IV. 科技英译汉长复合句的翻译方法
科技英语用词严谨、结构严密、逻辑性强,故科技英语的长复合句较多。科技英译汉的基本要领:一是要分开长句成简单句;二是要遵从英汉两种语言的不同表达方式,即英语习惯用复合长句表达复杂句,而汉语则习惯用若干短句按主次顺序层次分明地表达复杂句;三是要综合利用科技翻译技巧——顺序翻译、移序翻译以及分句翻译。以下分别介绍这三种科技英译汉技巧。
(1)顺序翻译(用于英汉语序相同时)
翻译长句时,主要注意定语从句和状语从句,有些不必改动语序。
1)Our bodies are quite capable of dealing with harmful bacteria, as long as there are not too many of them, but when, owing to their number or our weakness, one kind gets a footing in our blood, we become ill. 只要有害菌不太多,我们的身体处理有害菌的能力还是很强的。但当有害菌太多或我们身体太弱时,只要有一种有害菌寄生在我们的血液里,我们就会生病。
2)Applied science, on the other hand, is directly concerned with application of the working laws of pure science to the practical affairs of life, and to increasing man’s control over his environment, thus leading to the development of new techniques, processes and machines. 另一方面,应用科学直接关系到理论科学的作用定律在生活实践中的应用,并且也与日益增长的人类对环境控制的应用有关,因此导致了新技术、新工艺以及新机器的研发。
3)We are finally led to the conclusion that if the resistance of the floor could be entirely removed any horizontal force could start the box moving and once started it would continue to move indefinitely unless a force were exerted to stop it. 我们终于导出了这样的结论:假设地板阻力可以被完全去掉,则任何水平力都可以引发这个放在地板上的盒子移动;而一旦它开始运动,就会无休止地运动下去,除非施加一个外力,方可使其停止。
(2)移序翻译(用于英汉语序不同时)
英语的定语从句后置,汉语则前置;英语的状语从句前置或后置,汉语则一般前置。故在英译汉对应句的语序不同时,则须移序翻译。
1)You must fix mind the symbols and formulas, definitions and laws of physics, no matter how complex they may be, when you come in contact with them, in order that you may understand the subject better and lay a solid foundation for further study. 当你接触到物理学的符号、公式、定义以及定律时,无论有多么复杂,你都必须将其牢记在心,以便更好地理解这门学科,为进一步的学习奠定坚实的基础。
2)They all know that through the 1920s and 30s demand continued to grow, especially for gasoline which would have been difficult to supply in the quantities required if it had not been for improvements in refining methods and the introduction of cracking. 众所周知,在整个二十世纪二十至三十年代期间,汽油的需求量格外持续增长。若不是改进了精炼石油的方法以及引进了石油裂解法,则汽油的供应量是很难满足需求的。
3)There are three things we have to know about every force in order to be able to understand the effect it produced. 我们必须了解影响每种力的三项因素,以便能够理解每种力所产生的作用效果。
(3)分句翻译(用于多重语意的复杂英语句)
1)Manufacturing processes may be classified as unit production with small quantities being made and mass production with large numbers of identical parts being produced. 制造工艺可被分类为单元生产和大规模生产。单元生产就是少量的单件生产,大规模生产就是大量生产同类型零部件。
2)The purpose of this article is to describe the various electromagnetic effects of a nuclear explosion in the language commonly used by those working in the area of nuclear weapon effects. 这篇文章的目的是描述核爆炸中的各种电磁效应。文章是以通常用于核武器作用领域专业人员所用术语进行描述的。
3) Then we may speak of anything whose electric potential is higher than that of earth as being positive, and of anything whose electric potential is less than that of the earth as being negative. 那么我们就可以说,其电位高于地球电位的任何物体都带正电,而电位低于地球电位的任何物体都带负电。(任何物体的电位都可以高于或低于地球电位。那么,我们就可以称前者带正电,后者带负电。)
4)Stem cells,which can proliferate (繁殖)without limit and morph into any kind of human tissue,offer hope to patients with currently incurable diseases.Although so far the cells have helped only lab animals,one day they may supply healthy pancreatic cells to diabetics,for instance,as well as new neurons to Parkinson’s victims and new heart cells to cardiac patients.干细胞能够无限自我复制,还能变形为人体的任何组织,因此给当今不治之症患者带来了希望。虽然迄今为止干细胞的受惠者仅限于实验室动物,但有朝一日干细胞可能会,比方说,为糖尿病患者提供健康的胰细胞,为帕金森氏病患者提供新的神经元,还可能会为心脏病患者提供新的心脏细胞。
5)All of the sciences overlap extensively with chemistry: they depend upon it and, in large measure, are based upon it. 所有的科学都与化学广泛交叉,即所有的科学都依赖于化学,且在很大程度上基于化学。
6)By that I mean that chemistry is really a part of all of the natural sciences, and a person cannot go very far in any science without some knowledge of chemistry. 我说这番话的意思是,化学是所有自然科学中不可或缺的一部分,一个人若没有一些化学知识,则在任何科学领域都不会取得很大的成就。
7)It would be possible to be a chemist without much knowledge of astronomy or physiology, but certainly, one could not make great progress in astronomy or physiology without some understanding of chemistry. 一个人没有多少天文学或生理学知识,也有可能成为一名化学家;但一个人若不懂化学,则不可能在天文学或生理学领域取得很大的研究进展。
8)Chemistry is concerned with the composition of matter and the changes in composition which matter undergoes — in brief, chemistry is the science of matter. 化学是“有关物质的组成以及物质所经历的组成变化”的一门科学,简言之,化学就是关于物质的科学。
9)Physics is concerned chiefly with energy and with the interactions of matter and energy, including energy in such forms as heat, light, sound, electricity, mechanical energy, and nuclear energy. 物理主要是有关能量以及物质与能量相互作用的一门科学。其中,能量形式包括:热、光、声、电、机械能以及核能。
10)All changes in the composition of matter either release or absorb energy and for this reason the relationship between chemistry and physics is a most intimate one. 所有的物质在组成方面的变化都表现为释放能量或吸收能量。正是由于这个原因,化学与物理是具有关系非常密切的两门学科。
11)For example, if you pour vinegar on baking soda in a glass vessel, you will see bubbles of gas escaping and the liquid will become warm as energy is released. 例如,如果你把醋倒在一个玻璃容器中的小苏打粉上,你就会看到有气泡逸出,并且此时的混合液体会随着这个化学变化释放出能量而发热。
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