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中式英语之鉴的经典语录(中式英语之鉴语录详细解析)

longge 03-19 16:48 阅读 我爱育娃
中式英语之鉴 01 .有他这颗扫帚星,什么事情都办不成。 [误] With a comet like him, nothing can be accomplished. [正] With a jinx like him, nothing can be accomplished. 注: “扫帚星”是中国人对“慧星”(

中式英语之鉴的经典语录(中式英语之鉴语录详细解析)

中式英语之鉴

01.有他这颗扫帚星,什么事情都办不成。

[误] With a comet like him, nothing can be accomplished.

[正] With a jinx like him, nothing can be accomplished.

注: “扫帚星”是中国人对“慧星”(comet)的俗称,因其后面象拖着的一条像扫帚一样的长尾巴而得名。在中国古代,“扫帚星”被认为是灾难的预兆,并被用 来比喻不吉利的人或事;祸根:(person or thing that is thought to bring)bad luck(to sb/sth);curse。英语的 comet 虽然没有这层含义,但却有一个对应的说法,即 jinx。 例:There's a jinx on/Someone's put a jinx on this car: it's always giving me trouble. “这辆汽车上有什么妨人的东西,总给我找麻烦”。

02.萝卜青菜,各有所爱。

[误] Some prefer radish but others prefer cabbage.

[正] Tastes differ.

注: Tastes differ/vary 是句英语谚语,除此以外,原句还可翻译成 No dish suits all tastes 或 You can never make everyone happy 等。《新概念英语》第三册第23课的标题是:One man's meat is another man's poison,表达的很生动。 总之,应采取意译。

03.他一向嘴硬,从不认错。

[误] He has always got a hard mouth and never admit a fault.

[正] He never says uncle.

注: say (cry) uncle: to give up or in; to surrender; to admit defeat. Mainly used by boys, as when fighting。主要是男孩们打架时的用语,当一方想制服另一方时,就用命令的口气说:“Say uncle!”这时,有的孩子为了表示不服输,就是不说。后来,say uncle 就成了“服输”的代名词,而 not say uncle 就相当于“嘴硬”了。

04.老师很喜欢这个嘴甜的小姑娘。

[误] The teacher likes this sweet-mouthed little girl very much.

[正] The teacher likes this honey-lipped little girl very much.

注:中国人喜欢说“嘴甜”,但 honey-lipped 更符合英美人的语言习惯。

05.同学们都很讨厌他,因为他经常拍老师的马屁。

[误] The student all dislike him because he often pats the teacher's ass.

[正] The students all dislike him because he often licks the teacher's boots.

注: 以前在欧洲,臣民见到国王与王后往往要葡匐到在,亲吻他们的靴子。后来,人们将 lick the boots 引申为“为了某种目的而讨好某人”,它与汉语的“拍马屁”含义一样。在美国英语中,“拍马屁”还有另一种说法,即 polish the apple,它典出以前的学生用擦亮的苹果来讨好老师。

06.你听说了吗?迈克把他的女朋友给甩了。

[误] Have you ever heard that Mike broke up with his girlfriend.

[正] Have you ever heard that Mike dumped his girlfriend.

注:break up with sb. 虽然表示“与某人分手了”,但并没说明是谁先提出来的。而 dump 的原意指“倾倒垃圾”,用在这里则表示像倒垃圾一样地甩掉。

07.我们要把祖国建设成为社会主义的现代化强国。

[误] We will build our motherland into a socialist modern powerful country.

[正] We will build our motherland into a modern powerful socialist country.

注: 形容词作为修饰语在汉语和英语中都很常用,但使用的先后次序却有所不同。在英语中我们一般遵循“靠近原则”,即越能说明本质属性的修饰词越靠近它所修饰的 名词,当从这一点看不出区别时,就靠词的长短来决定,短的在前,长的在后。原文中最能说明“国家”本质的定语是“社会主义的”,所以 socialist 要最靠近它所修饰的中心词。

08.我想要一点白酒。

[误] I'd like a little bit of white wine.

[正] I'd like a little bit of liquor.

注: 汉语的“酒”可指任何酒,包括白酒、葡萄酒、啤酒,甚至米酒;但英语中则要分别用 liquor,wine,beer及 rice wine表示。所以要注意,英语的wine与汉语的“酒”是有区别的,它仅指点葡萄酒。而且 red wine 是红葡萄酒,white wine 是白葡萄酒。

09.中华人民共和国主席

[误] Chairman of the People's Republic of China

[正] President of the People's Republic of China

注: 以前,我们一直将“主席”翻译为 chairman,例如:great leader Chairman Mao(伟大领袖毛主席)。其实“主席”与 chairman 并不等义,chairman 在英语中通常指会议或某一具体组织的负责人,它的权力和重要性不及中文的“主席”。这就是为什么1983年,在我国《宪法》的英译单行本中开始使用 President一词,并沿用至今。另外,国内仍有不少词典把“班/级长(学校的)”译为“class monitor”,这是“四人帮”时代的产物,那时的“班长”是专司监管学生的,所以译作“monitor”。而“班长”的正确译文应该是“class president”。

10.转战南北

[误] fight south and north

[正] fight north and south

注: 在地理方位的表达习惯上,中英文有一定的区别。中国人习惯于先“东西”后“南北”,而且在涉及“南北”时,习惯于先说“南”,再说“北”,如:“南征北 战”、“南来北往”等。而英美人与此正好相反,如“江苏在中国的东南部”英文是 Jiangsu is in the south-east of China, 而“新疆在中国的西北部”应译为 Xinjiang is in the north-west of China。

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