博大精深的中国传统文化，一直是四六级翻译最常考的话题，今天一起来看下 。

　　四合院

　　01

　　四合院(the quadrangle )是中国的一种传统合院式住宅。一个标准的四合院通常由一个庭院及其四周独立的房屋构成。

　　不同方位的房屋有着不同的名称。坐北对着庭院入口处的称为正房(main house)，东西两边的称为厢房(side house)，坐南朝北的称为倒座房(reversely-set house)。

　　长辈或一家之主住正房，晚辈住厢房。倒座房可以用作厨房、储物间、客厅或书房。四合院如今已经成为观光景点，并为世界各地的游客所熟知。

　　【参考译文】：

　　The quadrangle is a traditional courtyard residence in China. A standard quadrangle usually consists of a courtyard with independent houses along its four sides.

　　Houses in different directions have their own names. The house on the north facing the courtyard’s entrance is called the main house; the house which lies on the east or west is called the side house; and the one stands on the south is called reversely-set house.

　　The older generation or the head of the household lives in the main house, while the younger generation lives in the side houses. The reversely-set house can be used as a kitchen, a storeroom, a sitting-room or a study. The quadrangle has now become a tourist attraction and is well-known to tourists from all over the world.

　　【难点点拨】：

　　1. 合院式住宅:译为courtyard residence即可，其中residence意为“住宅， 民居”。

　　2.坐北对着…东西两边…坐南朝北: 这个句子含有三个并列分句，且结构基本一致，所以可以用三个相同结构的连续的分句来表达。为了避免表达单调，三个分句可选择不同的谓语动词，使译文既有一致性又富有变化。

　　3.观光景点:可译为a tourist attraction 或a sightseeing spot。

　　4.世界各地的:英语中可把定语前置或者后置，所以此修饰语可译成all over the world或worldwide.

　　胡同

　　02

　　人们说，真正的北京文化是胡同(hutong)和四合院(quadrangle courtyard)文化。它们比髙楼大吸引的海内外游客更多。

　　现在，胡同已经成为北京文化的代表，因此对于想了解当地的历史文化的人来说，胡同是首选。

　　胡同是蒙古词，意思是“水井”。在元朝，蒙古人髙度重视水，所以几乎每一个城市社区都围绕一口井设计。直到今天，人们仍然可以在胡同中找到枯井。

　　每条小巷中都有故亊。在古代，它们的名宇是口口相传的，胡同里没有路标(signpost)。直到明、清两代，胡同的名字才逐渐被书写下来。

　　【参考译文】：

　　People say that the real culture of Beijing is the culture of hutong and quadrangle courtyards. They attract more tourists from home and abroad than the high-rise buildings and large mansions.

　　Now hutongs have become representatives of Beijing's culture; thus it is the first choice for people who would like to learn about the local history and culture.

　　Hutong is a Mongolian word meaning “well”. In the Yuan Dynasty, Mongolians attached great importance to water, so almost every community in the city was designed around a well. Until now, one can still find dry wells in hutongs.

　　Where there is such a lane, there is a story. In ancient times, the names of them were passed from mouth to mouth among people; there were no signposts in hutongs. It was not until the Ming and Qing Dynasties that the names of hutongs were written down gradually.

　　【难点点拨】：

　　1. 四合院：可译为quadrangle courtyard，也可以用courtyard house或者courtyard表达。

　　2.高楼大厦：此处可译为the high-rise buildings and large mansions，即“高层建筑和大厦”。

　　3.成为……的代表：可译为become representatives of.

　　4.首选：可译为first choice，而best choice则意为“最佳选择”。

　　5.高度重视：可译为attach great importance to.其中importance也可以用much修饰。

　　6.每条小巷中都有故亊：可译为Where there is such a lane，there is a story.地道，又与众不同。