CATTI&MTI · 英译汉翻译技巧

1.It is wrong to think of Beethoven as purely a musician.

2.Had he destroyed his manuscripts, including that of the glorious Fifth Symphony, there would have remained the life-story of a man whose character was supreme in resistance of evil, and in defiance of the blows of fate.

3.Often, as his letters show, his powers of expression overflowed the bounds of the medium which he mastered.

4.He might have been a poet, and his command of language was such as might well have aroused the envy of accomplished men of letters.

5.His will, written at a time when he thought that death was very near, is a magnificent human document; probably the greatest of its kind that has ever been penned.

6.Men who possess great character as well as genius have always been sure of their worth to the world.

7.With them, a powerful natural pride takes the place of the empty conceit of the charlatan.

8.Keats knew that he would be among the world’s famous poets after his death.

9.Shakespeare expressed his foreknowledge of his own immortality.

10.There are many episodes in Beethoven’s life that illustrate this serene self-confidence of the truly great.

Had he destroyed his manuscripts, including that of the glorious Fifth Symphony, there would have remained the life-story of a man whose character was supreme in resistance of evil, and in defiance of the blows of fate.

这里的 had he destroyed…there would have remained 是一个与事实相反的虚拟语气，可用不同的表达办法，如“即便他毁了……仍然有他的”“如果当初他毁了……仍然有”都可以考虑。destroyed一词不译似乎也可以，如“就算是没有……仍然有”，但会有争议。

在正规文本中，如法律、商贸等较硬的文本，一般都保留“包括”这个词，不宜省略，就算换掉或省略这个词句子大意不变，仍应在译文中保留 including 这个词。但是在软文本中，这个 including 到底要不要保留，就应由译者根据情况决定，比如此处完全可以不用（👉就算没有他的音乐，没有那光辉灿烂的命运交响曲）。

这个语言的结构基本属于语言体系，…something, including… 已经成为一个固定结构，但结构本身没有什么意义，所以软文本中未必要遵循这个结构。比如：

1️⃣ He has traveled to many countries, including France, Japan, and Australia.（他去过很多国家，如法国、日本和澳大利亚。）

2️⃣ The package contains several items, including a user manual, a charger, and a carrying case. （包裹内有几件物品，如用户手册、充电器和携带包。）

在硬文本中，目前有一个倾向，就是尽量保留原文的结构，以期最大程度地避免语义失真，结果我们就反复不断地看到“……，包括……”这个结构。

这样的句子译者必须灵活处理，没有固定的译法。要注意的是，句子中有的词应该抓住大意，忽略细节，不必斤斤计较，如 glorious 这个词，“辉煌”也好，“气势恢宏”也罢，都可考虑。Supreme 这个词也是一样，翻译成“不同凡响”“可圈可点”都可接受，如果翻译成“打动世人”虽不算大错，但汉语的词义和 supreme 并没有直接的联系，值得商榷。

Often, as his letters show, his powers of expression overflowed the bounds of the medium which he mastered. 

原文的 the medium which he mastered 应该是指贝多芬擅长的音乐，即他总的表达能力并不局限于音乐领域，其他方面也擅长。而根据这个上下文，作者这里要强调的是语言的表达能力。

Medium和Media，补充拉丁语词源的单复数变化。

在现代英语中，media 有时可以被用作单数不可数名词。这种用法尤其常见于讨论新闻媒体或传播工具的整体概念时。虽然 media 源自拉丁语复数形式（medium 的复数），但在描述整体行业或系统时，它经常被视为单数名词。

比如：The media is often criticized for its coverage of certain events.（媒体常常因其对某些事件的报道受到批评。）

Social media has changed the way we communicate.（社交媒体改变了我们的交流方式。）

👀 ✏️ 

拉丁语词源的单复数变化。

在一些英语单词中，特别是那些来自拉丁语或希腊语的词汇，复数形式不是通过简单地在词尾加 -s 或 -es 来实现，而是遵循原语言的变化规则。

1️⃣ Medium → Media

Medium（单数）：媒介、手段。

Media（复数）：媒体、传播工具。

2️⃣ Datum → Data

Datum（单数）：数据的单个条目，或“数据点”。

Data（复数）：数据（通常作为集合名词使用）。

3️⃣ Bacterium → Bacteria

Bacterium（单数）：一种细菌。

Bacteria（复数）：细菌的复数形式，指多个细菌。

4️⃣ Curriculum → Curricula

Curriculum（单数）：课程设置或教学计划。

Curricula（复数）：多个课程或教学计划。

5️⃣ Cactus → Cacti

Cactus（单数）：仙人掌。

Cacti（复数）：多株仙人掌。

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