英語和漢語分屬兩種不同的語系,其差別很大,翻譯起來有諸多困難,英語定語從句的漢譯便是困難之一。由于定語從句在英語中應(yīng)用十分廣泛,因此,我們必須想辦法、找方法、尋規(guī)律,從而很好地解決它。
一、限制性定語從句
限制性定語從句對(duì)所修飾的先行項(xiàng)起限制作用,在意義上與先行項(xiàng)密切不可分。如被省去,主句的意思就含糊不清,甚至變得毫無意義。關(guān)系詞和先行項(xiàng)之間一般不用逗號(hào)分隔。
(一)定語詞組
�、買 have but one lamp by which my feed are guided.我只有一盞指路明燈。
②It was so with the vast railroad yards with the crowded array of vessels she saw in the river.火車站廣大的場(chǎng)地,河里鱗次梯比的船只,她也同樣不能理解。
③Before following her in her round of seeking,let us look at the sphare in which her future was to lie.我們暫且把她找尋工作的事擱下來不談,先看一看她的前途所寄托的這個(gè)世界。
�、�…and the thread which bound her so lightly to girlhood and home were irretrievably broken ……而那些把她和少女時(shí)代以及故鄉(xiāng)輕輕系住的柔絲,不得不就此斷絕了。
翻譯這類從句,常常是將關(guān)系詞省去,在句未加“的”字,放在被修飾項(xiàng)之前。當(dāng)然,也可視其情況不用“的”字,如①和②。這種譯法用得普遍,尤其適用于譯簡(jiǎn)短的定語從句。
(二)并列從句
1)省略英語的先行項(xiàng)
①The lungs are subjecd to several diseases which are treatable by surgery.肺易受幾種疾病的侵襲,但均可經(jīng)手術(shù)治療。
�、贏 little way on she saw a great door which,for some reason,attracted her attention.又走了一些路,她看見一個(gè)大門,不知怎的,引起了她的注意。
�、跘s a result, a hum of gossip was set going which moved about the house in that secret manner common to gossip.結(jié)果就造成一陣閑話,暗中在公寓里流傳,閑話一般都是如此的。
�、蹵 will had been made which divide the small tax –eaten property equally among the remaining four,so that it was really of no interest to any of them.遺囑已立好,把這片快要給稅吃光的薄產(chǎn)平分給四個(gè)孩子,但誰都對(duì)此不感興趣。
上述定語從句例句比(一)里的定語從句例句長(zhǎng)些,因此,就不宜譯成定語詞組成形式。否則,譯句就會(huì)顯得太長(zhǎng)且不符合漢語的表達(dá)習(xí)慣。如④就不宜譯成“把這片快要給稅吃光的薄產(chǎn)平分給四個(gè)孩子的中遺囑早已立好,誰都對(duì)此不感興趣。”這類從句不是長(zhǎng)、難復(fù)雜定語從句,一般就按原文的順序位置譯。上面譯句的第二分句,有的承前省略了主語,如③④,有的借用第一分句的不定語作邏輯主語,如①②
2)重復(fù)英語的先行項(xiàng)
①At dimmer I found myself placed between Mrs. Bradly ,and a shy drab girl who seemed even younger than the other.席間,我發(fā)現(xiàn)自己坐在布拉得雷太太和一靦腆乏味的女孩子中間;她看上去比其余人都年輕。
�、贏 writer——in fact every one of us in life——needs that loving-mother force from which all creation flows …一個(gè)作家——實(shí)際上生活中的每個(gè)人——都需要慈母的力量,它是創(chuàng)造一切的源泉。
�、跰an possesses an expressive faculty that goes far beyond gestures, that allows and even compels him to express his thoughts, feedings,dreams, and inituitions.人類具有遠(yuǎn)遠(yuǎn)超過于手勢(shì)的表達(dá)官能,這種官能不僅使人能夠,而且使他要把思想、感情、幻夢(mèng)、直覺表達(dá)出來。
這些先行項(xiàng)的重復(fù),有時(shí)用的是代詞如①②,有時(shí)用的是限定詞如③。漢譯時(shí),需重復(fù)先行項(xiàng)的地方,就要重復(fù)。否則會(huì)影響意思的連貫和清楚。
我們一般采用分述法將帶定語從句的英語復(fù)合句譯成并列分詞。分述法就將主句和從句分開翻譯的方法。此方法除了將定語從句譯為并列分句外,還譯為狀語從句。
(三)狀語從句
讓我們來看看下例該怎么譯:
He insisted on building another house which he had no use for.
上例能譯成“他堅(jiān)持再建一座他不用的房子”或“他堅(jiān)持再建一座房,這房他不用”嗎?顯然不能,因?yàn)檫@樣的譯文令讀者莫名其妙。這兩種譯文是套用定語詞組和并列分句形式而譯的,然而錯(cuò)了。
正確的譯文是:他雖自己不用,但仍堅(jiān)持再建一座房。
此句之所以這樣譯,是因?yàn)樗袪钫Z從句的意思。英語定語從句——尤其是非限制性定語從句——有時(shí)兼有狀語從句的職能,可以表示時(shí)間、條件、原因、讓步、目的、結(jié)果等等關(guān)系。
茲再舉幾例說明限制性定語從句所表示的狀語意思:
�、買 think it will grow even on non-irrlgated land where there is a forest belt.我想即使在沒有灌溉的土地上,只要有一條樹林帶,苜蓿還是會(huì)生長(zhǎng)的。(表?xiàng)l件)
�、贗n a personed sense ,I think of my eldest daughter , whose birthday is today .就個(gè)人來講,我想到我的大女兒,因?yàn)榻裉焓撬纳�。(表原因�?/p>
(四)獨(dú)立句
�、貶e paid that peculiar deferente to women which every member of the sex appreciates.他對(duì)女性殷勤令每個(gè)女人所賞識(shí)。
�、赪hat were the hopes and dreams that had made of them the incredibly stubborn warriors?是什么希望,什么目標(biāo),什么理想使他們成為頑強(qiáng)到令人難以置信的戰(zhàn)士呢?
