如何翻译名词性、定语、状语从句(二) 状语, 词性, 定语, 翻译

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35.在翻译过程中，如何处理同位语从句？　　英语的同位语从句是用以解释说明前面某一名词的内容的，也就是将这一名词的含义具体化，其地位和此名词是同等的。从句常用that或whether来引导。同位语从句常用来说明fact，theory，sense，question，conclusion，news，experience，evidence，proof，condition，law，conjecture，doubt等词的具体含义。翻译此类从句时，一般有两种处理方法：一种把从句译成一个独立的句子，并在其前加即…，这…等词，或在从句所修饰的名词之后加冒号或破折号；二是用的字把从句放在它所修饰的词之前。如：
　　经典例题163 At the end of last century，an important discovery was made that everything was built partly of electrons.
　　参考译文上世纪末有一个重要的发现，即一切东西都有一部分是由电子构成的。
　　经典例题164 The least we can get from what is mentioned above is the conclusion that the world is in constant change and motion.
　　参考译文据上所述，我们至少可以得出这样的一个结论：世界处于永恒的变化和运动中。
　　经典例题165 Is this definition quite satisfactory that a thermometer is an instrument for measuring heat and cold？
　　参考译文这一定义———温度计是测量冷热的工具———是否完美呢？
　　经典例题166 There is only a remote possibility that many other elements will be found.参考译文再发现许多新元素的可能性是不大的。
　　历年真题分析
　　经典例题167 And it is imagined by many that the operations of the common mind can be by no means compared with these processes，and that they have to be acquired by a sort of special training.（1993年）
　　结构分析：句子的框架是And it is imagined…that…，and that…。这是典型的句型It+is+p.p.（过去分词）+that clause.It是形式主语，句子真正的主语是两个并列的that引导的主语从句，由连词and连接。operation此处不能译成操作，根据上下文应译成活动，这里的processes要译成思维过程，而不能简单地理解成过程。
　　参考译文许多人以为，普通人的思维活动根本无法与科学家的思维过程相比，认为这些思维过程必须经过某种专门训练才能掌握。
　　经典例题168 Whether the Government should increase the financing of pure science at the expense of technology or vice versa（反之）often depends on the issue of which is seen as the driving force.（1994年）结构分析：句子的框架是Whether…or…often depends on…。Whether…or引导了主语从句作句子的主语，financing这里根据上下文要译成经费投入；介词结构of which is seen as the driving force是宾语the issue的后置定语，of介词结构中又包含了which引导的介词宾语从句。
　　参考译文政府究竟是以减少对技术的经费投入来增加对纯理论科学的经费投入还是相反，这往往取决于把哪一方看作是驱动的力量。
　　经典例题169 How well the predictions will be validated by later performance depends upon the amount，reliability，and appropriateness of the information used and on the skill and wisdom with which it is interpreted.（1995年）
　　结构分析：句子的框架是How…depends on…and on…。句子的主语由how引导的主语从句担任；谓语动词词组depends on后面跟了两个由and连接的并列宾语，在第二个宾语中，介词with+which引导的定语从句修饰先行词the skill and wisdom.
　　参考译文这些预测在多大程度上为后来的表现所证实，这取决于所采用信息的数量、可靠性和适宜性，以及解释这些信息的技能和才智。
　　经典例题170 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.（1999年）
　　结构分析：句子的框架是There is no agreement whether…or…。主句是There is no agreement，agreement后面紧跟了由whether引导的同位语从句作同位语；在同位语从句中，谓语动词短语refers to跟了两个由连词or连接的并列宾语：A.the concepts peculiar to historical work in general；B.the research techniques appropriate to the various branches of historical inquiry.在第一个宾语中，形容词词组peculiar to historical work和介词词组in general作后置定语修饰the concepts；在第二个宾语中同样有形容词词组appropriate to…of historical inquiry作后置定语修饰the research techniques.
