分析性思维和综合性思维视角下的英汉互译

【摘要】 本文论述了中西方分析性思维和综合性思维差异以及这种差异映射下的语言差异,并对其视角下的英汉互译进行了探究。

下载论文网   【关键词】 分析性思维;综合性思维;语言差异英汉互译   (注:教育部人文社会科学研究规划基金项目阶段性成果(12YJAZH192))   1、前言   由于传统文化的影响,形成了“东方重综合,西方重分析”的思维习惯。

东方民族的综合型思维方式,使得中国人注重整体和谐,强调“从多归一”的思维方式;句子结构上以动词为中心,以时间顺序为逻辑语序,横向铺叙,层层推进,归纳总结,形成“流水形”的句式结构句子重心多在后。

而西方民族的分析型思维方式使得西方人注重分析方法,惯于用“由一到多”的思维方式;句子结构以主语和谓语为核心,统摄各种短语和从句,由主到次,递相迭加,结构复杂,但形散而意合,形成了“树杈形”的句式结构英语句子重心多在前。

请看下面一段英文文字:   The boy, who was crying as if his heart would break, said, when I spoke to him, that he was very hungry because he had had no food for two days.   上面英语句子主干为The boy said,但节外生枝,叠床架屋,竟有5个从句,用了who, as if, when, that, because等多个连接成分,形成一个空间构架,犹如“枝叶繁茂的参天大树”,呈树状。

可见,英语十分注重句子的形式和结构的完整,而相应的汉语节节展开,言简意赅,语意连贯,结构紧凑,呈竹状。

男孩哭得心都快碎了,当我问及他时,他说饿极了,有两天没吃了。

2、分析性思维和综合性思维视角下的英汉互译   中西思维模式的差异反映在英汉语句法和语篇组织模式上的差异, 要求我们在进行英汉互译时,必须进行适当的变通,通过调整句子结构和调整句子重心的翻译方法,使得译文符合英汉语各自的语言思维习惯,使译文地道流畅,从而提高翻译的质量和效果。

调整句子结构:英译汉时,将英文长而复杂的结构转化为汉语中独特的符合汉语习惯的短句形式;汉译英时,要常常把汉语的两个甚至更多个句子合译成英语的一句,使句子结构紧凑简练。

例1:Plastics is made from water which is a natural resource inexhaustible and available everywhere,coal which can be mined through automatic and mechanical processes at less cost and lime which can be obtained from the calcinations of limestone widely present in nature.   译文:塑料是由水、煤和石灰石制成的。

水是到处可以获得的、取之不尽的一种自然资源;煤可以通过自动化和机械化来开采,成本较低;石灰可由煅烧自然界广泛存在的石灰石而得到。

原文是一个典型的英语复杂长句,由42个单词组成,全靠一个逗号和几个连词结合成一个多层次的、内容丰富的句子

主句的主干是:Plastics is made from water, coal and lime; water, coal和lime之后各有一个定语从句,随举随释。

所以,按照汉语的表达习惯,翻译时要化整为零,调整句子结构:可以把主句和各个定语从句分开译成短句,其中的一些状语比如at less cost也可以单独处理成短句

例2:Upon his death in 1826, Jefferson was buried under a stone which described him as he had wished to be remembered as the author of the Declaration on Independence and the Virginia Statute for Religious Freedom and the father of the University of Virginia.   译文:1826年杰斐逊逝世。

按照他生前遗愿,在他墓地的石碑上刻着:《独立宣言》和《弗吉尼亚信教自由法令》的作者、弗吉尼亚大学创建人之墓。

例3:The moon is so far from the earth that even if huge trees were growing on the mountains and elephants were walking about, we could not see them through the most powerful telescopes which have been invented.   译文:月球离地球非常遥远,即使那边山上长着大树,有大象在跑来跑去,我们用已经发明的最高倍率的望远镜也不能看到它们。

例4:She was an intelligent, attractive and somewhat arrogant daughter of a famous lawyer in London.   译文:她是伦敦一位著名律师的女儿,有才华,又迷人,但有点傲慢。

例5:As a probing psychologist he is the unrivalled master among all living British and American novelists.   译文:他是一位勤于探索的心理学家,在众多在世的英美小说家中,他堪称无人匹敌的大师。

以上例句表明:在英译汉时,遇到复杂的长句,首先要有耐心地分析句子成分,抽出主句和从句的主干,将其翻译成独立的分句;其次,一些状语,比如分词短语、介词短语等,也可以译成短句;最后,按照汉语的表达习惯,将这些分句连接起来。

