一、英译汉部分:

本次三级笔译英译汉部分试题与往年情况相仿,题材为人文话题,涉及英美国家语言文化。全文没有特别的繁难长句,四级程度核心词只有十三四个,六级级以上难度词汇只有recipient, flop, tricky, flowery, glean, gist六个。此外还有AnglophoneGlobish两个偏词,总统难度中等偏低。

It was just one word in one email, but it triggered huge financial losses for a multinational company.

开篇首句很像一个强调句(It was... that...),但又非典型的强调句式,会给考生带来一点小小的别扭。One word in one email也可能造成误解,译为一封邮件里就有一个单词,实际该理解为一封邮件里的一个小小单词Trigger义为引发、触发Multinational跨国的,多国的

本节参考译文:

恰恰就是邮件里的一个小小单词,却导致一家跨国公司蒙受了巨额经济损失。

The message, written in English, was sent by a native speaker to a colleague for whom English was a second language. Unsure of the word, the recipient found two contradictory meanings in his dictionary. He acted on the wrong one.

本小节开始承接上文讲述事情的原委。其中,written in English是分词作状语修饰主语“the message”,后面又用whom引导的定语从句修饰colleague“for”修饰“whom”,表示对他而言(英语是第二语言)Unsure of...为分词结构(省略being)做原因状语。Recipient收信/件人act on……行事。最后一句话比较孤立,但翻译时需要注意添加语句间的关联词语。

本节参考译文:

邮件信息是一名以英语为母语的员工发给一位英语为第二语言的同事的。由于不确定一个词的意思,这位同事查了词典,发现这个词存在两个相互矛盾的意思,结果他却偏偏选中了错的那个。

Months later, senior management investigated why the project had flopped, costing hundreds of thousands of dollars. “It all traced back to this one word,” says Chia Suan Chong, a UK-based communications skills and intercultural trainer, who didn't reveal the tricky word because it is highly industry-specific and possibly identifiable. “Things spiralled out of control because both parties were thinking the opposite.”

flop意为失败,后面(costing...)是现在分词作结果状语。

It...一句的谓语trace back to 意思是追随到……”,此处指归结于……”

a UK-based...在句中做同位语,后面有who引导的定语从句进行修饰,because引导原因从句。此句结构相对复杂,在翻译时应重新整合语义,调整语序,合理断句,采用分译的方法。比如,who引导的定语部分属于次要信息,可以置于句后,起补充信息的作用即可,尤其不能译为“…………”这类定语。

tricky 表示棘手的”,identifiable表示可辨认的”, spiral螺旋形运动” spiralled out of control“……发展得失控了

参考译文:

项目失败了,导致了数十万美元损失。数月后,公司管理层着手调查原因。身在英国的跨文化沟通技能培训师蔡孙重(Chia Suan Chong)表示:最后,一切都是由这个词引起的。双方的理解南辕北辙,于是一切都乱了套。但她没有透露这个引起麻烦的单词具体是什么,因为这个词高度行业化,一旦透露,很有可能暴露企业信息。

When such misunderstandings happen, it’s usually the native speakers who are to blame. Ironically, they are worse at delivering their message than people who speak English as a second or third language, according to Chong.

It’s...who为强调句;be to blame是主动形式表示被动意义,译为“……应受到责备Theynative speakers,deliver message译为传达信息。本句用than连接,是个比较句,说明英语为母语的人反倒不如英语作为二语甚至三语者更擅长表达信息。

参考译文

蔡孙重说,类似的误解,通常是英语母语者的过错。更为讽刺的是,与将英语作为第二或第三语言的人相比,英语母语者反而更不擅长传达信息。

A lot of native speakers are happy that English has become the world’s global language. They feel they don’t have to spend time learning another language,” says Chong.

本小节相对简单。最后的says Chong按照汉语习惯,置于前面较好。

 

参考译文:

蔡孙重表示:很多英语母语者很高兴英语成为全球语言,觉得不必再花时间学习其他语言了。

The non-native speakers, it turns out, speak more purposefully and carefully, typical of someone speaking a second or third language. Anglophones, on the other hand, often talk too fast for others to follow, and use jokes, slang and references specific to their own culture, says Chong.

