英汉翻译的不同

English-Chinses Translation

09英语1班

陈宇

200915310133

Qinggong College

Hebei United University

October , 2011

The Comparison between English and Chinese

I. Synthetic VS Analytic

A synthetic language is characterized by frequent and systematic use of inflected forms to express grammatical relationships.

An analytic language is marked by a relatively frequent use of functions words, auxiliary verbs, and charges in word order to express syntactic relations, rather than of inflected forms.

English is a synthetic-analytic language.

Chinese is a typical analytic language.

1. In English nouns, pronouns, and verbs are inflected, Chinese is non-inflectional. The above grammatical meanings are mostly implied in contexts or between the lines.

The English inflection, though few in numbers, are an integral and essential part of the language. The excessive frequency of these forms gives them great morphological weight. We cannot but accept Sayce’s dictum, “once inflectional, always inflectional”. Hence, while English appears as almost uninflectional when compared with such a language as Latin, it appears in the opposite light when compared with an isolating language such as Chinese.

2. Word order in English is not so rigid as in Chinese. More ways of inversion, grammatical or rhetorical are often seen in English.

The flexible word order in English is mainly the result of the grammatical concord of words in the sentence which is achieved by inflection.

When expressing temporal or logical sequences, English may make full use of inflections and function words to make its word order flexible, while Chinese, with the help of function words, arranges its word order according to certain rules of temporal or logical sequences.

3. English functions words include the articles, prepositions, auxiliary verbs,

coordinators and subordinators, while Chinese function words include particles, connectives, and prepositions. Each has its own features in the use of these words.

Chinese is rich in particles, which can be classified into aspect particles, structural particles, and emotional particles. The frequent use of Chinese particles is a hard nut for foreign learners of Chinese.

Eg. 这回我可亲眼看见啦！ This time I’ve actually seen it for myself.

English has a large number of prepositions and prepositional phrases which are often in use, which Chinese has a few prepositions which are mostly “borrowed” from their corresponding verbs. A conversion of English perversion of English prepositions into Chinese verbs is often necessary.

Eg. Peter drew his knife on the robber. 彼得拔刀向那个强盗砍去。

4. English frequently uses its various connectives, coordinating or subordinating, including conjunctive and relative pronouns or adverbs, such as who, whose, that, what, which, when, where, why, and how. Chinese has no such kind of conjunctives and relatives, and other connectives are not often used, except in formal writings.

Eg. Practically all substances expand when heated and contract when cooled. 几乎所有的物质都是热胀冷缩的。

English is an intonation language while Chinese is a tone language. One of the important features in modern Chinese is the predominance of disyllables and quadrisyllables over monosyllables and trisyllables. As a result, reduplication of characters, repetition of words, four-character expressions, and parallelism of syllables, words, phrases, and sentence structures have popular Chinese grammatical and rhetorical devices.

II. Rigid VS Supple

English subject-predicate structure appears rigid as a result of certain grammatical bonds, including the patternization and the principles of grammatical and notional concord.

Chinese, however, is relatively free from the government of S-V concord and formal markers. The subject-predicate structure is usually varied, flexible, and therefore complicated and supple.

Eg. The article has been translated.

文章翻译完了。

More ambiguity can be found in Chinese due to the lack of connectives, inflections and other grammatical markers.

1. 他欠你的钱（他+欠你钱/他欠你的+钱）

2. 准备了两年的食物（准备了两年的+食物/准备了+两年的食物）

III. Hypotactic VS Paratactic

Hypotaxis is the dependent or subordinate construction or relationship of clauses with connectives, for example, I shall despair if you don’t come. English sentence building is featured by hypotaxis.

Parataxis is the arranging of clauses one after the other without connectives showing the relations between them, for example, The rain fell; the river flooded; the house washed away. Chinese sentence building is featured by parataxis.

To clarify the relations between words, phrases or clauses, English more often resorts to overt cohesion, frequently using various cohesive ties such as relatives, connectives, prepositions, and some others.

