翻译技巧翻译与语法分析译题一:What to Do About Friends Holding You BackFor the most part, you probably don't need to make any radical changes to who you hang out with. As long as you understand your friends might have jealousies about your self-improvement goals, you'll be able to recognize them and deal with them.Just remember that if your friends tell you something is "impossible" for you to do or you "can't" do it, they might just be trying to save themselves from feeling hurt. Once you accomplish your goal they'll eventually adjust. Plus, you might give them the inspiration to break down their own assumptions and set "impossible" goals of their own.Any of you have great supporting friendships? Any of you notice when your friends become jealous and sabotaging?参考译文:如何应对朋友的红眼病大多数时候你不必动不动就想着换一拨在一起耍(四川话)的朋友。
只要你理解朋友可能最见不得朋友好,你就能够(轻松)搞定这种酸葡萄心理。
要记得假如朋友说某事你“办不成”,或者你“办不成”某事,他们这样说可能是避免自己受到伤害。
等你大功告成,他们自然会跟进。
而且你的成功也能鼓舞他们打破主观臆断,并为自己设定“办不成”的目标。
你们谁有患难之交呢?你们又有谁注意到朋友的红眼病和扯后腿这样的事呢?语法分析对于英译汉十分重要,语法分析是避免翻译错误的基础,广义上的语法分析也包括正确识别惯用法。
举例说明,在本译题中,第一句话中有两个固定搭配,一个是make changes to sth. 意思是对某事做一些更改,从语法分析上说是对who you hang out with这件事进行更改;二是hang out with(与…混在一起),这里的语境意思是“你结交的朋友”。
全句的意思是:大多数时候你不必动不动就想着换一拨在一起耍的朋友。
由于语法分析和短语识别的问题,网友中在第一句话的翻译上出现了不少错误,比如:“在极大程度上,对于你不怎么关注的人,你可能无需作出任何根本的改变”;“通常,人们的同伴不会有很大变化”。
下一句的语法分析更是至关重要,特别是代词them到底指什么,英语语法通常反对模糊指代,所以them既然是复数,就应该是指句中的friends, jealousies或goals之一,而不可能指句中没有出现的problems,也不会指上一句出现的radical changes,那么在friends, jealousies和goals这三个词中,又是指哪一个呢,要判断这一点还真有点困难,通过查找上文,我判断这里的them应该是指jealousies,也就是上文提到的bad habits,这样就比较容易理解recognize them and deal with them的整体意义,这样这句话的翻译也就出来了:只要你理解朋友可能最见不得朋友好,你就能够(轻松)应对这种酸葡萄心理。
当然,如果考虑汉语喜欢模糊指代的特点,倒也可以像sumingyu这样翻译:见妒于友当明断而慎处之。
下一段中something is "impossible" for you to do or you "can't" do it这句话中or连接的两部分讲的是同一件事,翻译成汉语可以使用颠倒次序再说一次的方式:要记得假如朋友说某事你“办不成”,或者你“办不成”某事,他们这样说可能是避免自己受到伤害。
网友ikkusan的翻译:如果一个朋友跟你讲什么你不能这样或那样,对原文有所简化,也是很不错的选择。
但很多网友处理的不好,结果读来很累赘,比如:如果他们会说某些事情对你来说是不可能或者不可能做成的。
Break down是打破的意思,break down their own assumptions说的是“打破他们主观的臆断”,并为自己设定“办不成”的目标。
最后一段great supporting friendships中,great supporting是两个形容词修饰一个名词,不是固定搭配,但从翻译的角度可以翻译成汉语的“患难之交”,这样翻译更多还是出于归化的考虑。
译题二:Local guys scale fortress of Western womenPractically speaking, Chinese have started dating younger and younger, coming closer to their Western equivalents. Whereas in the 1990s most people didn't start going out till university, nowadays more and more Chinese are dating in high school, giving them time to get over the adolescent worries that still haunted a lot of men.Chinese women have become more like their Western equivalents, making the gap less nerve-wracking to cross. They've become more personally assertive, more sexually aggressive, and less willing to put up with self-indulgent bullshit from their men. That's forced the guys to be better boyfriends in turn.参看译文:中国男性赢取西方女性芳心实际上,中国人开始恋爱的年龄越来越早,已经接近西方水平。
然而在上世纪90年代,大多数人直到大学才开始第一次约会,现在越来越多的高中生早已花前月下,这倒有助于他们及早克服青春期焦虑的困扰。
中国女性越来越像西方女性,使得突破中西差异不再为难。
她们大胆追求心仪男性,不惜主动示爱,对大男子主义行为嗤之以鼻,这也“迫使”中国男性成长为好男人。
译题二的语法相对译题一较为简单。
开首practically speaking 意思是“实事求是地说”,western equivalents指就恋爱而言涉及到的西方人。
Sumingyu的翻译“国人早恋实近夷邦矣”,其中“夷邦”这样的词汇确实已经过时,希望下次不要再用。
第二句中going out 和dating是一个意思,属于同义反复,比较难译的是分词短语giving them time to get over the adolescent worries that still haunted a lot of them,意思是说“从高中开始恋爱有更多的时间克服青春期焦虑”,言下之意早恋是好事,有利于克服青春期焦虑。
第二段再次出现western equivalents,说的是西方女性。
Making the gap less nerve-wracking to cross中,gap指的是中西方恋爱文化之间的鸿沟。
一些网友把gap理解为男女之间的界限,结合标题这样的理解有点问题,因为这篇文章的中心是中西方恋爱观的趋同,最终导致异国恋的发生,包括中国女性嫁给外国男性和最近兴起的外国女性嫁给中国男性。
下文becoming more personally assertive, more sexually aggressive来看,说的是“主动追求心仪男性,不惜主动示爱”。
至于self-indulgent bullshit可以意译成“大男子主义”,self-indulgent是“放纵自己的”意思,指中国男性传统上以自我为中心的心态;bullshit“胡说”,意指由大男子主义衍生的一些错误观念和说法。
不少网友翻译为“不再容忍男性的放纵”,潜在的语义没有表达清楚,这是翻译时必须克服的问题。
译题三:Are You Normal? Take the “Normal Bar”Survey What do we mean when we say "normal"? Welcome to the Normal Bar, a new survey that might actually help us answer this question. The Normal Bar probes the feelings, attitudes, and behaviors of people who participate in the survey. It aims to define a "new normal" standard based on what real people share about their experiences. Seventeen different content areas, including family, sexuality, money, and happiness, are open to users who, after they finish their survey, can see where they fall on a "normal bar," based on their answers.参考译文:你正常吗?来“正常吧”一测便知我们通常说的“正常”正常吗?欢迎来到“正常吧”,本测试为您解密。