翻譯英語There be 句型和帶定語從句的復(fù)合句時(shí),常用溶合法。溶合法就是把原主句的主語同定語從句溶合在一起而譯成獨(dú)立句的方法。溶合法要求改變句子的構(gòu)造形式。具體作法是,將原主句的的詞或詞組用作獨(dú)立句的主語,再將定語從句用作謂語,這樣便譯成獨(dú)立句,如①將He paid that peculiar deference to women 壓縮譯為“他對(duì)女性的殷勤”而定語從句“which every member of the sex appreciates”譯為謂語“令每個(gè)女人所常識(shí)”。
(五)復(fù)合賓語
�、買 also found on the ground near the tracks of the lamed groups of ants which were rulling grains of corn.我還看見駱駝的腳印邊有許多的螞蟻在拖玉米粒。
�、贖e did not find any one in the house who particularly cared to see .他認(rèn)為家里沒有人特別想知道的。
當(dāng)主句的謂語動(dòng)詞是表示“感觀”或“心理活動(dòng)”等意義時(shí),修飾賓語的定語從句多譯為復(fù)合賓語。
二、非限制性定語從句
非限制性定語從句同其先行項(xiàng)之間的聯(lián)系是松散的。它不是先行項(xiàng)的必不可少的組成部分,而僅是對(duì)先行項(xiàng)作些描寫或補(bǔ)充說明。非限制性定語從句前常有逗號(hào)將它與主語分開。非限制性定語從句也主要是采用前面已說過的分譯法和溶合法來譯。它常駐被譯為并列分句、獨(dú)立的和狀語從句,偶爾還可譯為定語詞組等。
(一)譯成并列分句
1. 譯成并列分句,省略先行項(xiàng)
�、賅ait a minute,said the boss,and he opened the load and took out a ham,which he started to bone and string up.“等一會(huì)兒!”老板說道,說罷便打開火腿包,拿出一只,開始剔骨頭,并用繩子縛起來。(省主語)
�、贑arrie reached home in high good spirits,which she could scarely conceal.嘉莉興高采烈地回到家,想掩飾也掩飾不住。(省主語)
2. 譯成并列分句,重復(fù)英語的先行項(xiàng)
�、�…from his vest dangled a real gold watch chain ,from which was suspended the secret insignia of the Order of Elks……背心上蕩著一根精致的金表鏈,鏈上系著“共進(jìn)會(huì)”的徽章。
�、贖e came within the meaning of a still newer term ,which had sprung into general use among Americans in 1880…他其實(shí)適合于一個(gè)更新的名詞,那個(gè)名詞1880年在美國(guó)人中突然流行起來……
(二)譯成獨(dú)立句
�、買t has long been my wish to encounter one of the oldest civilizations in earth .I have come amidst you from Egypt ,On the banks of the Nile ,which also has a most ancient civilization .我一直向往著要同世界比較古老的文明會(huì)晤。尼羅河畔的埃及也有著比較古老的文明,我正是從那里來到你們中間。
�、赮ou’ve given Feldstyn ,who dislikes me any how ,the chance he was waiting for .費(fèi)爾德丁反正討厭我,你給他的機(jī)會(huì)正是他求之不得的。
(三)譯成狀語從句
�、賂hese actions, which have aroused universal and unreserved disapproval, must nevertheless give us a pause.這些行動(dòng),雖已激起普遍而毫不掩飾的反對(duì),卻也使我們舉棋不定。(表讓步)
�、贗n a dispute between two states with which one is friendly,try not to get involved.在兩國(guó)發(fā)生爭(zhēng)端時(shí),如與該兩國(guó)皆友好,則應(yīng)避免卷入。(表?xiàng)l件)。
�、跜opper, which is used so widely for carrying electricity , offers very little resistance.銅的電阻很小,因此被廣泛用于輸電。(表結(jié)果)
(四)譯成定語詞組
As I came in, Gus Meyer, who owned the taxicad that used to stand at the corner of our street ,waved to me from a table.我進(jìn)去時(shí),那個(gè)開出租汽車的古司.買耶坐在一張桌子那里向我招手,他的車子經(jīng)常就停在我們街角上。
非限制性定語從句主要是譯成并列分句、獨(dú)立句和狀語從句這幾種形式,這與它的作用——僅是對(duì)先行項(xiàng)提供一些補(bǔ)充說明——有關(guān)。難怪《新編英語語法》(修定本)指出:在意義上,非限制性定語從句相當(dāng)于一個(gè)并列分句,可以完全脫離主句而獨(dú)立出現(xiàn)。
綜上舉例可以看出,定語從句可用“分述法”和“溶合法”進(jìn)行翻譯,形式有定語詞組,并列分句、狀語從句、復(fù)合賓語等。這些形式是英譯漢的主要“框架結(jié)構(gòu)”,并非全部“標(biāo)準(zhǔn)答案”。在具體和翻譯實(shí)踐中,我們應(yīng)該視其不同情況,選用不同的形式或作靈活變通處理。
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