例6:事实上,现代诗中的对立,并不是亚洲与欧洲之间的对立。

这种对立,是创新与保守的对立。

这两种对立有关系,可是绝不相同   译文:In fact, the antithesis in modern poetry has not been between Asia and Europe, but between innovation and conservation————a related but by no means identical polarity.   例7:当他们活着一天,总要尽量多工作、多学习,不肯虚度年华,不让时间白白地浪费掉。

译文:As long as they are living,they always work and study as hard as possible,unwilling to dream their life away,let alone waste even a single moment of their lives.   例8:这种床垫工艺先进,结构新颖,造型美观,款式多样,舒适大方,携带方便。

译文:The technological design of this bed cushion is advanced with novel structure, beautiful shape and various patterns. They are comfortable and convenient to carry.   例9:顷刻之间,滚滚的浊水象堵墙一般压了下来,一股脑儿连人带车都给冲走了。

这情景,直到现在还印在我的脑海里。

译文:The image of a sudden wall of dark water carrying the man and his car away in an instant is still imprinted on my mind.   例10:我们正在为实现一个理想而努力。

这个理想是每个中国人所珍爱的。

在过去,许多中国人曾为了这个理想而牺牲了自己的生命。

译文:We are striving for the ideal which is close to the heart of every Chinese and for which, in the past, many Chinese have laid down their lives.   以上例句表明:汉译英时,要注意分析各个分句之间的逻辑关系,确定好主从关系,采用恰当的方式进行连接。

调整句子重心:东方民族“从多归一”的思维方式往往将句子的次要语义部分放在句首,而将语义重心放在句子的末尾,这也就是现代汉语中的偏正复句,一般语序是偏句在前,正句在后;而英语的修饰性句子的语义重心常放在句子的开头,所以在英汉互译时,要注意调整句子重心

例11:There is no agreement whether methodology refers to the concepts peculiar to historical work in general or to the research techniques appropriate to the various branches of historical inquiry.   译文:方法论是指一般的历史研究中特有的概念,还是指历史研究中各个具体领域适用的研究方法,人们对此意见不一。

例12:It therefore becomes more and more important that, if students are not to waste their opportunities, there will have to be much more detailed information about courses and more advice.   译文:因此,如果要使学生充分利用他们(上大学)的机会,就得为他们提供大量关于课程的更为详尽的信息,作更多的指导,这个问题显得越来越重要了。

例13:We remember a beauty that faded, a love that waned. But we remember with far greater pain that we did not see that when it flowered, that we failed to respond with love when it was tendered.   译文:我们时常忆起那逝去的美,凋零的爱。

当美如花绽放时,未加留意;当爱神召唤时,未能用爱去回报,这种回忆常使人痛彻不已。

例14:早在古代,我们就有“渴死不饮盗泉之水,饿死不受嗟来之食”的志士勇夫。

译文:Early in ancient China , there were noble—minded people who would die of their thirsty rather than drink water from stealth—spring, who would die of hanger rather than eat food handed out in contempt.   例15:有忠于职守,廉洁自律,为人称颂的“好官”,也有贪赃枉法,胡作非为的贪官,还有大事不理,小事纠缠的糊涂官,当然也少不了吃喝玩乐的逍遥官、风流官。

译文:Some are widely praised good officials for their self—discipline and devotion to their official duties. Some are ill—behaved officials breaking the law for bribes, some are muddle headed officials lingering over trifles instead of important issues of course, there are also amorous officials indulging in pleasure—seeking, addicting to sensual pleasure.   以上各句在翻译时都进行了重心调整,这样译文更符合英文的表达习惯。

3、总结   我国著名翻译家严复在"《天演论》译例言"中,曾精辟地分析了英汉结构差异

他说,“西文句中名物字,多随举随释,如中文之旁支,后乃遥节前文,足意成句。

故西文句法,少者二三字,多者数百言。

”说明英语枝杈蔓生,呈树状结构,分叉处有介词,关系代词连接。

汉语句子结构呈竹节状,逐节展开。

汉语句子可以在同一施事或主题语之下按逻辑顺序铺陈,虽然小句间有逗号隔开,但语句的联系仍是紧密的。

因此,英汉互译时必须重视句子结构句子重心的调整,以确保译文质量!   参考文献   [1] 陈荣华.浅析思维差异英汉互译中的影响[J].武汉船舶职业技术学院学报,2010(2).   [2] 黄志梅.从翻译中看英汉逻辑思维的不同[J].安阳工学院学报,2006(5).   [3] 孟红松.跨文化交际视角下英汉互译中不可译性初探[J].商丘师范学院学报,2010(10).   作者简介:张亮平(1967—):女,副高;研究方向:应用语言学与跨文化交际。

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