第二部分 翻译方法
第三章 如何正确选择词义
在文学翻译过程中，针对原文的词义正确地选择汉语词义，是保证译文质量的根本一环。首先一个词在不同的句子中有不同的含义。
1) This general was charged with treason.
这个将军被指控犯了叛国罪。
2) The Committee decided to put Professor Henry in charge of the rearch work.
委员会决定让亨利教授负责这项研究工作。
类似短语有take charge of, take charge译为“负责”
3) As soon as the moment for the general offensive arrived, the soldiers charged tadthe enemy position bravely.
总攻时间一到，战士们勇猛地向敌人的阵地冲去。
4) She complained that she had been charged too much.
她抱怨说，向她收的费太高了。
5) The powder in place, he rammed in a long iron rod to tamp down the charge..
explode火药装好后，他伸进去一根长铁钎以便把炸药捣实。
6) This store will charge things you buy, and let you pay for them later.
这家商店将你所买的东西记入账内，让你以后付款。
7) Having charged the battery, he t the engine in motion.
电池充电后，他启动了马达。
此外，charge还有如下意义。如charge sb. to do sth.(责令某人做某事)，charge onelf with a task (承担一项任务)等。
实力英文一字多义在汉语里也是相当常见的。
这娃娃头真大。 The baby has got a big head.
她正在梳头。 She was combing her hair.
他的女儿在山头上玩。His daughter is playing on the top of the hill
一辆小车停在桥西头。 A car was parked at the west end of the bridge.
让我们从头讲起吧。快速美白皮肤的方法 Let me tell the story from the very beginning.
他把铅笔头扔了。He has thrown away the pencil stub.
她是我们组的头儿。She is the head/chief of our group.
他们是一头儿的。They are on the same side.
事情不能只顾一头。We mustn’t pay attention to only one aspect of the matter.
这还是我头一次来杭州呢。This is the first time I have been in Hangzhou.
我们有30头牛。We have thirty head of cattle.
他头天上午就来了。He came here the previous morning.
现代英国语言学派创始人弗斯如何化妆使眼睛变大(Furth)说过“Each word when ud in a new context is a new word.”(每个词用在不同的句子中就有不同的含义。)苏联翻译理论家巴尔胡达罗夫也主张多义词的意义通常是通过言语的上下文来揭示的。作者使用多义词究竟指哪一义，只能从上下文中去寻找。尤其是遇到常用词时，不要自以为对它们已很熟悉，想当然地把自己已懂得的词义放到译文中去。须知，译者自以为懂了而实际又不懂的地方，往往最容易译错。
1）I want my martini dry. 我的马丁尼酒不要甜的。
There are still some dry states in the United States. 在美国尚有几州禁酒。
She prefers dry bread. 她喜欢无奶油的面包。
He cows are drytara wilson. 这些母牛缺奶。
He gave us a dry lecture yesterday. 昨天他给我们作了一个枯燥无味的讲演。
I am sure what he prented was a dry fact. 我确信，他所列举的是铁一般的事实
2）Here is a pretty liigo! 这件事真难办！
He is itching to have a go at it. 他跃跃欲试。
The old man is still full of go. 这位老人仍然精力充沛。
The brightly colored stockings are all the go this summer. 这些颜色鲜明的袜子今夏很流行。
英语单词good 是个虚指的抽象词语；在不少情况下，可以用它的基本词义“好”来翻译，如a good man（一个好人）,a good book(一本好书)，good news (好消息) 等，但是，比较正规的书面语体里就不能一味用“好”字来翻译good 一词了。例如：
3 ) It was a girl with good manners. 这是一位举止得体的姑娘。
The were all labeled as good eggs. 这些都被标为新鲜的鸡蛋。
Dogs are often regarded as man’s good friends. 狗经常被认为是人们的忠实朋友。
…yet, as it sometimes happens that a person departs his life, who is really derving of the prais the stone-cutter carves over his bones; who is a good Christian, a good parent, a good child, a good wife or a good husband; who actually does have a disconsolate family to mourn his loss;…(W. M. Thackeray : Vanity Fair)
……不过偶尔也有几个死人当得起石匠刻在他们朽骨上的好话。真的是虔诚的教徒，慈爱的父母，孝顺的女儿，贤良的妻子，尽职的丈夫，他们家里的人也的确哀思绵绵的追悼他们；……
在英语中还存在着一个词的单数和复数意义全然不同的情况。兹举例如下：
Ninety 90(单) nineties 90年代（复）
time 时间（单） times 时代，此书，倍数（复）
finding 发现，探索（单） findings 研究成果，调查结果（复）
work 工作，功（单） works 工厂，著作，工事(复)
还有前后搭配不同而意义不同的情况：
1）soft pillow 软枕 soft music 轻柔的音乐 soft cushion 靠垫
soft wood 软木 soft money 纸币 soft fire 文火
soft drink 不含酒精的饮料 soft breeze 和风 soft light 柔光
soft voice 低声 soft goods 毛织品 soft hat 呢帽
soft words 和蔼的话 soft heart 慈心 soft water 软水
soft answer 委婉的回答
2）a broken man （在精神等方面）潦倒的人 a broken soldier 伤兵
broken time 零星时间 broken money 零钱
broken English 不标准的英语 a broken promi 未践之约 a broken road denver凹凸不平的路
一字多种搭配引起的意义差别在汉语里也是相当常见的。
园林景观设计说明
上班 to go to work; to be on duty 上报 to appear in the newspaper
上场 to appear on the stage 上当 to be taken in
上灯 to light the lamp 上吊 to hang onelf
上冻 to freeze 上光 glazing; polishing
上访 to apply for an audience with the higher authorities to appeal for helppinocchio
上坟 to visit a grave to honor the memory of the dead
