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2024年5月12日发(作者:)
The English Learner`s Guide to Chinglish 中式英语之鉴
01.有他这颗扫帚星,什么事情都办不成。
[误] With a comet like him, nothing can be accomplished.
[正] With a jinx like him, nothing can be accomplished.
注:“扫帚星”是中国人对“慧星”(comet)的俗称,因其后面象拖着的一条像扫帚一样
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。 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”。
02.萝卜青菜,各有所爱。
[误] Some prefer radish but others prefer cabbage.
[正] Tastes differ.
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. / You can nevermake everyone happy. / All things fit not allpersons. / Every
man has his hobbyhorse[liking]. / Every man[one] to his(own) taste. / It is difficult
to caterfor[to] all tastes. / It is hard to suit all tastes. / No dishsuits all tastes.
/ Some persons like to eat radishes, others prefer cabbages--people's tastes are
various. /There is no accounting for tastes. / There is no disputing
about tastes. 等。《新概念英语》第三册第23课的标题是:One man's meat is another man's
poison.
03.他一向嘴硬,从不认错。
[误] He has always got a hard mouth and never admit a fault.
[正] He never says uncle.
注:say (cry) uncle: to give up or in; to surrender; to admit defeat. Mainly used
by boys, as when fighting。
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。
04.老师很喜欢这个嘴甜的小姑娘。
[误] The teacher likes this sweet-mouthed little girl very much.
[正] The teacher likes this honey-lipped little girl very much.
注:中国人喜欢说“嘴甜”,但 honey-lipped 更符合英美人的语言习惯。
05.同学们都很讨厌他,因为他经常拍老师的马屁。
[误] The student all dislike him because he often pats the teacher's ass.
[正] The students all dislike him because he often licks the teacher's boots.
注:以前在欧洲,臣民见到国王与王后往往要葡匐到在,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,它典出以前的学生用擦亮的
苹果来讨好老师。
06.你听说了吗?迈克把他的女朋友给甩了。
[误] Have you ever heard that Mike broke up with his girlfriend.
[正] Have you ever heard that Mike dumped his girlfriend.
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。
07.我们要把祖国建设成为社会主义的现代化强国。
[误] We will build our motherland into a socialist modern powerful country.
[正] We will build our motherland into a modern powerful socialist country.
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。
08.我想要一点白酒。
[误] I'd like a little bit of white wine.
[正] I'd like a little bit of liquor.
注:汉语的“酒”可指任何酒,包括白酒、葡萄酒、啤酒,甚至米酒;但英语中则要分别用
liquor,wine,beer及rice wine表示。所以要注意,英语的wine与汉语的“酒”是有区别的,
它仅指点葡萄酒。而且 red wine 是红葡萄酒,white wine 是白葡萄酒。
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09.中华人民共和国主席
[误] Chairman of the People's Republic of China
[正] President of the People's Republic of China
注:以前,我们一直将“主席”翻译为 chairman,例如:great leader Chairman Mao(伟
大领袖毛主席)。其实“主席”与 chairman 并不等义,chairman在英语中通常指会议或某
一具体组织的负责人,它的权力和重要性不及中文的“主席”。这就是为什么1983年,在我
国《宪法》的英译单行本中开始使用 President一词,并沿用至今。另外,国内仍有不少词
典把“班/级长(学校的)”译为“class monitor”,这是“四人帮”时代的产物,那时的
“班长”是专司监管学生的,所以译作“monitor”。而“班长”的正确译文应该是“class
president”。
10.转战南北
[误] fight south and north
[正] fight north and south
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。
11.人都是这山望着那山高,对自己的现状没有满意的时候。
[误] Almost all people think that the other mountain is higher than the one he's
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