3)顺译法
如果长句中一连串的动作是按时间顺序安排的,可以按原句顺序,用顺译法翻译。
(1)You have spent a whole evening in a French music hall with a dirty-looking fat man who,instead of having messages slipped into his hand by dark-eyed beauties,gets only an ordinary telephone call making an appointment in his room.
你和一个看上去脏乎乎的胖子在一家法国音乐厅里消磨了整个晚上,有黑眼睛的美人儿悄悄地把情报塞入他的手中,他只不过接了个普通的电话,约定在他房间里会面。
分析:该句主要结构是:You...spent a whole evening...with a fat man...。句中的关系代词who引出定语从句修饰man。在该定语从句中,介词短语instead of having messages slipped into...beauties与从句谓语动词gets...telephone和分词短语making...in his room表示该定语从句中按时间顺序发生的三个动作,翻译时顺译为好。
(2)Prince Philip is a man with beautiful features that reminds us of an ancient GREek statue.菲利浦王子五官极为端庄,令人想起古希腊塑像。
4)逆译法
有的句子需要使用逆译法,从后面着手往前翻译,逆着原文顺序才能译通。
(1)What has become of him?他怎么啦?
(2)Very wonderful changes in matter take place before our eyes everyday to which we pay little attention.我们不大注意物质中的那些非常奇异的变化,但是它们却每天都在我们眼前发生。(该句句末的 to which...attention为分割定语从句,修饰changes。翻译时可以先译成汉语,置于句首。)
(3)There is today no comparison between the quality of castings,the complexity of patterns produced,and the speed of manufacture,with the work of a few years ago.几年前加工的铸件在兼顾铸件质量、结构形状和制作速度三方面都无法与今天的相比。
分析:该句采用逆译法从后向前译。句末with the work of a few years ago中的介词with是前面comparison要求的词,表示“与……相比”,译成汉语时将比较对象提到前面,会使译文流畅、通顺。 |