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科技论文的汉译英方面,修辞问题是一个难点。正确运用和理解修辞,对于科技论文的翻译可以起到事半功倍的效果。

俄语学术论文词的构成(译技傍身科技论文汉译英的修辞问题)(1)

I、“修辞”通常指修饰文字词句,运用各种表现方式,使语言表达得准确、鲜明而生动有力。

科技论文是表述科学技术研究成果的文字形式,其修辞原则包括准确、明晰、简练、恰当、严整。


II、常见修辞问题

一)动词“打架”

如果一个主语后面跟着两个谓语动词,而这两个动词之间又没有其他成分将其隔开,那么这两个动词就要“打架”,因此要设法把它们分开,或将其中一个动词的成分予以改变,它们就不“打架”了。

例:从这些图中可以看出,预报结果符合实验数据。

原译:From the figures it can be seen that the results were predicted correspond to the experimental data.

改译:From the figures it can be seen that the results predicted correspond to the experimental data.

分析:句中were predicted是被动态谓语,correspond to是主动态谓语,应在were前加一个which构成results的定语从句,或者去掉were,predicted就成为results的后置定语,这样就把两个动词分开了,或只保留一个做谓语动词。

(二)似是而非

有些英译文中的词句初看上去似乎没有什么问题,其实不然。

例1:不然的话,很容易造成死亡。

原译:Otherwise, they are easy to die.

改译:Otherwise, they would die easily.

例2:容易出现洪涝灾害。

原译:The heavy flood is easy to occur.

改译:The heavy flood is liable to occur.

分析:主语为实译词时,easy后跟及物动词。

(三)貌合神离

意思是说从字面上来看,与原文是对应的但与原意不符。

例1:本文中在资料有限的基础上,简单讨论了火山作用造成的钙质生物壳体溶解的可能性。

原译:The possibility that the dissolution of the skeleton calcareous organisms results from volcanism is here suggested based on limited data.

改译:The possibility that the dissolution of the skeleton calcareous organisms results from volcanism is here suggested on the basis of limited data.

分析:词组 based on 和 on the basis of 经常被替换使用,然而,这是不恰当的。因为based on 是分词,可被用来修饰名词、代名词和名词词组;而需修饰动词时,只能用介词词组on the basis of。

例2:他因严重感染而住院。

原译:He was hospitalized due to a severe infection.

改译:He was hospitalized because of a severe infection.

分析:Due to的意思是caused by,做形容词用,修饰的是名词,而because of做介词用,因此此处应用because of。

(四)缺臂短腿

例1:该物种是最老的物种之一,距今10980年。

原译:The age of this species is one of the oldest, 10980 years BP.

改译:The age of this species is one of the oldest, being 10980 years BP.

例2:主要是因为分子主链为具有一维电子性质的平面共轭结构。

原译:This is largely due to the molecular backbone has a planar, fully conjugated structure which shows one-dimensional electronic nature.

改译:This is largely due to the fact that the molecular backbone has a planar, fully conjugated structure which shows one-dimensional electronic nature.

(五)画蛇添足

例:由于这些基本平衡的变化,将导致动力学基本特征的变化。

原译:Owing to these changes of basic equilibrium state, with the result that the basic characteristics of dynamics will be changed.

改译:Owing to these changes of basic equilibrium state, the basic characteristics of dynamics will be changed.

分析:with the result that 中文可理解为:其结果是,但这四个词完全是多余的。由于画蛇添足,使原来的主句变成一个从句,从而使全句中没有主句了。

(六)虎头蛇尾

意思是指句子结构不对称,不自然,头重脚轻,不符合语言规律。

例:这些报告中没有关于超微结构变化及其成因和影响的资料可以使用。

原译:From these reports, very few data concerning ultrastructure changes and the cause and effect of these changes can be used.

改译:From these reports, very few data can be used concerning ultrastructure changes and the cause and effect of these changes can be used.

七)用词不当

例1:国际和国内应急管理标准均没有从应急语言服务方面做出任何规定。

原译:International and domestic standards for emergency management have not made any requirement for emergency language service.

改译:International and domestic standards for emergency management have not proposed any requirement for emergency language service.

分析:make是一个范围很广应用频率很高的词,在这里没有propose表达地更具体。

例2:例如,在陨石中发现了100多种氨基酸,而地球上的生命中只含20种。

原译:For example, over 100 different amino acids have been found in meteorites, whereas life on earth only makes use of 20.

改译:For example, over 100 different amino acids have been identified in meteorites, whereas life on earth only makes use of 20.

分析:found一般指偶然间发现或遇见,而identify指的是确定某人或某物的身份或特性,因此在这里用identity更合适。

(八)不知所云

例:二氧化碳分压(Pco2)是碳酸盐体系各组分中对海水的物理化学和化学过程特别敏感的一个组分。

原译:The partial pressure Pco2 is the most sensitive element in carbonate system responding to the process of physical chemistry and biology in sea water.

改译:The partial pressure Pco2 is an element in carbonate system which is most sensitive to the process of physical chemistry and biology in sea water.

例:在本研究中,使用八年的射出长波辐射数据来研究热带大尺度环流的年度和年际辐射。

原译:In this study, eight years of outgoing longwave radiation data have been used to investigate the annual and interannual radiation of large-scale circulation over the tropics.

改译:In this study, outgoing longwave radiation data of eight years have been used to investigate the annual and interannual radiation of large-scale circulation over the tropics.

分析:主语与定语的位置颠倒了,互换一下位置就通顺达意了。


结束语

修辞不只是修枝剪叶,锦上添花。它是消除差错的有力手段之一。我们应系统总结和利用这一手段来提高我们科技论文汉译英的文字质量。


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