　　参考译文所谓方法论是指一般的历史研究中的特有概念，还是指历史探究中各个具体领域适用的研究手段，人们对此意见不一。
　　经典例题171 Furthermore，it is obvious that the strength of a country‘s economy is directly bound up with the efficiency of its agriculture and industry，and that this in turn rests upon the efforts of scientists and technologists of all kinds.（2000年）
　　结构分析：句子的框架是Furthermore，it is obvious that…，and that…。这是典型的句型It+is+obvious+that clause.It是形式主语，真正的主语是由连词and连接的两个并列的主语从句：A.that the strength is…bound with…，B.and that this…rests upon the efforts…。第一个主语从句中的词组be bound up with是与…有关联之意；在第二个主语从句中，代词this指代前文的the efficiency of its agriculture and industry，译为效率的提高。
　　参考译文再者，显而易见的是一个国家的经济实力与其工农业生产效率密切相关，而效率的提高则又有赖于各种科技人员的努力。熟能生巧
　　经典例题172 What could be a key to jet_lag and winter blues is the hormone melatonin（褪黑激素），which is known to regulate body rhythms.
　　结构分析：句子的框架是What…is the hormone melatonin which is…。what引导了一个主语从句，而谓语部分中由which引导了非限制性定语从句修饰hormone melatonin.句中jet_lag是时差综合症，blues不能译成蓝色，而是忧郁之意。
　　参考译文能解除时差综合症和冬季忧郁症的关键是荷尔蒙褪黑激素，人们知道这种激素能够调节人体节奏。
　　经典例题173 Data presented by the American Psychiatric Association revealed that psychiatrists engaging solely in psycho_therapeutic interventions earn approximately one_third of what psychiatrists do who evaluate and medicate patients.
　　结构分析：句子的框架是Data…revealed that psychiatrists…earn one_third of…。主语部分中，过去分词短语presented by the American Psychiatric Association作主语data的后置定语；谓语动词revealed后面跟了一个that引导的宾语从句；在宾语从句中，what引导了从句作介词of的宾语，而介词宾语从句中又包括了who引导的定语从句修饰先行词psychiatrists，只不过被动词do隔开了；另外，that宾语从句中的主语后面有现在分词短语engaging solely in psycho_therapeutic interventions作后置定语。句中还有几个同根词psychiatric（形容词，心理的，精神的），psychiatrist（名词，心理医生，精神病医生），psycho_是词缀心理的。
　　参考译文美国精神病学协会呈交的数据资料显示，只采用心理治疗术的精神病医师的收入大约为结合药物疗法评估和治疗患者的精神病医师的收入的三分之一。
　　经典例题174 Whatever some psychologists may perceive as a therapeutic drawback because they are unable to offer prescriptions for psychotropic medications apparently is not recognized by the general public.
　　结构分析：句子的框架是Whatever some psychologists may perceive as…because…。is not…。关系代词whatever引导了一个主语从句，而在主语从句中，又包括because引导的原因状语从句；句中难点还有they are unable to offer prescriptions for psychotropic medications不能直译为不能够为精神类药物提供处方，而要根据上下文译成对作用于精神类药物无处方权。
　　参考译文由于心理医生对作用于精神类药物无处方权，他们可能察觉到这是治疗上的一个困难，很明显，这一点并非被公众所认可。
　　经典例题175 I went away from the symposium（专题讨论会）with a strong conviction，more intuitive than rational，that human experimental psychology，theoretical linguistics and computer simulation of cognitive processes were all pieces of larger whole，and that the future world see progressive elaboration and coordination of their shared concerns.
