科技英语中动名词的应用和翻译070520209 朱博摘要随着科技的进步和中国与世界的交流日趋密切,科技英语的翻译也显得越发重要。
科技英语在词法和句法等的运用上和普通英语不同,词法上主要表现在名词化结构的大量使用。
科技文章的任务是叙述事实和论证推断,因而科技文体要求行文简洁,表达客观,内容确切,信息量大,名词化结构正好符合科技文体的要求。
这其中,动名词的应用尤为突出,本文旨在总结归纳科技英语中动名词的应用和翻译技巧。
关键词科技英语动名词翻译AbstractAs the development of the science and technology and China communicates with the world more closely, the translation of EST is becoming more and more important. EST differs from common English in accidence and syntax. In accidence, it mainly shows in the phenomenon of nominalization. It is EST’s target to expound and demonstrate, so it necessary for an EST article to be brief, object, exact and abundant. Nominalization exactly has this function. Among these, gerunds used a lot, this article is to summarize the use and technique of translation of gerund in EST.KeywordScience and technology English gerund translation动名词是动词的非限定形式之一,在科技英语中有大量的应用。
它既有名词的特点,可以在句子中起名词的作用,又具有动词的某些特点,可以有自己的宾语和状语,由此构成动名词短语。
下面就动名词在科技英语中的不同用法分别分析其结构和探讨翻译技巧。
一作主语动名词作主语时,其动词的动态感已经很弱,可以直接译成汉语名词或名词性词组,有时候也可以译成动宾短语和其他一些情况。
例:A thorough understanding of algebra is essential to the comprehension of any of the field of elementary mathematics. (unit 4 “Mathematics”)译文1:对代数学透彻的理解,对于理解初等数学的各个方面来说很重要。
当然,此句中的动名词也可以翻译成动词。
译文2:是否透彻地理解代数,对理解初等数学的每个内容十分必要。
直接译成名词性词组的情况:例:The breaking up of atoms now provides a practical source of energy.译文:如今原子裂变提供了一种可行的能量的来源。
(unit 5“Physics”)译成动宾短语的情况:例:Reversing the direction of this kind of devices requires solving many complicated engineering problems. (unit 4 例12)译文:倒转电流的方向也就倒转了它的磁力线的方向二作表语动名词(短语)在科技英语中作表语的情况大量出现,翻译成中文时有直接翻译成表语,动词(短语)等情况。
例:The computer’s input device (which might be a keyboard, a tape drive or disk drive, depending on the medium used in inputting information) reads the information into the computer. (unit 1 例1)译文:计算机的输入装置(依据输入信息时使用的媒体,可能是键盘,磁带机或磁盘驱动器)把信息读入到计算机内。
例:Such activities as investigating the strength and uses of materials, extending the findings of materials, extending the finding of pure mathematics to improve the sampling procedures used in agriculture or the social sciences, and developing the potentialities of atomic energy, and all examples of the work of the applied scientist or technologist.(unit 1“Pure and Applied Science”)译文:有些活动,像研究材料的强度和用处,把理论数学上的发现,扩大到改善农业或社会科学上应用的选样程序中去;还有像开发原子能的潜力等等,都是应用科学家和技术人员从事这方面工作的例证。
三作宾语动名词作宾语的情况也比比皆是。
像suggest,finish,avoid,stop,can’t help,mind,admit,enjoy,leave off,require,postpone,put off,delay,practise,advise,consider,deny,escape,miss等动词后面都可以用动名词作宾语(不能用不定式)同样用上面一例做说明:例:Reversing the direction of this kind of devices requires solving many complicated engineering problems. (unit4例12)译文:倒转电流的方向也就倒转了它的磁力线的方向。
例:Moreover, even an elementary knowledge of this branch of mathematics is sufficient to enable the journalist to avoid misleading his readers, or the ordinary citizen to detect the attempts which are constantly made to deceive him..译文:此外,对于新闻记者来说,只要稍有一点初步的统计学知识,就可以避免因报道失实而贻误读者。
而对于普通老百姓来说,则可以利用这方面的知识,来识破往往使之上当的不良意图。
在love,like,hate,prefer,dislike,begin,start,continue,intend,attempt,can’t bear,propse,want,need,remember,forget,regret,try,deserve,can’t affort 等动词后,既可以用动名词,又可以用不定式做宾语。
这里就不赘述了。
动名词还可以做介词宾语。
此处举一例说明。
例:Van Leeuwenhoek was interested in improving the lenses that were used in making microscopes.译文:范·拉乌文胡克对于改进用来制作显微镜的透镜感兴趣。
四作定语动名词有时候和名词一样,置于前位作定语。
这时,它与现在分词作前置定语的情况,在形式上是完全相同的。
但是,动名词在科技英语中作定语,是要表示被说明人或物的性质,用途等。
例如,disturbing factors 干扰因素,cooling system 冷却系统,lifting characteristics 升力特征,launching site 发射场,等等。
例:Buffer memory read/write operations and gate opening/closing are executed at times defined by the connection to be established through the switching network.(unit 2 例1)译文:缓冲存储器读/写操作及门电路的打开/闭合的执行时间由交换网络需建立起的接续来规定。
例:Such recent terms as chemical physics and biophysics are indicative of the widening application of the principles of physics, even in the study of living organisms.(unit 5“Physics”)译文:像化学物理学和生物物理学这类新术语,就是物理学原理被推广应用的明证,表明其应用范围甚至已扩展到生物机体的研究中。
五带逻辑主语的动名词复合结构动名词复合结构的构成形式是:物主代词或名次所有格+动名词或动名词短语。
动名词复合结构可以作主语,表语,和宾语(介词宾语)。
作主语:例:Of especial interest are the laws dealing with the effects of forces upon the form and motion of objects, since these principles apply to all devices and structures such as machines, buildings, and bridges. (unit 5“Physics”)译文:涉及到力对物体的形状和运动的效应的那些定律,是具有特殊意义的,因为这些原理应用于诸如机器,建筑物和桥梁等设备和机构上。
作表语:例:If these obstacles are not controlled, the results can be management insisting on earlier and greater return on investment.译文:如果这些障碍得不到控制的话,那么,其结果可能是管理人员坚持早早从投资上得到更多的回报。