六级翻译练习：长城
长城是世界上最伟大的奇迹之一，1987年被列为联合国教科文组织世界文化遗产。1 它宛如一条巨龙， 蜿蜒曲折， 穿越草地、沙漠和高山， 自西向东绵延8,851.8公里（明长城）。2 经过两千多年的沧桑，长城部分城墙已经被毁或湮灭。3 但是，由于它建筑雄伟，历史悠久，长城现今依然是世界上最具吸引力的景点之一。长城始建于春秋战国时期的燕、赵、秦等国，作为防御工事。秦始皇将各段城墙连接起来，抵御北方部落的侵袭。4 从那时起，长城就成为中华民族的一道丰碑，此后历朝历代都在不断扩建和修缮。5 今天我们看到的长城主要建于明代。长城承载着丰富的中国文化，体现了中国人民的智慧和顽强。长城与黄河、长江一起，成为了中华民族的象征。

参考译文：
The Great Wall, one of the greatest wonders of the world, was listed as a UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Site in 1987. Like a giant dragon, the Great Wall winds its way across grasslands, deserts and mountains, stretching approximately 8,851.8 kilometers (the Ming walls) from west to east of China. With a history of more than 2,000 years, some of the sections are now in ruins or have disappeared. However, it is still one of the most appealing attractions all around the world owing to its architectural grandeur and historical significance. The Great Wall was originally built in the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period as a defensive project by states including Yan, Zhao, and Qin. Emperor Qinshihuang, founder of the first unified empire in Chinese history, succeeded in his effort to have the walls joined together to fend off the invasions from tribes in the north. Since then, the Great Wall has served as a monument of the Chinese nation. It went through constant extensions and repairs in later dynasties. The Great Wall we see today was mostly built during the Ming Dynasty. The Great Wall carries a considerable part of Chinese culture and demonstrates the wisdom and tenacity of the Chinese people. It has become a symbol of the Chinese nation along with the Yellow River and the Yangtze River.

翻译简析
1 原文对主语“长城”的说明包含两个部分，其中前者为次要信息，后者为主要信息。因此在翻译时没有将二者译为并列成分，而是将前者译为同位语。 
2 本句在结构上与第一句相仿，译文重点突出长城的“蜿蜒曲折”，译为句子的核心winds its way，其他内容则译为状语。原文的动词“穿越”译为介词across，这种词类转换在翻译中比较常见。
3 “两千多年的沧桑”主要指长城历史悠久，因而译作a history of more than 2,000 years。汉语中有些词意蕴丰富，难以紧扣字面意思译成英文，翻译过程中应重点挖掘其背后信息，重在达意，不宜过分追求词藻，舍本逐末。
4 本句中的“秦始皇”，译文先用音译，然后用一个同位语作说明，便于外国读者理解其背后的文化信息。
5 原文虽是一句，但有两层意思，所以分译成两句。