translation of sentences.doc

Translation of SentencesContents:1. A comparison of English and Chinese Sentences2. Negation(否定） and affirmation（肯定） in Translation3. Restructuring in Translation4. The passive and active voice in translation5. Translation of attributive clauses（定语从句）6. Translation of adverbial clauses（状语从句）7. The rendering of long sentences1、A Comparison Study of English and Chinese Sentences1.1. Hypotactic vs. Paratactic(形合与意合） As E.A. Nida points out in his "Translating Meaning", ... So far as English and Chinese are concerned, the most important difference linguistically is the contrast between hypotaxis and parataxis. Hypotaxis: The dependent or subordinate construction or relationship of clauses arranged with connectives; Parataxis: The arranging of clauses one after the other without connectives showing the relation between them. Examples:1. That is our policy and that is our declaration. -- W. Churchill 这就是我们的国策，这就是我们的宣言。

2. First, we make clear what is doing the travelling ---- a car, a bus, a plane or whatever it may be.首先，我们要搞清旅行工具，例如小汽车、公共汽车、飞机或别的可用工具3. 发展体育运动，增强人民体质 Promote physical culture and build up people's health.4. 东海缺少白玉床，龙王请来金陵王If the Dragon King wants a white jade bed, he applies to the Wangs of Jinling, it's said.1.2. Complex vs. Simplex(简约与繁复） The English complex sentences are often like chains with clauses linking clauses. On the other hand, the Chinese sentences or clauses tend to be short and simple in structure. They are flowing and simplex, with one clause following the other rather in a line. Illustrative examples:1. The moon is so far from the earth that even if huge trees were growing on the mountains and elephants were walking about, we could not see them through the most powerful telescopes which have yet been invented.月球离地球非常遥远，即使那边山上长着大树，有大象在移动，我们用当今发明的最高倍率的望远镜，也不能看见它们。

2. As we lived near the raod, we often had the traveler or stranger visit us to taste our gooseberry wine, for which we had great reputation, and I confess, with the veracity of an historian, that I never knew one of them to find fault with it.我们就住在路边，过路人或外乡人常到我们这里，尝尝我们家酿的醋栗酒这种酒很有名气我敢说，尝过的人，从没有挑剔过我这话像历史学家的话一样靠得住3. 文章做到极处，无有他奇，只有恰好；人品做到极处，无有他异，只有本然洪应明：菜根潭When a piece of writing reaches the acme of perfection it is not because it contains some miraculous ingredient, but because it is written in exactly the right way. When a man refines his moral character to the point of perfection he does so not with the aid of any magic formula but by letting his pure inborn mature shine forth.Lesson 111.3. End-weight vs. Top-heavy(正三角与倒三角） In an English sentence, the shorter elements usually go before longer ones in arrangement order, thus the weight of the sentence is put at the end, and the whole sentence looks like a pyramid.  The arrangement of a Chinese sentence seems quite the opposite, where the important elements are often said at the beginning of a sentence. So it looks like an inverted pyramid or triangle.  Illustrative examples:1. Gone are the days when we Chinese people depended on foreign steel.中国人民靠洋钢的日子已一去不复返了。

2. Before them lay miles of beautiful plain with lots of wild animals among the grass.美丽的草原，茵茵的绿草，野生动物成群结队，绵延数英里，展现在眼前3. 普通人在办公室使用电子计算机的时代已经到来The time has come when ordinary people can use electronic computers both in the office and at home.4. 学科学、学英语，对社会主义现代化建设很重要It is important to study English as well as science and technology for our socialist modernization drive.1.4. Subject-prominent vs. Topic-prominent(主语突出与主题突出） In an English sentence, prominence is usually given to the subject. There are five basic sentence patterns in English: SV（主谓）, SVC（主谓补）, SVO（主谓宾）, SVO1O2（主谓双宾）, SVOC（主谓宾补）, all with SV as its essentials. On the other hand, a Chinese sentence often lays emphasis on the thought or notion（概念，看法，意图）, so it is based on the thought pivot(支点，枢轴）. Illustrative examples:1. A dialect is known by every linguist in this room.有一种方言这间屋子里的每个语言学家都懂得。

比较：在这房间里的每位语言学家都懂一种方言2. You don't grow the grain you eat and you don't make the clothes you wear.你吃的粮食不是你自己种的，你穿的衣服也不是你自己做的比较：你不种......3. 1978 年改革开放开始了The year 1978 saw the beginnings of the reform and opening to the outside world.4. 我们的事业从胜利走向胜利We have won one victory after another for our cause.Or : A series of victories have been won for our cause.1.5. Static vs. Dynamic(静态与动态） In a simple English sentence or in an English clause, only one verb is used as the predict of the sentence or clause(从句 ). In a Chinese sentence, a number of verbs can be used as its predict at the same time, so we may say that the Chinese is rather "dynamic" while the English is "static". Illustrative(用作说明的) examples:1.5.1. A mastery(精通，熟悉，掌握) of Chinese and English is essential for E-C or C-E translation做英汉/汉英翻译必须掌握好 汉语与英语。

1.5.2. Engineering design is a decision-making process used for the development of engineering for which there is a human need.工程设计是为发展人类所需工程而作决定的过程1.5.3. 再走几步就到实验大楼了A few steps will bring you to the laboratory building.1.6. Impe。