【翻译笔记】《围城》英译选句 - 工夫
作者:sally
来源:沪江英语
2011-11-19 08:30
原文:
他训导的几个学生,因为当天考试完了,晚上有工夫到他房里来话别。(钱钟书 - 围城 )
翻译关键词:几(个),到……来(去),工夫
译文:
A few of his student advisees, having finished their examinations that day, came over in the evening when they were free to chat and say goodbye. (美 Jeanne Kelly, Nathan K.Mao <译> –Fortress Besieged)
翻译笔记:
几(个)
“几”的译法大家应该不陌生,a few; several; some等等均可,按照句法结构惯用等搭配均可,如:
说几句话 say a few words
有几个人 some people
我们再来看看考试常考的两个表达:
几十 tens; dozens; scores
几万万 several hundred million; hundreds of millions
到……来(去)
come是“来”,go是“去”,看似很简单,不过也有几点是应该注意的:
* 请来看我。Please come to see me. 这里当然用come,不可用go。
我会去看你。I will come / go to see you. 这里come和go都可以用,但通常用come。在“来”和“去”对比的场合用go。如:
As you cannot come to see me, I will go to see you.
* 他让我去看他。He has asked me to come / go to see him. 这里come和go都可以用,但通常也用come。在“来”和“去”对比的场合用go。如:
As he cannot come to see me, he has asked me to go to see him.
他让我去看他哥哥(弟弟)。He has asked me to go to see his brother。这里用go,但假使那哥哥或弟弟跟“他”在一起,也可以改用come。
* 你明天去看他吗?Shall you come / go to see him tomorrow? 这里come和go都可以用,但用come含有“我也将去”的意思。
你明天和我一起去看他吗?Will you come / go with me to see him? 这里come和go都可以用,但还是用come更普遍。
工夫
汉语里的“工夫”包含有许多意思,这里我们主要了解关于时间的用法。
* time 时间 如:
明天有工夫再来吧。
Come again tomorrow if you have time.
他三天工夫就学会了滑冰。
It took him only three days to learn to skate.
* spare (or free) time余暇,业余时间 如:
你有工夫旅游吗?
Do you have time for traveling?
* period of time一段时间,时段 如:
我们说话那工夫他还在这儿。
He was still here when we were talking.
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