英译汉3-词汇翻译(1)选词用字

第一节 选词用字

一、判断词义 1. 借助字典 例：memory

1. “I have a short memory,” she says. 2. His face is engraved on my memory. 3. I am haunted with sad memories.

4. His mother died when he was small. She is only a memory to him now. 5. With us his memory remains a national property.

6. To the memory of our comrades-in-arms who died in the battle.

2. 分析上下文 例：appearance

1. His appearance on the stage was applauded by the audience. 2. Particular attention should be paid to your personal appearance. 3. I had to work my political appearances into a tight schedule.

二、选择词语 1. 语法意义

例：The jewels were worth a small fortune. 例： 1. He was puzzled. 2. That man puzzled me.

3. He looked like a puzzled fish.

2. 语境意义

例1. Are you in the book？

2. How many names are there on your books?

3. He claims to have been graduated from this college, but his name is not on the books. 4. The music was fine but the book was very poor. 5. Milton’s Paradise Lost consists of twelve books. 6. That’s all I remember, sir, on the Book.

3. 搭配意义

例： build a house build a bridge build a dam build a ship build a fire build a car

build one’s confidence

译：盖、架、筑、造、生、制造、树立、……

4. 情感意义 褒义词 贬义词 中性词

例1. He was a man of integrity, but unfortunately, he had a certain reputation. I believe the reputation was not deserved.

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例2. Aggressive nations threaten world peace. 例3. A salesman must be aggressive if he wants to succeed.

5.文体意义

书面语：母亲、诞辰、散步、恐吓 口语词：妈妈、生日、溜达、吓唬

古语/旧词：殆、致、/厨子、木匠 现代/新词：危险、给、/厨师、木工

普通用语：给、现在、办法、私下 公文用语：给予、兹、措施、擅自

普通用语：飞、心、光亮、半夜

文学用语：飞翔、心灵、晶莹、子夜

6. 引申意义

例1. There is a mixture of the tiger and the ape in the character of the imperialists.

2. Nowadays a student heading for college may pack a frying pan along with his books. 3. The metal is then cast into the resulting hollow mould. 4. Internal combustion engines burn fuel inside, rather than outside the engine.

三、变换用词

汉语同英语一样，存在大量的同义词或近义词，它们在意义上相近或相似，但是在具体应用

中却有一定程度的差异。从译者应在词义、音韵、色彩等方面选择最恰当贴切的词语。 英语：look, see, watch, eye, view, observe, witness, glance, gaze, peep, stare, glare… 汉语：看，看见，看到，观，瞧，见，瞟，瞥，溜，窥，瞅，瞪，注视，……

例1. stern reality

严酷的 / 严峻的现实 2. smooth runway

平整的 / 平坦的 / 平滑的跑道 3. dull eyes

呆板的 / 呆滞的眼睛 4. stupid rebuff

愚笨的 / 笨拙的回绝 5. harmonious relation

协和的 / 和谐的关系

四、切不可望文生义

初学翻译，错误往往出在自以为不会出错的地方。

望文生义，想当然，不仅是造成错误的原因，久而久之，还会养成极坏的习惯。

翻译不能不借助字典，可有不能不离开字典，更不能认为英汉词典中每个词条下列举的所谓

汉语等值词在任何情况下都适用。

词不离句，句不离文；为了确解，必须句中求词，文中求句。不做具体分析，翻译是难望准

确的。（翁显良）

翻译要投入必要的时间和精力。

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课堂练习 练习1：

… a quantity of diamonds had been taken out of the Treasure and sent to Paris to be distributed in presents to persons supposed to possess influence over the minds of Bonaparte and Talleyrand. It would be interesting to trace the history of these diamonds. 参考译文：

葡萄牙已经从国库里拿出一批钻石送往巴黎，分赠给它认为对拿破仑和塔列朗的决策有影响的人。这些钻石的下落如何，要是查出来，那可有意思啦。

练习2：

With sales of about $450,000 per week, the supermarket is one of almost 600 that use laser scanners. Unlike most of those stores—including others operated by the same chain, Purity Supreme Inc. of Boston—Heartland in Salem never has had anything else; the scanners began operation on opening day in February 1977. 参考译文：

该超级市场每周的销售额约为四十五万美元，它是使用激光扫描设备的近六百个超市中的一个。不过，它与那些超市中的大多数不同（包括同属于波士顿Purity Supreme系统的那些超市），设在塞勒姆市的这家哈特兰德食品超市，它从来没有使用过别的机器设备；而从1977年2月开始营业之日起，就使用了这类激光扫描设备。

练习3.

“Well, how’s the Chief? I’m glad to see you looking well.”

“I never felt better, De Sota. And how are you? Ready for any fate?”

“Well, you ought to know, Chief. I’ve been standing by. It’s whatever you say with me.”

“I know that, De Sota,” replied Cowperwood, smiling, “I have something I want you to undertake for me. I sent for you, De Dota, because I need reliability and secrecy, and I know you’re the man.”

“Thanks, Chief,” he said. “You know I’d go to hell for you any time.

(Th. Dreiser)

参考译文：

“噢，老总，您好吗？看到您的气色这样好，很高兴。” “我比什么样时候都好，德·索托，你好吗？准备碰碰什么运气吗？”

“是啊，您应该知道的，老总。我一直在准备听候您的命令，随您吩咐好了。” “我知道，德·索托，”柯帕乌笑着回答，“我有事奉托。我所以请你来，德·帕托，因为我需要可靠和机密，我知道你正是这样一个人！”

“谢谢，老总，” 他说，“您知道，随便什么时候，我都愿意为您赴汤蹈火的。”

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