如何对英语句子进行解剖和缝合

如何对英语句子进行“解剖”和“缝合”空军工程大学理学院李爱茹在英语四、六级考试、考研英语和职称英语考试中有很多长句、难句和包含多个语法项目在内的句子。如何正确理解这些句子是选出正确答案和写出正确的汉语译文的关键，而要正确理解这些句子就必须学会如何正确分析这些句子。下面，笔者将以2011年考研英语翻译题”为例谈一个行之有效的分析和翻译技巧——解剖和缝合，希望能对大家有所帮助。下面是2011年考研英语的翻译题部分：With its theme that“Mind is the master weaver，’’ creating our inner character and outer circumstances， the bookAs dMan7兹f玎幻ng byJamesAllen is an in- depth exploration ofthe central idea ofself-help writing．(46)Allen’S contribution was to take an assumption we all share--that because we are not robots we therefore control our thoughts--and revealed its erroneous nature．Because most ofUS believe that mind is separate from matter,we think that thoughts earl be hidden and made powerless；this allowsUS to think one way and act another．However,Allen believed that the unconscious mind generates as much action as the conscious mind，and(47)while we may be able to sustain the illusion of control through the conscious mind alone，in reality we are continually faced with a question：“Why cannotI make myself do this or achieve that?”Since desire and will are damaged by the presence of thoughts that do not accord with desire，Alien concluded：“We do not attract what we want，but what we are．’’Achievement happens because you as a pemon embody the external achievement；you don’t“get”Success but become it．There is no gap between mind and matter．Part of the fame ofAllen’S book is its contention that“Circumstances do not make a person，they reveal him．”(48)This seems a justification for neglect of those in need，and a rationalization of exploitation， of the superiority of those at the top and the inferiority of those at the bottom．This，however, would be a knee-jerk reaction to a subtle argument．Each set of circumstances，however bad，offers a unique opportunity for growth．If circumstances always determined the life and prospects of people，then humanity would never have progressed．In fact，(49) circumstances seem to be designed to bring out the best inUS and ifwe feel that we have been‘‘wronged”then we are unlikely to begin a conscious effort to escape from our situation．Nevertheless，as any biographer knows，a person’S early life and its conditions are often the greatest gift to an individual．The sobering aspect ofAllen’S book is that we have no one else to blame for our present condition except ourselves．(50)The upside is the possibilities contained in knowing that everything is up to us； where before we were experts in the array of limitations，now we become authorities of what is possible．笔者的翻译是：46．艾伦的贡献在于提出了我们大家都认同的假设，并且揭示了这种假设的错误本质。这个假设就是：我们不是机器人，因此能够控制自己的思维。47．虽然仅通过意识就能够保持控制的错觉，但实际上我们一直面临着一个问题，那就是“为什么我不能使自己完成这样或那样的事情?”。48．这种说法似乎为忽视需要帮助的人找到了借口，也使剥削者、上层人士的优越感和底层人民的自卑感合理化。49．环境似乎旨在激发我们的最大潜能。如果我们感觉“这委屈了自己”，那就不太可能会有意识地努力脱离现状。50．积极的一面是：知道“万事都取决于我们”，那就有无限可能。以前，我们能够熟练应对种种局限；现在，我们能牢牢把握未来的可能。下面是笔者对这些英语句子进行分析和翻译的步骤和思路：解剖和缝合。第一步、“解剖”：1．寻找句子中的谓语动词(要特别注意谓语动词之前的and或or)2．寻找谓语动词的主语3．寻找谓语动词的宾语或与之相关的其它成分，进而找到谓语动词所在的整个句子4．分析谓语动词所在句子的作用5．去掉定语、状语、补语，找到句子的主干(要特别注意并列连词but，and年1]or)第二步．“缝合”(步骤和“解剖”相反)：1．首先，翻译句子主干2．其次，将未翻译的定语、状语、补语分别翻译成汉语3．然后，归位：将翻译好的定语、状语、补语放入他们的正确位置4．最后，润色：检查翻译好的汉语内容，看其是否通顺、是否符合汉语的表达习惯，使其完美以46题为例：Allen’S contribution was to take an assumption we all share--that because we are not robots we therefore control our thoughts--and revealed its erroneous nature．第一步、“解剖”1．该题中有5个谓语动词：was，share，are， control，reveal2．它们分别的主语是：Allen’S contribution、第一个we、第二个we、第三个we、Allen’S contribu- tion(因为and连接两个并列的成分，从意思并l：Ireveal的时态来看都可知m嘲l矛口AUeIl’Scontribution有关。)3．其它成分：to take an assumption是was的表语，robots是are的表语，our thoughts是control的宾语，its erroneous nature是revealed的宾语，剩下的 that并Pbecause是引导从句的连词、therefore是承接上下文的副词。因此，本句中主要有三个部分：Allen’S contribution was to take an assumption and revealed its erroneous nature，we all share，that because we are not robots we therefore control our thoughts。4．分析各句的作用：Allen’S contribution was to take an assumption and revealed its erroneous nature是主句，we all share是定语从句(英语中修饰名词的只有两类从句一一定语从句和同位语从句，同位语从句和定语从句的主要区别在于同位语从句不缺任何成分，而本句中缺share的宾语。)，that because we are not robots we therefore control our thoughts是assumption的同位语，解释其内容。5．句子主干是：Allen’S contribution was to take an assumption and revealed its erroneous nature。第二步、“缝合”(步骤与“解剖”相反)1．句子主干的翻译是：艾伦的贡献在于提出了一个假设，并且揭示了这种假设的错误本质。2．其它部分的翻译是：we all share的翻译是“我们大家都分享的”，that because we are not robots we therefore control our thoughts的翻译是“因为我们不是机器人，所以我们控制自己的思想”(that弓l导同位语从句时没有任何意义，只起引导从句的作用，因此不翻译that。o3．将其它部分归到句子主干中：艾伦的贡献在于提出了一个我们大家都分享的假设，并且揭示了这种假设的错误本质。因为我们不是机器人，所以我们控制自己的思想。4．润色：“分享”一词在这里有些不妥，可改为“认同”。“因为我们不是机器人，所以我们控制自己的思想。”这句话也有不妥之处，可改为“因为我们不是机器人，所以我们能够控制自己的思想。”另外，英译汉时，应避免在句子中过多地使用代词和连接词，因为与英语相比，汉语里代词(尤其是人称代词)和连接词(尤其是并列连接词“和”)用得不多，能被省略的代词和连接词一般都不在句子里出现，因此，译文中的“因为……所以……”可以改成“因此”，并且去掉第二个“我们”。还有，如果译成“艾伦的贡献在于提出了一个我们大家都认同的假设，并且揭示了这假设的错误本质。我们不是机器人，因此能够控制自己的思想。”的话，那么前后两句的关系不清楚，因此，在翻译时为了保证意思的完整，需要增译“这个假设就是”以使译文更清晰流畅。最后，标点符号也是不容忽视的地方，因此，在增译“这个假设就是”之后可以用“：”来表示解释说明。全句译文请参考上文。再以48题为例：This seems a justification for neglect of those in need，and a rationalization of四

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