Passage Translation 1

Spending your vacation in a foreign country is horrible. First, you have to start early and become increasingly anxious with each passing day. When everything is OK and you really set off,you may find yourself in a car for hours. It is hot and you’re thirsty. And finally when you arrive at your destination, you’re in a strange place with strange people around. You’re confused and lost. You may be a little curious or a little excited, but as a matter of fact, very, very tired.

【参考译文】

国外度假可不是什么美事。首先,你不得不早早准备起来,同时焦虑感与日俱增。等一切搞定、真正出发时,路途又得耗上好几个小时。又热又渴的你,最终总算到了目的地,可身处异乡,周围全是陌生人,你又困惑又迷茫,也可能有那么一点儿好奇与兴奋,事实是,你已经筋疲力尽了。

【点评】

本篇短文指出了去国外旅行的一些不便之处。文章以口头语为主,较为简单。在翻译过程中,需要注意的是,英语口头语中大量的you,应灵活处理。不一定处处都要把这一人称代词翻进来,使得整个语段生硬。

Passage Translation 2

If your great grandparents were born in a rich country in the early 1900s, their lifespan would have been about 50. Today people in developed countries have a life expectancy of 80 or more. This is because the improvements of public health, such as running water and flushing toilets and then medical care. But these improvements have mostly benefited richer nations. There are still places in the world that don’t have clean water, enough food and enough doctors. So people there often suffer from famine and disease.

【参考译文】

如果你的祖父母出生于1900年代早期的富裕国家,他们的寿命可能是50来岁。现今在发达国家,人的平均寿命可达80岁甚至以上。这是由于自来水、冲水马 桶以及医疗等公共卫生条件的改善。但这些改善大多惠及富裕国家。世界上仍有许多地方没有干净的水、足够的食物和医生。因此,那里的人们经常被饥饿和疾病折 磨。

【点评】

本篇短文属于社会生活类。谈到了公共卫生与人的寿命之间的关系。其中有几处约定俗成的翻译,需要注意:life expectancy(寿命),running water(自来水),flushing toilets(冲水马桶、抽水马桶),medical care(医疗)。虽然结合日常生活经验,文章内容考生较为熟悉,但可能由于缺乏相关词汇的积累而译成文字的表面意思。这就再次提醒大家,口译需要准备时 处处做个有心人,记录一切遇到的常用表达。