It turns out为插入语,可以不必译出。

says Chong也要前置翻译,与上一句话相关联,译文“……还说”。

Typical of...表示(……是……的典型特征,在本句起非限制性定语的作用,相当于,which is typical of...)。

Too fast for others to为典型的“too...to...”结构,表示“太……以至于不能……”;

references原义为“参考、涉及、介绍信、引用”等多种含义,在本句中没有对应的意思,需要灵活处理。

参考译文:

蔡孙重还说,非母语者讲英语时更具有目的性,也更为小心谨慎,其他以英语为第二或第三语言的人也都这样。反之,英语为母语者往往语速过快,叫人跟不上,爱讲只有欧美文化背景的人才听得懂的笑话、俚语和典故。

“The native English speaker… is the only one who might not feel the need to accommodate or adapt to the others,” she adds.

accommodate有“容纳,调解,使适应”的意思,与其后的adapt to意思接近,翻译时取其一即可。

she adds要译为“她补充道”

参考译文:

只有英语为母语者才意识不到进行自我调整,关照他人的必要性,蔡孙重补充道。

With non-native English speakers in the majority worldwide, it’s Anglophones who may need to up their game.

With在本句中引导原因状语,可译为“由于、鉴于”等。

up their game字面意思为“升级他们的游戏”,但这个表达并不能清楚的呈现意义,因此要采用“意译”的方法进行信息补充,而不能“直译”。

参考译文:

鉴于世界上大部分人口并非以英语为母语,英语母语者还是很有必要加强自身的沟通交流能力。

“Native speakers are at a disadvantage when you are in a lingua franca situation,” where English is being used as a common denominator, says Jennifer Jenkins, professor of global Englishes at the UK’s University of Southampton. “It’s the native English speakers that are having difficulty understanding and making themselves understood.”

at a disadvantage表示“处于不利地位、没有优势”;

lingua franca为语言学学科术语,译为“通用语”,对于非英语专业的学生具有一定难度,但可以用词典查询或借助构词法知识猜测词义。

denominator也是语言学专业术语,词根nom意思是“name”,可以有助于猜测词义。另外也需要借助上下文确定该词的准确译法。

It’s ...that...为强调句型

Have difficulty doing...译为“有困难……,难以……”

参考译文:

英国南安普敦大学(University of Southampton)的全球英语教授詹尼弗·詹金斯(Jennifer Jenkins)表示:“在周围的人都把英语作为通用语的情况下,英语母语者实际上处境不利,因为他们难以理解别人,也很难传达自己的意思

Non-native speakers generally use more limited vocabulary and simpler expressions, without flowery language or slang. And then there’s cultural style, Blattner says. When a Brit reacts to a proposal by saying, “That’s interesting” a fellow Brit might recognise this as understatement for, “That’s rubbish.” But other nationalities would take the word “interesting” on face value, he says.

flowery表示“花的,华丽的”。

And then there’s cultural style理解容易出现错误。字面看cultural style指“文化风格”,当需要区分“分化风格”了,也就说明了产生了“文化差异”。

Brit指“英国人”,与Briton, Britisher同义,但略带“贬义”。

understatement指“轻描淡写、低调陈述、含蓄陈述”。

take the word ...on face value指“按其字面意义进行理解”

参考译文:

非英语母语者通常使用有限的词汇,表达也相对简单,不会运用华丽的辞藻或俚语。而布拉特纳(Blattner)认为,这就导致了文化差异。当一个英国人说一项提议很有趣,其他英国人大概会觉得,这不过是很垃圾的含蓄说法,但外国人就只会从字面上去理解这句话。

“English speakers with no other language often have a lack of awareness of how to speak English internationally.

speak English internationally较为费解,字面意思是说“国际化地讲英语”,实质是讲由于缺乏国际意识,不懂在英语国家之外的场合如何恰当使用英语与人交流。

参考译文:

不懂其他语言的英语母语者,往往缺乏国际意识,不懂得用英语和外国人妥善沟通

In Berlin, Coulter saw German staff of a Fortune 500 company being briefed from their Californian HQ via video link. Despite being competent in English, the Germans gleaned only the gist of what their American project leader said. So among themselves they came up with an agreed version, which might or might not have been what was intended by the California staff.

