• I. 选择语法意义(choice of grammatical meanings)----语法结构分
析
• The same word, when used as different parts of speech and playing different roles in a sentence, has different meanings.
• 1.Take the cart back to the back yard and back it into the shed at the back of the stable.
• 2.He had no stomach to follow us. • I can’t stomach this job any longer.
• II.选择搭配意义(choice of collocative meanings)----语义分析
• Some words have the same basic meanings, but differ in collocation.
That is, they have different collocative meanings. For instance, “sense” and “meaning” are synonymous, but “John is a man of sense” is acceptable while “John is a man of meaning” is unacceptable.
• One problem with collocation is translation is that, very often what is
good collocation in English may not be so when rendered into
• Chinese, or vice versa. For instance, “pretty” and“handsome” are rendered into “漂亮的” and “英俊的” respectively.It is perfectly all right to say “a handsome car” but “英俊的车子” would be totally unacceptable to the Chinese reader. Thus in E-C translation, a translator must ensure that the version is idiomatic or collocatively acceptable in the target language. E.g.build
• Build a house/ a ship/ a fire/ a car/one’s confidence/scholars of tomorrow/ an answer/ a bridge/ a dam/ a stamp collection
• III. 选择情感意义(choice of afffective meanings)-----语义分析（情
感）
• Affective meanings refers to what is communicated of the feelings
and attitudes of the writer towards the reader. You may address somebody as an “idiot” to convey your despise, or describe something as “marvelous” to express your positive evaluation. There are basically three types of affective meanings: positive(褒义),neutral(中性),and derogatory (贬义).
• Positive neutral derogatory
Portly(发福的)Overweight(超重的)Obese(臃肿的）
Slender,slim((苗条的) Underweight(体重不够的）Skinny(瘦削的) Senior,elder(长者)Old man/woman(老人)Fossil(老朽)
• Examples:
• 1.Aggressive nations threaten world peace. • 侵略成性的国家威胁世界和平.
• A salesman must be aggressive if he wants to succeed. • 推销员要成功,必须有闯劲.
• 2. He incited the soldiers to fight bravely.
• He was charged with inciting people to violence.
• 3. Every dog has his day.
• “You chicken!” he cried, looking at Tom with contempt.
• Ⅳ.选择模糊意义(choice of ambiguous meanings)------语义分析
(歧义)
• Ambiguity, according to D. Bolinger, is defined as one surface structure covering two or more deep structures, that is, one linguistic expression allows more than one udnerstandings or
interpretations. Ambiguity can be classified as lexical ambiguity(词汇歧义)and structural ambiguity(结构歧义).
• 1.lexical ambiguity(词汇歧义)
• The multiple meanings of the utterance depends on the meaning of
the single word. E.g.
• ⑴ She cannot bear children.
• ①She cannot give birth to children because she is sterile. • ②She cannot tolerate the children.
• ⑵As Green desiged the machine, he must have realized its capability.
• ①因为这台机器是格林设计的,他一定事先知道它的性能. • ②格林设计这台机器的时候,一定事先知道它的性能.
• 2. structural ambiguity(结构歧义)
• The multiple meanings of the utterance depends on the sentence structure.Eg.
• She showed her baby pictures. • ①她拿出了自己婴儿时期的照片. • ②她把婴儿的照片拿给她看.
• ③她把一些照片/图片拿给孩子看.
• Ⅴ.选择引申意义(choice of extended meanings)----语义分析（关联义）
• It is often difficult to find a suitable Chinese translation for an English word or expression in E-C dictionaries, and a mechanical translation may be unintelligible to our readers. One way out is to extend the meaning from the concrete or specific to the abstract or general, or vice versa.
• 1.”实”→虚”.词义从具体引向抽象,从特殊引向一般,从局部引向概括 • ⑴ Nowadays a student heading for college may pack a frying pan along with his books.
• 实译:如今上大学的学生除了带他的书上学校以外,还可以带上
一个煎烙饼的平底锅了.
• 虚译:如今大学生在学校里也可以自己做点吃的了.
• ⑵ When I go around on speaking engagements, they all expect me to assume a Quaker Oats look.
• 实译:我应邀外出演讲时,他们都指望我摆出一副像麦片商标中的老头那样的表情.
• 虚译:我应邀外出演讲时,他们都指望我摆出一副毫无表情,一本正经的面孔.( Quaker Oats 是欧美一种有名的麦片商标,商标中画的老头模样毫无表情,我国读者不熟悉,应虚译.)
• 2.“虚” →”实”.词义从抽象引向具体,从一般引向特殊,从概括引向局部 • ⑴There is more to their life than political and social and economic
problems; more than transient everydayness.