　　结构分析：句子的框架是I went away…with a strong conviction…，that…，and that…。句中conviction后跟了两个并列的同位语从句：A.that human experimental psychology，theoretical linguistics and computer simulation of cognitive processes were all pieces of larger whole；B.and that the future world see progressive elaboration and coordination of their shared concerns，并且被conviction的后置定语more intuitive than rational隔开，这里后置定语more intuitive than rational译成直觉多于理性的或者与其说是理性的倒不如说是更为直觉的；在第二个同位语从句中，their指代上一个同位语从句中的human experimental psychology，theoretical linguistics and computer simulation of cognitive processes；shared concerns是指共同的关注点。
　　参考译文专题讨论会后，我确立了一种与其说是理性的，倒不如说是更为直觉的信念：人类的实验心理学、理论语言学和认知过程的计算机模拟都是较大整体的组成部分；未来世界将会看到，它们共同关注的问题会进一步得到阐释和相互协调。
　　经典例题176 Yet this rush into practical applications is itself quite understandable：public policy must continually be made，and policymakers rightly feel that even tentative findings and untested theories are better guides to decision_making than no findings and no theories at all.
　　结构分析：句子的框架是Yet this rush…is…：public policy must…，and policymakers…feel that…。Yet this rush…is…是个简单句，冒号之后的两个并列句是对它的解释；在第二个并列分句中，动词feel后面跟了一个that引导的宾语从句。词组this rush into practical applications中的rush不能译成它的本意冲进，而要根据上下文转译成过多运用。
　　参考译文这种过多运用社会科学的做法也是情有可原的：由于需要不断制定政策，政策制定者认为，在制定政策的过程中，不成熟的理论和未经检验的理论要比没有理论好。
　　经典例题177 There are now31million kids in the12_to_19age group，and demographers（人口学家）predict that there will be35million teens by2010，a population bigger than even the baby boom at its peak.结构分析：句子的框架是There are…kids…，and demographers predict that…。这是一个并列复合句，在第二个并列分句中，谓语动词predict后面跟了一个that引导的宾语从句；在that宾语从句中，a population bigger than even the baby boom at its peak是35million teens的同位语。
　　参考译文12岁至19岁年龄组的孩子目前有3100万，人口学家预测，到2010年他们将达到3500万，比二战后生育高峰期出生的孩子还多。
　　经典例题178 If I ever contribute to the socialist movement，the book I sometimes dream of；I know what I shall name it：Industrial Blindness and Socialist Deafness.
　　结构分析：句子的框架是If I…，the book…；I know what I shall name it…。这是一个并列复合句，两个分句由冒号连接；第一个分句的主句是I sometimes dreamed of the book，the book前置，if引导了条件从句；第二个分句中，what引导宾语从句作动词know的宾语，冒号之后的成分是it的同位语。
　　参考译文如果要对社会主义运动做贡献，我有时梦想写一本书，我知道我将给这本书起什么名字，就叫《工业的瞎子和社会主义的聋子》。
<P　　经典例题179 P population.　　结构分析：句子的框架是The extent of…is a…matter，but it is worth noting that…。这是一个并列复合句，两个分句由but连接。在前一个分句中，that increase指的是increase in life expectancy，不可简单地译为增加，而要译成人的预期寿命的增加；在后面的分句中，it is worth doing…是值得做…，that引导的宾语从句作分词noting的宾语，the fastest_growing segment of the population是the very old的补语。
　　参考译文人的预期寿命的增加是一个非常具有推测性的问题，但值得注意的是，医学科学已经帮助非常老的人（目前规定为超过85岁的人）成为人口增长最快的部分。
　　经典例题180 Even though wealth has grown greatly in the United States，there is much concern that its distribution has become increasingly uneven，with the rich getting a great deal richer，while others are being left behind—if true，it is an unhealthy situation breeding social unrest.
　　结构分析：句子的框架是Even though wealth has grown…there is much concern that…distribution has become uneven，with…。主句是there is much concern that…，that引导了同位语从句作concern的同位语，在此同位语从句中，介词结构with…，while…中包括了while连接的并列分句，while表示对比，相当于whereas，译成而；破折号之后是总结句，这里的if true是省略句，完整的句子为if it is true.
