Chinglish不可滥用,英语表达需要来点“虚伪”!
导语:其实说“虚伪”其实并不太恰当,可能应该用“委婉”这个词,才是最正确的说法。
因为文化背景的差异,和中式口语直白的表达不同,英语中的口语表达大多带有一些隐晦的含义,这一点从东方幽默和西方幽默的区别就能看得出来...那么,英语有哪些Chinglish可用而不可滥用呢?
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1.那个小童星长残了。 The child star became ugly as he grew up. The child star is aging badly.第一句的语法没错,但听起来非常别扭。长残了,最常用的说法就是age badly/terribly或者not age well,age是动词,表示年岁渐老。如果是小朋友长残了,还可以说grow up (to be) ugly。
2.我觉得很痛。 I am painful. I am in pain. “我感到高兴”是 I am happy,“我感到累了”是 I'm tired,但“我感到很痛”却不是 I am painful。因为 painful 表示“使人痛苦的,让人疼痛或讨厌的”,它的主语往往不是人,而是事物或人体的某个部位,如:The foot is painful(脚痛),
The lessons are painful(教训是惨痛的)等。所以没有 I am painful 这个说法,如果你非要这样说,别人会以为你全身带电或浑身长刺,别人碰了你就会疼,是你让别人痛苦,而不是你自己痛苦。 “我很痛”的习惯说法是I'm in pain. “你觉得痛吗?”就是Are you in pain?
3.我好热呀! I'm so hot! It's so hot!第一句很容易引起歧义,多半会被理解成,我好性感呀……除非这是你的本意……
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4.老师很喜欢这个嘴甜的小姑娘。 The teacher likes this sweet-mouthed girl. The teacher likes this honey-lipped girl. 中国人喜欢说“嘴甜”,但 honey-lipped 更符合英美人的语言习惯,表示会说话。
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12月英文5.萝卜青菜,各有所爱。 Some prefer radish but others prefer cabbage. Tastes differ. Tastesdiffer/vary 是句英语谚语,除此以外,原句还可翻译成 No dish suits all tastes 或 You can never make everyone happy 等。《新概念英语》第三册第23课的标题是:One man's meat is another man's poison,表达得很生动。总之,应采取意译。
6.同学们都很讨厌他,因为他经常拍老师的马屁。 The students all dislike him becau he often pats the teacher'sass. The students all dislike him becau he often licks the teacher'sboots. 以前在欧洲,臣民见到国王与王后往往要匍匐在地,亲吻他们的靴子。后来,人们将 lick the boots 引申为“为了某种目的而讨好某人”,它与汉语的“拍马屁”含义一样
如果你一定要用ass这个词表达拍马屁,那就说kiss someone's ass,但注意这是很粗鄙的说法,谨慎使用。
7.人都是这山望着那山高,对自己的现状没有满意的时候。 Almost all people think that theother mountain is higher than the one they're standing on. They never feelsatisfied with what they've already got. Almost all people think that the grass is greener on the otherside. They never feel satisfied with what they've already got. “这山望着那山高”是指人不满足于现状的心理,它在英语中已经有了现成的说法,即 the grass is greener on the other side(对面的草更绿),因此我们借用即可,这样既方便又更有利于与西方人沟通。
8.我唯一的资本就是勤奋。 My only capital is diligence. My only means to success is diligence. 原文的“资本”是借喻,实际指“可以依靠并取得成功的手段”。而英语的 capital 指 money ud to produce more wealth or for starting abusiness,并没有中文那样的引申意思。所以,这里的“资本”不能与 capital 画等号。也有人用 advantage 来翻译“资本”,虽然不尽意,但至少可以让读者理解。
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初中生厌学怎么办9.别听他们胡说八道,根本就没那回事。
电影英文Don'tlisten to their babbling. It's nothing of the sort. Don't be fooled by their babbling. It's nothing of the sort. 原文中的“听”不能用 listen to 来表示,因为 listen to 指“听”的动作,而原文中的“别听”不是不让他“听”,而是劝告他“不要听信”,因此,用 not be fooled by 才更达意。
10.别看别人不把她当回事,在家里她可是父亲的掌上明珠。 Although other people never take herriously, she is the pearl on her father's hand at home. Although other people n
ever take her riously, she is the apple of herfather's eye at home. 中英文常用不同的喻体表明相同的喻义,“掌上明珠”与 the apple of one's eye 就是一个很好的例子。这种情况我们一般应尊重各国文化和习俗,翻译时取目的语的固定说法,而不必直译,这有助于将意思更有效地传达给读者。The apple of one's eye 源自圣经《旧约》,当时人们用 apple 指人的瞳孔。尽管瞳孔现在已经用 pupil 来表示,不再是 apple 了,但这一用法却延续了下来。
11.都十点钟了。起床了,懒虫! living It's 10 o'clock. Get up, lazy worm! It's 10 o'clock. Get up, lazy bones! “懒虫”英语里与之对应的说法是 lazy bones(懒骨头)。注意,这里的 bone 应以复数形式出现,也许是因为不会只有一根骨头懒吧!
12.大家都怀疑斯内普教授是个间谍。 Everyone doubts that Snape is aspy. Everyone suspects that Snape is a spy. Doubt 作“怀疑”讲,是“不相信”的意思;而 suspect 作“怀疑”讲,是指“对...有所察觉”。第一句译文所表达的意思是“大家对教授是间谍这件事表示怀疑”,即“大家不相信教授是间谍”,与原文的意思恰好相反。
13.我希望你不要拖我的后腿。 I hope that you won't pull my leg. I hope that you won't hol
d me back. Pull one's leg 是“愚弄某人,开某人的玩笑”的意思,相当于 make fun of sb。英语中与“拖后腿”相对应的表达是 hold sb. back 或 be a drag on sb 等。
14.学校里,那些长得人高马大的家伙常来找我的麻烦。 At school, tho big and strong guysalways come to find my trouble. At school, tho big and strong guys always come to pick on me. 英语中“找某人的麻烦”用短语 pick on sb. 它不仅表示“挑剔某人、找某人的碴”,而且还包含 tea(取笑、戏弄)或 bully(威胁、欺侮)的意思。
蘑菇的英文
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15.原来如此。经过你解释我就明白了。 houd So it is. I understood soon after your explanation. Oh, I e. I understood soon after your explanation. 注:So it is 的意思是“就是这样,的确如此”,表示赞同对方观点。例如:A: It is a fineday today!B: So itis. 而在表达恍然大悟时,英文要用 So that explains it, 或更简单地道的说法 Oh, I e.(千万不要给我来句soga)
16.我没料到这个无耻的女人居然同她好友的丈夫调情。instantly I had not expected that thissham
eful woman would flirt with her best friend's husband. I had not expected that this shameless woman would flirt with herbest friend's husband. Shameful 通常指某事物是“可耻的,丢脸的”,而 shameless 表示 having or showing no feeling of shame; immodest or impudent,它一般用来指人“不知羞耻的,不要脸的”或“伤风败俗的”。原文也可译为:It's shameful that the woman would flirt with her bestfriend's husband.
17.你不好好学习,还想去牛津上大学。这可真是个不切实际的幻想哟! You don't study hard, yet you want to go to Oxford. What animpractical illusion! You don't study hard, yet you want to go to Oxford. What anillusion! 汉语中的修饰语往往用的很多,目的在于加强语气,但这种表达习惯在翻译时必须进行处理。Illusion 本身就有 impractical 的含义,而英语中在表意已经很明确的情况下是无需重复的。