(1)For sheer drama and sensationalism, (2)nothing (3)in New York this past week could (4)top (5)the hearings of (6)the Mollen Commissinon, (7)a panel (8)put together (9)by the mayor of New York (10)to look into the charges (11)that the city's police department was riddled with crooked cops.(選自<英語高級口譯資格證書考試 "高級閱讀教程">第二版第十三課 Rotten to the Corps 一文)
Prof. Huang Yuxi from Seoul University of South Korea is now working on an experiment, in which eggs from cows are used to clone tigers and then lionesses are used as surrogate mothers. He takes the following steps. First, a cell is picked from the body of a tiger and the nucleus is taken from the cell. Next , this nucleus is put next to the egg from a cow whose nucleus has been removed. Then, gentle pluses of electricity are applied to prompt the egg to accept the new nucleus and to make them merge into a new cell. When the new cell has undergone biochemical activity and entered into the process of cell division, the embryo is implanted in the uterus of a lioness.
Americans have a warmth and friendliness which is less superficial than many foreigners think. They are considered sentimental. When on ceremonial occasions they see a flag, or attend parades celebrating America's glorious past, tears may come to their eyes. Reunions with family and friends tend to be emotional, too. They like to dress correctly, even if "correctly" means flamboyantly. They love to boast, though often with tongue in cheek. They can laugh at themselves and their country, and they can be very self-critical, while remaining always intensely patriotic. They have a wide knowledge of everyday things, and a keen interest in their particular city and state. Foreigners sometimes complain, however, that they have little interest in or knowledge of the outside world. （選自英語高級口譯資格證書考試《翻譯教程》）
譯文：The Huangpu River twists sharply to form a duck-beak-shaped area called Lujiazui on its east. At the point of the beak stands abruptly the radio and television tower ---Oriental Pearl, which, with its height of 468 meters, is the highest tower in Asia and the third highest in the world. It is surrounded on three sides by the waters of the River, and looks onto the row of buildings in multinational s of architecture along the Bund on the other side of the River. In the designer's fanciful imagination, eleven spheres are arranged in a line and hung from the blue sky down to a carpet of green lawns like a string of pearls, with two colossal splashy ruby-like spheres held high on it. The entire tower is harmonious in architecture and presents a picture which arouses the poetic and artistic imagination of "large and small jewels falling onto an enormous jade plate."
例一：
The English arrived in North America with hopes of duplicating the exploits of the Spanish in South America, where explorers had discovered immense fortunes in gold and silver. Although Spain and England shared a pronounced lust for wealth, differences between the two cultures were profound. （選自英語高級口譯資格證書考試《翻譯教程》第一版第59頁）
例二：
The implied inclusion of books among the world's perishable goods is hardly made more agreeable by the reflection that increasing numbers of books these days do seem to be written with just such consumption in mind, and that most book-stores have become little more than glorified news stands for hardcover publications of this sort, which are merchandised for a few weeks -- sometimes only as long as they remain on the best-seller lists -- and are then retired to discount stores (those jumbled graveyards of books, so saddening to the hearts of authors) shortly before dropping out of print altogether. （選自英語高級口譯資格證書考試《翻譯教程》第二版第180頁）
分析：在英語句子中，by the reflection 是主句的方式狀語，reflection 後面是兩個that 連接的並列的同位語從句。按漢語的思維邏輯，通常是先狀語，然後才是句子其他成分，所以翻譯時首先考慮把方式狀語by the reflection that...and...that先翻，再翻主句的主語和謂語部分。可是方式狀語中reflection有兩個同位語從句，而且很長。因此先翻兩個同位語從句，再翻介詞短語狀語。具體翻譯的時候，注意使用分句法，詞性轉譯法等各種翻譯技巧使譯文通順流暢。
原譯：Since the inception of Shanghai Airlines in 1985, it is lifeline to guarantee safety flight. SAL's staff and maintenance persons take pride in the record of safety flight to keep for 8 years, and it also inspires them. On apron SAL's maintenance persons day and night have done extra work and have hard worked so as to enable the airplanes to be in best condition. They, with serious as well as steady spirit and endeavor, make greater contributions to safety flight.
改譯： The Shanghai Airlines have been regarding it their lifeline to ensure the safety of flight ever since their establishment in 1985. They have kept the record of zero accident for the past eight years, in which all the staff take great pride, and by which all the mechanical maintenance personnel are particularly inspired for it recalls to them the so many days and nights when they had to stay on the apron to do overtime work to keep the airplanes in best conditions. These maintenance personnel have made great contributions to the safety of flight through their pioneering spirit and strict perseverant work.
原譯：As natural museum of history and art. Mount Tai is the head of five famous Mount in China, called as first Mount.
To visit Mount Tai has been Chinese wish for thousands years. At Mount Tai many emperors held the sacrifice offerings, poets wrote the poems, superstitious persons blest and common people traveled.
