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”。 中文: 我们要把祖国建设成为社会主义的现代化强国。 翻译: [误] we will build our motherland into a socialist modern powerful country. [正] we will build our motherland into a modern powerful socialist country. 注释: 形容词作为修饰语在汉语和英语中都很常用,但使用的先后次序却有所不同。 在英语中我们一般遵循“靠近原则”,即越能说明本质属性的修饰词越靠近它所修饰的名词,当从这一点看不出区别时,就靠词的长短来决定,短的在前,长的在后。 原文中最能说明“国家”本质的定语是“社会主义的”,所以 socialist 要最靠近它所修饰的中心词。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 saisfied 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。 中文: 萝卜青菜,各有所爱。 翻译: [误] some prefer radish but others prefer cabbage. [正] tastes differ. 注释: tastes differ/vary 是句英语谚语,除此以外,原句还可翻译成 no dish suits all tastes 或 you can never make everyone happy 等。 《新概念英语》第三册第23课的标题是:one man's meat is another man's poison,表达的很生动。 总之,应采取意译。
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