利用功能动词

第四节　利用功能动词

从概念类属上来讲，本节标题似与其他章节不相协调。但是基于以下考虑，还是做了现在这样的安排。一、这类动词在英语文章里使用的频率极高。在英译汉的时候，应当意识到英语功能动词的语意作用极小，这类动词可以省略不译，而把其中的名词显性化，分解原文的枝形吊灯结构，转化为汉语的串状灯笼结构（详见《商务英汉翻译（本科）》第七章第四节“功能动词”）。

二、在汉译英的时候，似可反其道而行之，利用它们轻松实现化简为繁。方法很简单：从词语层面上看，要采用前面讲过的多种方法和技巧，把汉语原文的语意和动作体现在功能动词结构中的名词上；从语法层面上看，采用合译的方法，聚合汉语原文的串状灯笼结构，转化为英语的枝形吊灯结构。

三、讨论这些动词形式的目的是由译对转向译好，与本书宗旨一致，与后续各章提倡的“译意不译形”理念一致。由于功能动词的语义意义极小，有时很难确定译文的主语——这是我们先在前面两章讲述如何确定译文主语的主要考虑。

因此，真正熟悉英语的功能动词结构才是汉译英时加以利用的关键——这正好能够说明汉译英的实质和依据应当是汉语原文的语意，同时表现为英语的形式。最为简单而具体的表述是：尽量利用《商务英汉翻译（本科）》第121页第四节下列出的动词。例如：

例28　这个项目太麻烦，我整天俯案工作都一个多月了。

D1. I worked day and night for more than a month due to this item troublesome.

D2. This project is so troublesome, I have worked all day pronely in more than a month.

D3. This project is of too much trouble, I have been bent over the desk working all day down for more than a month.

C1. The project is so complicated that I have been chained to my desk for a month.

C2. This project is so difficult that I have been working with it for more than one month.

C3. The project is so tough that I have to have worked all day and all night for a month.译文C1似乎用的是一个暗喻，只是有些外国读者看了之后可能会报警。这里借此译文稍作解释。商务语境中人们经常是就事论事，除广告外较少使用修辞手段。英译汉的时候，如果遇到英语原文使用了修辞手段，我们只得认真对待并提出恰当的译文。因此，这套教材中的三本英译汉教材各有一章专门讨论修辞译法。但汉译英的时候，由于多数人做到“译对”尚有困难，由于多数人对英语意象做到看懂尚有困难，所以建议目标学生少用为上。也是因为这个考虑，三本汉译英教材中只有研究生阶段的教材安排了一节有关修辞的讨论。

B. This project is too complicated, and I was working on it all day long for more than a month.

A1. This project is so complicated that I have been working on it all day for more than a month.

A2. This knotty project has kept me at my desk all day for more than a month.

译文A1采用了so … that …句式，A2用的则是本节主题“功能动词”。

例29　近来糯米价格上涨，主要是前几年种植减少，总产量降低。

C1. The price of glutinous rice has risen recently. Several years ago the planting wasreduced. So the gross production fell. That is the reason.

C2. The planting scale was reduced some years ago and total production declined. The price of glutinous rice continues to increase in this year.

译文A1和A2分别是C1和C2的修改版。其中A1应用了从句结构，A2应用了功能动词结构。与此同时，A类译文还采用了“合译”方法。

A1. The reason why the price of glutinous rice rose recently is the fall in grain yields that resulted from the reduction of planting for several years.

A2. The reduction in planting areas and the ensuing decline in total production for some years led to the recent surge in the price of glutinous rice.

例30　全省现有国际机场十座，频繁起飞的定期航班可以直接飞往几十个国家。

A. Frequent scheduled flights from the ten international airports in the province provide direct access /gateway /transport to dozens of countries.

下面我们来看几个综合应用的例句。所谓“综合应用”，是指同一个句子里出现了两种甚至两种以上的涉及本章各节甚至前面其他几章主题的语言现象。例如：

例31　这是我国首架拥有自主知识产权的新支线飞机。

D. This is our first new-branch line airplane which has the independently developed and owned Intellectual Property Rights.

C. The new feeder plane is the first plane which was designed by our country with completely independent intellectual property rights.

原文“我国首架拥有自主知识产权的”是个长定语，上面两个译文都增加了从句结构，即which引导的后置定语从句。得分较低是因为标记部分；B是D的修改版，A1又是B的修改版；A2是C的修改版；与此同时，A1用了介词短语，A3用了介词短语和分词短语。

B. This is China’s first branch-line airplane which owns the independent intellectual property rights.

A1. This is China’s first branch-line airplane with independent intellectual property rights.

A2. The new feeder plane is the first that was designed in China with independent intellectual property rights.

A3. The new regional jet is the first of its kind with Chinese nationals owning the intellectual property rights.

这里联系前面三节举证的多种技巧，但主要表现在介词短语、动词不定式短语、分词短语和从句的综合应用上。下面例句中的A类译文是一些应用比较得当的例证：

例32　全市城市绿地总面积17 600公顷，城市绿化覆盖率33.4%。

D. The City has 17 600 hectares of land in the city had been planted with trees andgrass, with the green area totaling 33.4 % of the city.

C. The whole city has 17 600 hectares of land that have been planted with trees and grass, with the green area totaling 33.4 % of the city.

A1. There are now about 17 600 hectares of land in the city that has been planted with trees and grass, with the green coverage totaling 33.4 % of the (city’s) territory.

A2. About 17 600 hectares of municipal land have been greened with trees and grass, totaling 33.4 % of the municipal territory.

例33　市场经济促使企业间相互竞争，有利于提高产品和服务质量。

D. The market economy impels enterprises to compete with each other, and it is beneficial to improve products and the quality of service.

B. The market economy impels enterprises to compete with each other, which can help improve the quality of their products and service.

译文B是D的修改版。

A1. A market economy encourages competition between producers, which can help improve the quality of their products and services.

A2. … between producers, helping improve the quality of their products and services.

例34　大量的侨汇转化为生产性资金，有些转化为了企业的启动资金。

D. A great amount of overseas remittance from was turned into capital for business startups and production capacity.

C. A great amount of overseas remitted money turn into productive fund, and some turn into starting fund of enterprises.

B. A great amount of remittance from overseas was turned into capital for business startups and production capacity.

译文B是D的修改版。

A. A great amount of money remitted from overseas was used as funds for financing production, some of which (was used) as capital for business startups.

例35　公司依托得天独厚的地域优势和资源优势，大力开展了中药材种植。

D1. Depending on the regional and resource advantage endowed by nature, our company is reviving Traditional medicine.

D2. Depending on the regional and resource advantage endowed by the nature, our company is forcing in the growing of Chinese medicine.

D3. Depending on the regional and resource advantage endowed by nature, our company is exerting great efforts to grow the Chinese medicine.

D4. Boasting the regional and resource advantage endowed by the nature, our company is making big strides in the promotion of traditional Chinese Medicine.

A. Boasting regional advantages and natural resources, the company has embarked on the plantation of Chinese medicinal herbs.

本书例句中保留了D类和C类译文的例句，句型方面往往涉及由“意合”到“形合”转化不够“繁”这一性质的问题。希望目标学生能够当作样本加以分析，当作参照对象与修改版多做比较，从而积累经验，逐步提高自己的汉译英能力。

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