Eg. All was cleared up some time later when news came from a distant place that an earthquake was felt the very day the little copper ball fell. 过了一些时候，从远方传来了消息：在小铜球坠落的当天，确实发生了地震。这一切终于得到了澄清！

By contrast, Chinese more frequently relies on covert coherence and context, focusing on temporal or logical sequences. Instead of using various cohesive ties such as relatives, connectives and prepositions as in English, Chinese more often resorts to word order, contracted sentences, four-character expressions, and some grammatical or rhetorical devices such as repetitions, antithesis, and parallelism.

Compare English with Chinese.

Eg. 人若不犯我，我则不犯人。

We will not attack unless we are attacked.

IV. Complex VS Simplex

English sentence-building is characterized by an “architecture style” with extensive use of longer or subordinate structure , while Chinese, a “chronicle style” with frequent use of shorter or composite structures. In a word, English sentences are often complex while Chinese sentences are often simplex.

Eg. In the doorway lay at least twelve umbrellas of all sizes and colors. 门口放着一堆雨伞，少说也有十二把，五颜六色，大小不一。

V. Impersonal VS Personal

1. Formal written English often goes with an impersonal style. Chinese by contrast, prefer to use a personal style. Compare English with Chinese:

Eg. It has been noted with concern that the stock of books in the library has been declining alarmingly. Students are asked to remind themselves of the rules for the borrowing and return of books, and to bear in mind the needs of other students. Penalties for overdue books will in the future be strictly enforced.

近来已注意到本馆存书惊人地减少，此时令人关切。先要求学生不要忘记借书还书规则，并考虑其他学生的需要。今后凡借书逾期不还者，必将严格按章处罚。

2. As a result of the above difference, the conversation of English passives into Chinese actives is often employed in translation:

(1) An idea suddenly struck me. 我突然想到了一个主意。

（2）A strange peace came over her when she was alone. 她独处时便感到一种特殊的安宁。

VI. Passive VS Active

Passive of various forms are frequently used in English.

By contrast, active forms, including those in passive sense, are often used in Chinese.

Chinese generally prefers to use active forms: besides, there are many other ways to denote passive sense which is usually expressed in the English passive forms. For example:

(1) Notional passives: 一匹马能骑两个人。 Two persons rode on one horse.

(2) Subjectless or subject-omitted sentences when the subject is self-evident, unknown or implied in the context. 要制造飞机，就必须仔细考虑空气阻力的问题。 Air

resistance must be given careful consideration when the aircraft is to be manufactured.

(3) Using generic persons as subjects: 人们普遍认为…… It is generally considered that……

(4) Using “executive forms”: 凡是做工，都是把能从一种形式转换成另一种形式。 Whenever work is being done, energy is being converted from one form into another.

VII. Static VS Dynamic

1. English makes more use of nouns, adjectives, and prepositions, and is therefore more static. Conversely, Chinese often employs verbs, adverbs, verbal phrases, repetition, and reduplication of verbs, and is therefore more dynamic. Compare the English sentences with the Chinese versions:

The doctor’s extremely quick arrival and uncommonly careful examination of the patient brought about his very speedy recovery. 医生迅速到达，并非常仔细地检查了病人，因此病人很快就康复了。

2. As a result of the above differences, the conversion of the English nominal style into the Chinese verbal style, e.g. English nouns converted into Chinese verbs, adjectives into adverbs, prepositions into verbs, etc., is often employed in translation:

（1） He is a good eater and a good sleeper. 他能吃能睡。

（2） I used to be a bit of a fancier myself. 过去我常常有电喜欢胡思乱想。

VIII. Abstract VS Concrete

1. In English, nominalization often results in abstraction. By contrast, Chinese prefers to use concrete or specific words and employs a “down-to-earth style”, expressing abstract ideas often by metaphors, similes, allegories, or other devices for making a thing plain.

Eg. He waited for her arrival with a frenzied agitation.

他等着她来，急的像热锅上的蚂蚁！

2. As a result of the above differences, the conversation of English abstract words into Chinese concrete words, figurative expressions or verbs is often employed in translation.

Eg. He had surfaced with less visibility in the policy decisions.

在决策过程中，他已经不那么抛头露面了。

IX. Indirect VS Direct

The wider use of such devices as euphemism, understatement, litotes, indirect

negation, periphrasis as well as the impersonal style and abstract diction makes English more indirect than Chinese.

