政府的对外策略顾问，那是第三次了。
2.英语中有些词在特定的上下文中，其含义是清楚的，但译成汉语时必须作具体化的引申，否则就不够清楚。
Jewish-owned shops were shut down，Swastikas replaced six-pointed stars.The walls of anti-Semitism were closing in.
犹太人的铺子关闭了。
米字旗取代了六角星旗。
反犹太主义的包围一天紧似一天。
三、词义的褒贬
（一）英语中有些词本身就有褒贬意义，汉译时就要相应地表达出来。
He is a man of high renown.
他是位有名望的人。
His notoriety as a rake did not come until his death.
他流氓的恶名是死后才传开的。
（二）英语中有些词义是中立的，本身不表示褒义或贬义，但在一定的上下文中可能有褒贬的意思。
汉译时就应该用具有褒贬意思的词来表达。
给出如下练习
.1. It was mid-August and the subject for discussion was the future of Rommel and his Africa Corps.
2.They predicted the youth would have a bright future.
3.John was an aggressive salesman who did his job quite well.
4.Hitler pursued an aggressive policy after he seized power.
5.Hans was too obviously flattering the gentleman by saying he was the most courageous man
he had ever seen.
6.Mr. Brown felt greatly flattered when he received the invitation to deliver a lecture.
练习答案
孩子们昨晚睡得不好
飞机正好在我们头上面
照片底片上，左右黑白与正片恰好相反
她尽力为她丈夫被控抢劫伸冤
他生病了，这就是他缺席的原因
他在这场战斗中消灭了五个敌人
我要你把花费的没分钱都交代清楚
如不添煤，炉子就会熄灭
根本没有一个叫克莱门蒂的姑娘，全是他捏造出来的
这地区的路面有一半还没有修好
社会是由具有迥然不同的能力的人组成的
扮演奥赛罗这个角色，劳伦斯奥利维花了一个多小时化妆
他们把沙发收拾一下让这位不速之客睡
我们不得不加快车速，以弥补在波士顿所耽误的时间
对外贸易的数字有了空前的增长
埃利奥特博士是学术界最受人尊敬的人物之一
书桌上有一尊柏拉图的铜像
他隐隐约约看见一些人影在向他跟前移动
琼善于花式溜冰
当时是八月中旬，他们讨论的题目是隆美尔及其非洲军团的下场
他们预言，这个年轻人会有一个锦绣前程
约翰是个积极肯干的推销员，他工作干得很出色
希特勒夺取了政权之后就推行侵略政策
汉斯说，这位先生是他所见过的最有胆识的人，这种阿谀奉承未免过于露骨布朗先生接到做演讲的邀请时感到非常荣幸。