　　参考译文虽然美国的财富大大增长，但是有许多人担心美国的财富分配已变得越来越不均衡，富人变得更富，而其他人则落在后面———这种情况如果属实，这将是一种不健康的局面，孕育着社会动乱。经典例题181It seemed almost unbelievable but what appeared to be happening was that the fault was actually being lubricated（润滑）by the injection of the fluid.
　　结构分析：句子的框架是It seemed…but what…。was that…。句子由but连接的两个并列分句构成：A.It seemed almost unbelievable；B.what appeared to be happening was that…；在第二个分句中，what引导了主语从句担任主语，that引导了表语从句。这里injection不能译成注射，根据上下文要译成注入。
　　参考译文地球内的断层正在被人们注入的液体所润滑，这几乎是难以令人相信的，但是这确实正在发生。
　　经典例题182 It is scarcely surprising，then，that education systems have for several decades past been severely criticized，partly on the ground that education prepares people to live in an already outdated society.
　　结构分析：句子的框架是It is…surprising…that education system have……been…criticized，…on the ground that…。这是典型的句型It+is+adj.+that clause.It是形式主语，真正的主语是that引导的主语从句，而主语从句又包含了that引导的同位语从句that education prepares people to live in an already outdated society作介词词组on the ground中ground的同位语，ground这里的意思是根据。参考译文那么教育体制在过去几十年中受到严厉的批评，就不那么令人感到惊讶了，批评者的部分根据是，这种教育培养人们在一种已过时的社会中生存。
　　经典例题183 There are strong grounds for thinking that the health of both individuals and societies derives from what we‘re able to put into life，rather than what we try to get out of it.
　　结构分析：句子的框架是There are…grounds for thinking that the health…derives from what…，rather than what…。介词结构for thinking…中包含了that引导的宾语从句作分词thinking的宾语；而这个宾语从句中又包含了两个并列的介词宾语从句：A.what we‘re able to put into life，B.what we try to get out of it，两个宾语从句由rather than连接。
　　参考译文至于个人和社会的健康可以以这样的理由来衡量，我们对生活能够付出多少而不是我们能向生活取得多少。
　　经典例题184 Indeed，cynical drought_relief workers are known to be placing bets as to whether the1 st nation in the world to become literally uninhabitable because of ecological catastrophe will be Mali（马里）or Mauritania（毛里塔尼亚）。
　　结构分析：句子的框架是Indeed，cynical drought_relief workers are known to be placing bet as to whether the first nation will be…or…。句子中包含了一个whether引导的名词性从句作介词词组as to的宾语。参考译文其实，据说爱冷嘲热讽的减灾人员正在打赌，他们赌的是世界上第一个由于生态破坏而造成的无人居住的国家究竟是马里还是毛里塔尼亚。
　　经典例题185 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.
　　结构分析：句子的框架是It…becomes…that，if…，there will have to be…。it是形式主语，that引导的主语从句是句子的真正主语，在that从句中，if引导了条件状语从句。
　　参考译文因此，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，做更多的指导。这个问题显得越来越重要了。
　　经典例题186 Experts are debating whether we should burden young children with mental computation，or encourage the use of calculators to relieve children of hard work and free their minds to understand math concepts.
　　结构分析：句子的框架是Experts are debating whether we should…，or encourage…。句子的主句部分是Experts are debating…，而whether…or…引导了宾语从句作谓语动词are debating的宾语。其中burden…with…是使…背上负担之意；在后半句or encourage the use of calculators to relieve children of hard work and free their minds to understand math concepts中，两个并列的不定式短语to relieve…of…和to free…to understand…作目的状语，另外，词组relieve somebody of something指减轻…。
　　参考译文我们应该用心算来增加孩子们的负担，还是应该鼓励他们使用计算器来减轻其繁重的学习任务，使他们不再费神去理解（抽象的）数学概念，专家们对此尚未达成一致。
　　经典例题187 The announcement by Boeing that it has decided to scrap plans to build a futuristic，high_speed plane called the Sonic Cruiser brings an end to one of the most imaginative—and some say quixotic—projects in recent aerospace engineering.
