英 譯 漢 非謂語動詞的譯法

英語中非謂語動詞包括分詞、不定式和動名詞。動名詞與名詞具有類似的功能,在翻譯時可以參考名詞性從句或抽象名詞的譯法, 下面, 我們主要通過一些實(shí)例說明動詞不定式和分詞的翻譯方法。

例1.Americans do not like to be called materialistic because they feel that this unfairly accuses them of loving only material things and of having no religious values.

美國人不喜歡被稱為物質(zhì)主義者, 因?yàn)樗麄冋J(rèn)為指控他們只重物質(zhì)利益, 沒有宗教價(jià)值觀是不公正的。(不定式作賓語）

例2.The writer's purpose may be simply to inform, or to make readers aware of similarities or differences that interesting and significant in themselves.

作者的目的或許只是想告訴讀者或者讓讀者意識到(存在于比較對象之間的)很有趣、值得注意的相似和不同之處。(不定式作表語）

例3.The aim of science is to describe the world in orderly language, in such a way that we can, if possible, foresee the results of those alternative courses of action between which we are always choosing.

科學(xué)的目的在于用規(guī)律的語言來描述世界。這樣, 如果可能的話, 我們就能預(yù)見到可供選擇的兩個行動方案的結(jié)果。我們經(jīng)常遇到這種選擇。(不定式作表語）

例4.It is the business of the scientist to accumulate knowledge about the universe and all that is in it, and to find, if he is able, common factors which underlie and account for the facts that he knows.

科學(xué)家要做的事就是積累有關(guān)宇宙和宇宙中的一切事物的知識, 而且要是可能的話, 找出那些既能構(gòu)成科學(xué)家所知事實(shí)的基礎(chǔ), 又能解釋這些事實(shí)的共同因素。(不定式作主語）

例5.It is a difficult task to compare two systems of education which stem from different roots and often produce contrasting effects.

兩種教育制度體系源于不同的根基, 并常常產(chǎn)生對照鮮明的不同效果, 因而,要將它們作一比較, 確非易事。(不定式作主語）

例6.This tendency to escalate a situation into its worst possible conclusion is what I called awfulizing, and it can be a key factor in tipping the balance toward, illness or health.

把一種情況逐漸地想象為最壞的結(jié)果, 我稱之為“杞人猶天”, 這或許能打破你體內(nèi)平衡, 或使你患病, 或使你健康。（不定式作定語）

例7.As never before, the nations of the world demonstrated a willingness to put aside ideological and individual differences to confront a common threat.
世界各國決心要把意識形態(tài)分歧和各自的不同意見放在一邊而來正視這個共同的威協(xié), 這在以前從來沒有過。（不定式作定語）

例8.To communicate precisely what you want to say, you will frequently need to define key words.

要準(zhǔn)確表達(dá)想要表達(dá)的內(nèi)容, 就經(jīng)常需要對關(guān)鍵詞進(jìn)行釋義。(不定式作狀語）

例9.To make calculations manageable even by computers, most of the models suppose either that the oceans are a shallow, motionless swamp or that they don't exist at all.

為了使這些計(jì)算甚至可以用普通的計(jì)算機(jī)來處理, 大多數(shù)模型要么假設(shè)海洋是既淺又靜止的沼澤, 要么假設(shè)它們根本不存在。（不定式作狀語）

例10.We can have greater confidence in the reality of a healing system that is beautifully designed to meet most of its problems.

我們對下述事實(shí)應(yīng)抱有充分而信心: 人體的健康機(jī)制十分精妙, 足以應(yīng)付大部分疾病。(不定式作狀語）

例11.Having disproved and disputed the theory for more than two decades, some biologists are now embarking an undertaking to interpret it in a new approach.

20多年來, 某些生物學(xué)家一直對該理論持否定與爭議的態(tài)度, 現(xiàn)在他們正在開始一項(xiàng)研究, 以新的方法解釋這一理論。(現(xiàn)在分詞做狀語）

例12.The first cause of the liberation of women was the development of effective birth-control methods, freeing women from the endless cycle of childbearing and rearing.

婦女的解放首先起因于有效的節(jié)育措施的出現(xiàn), 從而將女人從生養(yǎng)孩子的無盡循環(huán)中解放出來。（現(xiàn)在分詞做狀語）
例13.At every crossways on the road that leads to the future, each progressive spirit is opposed by thousands of men appointed to guard the past.

在通往未來道路的每一個十字路口上, 每一個具有進(jìn)步思想的人都會遭到受命維護(hù)過去的千千萬萬名衛(wèi)道士的反對。（過去分詞做定語）

例14.The very first flight of Spacelab, manned by an international team of scientist-astronauts, demonstrated that a Nobel-prize-winning theory on the function of the inner ear was incorrect.

正是這第一座由跨國科學(xué)家和宇航員操作的太空試驗(yàn)站, 證明了一項(xiàng)曾獲諾貝爾獎的關(guān)于人體內(nèi)耳作用的理論是不正確的。（過去分詞做定語）

例15.But the details of this movement -- what causes it, how it relates to other processes occurring in the ocean at the same time, and how it interacts with the earth's atmosphere -- remain sketchy.

但這種洋流的詳細(xì)情況 -- 諸如什么導(dǎo)致了這種洋流, 它與伴隨它的其他海洋特征有什么聯(lián)系以及它與地球的大氣是怎樣相互作用的 -- 都還不太清楚。（現(xiàn)在分詞做定語

英 譯 漢 狀語從句的譯法

英語狀語從句表示時間、原因、條件、讓步、目的等等, 英語狀語從句用在主句后面的較多, 而漢語的狀語從句用在主句前的較多, 因此, 在許多情況下, 應(yīng)將狀語從句放在主句前面。下面我們通過一些實(shí)例說明它們常用的翻譯方法。

例1.When the levels reached 6 percent the crew members would become mentally confused, unable to take measures to preserve their lives.

