中式英语之意复的重复

8.4　意义的重复

除了词语和句式的重复，汉语还常常运用同义反复和近义复现等表达形式或相似、相对和不同的词语来重复同一意义。汉语“意复”的现象常见于四字格中，但在其英译中，多数情况下只译出意义而不重复，我们简称为“单译法”。

8.4.1　单译法

例38.他们是中华民族的优秀儿女。巍巍钟山、滚滚长江养育了他们，为他们提供了施展抱负的舞台，他们也以自己的雄才大略、聪明智慧为中华民族的灿烂文明增添了流光溢彩的新篇章。

The towering Purple Mountains and billowing Yangtze River nurtured them and provided them with arenas in which to realize their aspirations. By virtue of their genius, vision, and sagacity, these best and brightest sons and daughters of the nation made spectacular contributions to the resplendent Chinese civilization.

“聪明”与“智慧”，“流光”与“溢彩”意思相近，英译时，分别只用一个词“sagacity”和“spectacular”即可。类似的例子还有很多：

称心如意　satisfactory

惊天动地　earth-shaking

奇装异服　outlandish clothes

日新月异　ever changing

深仇大恨　deep hatred

发号施令　issue orders

胡言乱语　talk nonsense

粗制滥造　crudely made

街谈巷论　street gossip

无边无际　boundless

南腔北调　a mixed accent

销声匿迹　become extinct

千真万确　absolutely true

天经地义　natural

当然也有一些“意复”的成语英译时，保留“意复”的特点，起到加强语气和强调的作用，如例35中“殚精竭虑”的译文“strained their energy and intellect to the limit”。其实“殚精”和“竭虑”的意义也是很相近的，所以在有的译文中也确实融合为一个词或词组：

A.人们很难相信，仅仅在两年前, MBA就业主管们还殚精竭虑地为学生们找工作。

It is hard to believe that just two years ago MBAcareers directors were tearing their hair out trying to find jobs for their students.

B.赫斯渥一直在殚精竭虑地想怎样向她求情才能恰到好处。

All the while Hurstwood was endeavoringto formulate his plea in such a way that it would strike home.

C.同时经营好一个家庭和一份工作所带来的压力可能使人殚精竭虑。

The stresses of juggling a family and a job can be mind-numbing, driving us to exhaustion.

D.他在教学工作上殚精竭虑，是我们学习的榜样。

His unqualified dedicationto teaching is always an example to us all.

E.有时候，有些人，为了得到他喜欢的东西，殚精竭虑，费尽心机，更甚者可能会不择手段，以至走向极端。

There is sometimes, someone who racks his brainor even try any kind of means to get what he likes but ends up in extremeness.

8.4.2　谐音法

同时我们发现，类似的保留意复特点的英译，具有一定的谐音效果，也不乏妙译者。如：

千方百计　by hook or crook

唉声叹气　moan and groan

光明正大　fair and square

亲朋好友　kith and kin

变化无常　chop and change

千辛万苦　trials and tribulations

8.4.3　省略法

汉语的意复还常常产生一些赘言现象，即把包含在词语里的意思用另外的词语复说一遍。英译时，注意避免无谓的意复。

例39.“不，”潘先生心想他们的话不对，牵着只有牵着的妙用；再一转念，妙用岂是人人能够了解的，向他们辩白，也不过徒费唇舌，不如省些精神罢：就把以下的话咽了下去。（叶圣陶《潘先生在难中》 ）

“No,”Mr. Pan disagreed with them. There were good reasons for holding on together. He realized, however, on second thought that not everyone was intelligent enough to see these reasons and it was a waste of breath to argue with them.

根据上下文，我们可以明白句中的“省些精神”是指“把以下的话咽了下去”，也就是不与他们辩白。这里反反复复说的都是一个意思，这种无谓的意复，英译时注意省略。再如：

例40.当毓芳上课去后，把我一人撂在房里时，我便会想起这所谓男女间的怪事；其实，在这上面，不是我爱自夸，我所受的训练，至少也有我几个朋友们的相加或相乘，但近来我却非常不能了解了。（丁玲《莎菲女士的日记》 ）

Yufang has gone off to her classes, and I’m alone here thinking about the strange relations between man and woman. I’m not boasting, but I think I’ve had more experience along this line than most of my friends put together. Still, I don’t understand these relationships, especially now.

例41.上海公安机关最近在铁路上海站严打倒卖火车票的“黄牛”。

Shanghai Public Security Authorities are carrying on an anti-scalper campaign at Shanghai Railway Station these days.

8.4.4　避免赘言

琼·平卡姆（Joan Pinkham）在《中式英语之鉴》（The Translator’s Guide to Chinglish）一书（平卡姆2000）中坦言，“Unnecessary words are the hallmark of Chinglish”，“They are plainly redundant because their sense is already included or implied in some other element of the sentence”。可见，在我们的译文中还普遍存在赘言现象：例如：

例42. Our basic ideas, ranging from the development strategy to the principles and policies, including the policies of reform and opening to the outside world, are correct. If there is any inadequacy, it lies in the fact that the efforts we have made along the line of reform and opening are inadequate.

其中的“the fact”属于无谓的重复，宜删除；“along the line of reform and opening”更是会使译文冗长，宜使用替代法；“inadequacy”和“inadequate”的同义重复，使译文显得单调，宜用变换法改写。

Our basic ideas, from the development strategy to the principles and policies, including the policies of reform and opening to the outside, are correct. If our efforts have fallen short in any respect, it is that we have not done enough to implement those policies.

