八、 名词词组与分句互译原则

汉语中的两大成分地位较低,分别是宾语和定语。在英译汉中,较长的宾语从句常常会转化为名词词组,比如在第一个例句中的“how”如果翻译为“如何化去税款”这个宾语从句,在汉语中就显得不伦不类,所有一些5W1H的疑问词基本上都有可能转化为名词,如when(时间),where(地点),who(人选),why(原因)。此外,对于修饰语较多的名词性短语,汉语也不喜欢用定语进行堆砌,而偏向用简单的主谓短语,如第二个例子中把“the most skeptical Gates”翻译成“一个持怀疑态度的盖茨”,就不如变成主谓短语“盖茨对此持怀疑态度”。

They provide a means by which wealthy people and corporations can in effect decide how their tax payments will be spent.
基金会提供了一种方式,可以让有钱人和大公司能实际支配花去税款的方式。

But the most skeptical Gates of the new millennium is someone who evinces a passion for giving and government aid.
但新千年盖茨对此持怀疑态度,热衷于施舍和政府援助。

Now, the debate has shifted away from the ethics of baby-making and toward the morality of cloning embryos for their cells and tissues, which might be used to treat diseases.
现在,争论已经从制造婴儿是否违背伦理,转到为提取用于治疗疾病的细胞和组织而克隆胚胎是否违背道德。

But such self-interest is hardly enlightened.
但这种做法只考虑个人利益,自然难以获得支持。

The project budget sustains both the existence of graduate students and the fiscal solvency of the university.
研究生是否存在,大学是否存在资金偿还能力,这些都取决于项目预算。

九、 要词原则

无论是中口还是高口翻译篇章中,都有一些貌似十分简单的词,但这些词往往是这篇文章的杀手锏,难度往往高于那些成语、俗语和专业词。比如在第一个例子中的collectively,一般的译者马上会理解为“总而言之”“概括起来”的意思,只有当读完整句的时候,才明白是把亚洲国家整体经济规模“累加”起来,其中进行了转性译法,把副词转换为形容词或名词。这种词在每次考试中至少会有一个,可以被认为是拉开差距的地方。考生如能发现其中的“弦外之音”,将会极大的鼓舞自己的士气。

Collectively, the Asian Countries will have a larger economy than the rest of the world put together.
亚洲国家的经济总量将超过其他国家地区的总和。

From a small beginning at the turn of the century ……
本世纪初,基金会的数量并不多。
 

Inside these nations there will be mass prosperity, but with a large minority in serious poverty, and a small number who are very rich.
这些国家虽然呈现出欣欣向荣的态势,但其中还有许多处于极端贫穷的弱势人口,还有少部分人口极端富有。 

The major feature of project money, whether its source is government or business, is that it is given on a contractual basis, a different contract for each project, so that the investigator’s independence rests upon his capacity to secure a succession of contracts.
无论来自于政府或商界,项目资金的重要特点是其建立在契约上,即不同的项目可以争取相同的项目资金,因此调研人员要取得独立,就必须得到连续的研究项目。

The resulting patchwork of laws, people on all sides of the issue say, complicates a nationwide picture already clouded by scientific and ethnical questions over whether and how to restrict cloning or to ban it altogether.
在克隆问题上各方人士认为,关于是否限制克隆、如何限制克隆或索性禁止克隆的科学及伦理问题,已经使全国性立法变得扑朔迷离。而如今各种东拼西凑的法律,只会使全国性立法形成步履维艰。

A law that goes into effect on Jan.1 allows computer users in the state to refuse unwanted solicitations en masse and sue spammers who violate their wishers for as much as $1 million.
1月1日,加州通过一条法律,使得计算机用户有权拒收垃圾邮件,并对邮件发送者提出诉讼,要求最高达一百万美元的赔偿。