　　结构分析：句子的框架是The announcement…that it has decided…brings an end to…。主语the announcement后面跟了一个that引导的同位语从句，在that从句中，动词不定式短语to build…called the Sonic Cruiser作plan的后置定语，而不定式短语中的过去分词短语called the Sonic Cruiser作plane的后置定语；破折号之后的and some say是插入语。
　　参考译文波音公司宣布放弃修建一种名叫音速游艇的新潮、高速飞机的计划，这一决定使近年来航空工程中最富想像力———还有人称纯属空想的计划落了空。
　　经典例题188 If parents were prepared for this adolescent reaction，and realized that it was a sign that the child was growing up and developing valuable powers of observation and independent judgment，they would not be so hurt，and therefore would not drive the child into opposition by resenting and resisting it.
　　结构分析：句子的框架是If parents were…，and realized that…，they would not…and…。句子的主句是they would not be so hurt，and therefore would not…，里面有两个并列的谓语would not be和would not drive，在第二个谓语词组中，有介词词组by resenting and by resisting it，it指代前文中的this adolescent reaction；在if引导的状语从句中，仍然有两个并列的谓语部分were prepared for…and realized that…，在第二个谓语部分中，that引导的宾语从句作realized的宾语，that宾语从句中又包含了that引导的同位语从句that the child was growing up…and independent judgment作a sign的同位语。
　　参考译文如果做父母的对这种青少年的反应有所准备，而且认为这是一个显示出孩子正在成长、正在发展珍贵的观察力和独立的判断力的标志，他们就不会感到如此伤心，所以也就不会因对此有愤恨和反对的情绪而把孩子推到对立面去。
　　经典例题189 Taking his cue from Ibsen‘s A Doll’s House，in which the heroine，Nora，leaves home because she resents her husband‘s treating her like a child，the writer Luxun warned that Nora would need money to support herself；she must have economic rights to survive.
　　结构分析：句子的框架是Taking…，the writer Luxun warned that…。句子开头现在分词短语taking his cue from…like a child作状语，在此短语中，in which引导的非限制性定语从句修饰先行词Ibsen‘s A Doll’s House，而非限制性定语从句中又包含了because引导的原因状语从句；主语部分中，that引导的宾语从句作动词warned的宾语，宾语从句中有两个并列分句由分号隔开。
　　参考译文易卜生的剧作《玩偶之家》中的女主人公娜拉离家出走，因为她憎恶她的丈夫像对待孩子一样来对待她。作家鲁迅从中得到启示，从而告诫人们娜拉需要钱来养活自己，她要生存就必须有经济上的权利。
　　经典例题190 A religious sect that contends that space travelers created the human race by cloning themselves declared Friday that the first cloned human had been born，but it offered few details and no evidence to support the claim.
　　结构分析：句子的框架是A religious sect…declared…that…，but it offered…。这个句子中，由but连接了两个并列分句。在前一个分句中，由that引导的定语从句that contends that…by cloning themselves修饰先行词a religious sect，而定语从句中又包含了that引导的宾语从句作动词contends的宾语。参考译文一个宣称人类是由外星人克隆而成的邪教组织于星期五宣布第一个克隆人已出生，但它没有谈及过多细节，也没有提供任何证据。
　　经典例题191 Former Vice President Gore‘s announcement that he will not run for the White House in2004transforms the Democratic nomination contest from a referendum on the last nominee into a wide_open fight for the right to challenge President George W.Bush.
　　结构分析：句子的框架是Former Vice President Gore‘s announcement…transforms…from…into…。主语部分中that引导的同位语从句作announcement的同位语，词组transform something from…into…是把…转变成…之意。
　　参考译文前副总统戈尔宣布他不参加2004年的白宫竞选之后，民主党的提名竞选从对最终提名者的民意调查转向了一场大争斗，各方人士纷纷争夺挑战布什总统的竞选权