當(dāng)含量達(dá)到6%時, 飛船上的人員將會神經(jīng)錯亂, 無法采取保護(hù)自己生命的措 施。（時間狀語從句）

例2.When censorship laws are relaxed, dishonest people are given a chance to produce virtually anything in the name of “art”. (83年考題)

當(dāng)審查放寬時, 招搖撞騙之徒就會有機(jī)可乘, 在“藝術(shù)”的幌子下炮制出形形色 色的東西來。（時間狀語從句）

例3.When tables and other materials are included, they should be conveniently placed, so that a student can consult them without turning over too many pages.

當(dāng)書中列有表格或其他參考資料時, 應(yīng)當(dāng)將這些內(nèi)容編排在適當(dāng)?shù)奈恢? 以便 使學(xué)生在查閱時, 不必翻太多的書頁。（時間狀語從句）

例4.This happens when a fact is discovered which seems to contradict what the “law” would lead one to expect.

每當(dāng)發(fā)現(xiàn)一個事實(shí)使人感到與該定律應(yīng)得出的預(yù)期結(jié)論相矛盾的時候, 就發(fā)生這種情況。（時間狀語從句）

例5.Now since the assessment of intelligence is a comparative matter we must be sure that the scale with which we are comparing our subjects provides a 'valid' or 'fair' comparison. (92年考題)

既然對智力的評估是比較而言的, 那么我們必須確保, 在對我們的對象進(jìn)行比 較時, 我們所使用的尺度能提供“有效的”或“公平的”比較。（ 原因狀語從句）

例6.The policies open to developing countries are more limited than for industrialized nations because the proper economies respond less to changing conditions and administrative control.

由于貧窮國家的經(jīng)濟(jì)對形勢變化的適應(yīng)能力差一些, 政府對這種經(jīng)濟(jì)的控制作 用也小一些, 所以發(fā)展中國家所能采取的政策比起工業(yè)化國家來就更有局限性。（原因狀語從句）

例7.For example, they do not compensate for gross social inequality, and thus do not tell how able an underprivileged youngster might have been had he grown up under more favorable circumstances. (95年考題)

例如, 他們(測試)并不對社會總的不平等作出補(bǔ)償, 因此, 測試不能告訴我們, 一個社會地位低下的年輕人如果生活在較為優(yōu)越的條件下, 會有多大的才能。（結(jié)果狀語從句）

例8.It also plays an important role in making the earth more habitable, as warm ocean currents bring milder temperatures to places that would otherwise be quite cold.

由于溫暖的洋流能把溫暖的氣候帶給那些本來十分寒冷的地區(qū)并使之變暖, 因此, 海洋在使我們這個地球更適合人類居住方面也扮演一個重要的角色。（原因狀語從句）

例9.Electricity is such a part of our everyday lives and so much taken for granted nowadays that we rarely think twice when we switch on the light or turn on the radio. (84年考題)

電在我們的日常生活中所占的地位是如此重要, 而且現(xiàn)在人們認(rèn)為電是想當(dāng)然的事, 所以我們在開電燈或開收音機(jī)時, 就很少再去想一想電是怎么來的。（結(jié)果狀語從句）

例10.The first two must be equal for all who are being compared, if any comparison in terms of intelligence is to be made. (92年考題)

如果要從智力方面進(jìn)行任何比較的話, 那么我們對所有被比較者來說, 前兩個因素必須是一致的。（條件狀語從句）

例11.Although television was developed for broadcasting, many important uses have been found that have nothing to do with it.

雖然電視是為了廣播而發(fā)明的, 但是電視還有許多與廣播無關(guān)的重要用途。（讓步狀語從句）

例12.Though the cost of the venture would be immense, both in labour and power, many believe that iceberg towing would prove less costly in the long run than the alternative of desalination of sea water.

這種冒險(xiǎn)的代價(jià), 不管是在人力還是在能源消耗方面, 都將是巨大的。然而, 許多人認(rèn)為, 冰山牽引最終會證明比選擇海水脫鹽法花費(fèi)要少。（讓步狀語從句）

例13.Therefore, although technical advances in food production and processing will perhaps be needed to ensure food availability, meeting food needs will depend much more on equalizing economic power among the various segments of populations within the developing countries themselves.

因此, 盡管也許需要糧食生產(chǎn)和加工方面的技術(shù)進(jìn)步來確保糧食的來源, 滿足糧食需求更多的是取決于使發(fā)展中國家內(nèi)部的人口各階層具有同等的經(jīng)濟(jì)實(shí)力。（讓步狀語從句）

例14.Whether the characters portrayed are taken from real life or are purely imaginary, they may become our companions and friends.

無論書中描述的角色來自真實(shí)生活還是來自純粹的想象, 他們都可能成為我們的伙伴和朋友。（讓步狀語從句）

例15.By many such experiments Galileo showed that, apart from differences caused by air resistance, all bodies fall to the ground at the same speed, whatever their weight is.

伽利略經(jīng)過多次這類實(shí)驗(yàn)證明, 一切物體, 不論其重量如何, 除了因空氣阻力引起的差別外, 都是以同樣的速度落向地面的。（讓步狀語從句）

譯路通武漢漢口翻譯公司整理

2012.6.20