强调和倒装句型的翻译

由 familyboat

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本文中所论述的翻译方法来自于由外语教学与研究出版社出版的《新编大学英语》第二版第三卷中记载的内容(406–408 页)。以下内容仅用作教育、研究、个人用途,不可用于商业用途,侵权必究。

强调与强调句型

英语中当需要强调动词时,一般是在动词前面加助动词 do(或 do 的相应形式),译成汉语时可适当增加“确实”、“真的”、“一定”等词来表示强调含义。例如:

  • However, they said that they did have six pictures of children that had been used for promotional purposes.
    不过,他们说确有六张用于宣传的儿童照片。

  • They did find themselves making faster gear changes, accelerating more quickly and braking more abruptly.
    他们的确发现自己换挡更快了,加速也快了,刹车更急了。

  • The study demonstrate that cigarette advertising does encourage children to smoke.
    该研究表明香烟广告确实起到了鼓励孩子吸烟的作用。

一些用来强调名词的形容词,或强调形容词的程度副词,可译成“正是”、“相当”、“就是”等。例如:

  • As well as the type of the music affecting road safety, the very fact that we have high-tech music systems built into our cars also causes accidents.
    正如某种音乐会影响行使安全一样,我们的车里安装了高技术的音响系统这件事本身也是引起车祸的根源。

  • We're terribly fortunate the storm didn't start earlier.
    我们相当幸运,因为暴风雨没有提前到来。

强调句型“It is (was)… that (which, who)…”可以用来强调句子中的某些成分,如主语、宾语、状语等。翻译时可以用“正是”,“就是”来表示强调含意。当强调主语时,同强调其他成分一样可以用 that;主语指人时可用 who;指物时可用 which。强调句型不能用于强调谓语和表语。例如:

  • The doctor says: It is the HIV virus that causes AIDS.
    医生说正是 HIV 病毒引起艾滋病的。

  • It was at the Cavern, in Liverpool, their home city, that the Beatles's career really began to take off.
    甲壳虫乐队的音乐生涯却是在他们的家乡利物浦市的卡文真正开始走红的。

  • It was on Sunday that Davis felt his loneliness most keenly.
    让戴维斯特别强烈地感到孤独的就是星期天。

在某些疑问词如 what、where、who、why、how 等后面加上词组,如 on earth、in the world、the hell、the devil 等,也可以表示强调,一般用于疑问句或否定句。翻译时可以用“到底”、“究竟”来表示强调。例如:

  • Where on earth can she be?
    究竟会在哪儿?

  • What the hell is she doing?
    到底在干什么?

  • How in the world did you go yesterday afternoon?
    昨天下午你究竟怎么去的?

倒装句

英语和汉语的句子结构中的相似之处在于它们都遵循主语、谓语和宾语的顺序,但有时由于语法结构和修辞的需要,英语使用一些倒装句,从而达到突出某成分和强调语义的效果。翻译这些倒装句时,有时需要调整词序。

  • Gone were the optimism that they represented and social consciousness that they spread.
    他们所代表的乐观主义精神和他们所传播的社会意识亦随之而去了。(原句时倒装句,谓语提前,翻译时,词序调整。)

  • Among the 170 music professionals donating their talents are singer Ronnie Spector and rock star Roger Daltrey, as well as the cast members of the broadway musical Titanic.
    有 170 位专业人士奉献才艺,其中有歌手罗妮·斯佩克特,摇滚歌星罗杰·多尔特里,以及百老汇音乐剧《泰坦尼克号》的全体演员。(原句为倒装句,译成汉语时,基本按照原句语序,不作调整。)

  • Here comes the manager you want to see.
    你要见的经理来了。(原句句首是以副词“Here”开始,翻译时,语序调整。)

  • Hardly had he got to the station when it snowed.
    他一到车站就下雪了。(原句是“hardly… when”引导的倒装句,翻译时顺序调整。)

  • Busy as he is, he knows life is more than a career.
    虽然他很忙,可是他知道事业不是(该句似乎是原文中重复的部分)生活不仅仅是从事一种职业。(原句是“as”构成的让步状语从句的倒装句,翻译时,语序调整了。)

  • Had she helped him, he would have succeeded.
    如果她帮了他的话,他是会成功的。(原句是省略了“if”的虚拟语气的倒装句,翻译时基本按照原句语序,不作调整。)

  • He can't swim, nor can I.
    他不会游泳,我也不会。(原句是“nor”构成的倒装句,翻译时,语序调整了。)

许可

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