我们再看看Joan Pinkham是如何修改以下译文的：

例43. A. We uphold the Party’s leadership, but the problem is whether the Party is doing a good job of leading. It should give effective leadership and not intervene in too many matters. The Central Committee should take the lead in this regard. This is not meant to weaken the Party’s leadership. Too much intervention and mishandling of things will actually weaken the Party’s leadership.

很明显译文A最后两句词语、句式和意义的重复非常不符合英语的行文习惯，这并不属于为了强调或明确或加强语气而使用的重复，也就是说不属于修辞性重复，所以这些重复结构都应该修改。同时“this”的指代不清，容易导致译文的逻辑混乱。其实根据上下文，我们知道这段话是一名高官在谈论党政职能分离的问题，他的观点是党政职能分离并不会削弱党的领导。

B. We uphold Party leadership, but the problem is whether the Party is doing a good job of leading. It should give effective leadership and not intervene in too many matters. The Central Committee should take the lead in this regard. What I am proposing will not weaken leadership by the Party. On the contrary, its leadership will be weakened if it tries to take responsibility for too many areas.

斜体部分通过变换句式和词语，让译文更符合英文的表达习惯：比较忌讳重复，常用替代、省略和变换的表达方法。再如：

A. The better you do your work and the more achievements you have to your credit, the better the people throughout the country will understand the value of knowledge and the more encouraging the people to respect and acquire knowledge.

B. The better you work and the more you achieve, the better the people throughout the country will understand the value of knowledge and the more they will be encouraged to respect and acquire it.

小结

汉语有讲究均衡美的特点，其重复的特征无论在叠词、同义反复还是排比句方面都很明显。在英译时，一方面，尽可能地保留一些叠音效果和平行结构，保留原文的修辞效果和行文风格；另一方面我们时常要运用替代、省略、变换和融合等方法，让译文更符合英语的表达习惯。

练习

一、比较下面两个译文，分析一下哪个译文更好地再现汉语叠词所体现的意美、音美和形美？

寻寻觅觅，

冷冷清清，

凄凄惨惨戚戚。（李清照： 《声声慢》 ）

I look for what I miss，

I know not what it is，

I feel so sad, so drear，

So lonely, without cheer.（许渊冲译）

So dim, so dark，

So dense, so dull

So damp, so dank, so dead.（林语堂译）

二、翻译下面的句子，注意划线的叠词的翻译。

1.一天一天、一年一年，他们顽强地生活和战斗在荒山野林里。

2.洪水慢慢地退了

3.假日里，青年人双双对对漫步在公园内。

4.山林炊烟缕缕上升。

5.我们的事情太多了，做都做不完。

6.他思绪滚滚，早已忘却约会一事。

7.我们不得不零零星星地尝付。

8.我们要求把事情完全摆在桌面上，而不是鬼鬼祟祟。

9.对待同志要满腔热忱，不能冷冷清清，漠不关心。

10.家乡的景物处处使人想起了往事，许多往事可以追溯到幼年时代。

11.绿化祖国，人人有责。

12.不要斤斤计较。

三、翻译下面的段落，注意其中重叠或重复部分的翻译。

1.一抹绀色，兼以青紫色霞光，返映着湖堤上的雨后的碧柳，某某祠庙的东边，有个小小的荷荡。这处的荷叶最大不过，高得几乎比人还高。叶下的白洁如玉雕成的荷花，到过午之后，又是将花萼闭起。偶然一两只蜜蜂飞来飞去，还似留恋着花香的气味，不肯即行归去。红霞照在湛绿的水上，散为金光，而红霞中的欲下沉的日光，也幻成异样的色彩。一层层的光与色，相荡相薄，闪闪烁烁的都映现在我眼底。（王统照： 《湖畔儿语》 ）

2.春桃进屋里，向高已提着一桶水在她后面跟着走。他用快活的声调说：“媳妇，快洗罢，我等饿了。今晚咱们吃点好的，烙葱花饼，赞成不赞成？若赞成，我就买葱酱去。”

“媳妇，媳妇，别这样叫，成不成？”春桃不耐烦地说。

“你答应我一声，明儿到天桥给你买一顶好帽子去。你不说帽子该换了么？”向高再要求。

“我不爱听。”

他知道妇人有点不高兴了，便转口问：“到底吃什么？说呀！”

“你爱吃什么，做什么给你吃。买去罢。”

向高买了几根葱和一碗麻酱回来，放在明间的桌上。（许地山： 《春桃》 ）

四、改写下列赘言的译文。

1. We should enthusiastically explore both the international and domestic markets, opening up new international markets and further exploring the rural market.

2. On the whole, however, financial and economic work was still decentralized, because we had not adopted measures to bring financial revenue under unified management; only expenditure was unified, not revenue.

3. Foreign experience has shown that some countries have experienced development periods or undergone a number of high-growth stages, as demonstrated in Japan, Republic of Korea and parts of Southeast Asia.

4. The offices of the Military Control Commission were located in an area where board and lodging, and public transport and communication facilities were easily available and where telephone contacts could be made with much convenience.

5. Moreover, they are in the habit of taking more than their due and do not make compensation for or return the things which they are not entitled to but which they have taken into their own possession.