• 虚译:他们的生活远不止那些政治的,社会的和经济的问题,远不止一时的日常性.
• 实译: 他们的生活远不止那些政治的,社会的和经济的问题, 远不止每天的柴米油盐.
• ⑵He is a valuable acquisition to the team. • 虚译:他是该队一种宝贵的获得. • 实译:他是该队不可多得的队员.
• Ⅵ.选择对应意义(choice of equivalent meanings)-----语义分析（对
概念义的误解）
• Some English words or expressions look equivalent to their Chinese counterparts, but actually they are different.
• They are called “false friends”. Care should be taken not to be confined or taken away by what we see in the original text.
• Eg.
• Busybody≠忙人=(贬义)好管闲事的人=a person who takes too
much interest in other people’s affairs.
• The long and the short of it≠它的长短处=总的结果/情况/要点
• She has a weakness for pork≠吃猪肉她可不行.=她有爱吃猪肉的嗜好.
• Ⅶ.选择准确意义(choice of exact meanings)----语义分析（所指意
义）
• A careful translator should weigh the meaning of the original befroe choosing a suitable Chinese word or expression. Three criteria are proposed here for choosing suitable words: preciseness(准
确),conciseness(精练),and gracefulness(优美),common mistakes in this respect may be chiefly due to the following:
• ⑴lapping up a word or expression without digesting it(囫囵吞枣) • ⑵extending the meaning beyond its limits(引申过头) • ⑶Rigidly adhering to letter or form(拘泥字面)
• Thus a comparative study of synonymous expressions in the two
languages is always necessary for appropriate translation. In given context, the choice of words is a matter of diction calling for our careful consideration.
• Eg.in Chinese: • *词义轻重不同
• 祝贺(轻)—庆祝(重) 批评(轻)—批判(重) 轻视(轻)—鄙视(重) • 欺侮(轻)—欺压(重) 损坏(轻)—毁坏(重) 责备(轻)—责骂(重) • *词义范围大小不同
• 信件(大)—信(小) 树木(大)—树(小) 时代(大)—时期(小) • 河流(大)—河(小) 战争(大)—战役(小) 车辆(大)—车(小) • *词语搭配不同
• 充足(阳光)—充分(理由) 侵犯(主权)—侵占(土地) • 发挥(作用)—发扬(精神) 召集(众人)—召开(会议)
• Ⅷ. 选择语境意义(Choice of contextual meanings)----大语境分析 • The same word, when used in different contexts or fields of discourse (business, law, medicine, education, politics, forestry, etc.),has different meanings. For instance, in some contexts “mad” means “foolish”, in some “angry”, and in others “insane”. • Eg. Book
• 1.Show me the complaint book, please.
• 2.Milton’s Paradise Lost consists of twelve books. • 3.That’s all I remember, sir, on the Book.
• 4.He claims to have been graduated from this college, but his name
is not on the books.
• 5.He is always painstakingly at his books.
• 6.The music was fine, but the book was very poor. • 7.Are you in the book?
• Ⅸ.选择文体意义(choice of stylistic meanings)----大语境分析 • Some words convey the same idea but differ in stylistic features. These words are known as stylistic synonyms. In some dictionaries, these stylistic features are clearly marked as “formal”, “informal”, “literary”, “archaic”, “slang” and so on.
• Words that occur in different settings are stylistically marked. Those
used for some serious purpose, for example, in official reports, business letters and regulations are labeled as formal whereas those used
• in private conversation or personal letters are labeled as informal. In
most cases formal language occurs in written language and informal language in spoken language.
• Translators have to choose among formal words, neutral words,
and informal words to ensure that the style is appropriate to the original context. They must also determine whether to use standard dialects or regional dialects, archaic words or contemporary words, general words or technical terms, etc.
• Table 1. Examples of Chinese stylistic synonyms • 书面语词 母亲 诞辰 清晨 逝世 散步 恐吓 • 口语词 妈妈 生日 早上 死 溜达 吓唬 • 古语词/旧词 殆 乘 致 木匠 厨子 大夫 • 现代词/新词 危险 坐 给 木工 厨师 医生 • 普通用语 给 现在 办法 安排 私下 这 • 公文用语 给予 兹 措施 部署 擅自 此
• 普通用语 飞 心 静 半夜 寂寞
• 文艺作品用语 飞翔 心灵 安静 子夜 寂寥
• Table 2. examples of English stylistic synonyms with their translations
• Formal (literary) Poverty-striken, penniless, in want, underprivileded, impecunious, indigent • 身无分文,一文不名,穷困,贫困 • Neutral Poor 贫穷
• Informal Broke, flat broke, hard up穷, 衣袋空空, 穷光蛋, 一个子儿也没有
• Table 3. examples of English words with their Chinese stylistic synonyms
• Words explanatory descriptive • lively 生动的 栩栩如生 • Irrelevant 无关的 风马牛不相及 • identical 相同的 千篇一律 • thick 厚的,稠的 如胶似漆 • with discretion 小心谨慎 稳扎稳打 • with eloquence 以雄辩的口才 娓娓动听 • great contribution 巨大贡献 丰功伟绩 • invulnerability无法攻破 固若金汤 • meager food 简单的食物 粗茶淡饭 • frightened 害怕 胆战心惊
• A good translator should represent not only the original thought but
also the original style as well in the target language.