本小节的理解难度略有提高,出现了一些较专业的表达。翻译中需要灵活调整语序,使状语、定语等符合汉语表达习惯。

Fortune 500 company指“世界500强企业”。

brief用作动词表示“(做)简报,摘要”,本句中用作被动语态表示“被简要通报,传达指示”

HQHeadQuater的缩写

glean本义表示“拾(落穗)”,引申为拾起,收集。

the gist of指“要点,主旨”

come up with an agreed version想出一个大家认同的(一致的)版本。

参考译文:

库尔特(Coulter)在柏林亲眼见过一家世界500强企业通过视频从加利福尼亚总部向德国员工传达指示。德国员工尽管英语水平不错,但也仅能勉强抓住美国项目领导的大意。于是他们自己内部商定了一种理解,至于是否如实反映了总部的实际意图,谁也说不准。

“Too many non-Anglophones, especially the Asians and the French, are too concerned about not ‘losing face’ — and nod approvingly while not getting the message at all,” he says.

non-Anglophones非盎格鲁口音的人,即非英语为母语者。

be too concerned about:太过于在意某事

nod approvingly点头表示同意。其中approvingly的翻译要由“副词”转类为“动词”,不可直接译成“赞同地点头”

参考译文:

库尔特说:不少非英语母语者,尤其是亚洲人和法国人,都太过纠结面子问题,即使完全听不懂,也会点头表示赞同

That’s why Nerriere devised Globish — a distilled form of English, stripped down to 1,500 words and simple but standard grammar. “It’s not a language, it’s a tool,” he says. Since launching Globish in 2004 he’s sold more than 200,000 Globish text books in 18 languages.

Globish为一个新创词,有globalEnglish混合而成,通过构词法知识可以确定该词词义为“全球语”。

distil本义表示“蒸馏,提纯”这里指“提炼出的”,用作定语。

strip down to 本义指“脱到只剩……”,这里比喻意义为“精简到……”

参考译文:

为此,内里埃(Nerriere)发明了全球语,一种简化版的英语,其词汇量精简到1500词左右,语法既简单又规范。他说:全球语不是语言,只是工具。自2004年推广全球语以来,内里埃的全球语教材已售出20000余万册,涵盖了18种语言。

“If you can communicate efficiently with limited, simple language you save time, avoid misinterpretation and you don’t have errors in communication,” Nerriere says.

本句句法简单清晰,理解没有难度。

翻译技巧上考虑使用“词类转换”,即“转译”法。

参考译文:

内里埃表示:简化语言,限定词汇,有效沟通,就能节省不少时间,还能避免引起误解,杜绝交流失误

When trying to communicate in English with a group of people with varying levels of fluency, it’s important to be receptive and adaptable, tuning your ears into a whole range of different ways of using English, Jenkins says.

本节的主句为It’s important to be receptive and adaptable,但是翻译中可以把“it’s important(这点很重要)”放在句末,加以强调。

receptive指“善于接受的,能包容的”

adaptable指“适应性强的,能适应的”

参考译文:

詹金斯表示:用英语交流时,面对水平各异的人,我们应该怀着灵活包容的态度,去适应形形色色的英语用法,这一点很重要。

“People who’ve learned other languages are good at doing that, but native speakers of English generally are monolingual and not very good at tuning in to language variation,” she says.

本句相对简单。

monolingual指“单语的”

tune in to...指“收听,收看……”

language variation指“语言变体”,是较为专业的语言学术语。

参考译文:

她补充道:学过外语的人擅长这点,但英语母语者由于只会一种语言,并太擅长适应各种语言变体

In meetings, Anglophones tend to speed along at what they consider a normal pace, and also rush to fill gaps in conversation, according to Steggles.

speed along有一路说下去而不管不顾的味道,what they condise可视为插入语,其表达的味道也需要予以关注。

rush to 强调“急于……”

according to sb.按照某人的说法,即某人说道……

参考译文:

斯特格勒斯(Steggles)表示,开会的时候,英语母语者容易语速过快,还自以为语速正常,而且经常急着插话。

He recommends making the same point in a couple of different ways and asking for some acknowledgement, reaction or action.

recommend后面接动名词作宾语,表示“建议做……”。

a couple of表示“几种,几个,一些”

ask for some acknowledgement, reaction or action词汇语义接近,处理起来稍有难度。

参考译文:

他建议,英语母语者用多种方式来表达同一个观点,同时请对方就自己所讲内容作出确认、反馈或反应。