To visit Mount Tai is happiest.
改譯：Listed at the top of the five famous mountains of China, the Taishan Mountain has long been enjoying the reputation of 「the first mountain under the heaven.」 Combining beauty, calm, wonder, mystery and grandeur in one scene, and putting human, cultural stuff, mountain, water and wood in one picture, it seems to be a great natural museum of history and art.
For thousands of years, it has been the wish of most Chinese to climb and mount this mountain. Emperors came here to set altars to offer sacrifices to the heaven; scholars came here to chant poems; men of letters came here to make inscriptions; superstitious men and women came here to seek gods』 blessing; ordinary secular people came here to experience the pleasure of travel.
Touring the Taishan Mountain is really exciting and rewarding.
原譯：Downtown Xu Jia Hui of having convenient communication is the gateway into Shanghai from Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Anhui and Fujian province, and Songjiang, Qingpu and Jinshan county. Xu Jia Hui with update communication network of being the subway, overpass, ground and overhead circular road becomes important hub of communication in Shanghai.
改譯：The district of Xu Jia Hui enjoys a unique geographic advantage. It has a developed and convenient transportation system which links it with other districts and suburbs of Shanghai, as well as the surrounding provinces. It is the throat through which vehicles from satellite towns such as Songjiang, Fengxian, Qinpu and Jinshan can get to the downtown of shanghai and also the gate through which those from Zhejiang, Jiangxi, Anhui and Fujian provinces can do so. The district itself will possess the most advanced quintuple-level transportation network of subways, underpasses, ground-level roads, overpasses and a circular viaduct, thus becoming a transportation hub of Shanghai that has easy access to the seaports, airports, railway stations, city center and the new district of Pudong .
翻譯是用目的語的語言把本源語的語言原原本本轉換過來的藝術再創造過程。英語和漢語的巨大差別決定了翻譯時宏觀設計的必要性。側重文體，文化，或者側重詞法、句法、成語等微觀技巧處理，而忽略從比較語言學角度出發的宏觀設計顯然不能使譯文完美，也不能有好的翻譯效果。隨著我國對外開放和對外交流的加強，翻譯的量勢必大大增加。進一步研究翻譯的宏觀設計和微觀處理技巧，提高翻譯質量和效果當是翻譯界的一項重任。作者: Elex 時間: 2005-2-13 06:21 標題: There is only one thing I agree with 資深教授解伯昌.. ...i.e., the last sentence in his long-winded essay - "提高翻譯質量和效果當是翻譯界的一項重任"; and that should apply first and foremost to himself.
For example, his translation for " 泰山為中國五嶽之首，素有「天下第一山」之稱" is "Listed at the top of the five famous mountains of China, the Taishan Mountain has long been enjoying the reputation of 「the first mountain under the heaven.[/COLOR]」
It's simply better to say "Taishan, the noblest of China's five mountain ranges, has been popularly known as 'the first mountain under the heaven[/COLOR]'".
What's all the fuss and preaching about?作者: Adelyn 時間: 2005-2-13 08:34 標題: what happened? why so little could be agreed upon? Perhaps Prof Xie had got something different in his mind when he was making the translations.
When I first came across this sentence. I automatically replaced the original with the following:
(東嶽)泰山排位於中國五嶽之首，一直享有「天下第一山」之稱號
I don't know how this internal translation could ever happen. Could it be that I read too much of Kung Fu stories?
[:488:]作者: Elex 時間: 2005-2-13 22:33 標題: A good teacher should not intimidate his students A profound teacher makes a difficult subject easy and interesting for his pupils, but a supercilious teacher wants to "shock and awe" (in the way the Americans treat their enemies).
Such erudite and nebulous notions as "宏觀設計" and "比較語言學" can only intimidate the learners, and the remarks such as "提高翻譯質量和效果當是翻譯界的一項重任" are cheap grace and unbecoming a scholar.
The C-E examples in the article are poorly translated - in some places even laughable. Maybe they are good enough for a tourist guide, but from a 資深教授? I'm shocked but not awed.
The condescending pedantry of the professor supported by such poor translation work reminds one of a castle built on quicksand.
