翻译英语拟声词时,除了闻声解意外,还应根据具体语境和修辞等要求,选用恰当的翻译方法。常见的拟声词译法大体有如下几种:

A. 英语原文中有拟声词,汉译时也用拟声词

英语原文中的拟声词在汉语中可译成相同的拟声词:

(1) A turkey gobbles.
火鸡咯咯叫。

(2) A wolf howls/growls.
狼嚎。

(3) A bee hums.
蜜蜂嗡嗡地叫。

(4) A bull bellows.
公牛哞哞地叫。

(5) A sparrow twitters.
麻雀吱吱喳喳叫。

有时也可译成不同的拟声词:

(1) The train clattered out of the station.
火车哐唧哐唧驶出车站。

(2) The shutters clattered in the wind.
百叶窗在风中劈劈啪啪作响。

(3) The girls clattered away at their luncheon.
餐时女孩们咭咭呱呱地谈个不停。

(4) The dishes and bowls slid together with a clatter.
碟子碗碰得丁丁当当响。

有时,英语原文中不同的拟声词在汉语中也可译成同一拟声词:

(1) The thunder rolled in the distance.
远处雷声隆隆。

(2) There came the hum of machines.
传来了机器的隆隆声。

(3) The offices were quite. Far below I could hear the rumble of tube trains carrying commuters to the west end.
各办公室都很静,我可以听到地底下的隆隆声,那是地铁在运送通勤人员去西区。

将英语的拟声词译成汉语的拟声词,有时可保持原文中拟声词的词性及其在句子中的成分,例如:

(1) Whee-ee-ee! Whee-ee-ee! The police whistles shrilled suddenly.
“的!的!”突然警笛响了。

(2) Those standing behind whispered and chattered all the time.
站在身后的人们一直吱吱喳喳个没完。

(3) They hissed him off the stage.
他们把他嘘下了台。

(4) The clock ticked, the fire cracked.
钟声滴滴答答,火声劈劈啪啪。

英语拟声词多数是动词或名词,在句中作谓语、主语或宾语,而汉语拟声词多半带有形容词和副词的性质,作定语、状语或补语。所以英语拟声词翻译成汉语时,往往需要转换原文中拟声词的词性属性及句法功能。例如:

(1) About this time a brick came through the window with a splintering crash.
大约在这个时候,有人从窗户外面抛了一块砖进来,辟里啪拉砸得很响。(形容词──副词)

(2) The ship hooted down the river.
呜……那船沿江而下。(谓语动词──独立成分)

(3) The clock ticked away the minutes.
声滴答滴答地把时间打发走了。(谓语动词──独立成分)

(4) A bitter storm of sleet, dense and ice-cold, swept the wet streets, and rattled on the trembling windows.
刺骨的暴风夹着密集而寒冷的雨雪,扫过湿漉漉的街道,打得颤抖的窗子格格作响。(谓语动词──副词)

必要时还可增补一定的词语,使语义完整、句法正确。例如:

(1) She slammed the box on the table.
她把匣子砰的一下摔在桌子上。

(2) The man shut the door with a bang.
那人砰的一声把门关上了。

(3) The wind whispered in the pines.
风在松林中飒飒作响。

(4) The clang of the fire bell aroused the town.
报火警钟的当当声惊醒了全镇。

B. 英语原文中用拟声词,汉语译文中不用

恰当地运用拟声词可增强感染力,使语言表达更加形象生动。但如果拟声词用得过滥或不得体,也会造成译文语言轻佻、累赘,从而破坏原文的表达力。因此原文中的拟声词有时可改用非拟声词来表达。例如:

(1) Old beams began to crack mysteriously.
那些老屋梁神秘地发出裂开的响声。

(2) There was a large , low-ceiling room, with clacking, rattling machines.
有一大间天花板很低的屋子,里面的机器响成一片。

(3) A profound silence prevailed over all and the only thing she could hear was the tap of ivy on the pane.
万籁俱寂,她唯一听到的是长青藤轻扣玻璃声。

(4) On my way to school I can see the babbling water in the brook, hear the frogs creaking, cuckoos cuckooing, sparrows chirping in the woods.
上学路上,我能看见溪中的潺潺流水,能听见青蛙鸣、杜鹃啼,麻雀叫。

C. 英语原文中没有拟声词,汉语译文中加用拟声词

在一定的情况下可采用这种译法,以加强译文语言的表达力。例如:

(1) He crashed down on a protesting chair.
他猛然坐到一把椅子上,椅子被压得吱吱作响。

(2) The lad rushed in , gasping for breath.
小伙子冲进来,呼哧呼哧上气不接下气。

(3) When he raised his hand, ten thousand eyes followed it.
他把手儿一扬,千万人的眼睛跟着它滴溜溜地转。