1. Euphemism

Compared with Chinese, English euphemism is widely used in all kinds of subjects, covering taboo, privacy, and other different aspects of social life, such as religion, birth, death, sex, love, age, disease, money, poverty, crime, profession, commerce, advertisement, education, politics, economy, war, diplomacy, etc,.e.g.

(1) sanitary engineer 垃圾清洁工

(2) We have entered upon a period of uncertainty involving fairly high mobilization. 我们现在正在就行一场内战。

2. Understatement

A statement which is not strong enough to express the full of true facts or feelings i.e. makes big things seem trifle, particularly common in English, is known as understatement.

An Englishman will say “I have a little house in the country”; when he invites you to stay with him you will discover that the little house is a place with 300 bedrooms.

3. Litotes

Litotes is a way of expressing a thought by its opposite, esp. with “not” as in “not bad”, and “no” as in “no small”, “no easy”. Chinese has similar litotes as “ 未尝不可”，“难免错误”，“不虚此行”，and “不无遗憾”，but prefers to use direct affirmatives for the English litotes.

To my no small astonishment, I found the house on fire.

我发现房子着了火，这让我大吃一惊。

4. Indirect Negation

A strange feature of the syntax of subordination in colloquial English is the transfer of the negative form a subordinate that-clause, where semantically it belongs, to the main clause, e.g. “I don’t think he will come” instead of “I think he will not come”. Chinese prefers direct negation “我想他不回来” instead of “我不想他会来”.

We don’t believe that the two boxers are very well-matched.

我们相信两个拳击手并非是势均力敌。

Other ways of using affirmative forms to express negative meanings are often found in implied subjunctive, disjunctive questions, ellipsis, swearwords, and ironical idioms.

You could have come at a better time.

你来的不是时候。

5. Tactful Implication

English speakers are often careful not to cause offence or upset people in their expressions, which leave gaps in the development of thoughts.

It can be worse. 还可以/还过得去/还算不怎么坏/凑合凑合吧

6. Periphrasis

Periphrasis or circumlocution is the roundabout expression in speaking or writing, e.g. the use of long or many words, phrases, or unclear expressions when short simple ones are all that is needed. Chinese generally prefers to be straightforward.

In London there reigns a complete absence of really reliable news.

伦敦没有可靠的消息。

Compared with English, Chinese has been indirect modes of expression as the above, but other means such as polite expressions and self-depreciatory expressions are often used, especially in classical or early Chinese:

贵姓 your name 拜访 call on

XI. Substitutive VS Repetitive

Repetition of words in English is generally more or less abnormal and objectionable except that it is rhetorical or significant. To avoid repetition, English often employs substitution, ellipsis, variation, and some other devices.

1. Substitution

English generally uses pro-forms or substitutes to avoid repletion, while Chinese often repeats the same words or clauses substituted.

2. English usually leaves out the same words from a sentence to avoid repetition, while Chinese often repeats the same words.

3. English often uses synonyms or near-synonyms, superordinates, hyponyms or general words to avoid repetition, while Chinese usually repeats the same words.

4. Chinese often employs various patterns of character-reduplication for rhetorical or other purpose, while English has much less this kind of device.

5. Compared with English repetition that is generally rhetorical, Chinese repetition of words or meanings is rhetorical or grammatical, and is much more frequent.

6. Chinese antithesis consists of two balanced structures that are matched in

sound and sense; parallelism uses three or more parallel phrases or sentences of relevant meanings and similar structures. In writing and speaking, these two rhetorical devices are much more used in Chinese than in English.

Translation Strategies

1. Literal Translation

Literal translation, also called word-for-word translation, is ideally the segmentation of the source language text into individual words and target language rendering of those word-segments one at a time. This ideal is often literally impossible.

2．Free Translation

Free translation, also known as sense-for sense translation, emphasizes transfer of the meaning or “spirit” of a source text over accurate reproduction of the original wording.

3. Foreignizing Translation

Foreignization----This method is “an ethnodeviant pressure on

target-language cultural values to register the linguistic and cultural difference of the foreign text, sending the reader abroad” to have alien reading experience.

4. Domesticating Translation

Domestication----This method is “an ethnocentric reduction of the foreign text to target-language cultural values, bringing the author back home.