I take trouble to say all this because I feel for his admiring students.作者: Adelyn 時間: 2005-2-14 08:54 標題: at last, i finished it... to make it easier for those who don't have a big enough vocabulary (me too), i prepared the following notes:
-a profound teacher: a teacher having intellectual depth and insight
-a supercilious teacher: a teacher who is unfriendly and looks down to his pupils
-erudite and nebula notions: notions that are vague and difficult to understand
-shock and awe: a strategy seeking psychological overwelming of the enemy
-shocked but not awed: disturbed without a feeling of awe
-unbecoming a scholar: disqualifying to be a scholar
-condescending pedantry: assuming an air of superiority to help make a show of knowledge
-a castle built on quicksand: something unstable and weak
-feel for: pity, sympathize with作者: Adelyn 時間: 2005-2-21 16:32 標題: just for fun... 上海航空公司自1985年成立的第一天起，就把保證飛行安全視作自己的生命線。八年來，安全飛行無事故。 上航的每一位職工為之驕傲，上航的機務人員更是倍受鼓舞。 為了讓飛機始終處於最佳狀態，多少個日日夜夜，他們在停機坪上加班加點，連續奮戰，以嚴謹務實的精神，開拓進取的氣概為安全飛行作出了自己的貢獻。（摘自《上海航空》1993年第六期總第而十二期第2頁）
The Shanghai Airlines have been regarding it their lifeline to ensure the safety of flight ever since their establishment in 1985. They have kept the record of zero accident for the past eight years, in which all the staff take great pride, and by which all the mechanical maintenance personnel are particularly inspired for it recalls to them the so many days and nights when they had to stay on the apron to do overtime work to keep the airplanes in best conditions. These maintenance personnel have made great contributions to the safety of flight through their pioneering spirit and strict perseverant work. (excerpts from 「英漢對譯中的宏觀設計與比較語言學的運用」 解伯昌，上海外國語大學教授; see http://www.i-bbw.net/portal/inde ... ile=read&aid=75)
As for the English translation, it is likely to be the work of a student of Prof. Xie's. This can be seen in the obvious mistakes in the first sentence that are unlikely to be made by a senior teaching faculty from a good foreign languages institute. So, it may be unfair to put all the blames on Prof. Xie who might just want to get some of his students involved. However, he shouldn't let go the translations with such a poor quality!
.作者: Adelyn 時間: 2005-2-25 15:19 標題: 灌水篇: 泰山為中國五嶽之首，素有「天下第一山」之稱。... 泰山為中國五嶽之首，素有「天下第一山」之稱。 她集麗、幽、妙、奧、曠於一景，繪人、文、山、水、木於一圖，宛如一座巨大的歷史與藝術的天然博物館。
登游泰山是數千年來炎黃子孫的宿願。 多少帝王君主曾在此封禪設祭，文人墨客在此吟哦題詠，善男信女在此尋求神佑，尋常百姓在此暢遊舒懷。
泰山之游，其樂無窮。 （摘自《上海航空》1993年第六期總第二十二期第31頁）
Edited:
Mount Tai is the first of the Five Mountains in China, having the praise of "peerless mountain." It collects beauty, calm, wonder, mystery, and grandeur in one scene, and draws man, culture, mountain, water, and wood in one chart, being like an enormous history and natural museum of arts.
It is a long-cherished wish of the descendants of the Yellow Emperor over thousands of years to come to step on and visit Mount Tai. Many times in history, emperors held memorial ceremonies here to offer sacrifices to Heaven. Also here at Mount Tai, men of letters pondered to chant poems and make inscriptions, devotees to Buddha sought providence, and common people enjoyed the trip up the mountain and cherished their very being in the natural scenery.
The tour of Mount Tai, what joy it is!
Software translation (unedited):
Mount Tai is the first of the Five Mountains in China, have the praise of " peerless mountain ". She collects beautiful , deep and remote, wonderful, , vast in one scene, paints person, gentle, mountain, water , wood in one picture, like an enormous history and natural museum of the art.
It is that long-cherished wish of the descendants of the yellow Emperor comes in thousands of years to step on and visit Mount Tai. How many emperor's monarches have offered sacrifices to Heaven and had holding a memorial ceremony for here, the men of literature and writing are in this inscription of the cry of certain animals, the devotees to Buddha seek providence here, common people enjoy a trip to and cherish easily here.
The tour of Mount Tai, what joy it is.
Notes by typesetter: Using a machine to do translation provides nothing but fun. The technology is still in a stage too early to be of any practical value. However, it does give us some surprises as one can see here. By filling in the words left behind by the machine, a readable English text emerges. Here, one noticeable effect is that the translation shows fewer traces of its Chinese origin, indicating that the machine is capable of filtering out some unwanted characteristic marks in the original chinese texts. This becomes obvious when a direct comparison is made with a (rather poor) human translation found in the article 《英漢對譯中的宏觀設計與比較語言學的運用》 posted on the top of this thread:
Listed at the top of the five famous mountains of China, the Taishan Mountain has long been enjoying the reputation of 「the first mountain under the heaven.」 Combining beauty, calm, wonder, mystery and grandeur in one scene, and putting human, cultural stuff, mountain, water and wood in one picture, it seems to be a great natural museum of history and art.
For thousands of years, it has been the wish of most Chinese to climb and mount this mountain. Emperors came here to set altars to offer sacrifices to the heaven; scholars came here to chant poems; men of letters came here to make inscriptions; superstitious men and women came here to seek gods』 blessing; ordinary secular people came here to experience the pleasure of travel.
Touring the Taishan Mountain is really exciting and rewarding.