• 译句比较(comparison of translated sentences)
• 1. Whoever tries to twist you up, may the end of his nose take a twist.
• ①谁要是想捉弄你,谁的鼻子尖就会歪. • ②谁要是捉弄你,就叫谁的鼻子尖歪了.
• ③谁骗你,谁就不得好死.(谁骗你,谁就是小狗.)
• 2. Either a flat “yes” or a flat “no”---go back where you came from. • ①要么干脆说”行”,要么干脆说”不行”,要不然,你从什么地方来还是回
到什么地方去吧.
• ②干脆说”行”或者”不行”----否则你哪里来就回哪里去.
• ③要就要,不要就拉倒----你请便吧.(行就行,不行就拉倒----你请便吧.)
• 3. Ignore it as you ignore the cold of last winter. • ①你别去理他,就像别理上一个冬天有多冷一样. • ②别理睬它,就像你不理睬去年冬天的寒冷那样. • ③管他们干什么?他们的话,当作耳边风好了.
• 4.They confused me so that I didn’t know the big end from the small. • ①我连粗细大小都分不清了. • ②他们使我真假不分.
• ③他们把我搞得不知东西南北了.
• 5.退休工人邵劝帮对小儿子在春说,”那时候,干一天活累得连炕都上不去,浑身疼得要命,睡也睡不着.”
• ①Shao Quanbang, a retired worker, said to his little son Zaichun, “At that time, I was so fatigued after a day’s drudgery that I found it very hard to mount the kang. My whole frame aching acutely, I couldn’t go to sleep however hard I tried.
• ② Shao Quanbang, a retired worker, said to his little son Zaichun, “In those days, I was usually so done up after a day’s hard work that I couldn’t get on the kang. As my whole body ached like anything, I simply couldn’t get to sleep even I tried to.”
• 6. 无论是街道、房屋或公园,这个地方都有一种难以描绘的难过情调.随便走到哪里,我都可以看到新鲜有趣的东西.
• ①All streets, houses and parks here have an indescribable look of the south. No matter where I go, I’m sure to find things new and interesting.
• ②The place, with its streets, its houses and its parks, wears an indescribable air of the south. Every corner brings me into acquaintance with some new interest.
• 译句比较:
• 1. The jewels were worth a small fortune. • 原译:这些珠宝价值连城. • 改译:这些珠宝颇值一些钱.
• 2. Her voice rose and fell with emotion. • 原译:她慷慨陈辞,声音抑扬顿挫.
• 改译:她的嗓音时高时低,充满了激情.
• 3. When Joshua was two years old he was impossible, a typical “Terrible Two”. He was destructive, stubborn, and violent.
• 原译:乔舒亚两岁时变得异常调皮,是个典型的”第二号可怕人物”.他固执,爱动武,常常损坏东西.
• 改译: 乔舒亚两岁时变得异常调皮,是个不折不扣的淘气”两岁魔王”.他固执,爱动武,常常损坏东西.(“Terrible Two”,心理学术语,用来概括两岁儿童的心里和行为特征,其中的two指年龄.)
• 4. The maxim was that when a married couple saw red, lawyers saw green.
• 原译:俗话说,夫妻俩吵得脸红而赤的时候,正是律师挣钱的好机会. • 改译:俗话说,夫妇吵得脸红耳赤之时,便是律师招财进宝之日.
• 5. Time was a swiftly flowing river that had no shore, no boundaries. Its seasons were not
• winter, spring, fall or summer, but birthdays and joys and troubles and pain.
• 原译:岁月似急速流动的江河.一年四季似乎不是春、夏、秋、冬,而是生日、乐趣、烦恼和痛苦.
• 改译:岁月似无边无涯的急流.一年四季似乎不是春、夏、秋、冬春的更迭,而是由生日的欢悦、生活的乐趣、烦恼和痛苦所交织而成的.
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