Catti考试备考:汉译英最易翻错的100句(1)
互联网2017-05-17 13:42
1、中文:
有他这颗扫帚星,什么事情都办不成。
翻译:
[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”。
2、中文:
你听说了吗?迈克把他的女朋友给甩了。
翻译:
[误] have you ever heard that mike broke up with his girlfriend.
[正] have you ever heard that mike dumped his girlfriend.
注释:
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。
3、中文:
人都是这山望着那山高,对自己的现状没有满意的时候。
翻译:
[误] almost all people think that the other mountain is higher than the one he's standing on. they never feel satisfied with what they've already got.
[正] almost all people think that the grass is greener on the other hill. they never feel saisfied with what they've already got.
注释:
“这山望着那山高”是指人不满足于现状的心理,它在英语中已经有了现成的说法,即 the grass is greener on the other hill(他山的草更绿),因此我们借用即可,这样既方便又更有利于与西方人沟通。
4、中文:
中华人民共和国主席
翻译:
[误] chairman of the people's republic of china
[正] president of the people's republic of china
注释:
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”。
(编辑:何莹莹)
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