第四章英汉翻译的关键是如何正确选择词义在英汉翻译过程中，针对原文的词义正确地选择汉语词义，是保证译文质量的根本一环。
首先一个词在不同的句子中有不同的含义。
1)This general was charged with treason.. 这个将军被指控犯了叛国罪。
2) The Committee decided to put Professor Henry in charge of the research work.委员会决定让亨利教授负责这项研究工作。
类似短语有take charge of, take charge译为“负责”3)As soon as the moment for the general offensive arrived, the soldiers charged the enemy position bravely. 总攻时间一到，战士们勇猛地向敌人的阵地冲去。
4)She complained that she had been charged too much. 她抱怨说，向她收的费太高了。
5) The powder in place, he rammed in a long iron rod to tamp down the charge..火药装好后，他伸进去一根长铁钎以便把炸药捣实。
6) This store will charge things you buy, and let you pay for them later.这家商店将你所买的东西记入账内，让你以后付款。
7) Having charged the battery, he set the engine in motion. 电池充电后，他启动了马达。
1）Here is a pretty go!2）He is itching to have a go at it.3）The old man is still full of go.4）These brightly colored stockings are all the go this summer.其次，在英语中还存在着一个词的单数和复数意义全然不同、前后搭配不同而意义不同等情况。
兹举例如下：A．单复数的词义不同Ninety 90(单) nineties 90年代（复）time 时间（单）times 时代，倍数（复）finding 发现，探索（单）findings 研究成果，调查结果（复）work 工作，功（单）works 工厂，著作，工事(复)B.前后搭配词不同词义不同soft pillow 软枕soft music 轻柔的音乐soft cushion 靠垫soft wood 软木soft money 纸币soft drink 不含酒精的饮料soft breeze 和风soft light 柔光soft voice 低声soft fire 文火soft hat 呢帽soft words 和蔼的话soft answer 委婉的回答soft goods 毛织品soft heart 慈心soft water 软水（不含矿物盐类的水）a broken man a broken soldier broken time broken moneybroken English a broken promise a broken road英语中还有一些习惯用法，在翻译中容易疏忽或错译，下面是一个很典型的例子。
The importance of a safe spillway cannot be overemphasized.安全溢洪道的重要性无论怎样强调也不会过分You cannot pay too much attention to your pronunciation. 译成：你越注意你的发音越好。
You can never be too careful in your work..One can scarcely pay too high price for liberty.二要正确地选择和确定词义，从以下三个方面着手：（一）根据词性确定词义1) Your account of what happened is not quite right. 你对于发生的事情的叙述不太正确。
2）Go right on until you reach the church.3）It’s my right of way, so that lorry must stop or slow down until I’ve passed it.我有优先通行权，所以那货车必须停驶或减慢车速直到我走过去为止。
4) She tried her best to right her husband from the charge of robbery. 她尽力为她丈夫被控抢劫一案申冤。
（二）根据上下文及逻辑关系确定词义根据上下文和逻辑关系判别词义是词义辨析中非常重要而又切实可行的办法。
1) He traveled to foundling homes, prisons and lunatic asylums in his search for people with extraordinary heads, and in time built up a huge catalogue of the relationship between particular mental characteristics and bumps on the skull.他走访了育婴堂、监狱、精神病院，去寻找头型特殊的人，同时积累起大批资料，记载特殊的脑功能特点与颅骨凸起部分之间的关系。
2) I know you think I am talking nonsense, but in time you will realize that was right.我知道你认为我在胡说八道，但你将来终究会理解我说的话是对的。
3) We have been working all day. We must have a break. 我们干了整整一天了，必须休息一下。
4）Suddenly the line went limp. “I am going back.” Said Smith. “We must have a break somewhere. Wait for me. I’ll be back in five minutes.”引爆线突然耷拉下来。
史密斯说：“我回去看看。
一定是某个地方断了线。
等一下，我五分钟就回来。
”1)We can make out the meaning of the word from the context.2)We should settle the disputes in the context of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence.3)It is in this context that the tragedy of Sahara was born.4)We must operate within the context of the Olympian Spirit.5)In this context, I’ve to call your attention to the fact that the peaceful trend in the Indo-China Peninsula is essential to peace in the world.(三)注意词义的褒贬性为了忠实于原文的思想内容，翻译时必须正确理解原作者的基本政治立场和观点，然后选用适当的语言手段来加以表达。
译成汉语时就要根据上下文恰如其分地把它们的褒贬含义反映出来。
1) They incited him to go into further investigation. 他们鼓励他作进一步的调查。
2) The plotters incited the soldiers to rise against their officers. 阴谋家煽动士兵们造军官的反。
3）It was mid-August and the subject for discussion was the future of Rommel and his Africa Corps. 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。
4) They predicted the youth would have a bright future。
他们预言，这个年轻人会有一个锦绣前程。
5) The peasants and workers were hand-in-glove with one another in the struggle against landlords and capitalists who worked hand-in-glove with each other.6)The enemy killed one of our comrades and we killed an enemy agent.第四章作业：首先一个词在不同的句子中有不同的含义。
A. 1）I want my martini dry.2) There are still some dry states in the United States.3）She prefers dry bread.4）The cows are dry.5）He gave us a dry lecture yesterday.6）I am sure what he presented was a dry fact.B 1)It was a girl with good manners.2）These were all labeled as good eggs.3）Dogs are often regarded as man’s good friends.4）…yet, as it sometimes happens that a person departs his life, who is really deserving of the praises the stone-cutter carves over his bones; who is a good Christian, a good wife or a good husband; who actually does have a disconsolate family to mourn his loss;…(W. M. Thackeray : Vanity Fair)其次，在英语中还存在着一个词的单数和复数意义全然不同、前后搭配不同而意义不同等情况。