3.3 考研真题详解
一、异化法
1. When a people falls into a state of funk, then God help it. Because mass funk leads some time or other to mass panic, and then one can only repeat, God help us.(上海理工大学2007研)
【译文】当一个民族惶恐不安之时,上帝会救助他们。因为公众惴惴不安会引起社会恐慌,人们只能反复默念,上帝帮帮我们吧。
2. There was a time when, at a cocktail party, you asked a guest about his job and he told you he was working with ABC Company in the position of XYZ.(国际关系学院2008研)
【译文】假如你在美国鸡尾酒舞会,遇到一个陌生人,问他你做什么事?以前的答案通常是:我在某某公司当什么职务。
【解析】汉语读者对cocktail party并不熟悉,所以翻译时加上了“美国”二字,在异化的基础上帮助读者理解。
3. Moreover, the doctrine of redemption is a central part of our culture.(北京第二外国语学院2010研)
【译文】此外,救赎这个信念是我们文化的核心部分。
【解析】“救赎”是起源于基督教的典型英语文化特征。
4. Critics worry that the gold rush toward biofuels is taking away food from the hungry.(对外经济贸易大学2011研)
【译文】评论家认为,对生物燃料的“淘金热”使食物从解决温饱的轨道上脱离。
【解析】译文保留了“淘金热”这个具有异国情调的词汇。
5. The four-hour Saints & Strangers is National Geographic’s attempt to go “beyond the familiar historical account of Thanksgiving”.(宁波大学2016研)
【译文】国家地理频道推出的四小时迷你剧《圣徒与陌生人》就试图“颠覆大家熟悉的感恩节演变史”。
【解析】汉语读者对Saints & Strangers并不熟悉,所以翻译时加上了“迷你剧”二字,帮助读者理解。
6. He held that while it was legitimate to accumulate a vast fortune, a “man who dies rich dies disgraced.”
【译文】他认为,虽然积累巨额财富是合法的,但“死时富有,死也蒙羞”。(对外经济贸易大学2016研)
【解析】“The man who dies thus rich dies disgraced”是卡耐基的名言。翻译本句时,可采用直译法,即可将原句意思表达清楚,也可将异域文化传达给译语读者。
二、归化法
1. Laurie lay luxuriously swinging to and fro in his hammock one warm September afternoon, wondering what his neighbors were about, but too lazy to go and find out.(四川外语学院2012研)
【译文】一个热烘烘的九月下午,劳里舒舒服服地躺在吊床上摇来晃去,很想知道邻居姐妹们在干什么却又懒得去弄清楚。
2. It imports into songs and ballads the smell of the earth, the breath of cattle, and, like a Dutch painter, seeks a household charm, though by pails and pans.(北大2007研)
【译文】它将泥土的气息,生灵的味道带入了歌曲与民谣之中,仿佛一位荷兰画家追寻家居场景所带来的创作灵感,尽管这种灵感仅仅来自于再平常不过的锅碗瓢盆。
3. But if you open your mind as widely as possible, then signs and hints of almost imperceptible fineness, from the twist and turn of the first sentences, will bring you into the presence of a human being unlike any other.(对外经贸大学2006研)
【译文】你若敞开心扉,虚怀若谷,那么书中精细入微的寓意和暗示便会把你从开头那些山回水转般的句子中带出来,走到一个独特的人物面前。
4. Those early laborers are men who have migrated from rural villages, and immediately they’re joined by small entrepreneurs. These pioneers sell meat, fruit, and vegetables on informal stands, and later, when the first real stores appear, they stock construction materials.(北京外国语大学2011研)
【译文】那些早期的工人来自农村,他们很快就与小商贩联合,在小摊上贩卖肉类、蔬菜、水果,之后,首批真正意义上的商店出现了,他们开始囤积建筑材料。
【解析】“小商贩”“小摊”均为具有汉语特色的词汇。
5. There is always a steep learning curve when it comes to responding to calamities of this kind, and Mother Nature does an expert job of keeping us on our toes.(北京第二外国语学院2008研)
【译文】在面临如此的危难的时候,人们总会觉得“书到用时方恨少”,而大自然却总能让我们永远学习下去。
6. The gullible public presume an old wives’ tale, the homely wisdom passed down through the ages, must contain at least a grain of truth.(对外经济贸易大学2016研)
【译文】愚昧的大众们相信这样一种古老的无稽之谈,世世代代流传下来的智慧肯定有一丝真理的存在。
【解析】在此将“old wives’ tale”直译为“老妇人的”不妥,根据句子上下文,此处归化译为“无稽之谈”较为合理。
7. For this idea English people have their own saying: “Nothing venture, nothing gain.”(山东大学2019研)
【译文】英国人对于这个有自己的说法“没有冒险,就没有收获”。
【解析】虽然“Nothing venture, nothing gain.”在汉语中有相应的表述“不入虎穴焉得虎子。”,但是,因为老虎是起源于亚洲的动物,虎在中文中很常见,在英文中,相同意义的谚语,多不用虎来表达。此处采用异化法较为妥当。
三、异化、归化并用互补
Thus the best books are treasuries of good words, the golden thoughts, which, remembered and cherished, become our constant companions and comforters. The good and true thought may in times of temptation be as an angel of mercy purifying and guarding the soul.(南开大学2009研)
【译文】因此,最好的书是金玉良言和崇高思想的宝库,这些良言和思想若铭记于心并多加珍视,就会成为我们忠实的伴侣和永恒的慰藉。当我们面临诱惑的时候,虔诚而公正的信念就像仁慈的天使,保卫我们的灵魂,使她依旧纯洁。
【解析】译文中“金玉良言”是归化,“天使”是异化。