英汉基础翻译要点
whql第三章抽象名词的译法
英语民族重抽象思维，擅长用抽象概念表达具体事物，在文章中出现大量的表达抽象概念的名词.如：等等.抽象名词的翻译比较复杂，需要根据上下文具体地确定这些抽象名词的表达.
3.1 由动词抽象而来的名词译成动词
英语中有名词化的亲倾向，即用名词表达动作，行为等本来由动词表达的意义.这种词多是动词的同源名词.
例1.The 1967 UN document calls for the ttlement of the Middle East conflict on the basis of Israeli withdrawal from occupied territories and Arab acknowledgement of Israel's right to exist. 1967年的联合国的文件呼吁解决中东冲突，其基础是以色列从被占领的土地上撤退，阿拉伯国家则承认以色列人的生存权.
句中的抽象名词"ttlement", "withdrawal", "acknowledgement"，连同相关的词，可以用汉语中的动词"解决","撤退","承认"来表达.
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例2.The growing awareness by millions of people of their intolerable condition of life had promoted them to revolt.
勇士之歌歌词千百万人民日益意识到自己的生活条件不堪忍受，这促使他们起来反抗.
3.2 含有动作意义的抽象名词译成动词
英语中另一个倾向是有许多动词意义或动作意义，这类词汇在译成汉语时通常要译为动词.如: 例1.She said this with a provocative glance and a gleam of teeth.
她说这话时挑衅地看了一眼，还把牙一吡.
例2.One after another, speakers called for the downfall of imperialism.
发言者一个接一个，号召打倒帝国主义.
例3.An acquaintance of world history is helpful to the study of current affairs.
了解一点世界史，对学习时事有帮助.
例4.Modern English polite society ems to me as corrupt as consciousness of culture and abnce
of honesty can make it.
英国现代上流社会，据我看来，已经被有文化却无廉耻的人们尽其能事地弄到最腐朽的程度. 句中consciousness和abnce都是含有动词意义的名词.前者相当于being conscious of 或being aware of，作"意识到"解，可译为consciousness of culture"有文化".
3.3 抽象名词作主语汉译时要改变其句子成分
英语中的抽象名词可作各种成分，而且有一个常见的现象是抽象名词作句子的主语.这与汉语的习惯不同，因为汉语习惯于用表示人或生物的词作主语，在思维方面往往以"人"为中心，认为只有人才能做出有意识的动作或具有有意识的行为.因而，英文中以抽象名词作主语时，汉译时要根据上下文予以改变，使汉语表达以"人"为中心.如:
例1.American education owes a great debt to Thomas Jefferson.
托马斯·杰弗逊对美国的教育事业做出了巨大的贡献.
例2.The thought of returning filled him with fear.
他一想到还要返回，心理就害怕.
例3.My shock and embarrassment at finding mother in tears on Wednesday was a perfect index of how little I understand the pressure on her.
星期三发现妈妈哭了，我感到震惊和窘迫，这说明我对妈妈身上的压力多么不理解.
例4. The satisfaction of killing time and of affording some outlet, however modest, for ambition, belongs to most work, and is sufficient to make even a man who work is dull happier on the
average than a man who has no work at all. (Bertrand Rusll)
大多数工作使有人打发时间并使自己的抱负多多少少得到施展的满足感，这种满足感足以使一个从事单调乏味工作的人通常比一个根本没有工作的人快乐一些.
例5. The characteristics of his family claim come attention from all who would understand Napoleon and the influence which he was to wield over modern Europe.
谁要想了解拿破仑其人及其对近代欧洲所产生的影响，谁就得给予他的家族特征以一定的重视.
3.4 抽象名词汉译时转化含有具体特指性的词
英语中抽象名词有时在句中里表示具体的概念，我们在翻译时应译出具体指明的意思.如:
glass的复数例1.Lack of historical foundation for the long accepted view that early American banks were engines of inflation does not imply that their numerous critics were unjustified in all their charges. (The Evolution of the American Economy)
长期以来，人们接受了一种观点，认为早期的美国银行是通货膨胀的肇事者，这是缺乏历史依据的，然而这并不是说，许许多多的评论家对银行的所有指责都是没有道理.
按中文习惯，我们可以转换词类和句子成分，把"lack of historical foundation" 译成中文的动宾结构.
例1.If one considers the enormous variety of cours offered, it is not hard to e how difficult it is for a student the cour most suited to his interests and abilities.
如果想一想为学生所设置的那些门类繁多的课程，我们不难发现，学生要选一门符合自己兴趣和能力的课程是多困难.
