1. 有他这颗扫帚星，什么事情都办不成。5 X+ x, d/ Z. g% C. l9 ?
[误] With a comet like him, nothing can be accomplished.
9 r3 }' Y; S5 |3 A! e( s4 h7 h[正] With a jinx like him, nothing can be accomplished.
+ s; Q8 C. h5 M注：“扫帚星”是中国人对“慧星”（comet）的俗称，因其后面拖着一条像扫帚一样的长尾巴而得名。在中国古代，“扫帚星”被认为是灾难的预兆，并被用来比喻不吉利的人或事；祸根：（person or thing that is thought to bring）bad luck（to sb/sth）；curse。英语的comet 虽然没有这层含义，但却有一个对应的说法，即jinx。
" {. U0 i6 d3 X, Z& \例：There's a jinx on/Someone's put a jinx on this car: it's always giving me trouble. （这辆汽车上有什么妨人的东西，总给我找麻烦。）* U) T/ [6 O( c) B# L1 A% {' O/ [2 h
2.萝卜青菜，各有所爱。! @7 S8 l3 M- T* q- D
[误] Some prefer radish but others prefer cabbage.& J/ I* a( b) z" a+ \3 H) A; x/ V! t
[正] Tastes differ.2 _. _1 B' l- b4 L: P# _
注：Tastes differ/vary .是句英语谚语，除此以外，原句还可翻译成 No dish suits all tastes.或 You can never make everyone happy. 等。此外，我们还可以这样说：One man's meat is another man's poison. 总之，应采取意译。" V! q% X$ @5 I' S) V5 u
3.他一向嘴硬，从不认错。
4 I. S; v$ M( V- d; R: _[误] He has always got a hard mouth and never admit a fault.
$ ~! J& \5 n: \[正] He never says uncle.
1 F8 q! j% S5 x: S- r0 B# [" I, }注：say (cry) uncle: to give up or in; to surrender; to admit defeat. Mainly used by boys, as when fighting. 这句话主要是男孩们打架时的用语，当一方想制服另一方时，就用命令的口气说：“Say uncle!”这时，有的孩子为了表示不服输，就是不说。后来，say uncle 就成了“服输”的代名词，而 not say uncle 就相当于“嘴硬”了。7 f$ u D5 u- I3 V, D+ B3 }
4.老师很喜欢这个嘴甜的小姑娘。
- W* X# ]- f4 F# L9 G' g[误] The teacher likes this sweet-mouthed little girl very much.' ]2 u5 r( U9 O4 U
[正] The teacher likes this honey-lipped little girl very much.
% }2 `9 U# Y& X4 V8 r注：中国人喜欢说“嘴甜”，但 honey-lipped 更符合英美人的语言习惯。
" a. w2 y1 C; e7 @/ ^5.同学们都很讨厌他，因为他经常拍老师的马屁。* Q8 ?7 E" x5 v6 X" d [- B& U
[误] The students all dislike him because he often pats the teacher's ass.2 V: y1 D. k0 ]" r
[正] The students all dislike him because he often licks the teacher's boots.5 X) d b- W( r; a- i% |
注：以前在欧洲，臣民见到国王与王后往往要亲吻他们的靴子。后来，人们将 lick the boots 引申为“为了某种目的而讨好某人”，它与汉语的“拍马屁”含义一样。在美国英语中，“拍马屁”还有另一种说法，即 polish the apple，源于以前的学生用擦亮的苹果来讨好老师。
3 {/ }% r0 ?3 Z9 u9 f6.你听说了吗？迈克把他的女朋友给甩了。6 F* B6 W7 G, a# u; u& i
[误] Have you ever heard that Mike broke up with his girlfriend?
. A. e7 y& ?; T[正] Have you ever heard that Mike dumped his girlfriend?
3 N) @4 W& e1 z( h2 m M注：break up with sb. 虽然表示“与某人分手了”，但并没说明是谁先提出来的。而 dump 的原意指“倾倒垃圾”，用在这里则表示像倒垃圾一样地甩掉。7 D8 \* I }* h. C3 J2 H
7.我们要把祖国建设成为社会主义的现代化强国。$ L/ g3 E5 R# M' C6 T( {
[误] We will build our motherland into a socialist modern powerful country.- s/ O6 n4 s' L8 ^, k. |
[正] We will build our motherland into a modern powerful socialist country.6 d6 v# Q* N. Q( H5 F# s/ X
注：形容词作为修饰语在汉语和英语中都很常用，但使用的先后次序却有所不同。在英语中我们一般遵循“靠近原则”，即越能说明本质属性的修饰词越靠近它所修饰的名词，当从这一点看不出区别时，就靠词的长短来决定，短的在前，长的在后。原文中最能说明“国家”本质的定语是“社会主义的”，所以 socialist 要最靠近它所修饰的中心词。+ H$ a( }# \1 U* {9 a, k( Q
8.人都是这山望着那山高，对自己的现状没有满意的时候。; D( }8 `7 C0 e! \
[误] Almost all people think that the other mountain is higher than the one he's standing on. They never feel satisfied with what they've already got.
& \* A1 X0 [2 v o[正] Almost all people think that the grass is greener on the other hill. They never feel satisfied with what they've already got.
( l+ J) _* e9 W) M注：“这山望着那山高”是指人不满足于现状的心理，它在英语中已经有了现成的说法，即 the grass is greener on the other hill（他山的草更绿），因此我们借用即可，这样既方便又更有利于与西方人沟通。
9 H2 o4 d& P) j) k9.转战南北
& `7 B) l+ E& x$ C[误] fight south and north6 Q) j( _1 Q# a x
[正] fight north and south
! E) L5 M% g) m5 f$ w E注：在地理方位的表达习惯上，中英文有一定的区别。中国人习惯于先“东西”后“南北”，而且在涉及“南北”时，习惯于先说“南”，再说“北”，如：“南征北战”、“南来北往”等。而英美人与此正好相反，如“江苏在中国的东南部”英文是 Jiangsu is in the south-east of China, 而“新疆在中国的西北部”应译为 Xinjiang is in the north-west of China。
1 T. b( f( c) _2 d0 k10.这个教授教得很烂。
+ l# c' U2 m, T/ [/ M[误] The professor teaches badly.
4 u4 F, T+ W9 M8 A3 z! u/ s; H[正] The professor is so terrible.
0 ?# M- V* y& i8 ?9 Q注：有人认为第二句的意思是“这个教授很可怕”，其实不然。英语中 terrible 意思很灵活，例如：feel terrible 指身体“不舒服”； The food is terrible 则是说食物“难吃极了”。而第一句纯属中文式的表达。 |
发表于 2009-9-26 01:24:49
发表于 2009-9-26 01:33:23
