比较句的翻译
对人或事物的某种属性作比较时,最基本的意义有三种:相等、超越、差逊。表示比较意义的汉语句子,英译时表达方法灵活多样。现简要归纳如下:
7.1 相等
当汉语句子表示两种事物的某种属性在比较之下程度一样时,英译时用下列表达方法:
1. as...as
例1. 在真空中,轻物体与重物体降落得一样快。
In vacuum, light bodies will fall as fast as heavy ones.
例2. 你左手拉东西使的劲必须和右手使的劲一样。
You must pull as hard with your left hand as you do with your right hand.
例3. 她的脸圆圆的,跟孩子的脸一样。
Her face is as round as a child's (face). (比喻)
例4. 他很伤心地看着我们,眼睛睁得跟他的祖母的一样大。
He looked at us sadly with his eyes as large as his grandmother's (eyes).
【评析】例3、4在英译时应注意比较部分的逻辑性。句中最后一个词如不加“’s”例3就成了“脸”和“孩子”比,例4就成了“眼睛”同“祖母”比,那是不合逻辑的。
例5. 郑州是和西安同等重要的一个工业中心。
Zhengzhou is as important an industrial center as Xian.
例6. 做体操是一种跟其它减肥方法一样的好方法。
Exercising is as good a way as any to lo unwanted weight.
【评析】在译例5、6时应注意两个问题:句中的比较部分既含有名词又含有形容词,因而必须首先弄清楚比较的重心。这里重心在于形容词;同级比较的形容词跟单数可数名词连用时,不定冠词要紧接在作为比较重心的形容词之后。
此外,as...as还可用来表示具体人或事物所具有的不同性质或特征在某种程度上相似的比较。例如:
例7. 你有多聪明,他就有多狡猾。
He is as cunning as you are clever.
河豚鱼中毒例8. 这里生活便宜,但出租车却很贵。
Life here is as cheap as taxies are expensive.
2. as...
例1. 荷兰语与古英语同出一源。
Dutch is of the same origin as Old English.
例2. 他的艰苦奋斗的作风和在学生时代一样。
His hard-working style remains the same as when he was a student.
例3. 这个和你给我看过的那个是一样吗?
Is this the same as the one you showed me before?
3. 含有否定/肯定意义的比较
相等程度比较,如含有否定意义,可以使用han (not han)或han (not any better than)等等。意思是“和……同样不……”,意味被比较的两者均否定。例如:
祖字开头的成语例1. 他不善于游泳,如同你不善于游泳一样。(两个都不善游泳。)
He is no more skilful at swimming than you are.
(or: He is no better at swimming than you are.)
例2. 我同他一样,都不喜欢玩扑克。(两人都不喜欢玩扑克。)
I am no more fond of playing poker than he is.
例3. 国家不能以大小而论,如同个人不能以大小而论一样。(两者都不能以大小而论)
Nations are not to be judged by their size any more than individuals.
例4. 他不会游泳,就像我不会飞一样。
He can no more swim than I can fly.
推推乐
冬瓜盅在英语中,诸如此类的表达方法还有:no wir than(相比的两者都不聪明)、no richer than(相比两者都不富)、no bigger than(相比的两者都不大)。
当两者相比相差无几并含有肯定意思时,可以使用han、han、han或as。意思是“不像……”、“没有到……的程度”、“并不比……更……”,意味着两者肯定。如:
例5. 他并不比你更善于游泳。(两人都善于游泳,只是他游得比你差一点而已。)
He is not more skilful at swimming than you are.
(or: He is not better at swimming than you are.=He is skillful at swimming but not so skilful as you are.)
例总蛋白高6. 我并不比他更喜欢玩扑克。(两个都喜欢玩扑克)
I am not more fond of playing poker than he is.
例7. 新版本并不比旧版本贵。(两种版本均贵)
The new edition is not more expensive than the old one.
在英语中,诸如此类的表达方法还有:not wir than(相比的两者都聪明)、not richer than(相比的两者都富)、not bigger than(相比的两者都大)。
4. 比较的常用句型
比较两种相似的关系或相似的情况时,英译时一般可遵循下列句型:
1) A之于B犹如C之于D
手机不读卡怎么回事
A is to B what C is to D.
例1. 军民关系犹如鱼水关系。
The army is to the people what fish is to water.
例2. 照相机之于光犹如留声机之于声。
The camera is to light what the gramophone is to sound.
例3. 读书对于精神如同食物对于身体一样。
Food is to the body what reading is to the mind.
例4. 莎士比亚对于文学的贡献如同贝多芬对于音乐的贡献。
Shakespeare is to literature what Beethoven is to music.
从语法上来看,该句型中的what是一个关系代词,由what引起的从句是“A is”的表语。即:A is what C is to D to B. 如果用括弧把“to B”括上,会显得清楚一些,即:A is (to B) what C is to D.
2) 正如C之于D,A之于B也同样。
As C is to D, so is A to B.
例1. 12:6就像2:1一样。
As two is to one, so is twelve to six.
例2. 室之于人,犹巢之于鸟,穴之于兽。
As the hou is to the man, so is the nest to the bird and the cave to the animal.
例3. 像地球绕太阳运行一样,月亮绕地球运行。
As the earth moves round the sun, so the moon moves about the earth.
例4. 正如烈火试炼真金,同样逆境试炼人的美德。
As fire tries gold, so does adversity try virtue.
在这个句型中,as引导的是从句,so之后为主句。
7.2 超越
当汉语句子表示两种事物的某种属性在比较之下,一方的程度高于另一方时,英译时用下列表达方法:
1. 用“比较级 + ”结构
例1. 这任务比我想象的难。
The task is more difficult than I imagined it to be.
例2. 他在科研上取得的成就比预期的大。
The success he has achieved in scientific rearch is greater than expected.
例3. 这个实验室比你们昨天做实验的那个实验室要大得多。
This laboratory is much larger than that (or: the one) in which you did the experiment yesterday.
聊天交友
2. 用含有“超越”意义的动词或动词词组
例1. 心灵美胜过外表美。
Beauty of mind excels pulchritude of appearance.
例2. 真理胜过谎言。
Truth comes before lies.
例3. 伦敦比纽约大。
London exceeds New York in size.
英语中,这类动词和动词词组还有surpass、overtake、transcend、go beyond等等。
3. 用含有“超越”意义的形容词,后面被比较部分常用介词to引出
蒸美味加盟
例1. 这项计划和原来的计划比起来,要完整得多。
This plan is far superior to the original one.