在该句中共有三个抽象名词,interests 和abilities的含义非常浅显，可以很容易地把它们分别译为"兴趣"和"能力"；但variety一词，却须把它所表达的含义具体化，可以把它转化成一个形容词，再和它修饰词enormous一起，翻译成"门类繁多的"这一形容词结构.
例3. For example, great efforts are made by the American tobacco industry to ll cigarettes in the M
iddle East and North Africa where U. S. tobacco exports incread by more than 27 percent in 1974.
例如, 美国烟草工业就力图在中东和北非推销香烟，在这些地区，美国烟草的出口量在1974年增加了27%以上.
该句若把great efforts 直译为"巨大的努力"，给人以冗长累赘之感，如果把great efforts 转译为动词"力图"，译文就通顺多了.另外，把一exports词具体化，翻译成"出口量".
小学校长竞聘演讲稿
例4. To criticize an intelligence test for such failure (it does not measure character, social adjustment…) is roughly comparable to criticizing a thermometer for not measuring wind velocity. 批评智力测试不能反映上述情况, 差不多就犹如批评温度计不能测风速一样.
该句若把failure直译为"失败"，读者会不知所云，最好是结合上下文使它的意义具体化，把such failure翻译成"不能反映上述情况".
抽象名词的翻译是一个非常复杂的问题，需要根据具体的语境确定上下文中抽象名词的汉译，其基本的原则是把英语中抽象名词的抽象意义在汉译时具体化.
练习题三
试译下列各句，注意句中抽象名词的译法:
1. The teacher told us to t a high value on our time.
2. He had a firm conviction that situation will improve.
3. A successful ban of the u of nuclear weapons must be preceded by the destruction of unclear weapons.
greatbarrierreef4. No violation of this principle can be tolerated.
5. He declared his country's firm support for the African people's resistance to foreign aggressor troops.
6. His very appearance at any affair proclaims it a triumph.
7. Alloy steels are formed by the addition of one or more of the following elements: nickel, silicon and small amounts of other alloying elements.
8. He urged upon citizens of the country the necessity of persisting in participation in political controversies.
9. Therefore, although technical advances in food production will perhaps be needed to ensure food availability, meeting food needs will depend much more on equalizing economic power among various gment of the population within the developing countries.
10. There is only one area of agreement in this debate that he existing poverty, employment, and earnings statistics are inadequate for one of their primary applications, measuring the conquences of labor market problem.
11. And there is also the objection that the city has always been the core from which cultural advancement radiated.
12. Classification always requires the arrangement of the same kind o information, often in its lists or column. For this work, correctness, accuracy and speed as in all office work, are esntial.
13. That complex operation required new methods for directing the combined endeavors of thousands and thousands of minds, some in government, some in universities, and some in private industries, all working together for a common purpo.
14. He stepped right in after them, like it or not. He was determined that nothing should keep him from a chance of enlightenment.
15. His new car made him the envy of every boy in the neighborhood.
练习题三参考译文
1.老师告诉我们要珍惜时间.
2.他坚信情况会好转.
3.要成功地禁止使用核武器，必须首先销毁核武器.
4.绝对不允许违反这个原则.
5.他宣布他的国家坚决支持非洲人民抵抗外国侵略军的斗争.
6.任何场合，只要他一露面，就算是成功了.
7.加进下列一种或几种元素可制各种金刚：镍，硅和少量别的合金元素.american family
8.他告诫全国公民，必须坚持参加政治论战.恶魔英文
9.因此，尽管也许需要粮食生产和加工方面的技术进步来确保粮食的来源，满足粮食需求更多的是取决于使发展中国家内部的人口各界层都具有同等的经济实力.
attitude是什么意思10.在这场辩论中，只有一个方面能取得一致意见，即现有的关于贫困状况，就业状况以及工资收入状况的统计数字，在盱(xu)衡劳务市场的问题所带来的后果时，并不能充分说明其实际应用的情况.
11.同时也有人反对说，文化的进步始终是以城市为中心向外传播的.
12.分类工作始终需要将同样的资料加以整理，往往是将它们列成表格或专栏.对这种工作来说，像所有办公室工作一样，正确性，准确性和速度是比不可少的.
13.那个复杂的行动要求用新的办法知道成千上万的人——有人在政府工作，有人在大学工作，有人在私人企业工作——为了一个共同的目标而做出努力.
14.他不管人家喜欢不喜欢，紧跟着他们走了进去，决心不错过这个机会，把心里的问题弄个明白.
15.他拥有一辆新车，为此他成了邻里男孩子们羡慕的对象.什么是托收
