第三節(jié)　主語(yǔ)要選準(zhǔn)

漢語(yǔ)是一種“意合”語(yǔ)言，形式上的主謂之間并不一定能夠直接轉(zhuǎn)換為英語(yǔ)的主謂結(jié)構(gòu)，前后分句的兩個(gè)主語(yǔ)并不一定是一致的，這樣的情況便是“不能直譯”，譯成英語(yǔ)時(shí)需要仔細(xì)分析，確定“真正的”主語(yǔ)，也就是可以充當(dāng)英語(yǔ)譯文、且能“統(tǒng)帥”全句的邏輯主語(yǔ)。例如：

例16　作為一個(gè)第一次來(lái)中國(guó)的旅游者，你對(duì)中國(guó)的感受怎么樣？

D1. As the first tourist to China, what's your sense about China?

D2. What’s your opinion of China as the first tourist to China?

C1. What do you think about China as the first tourist to China?

C2. As a first tourist on your visit to China, what do you think about China?

譯文D1有三個(gè)問(wèn)題。首先是“語(yǔ)意”失誤，未能注意到英語(yǔ)the first tourist to China究竟是什么意思，僅僅是在看到“第一次來(lái)中國(guó)的旅游者”就那么寫下來(lái)了。二是“語(yǔ)法”錯(cuò)誤，亦即本節(jié)主題：沒(méi)有意識(shí)到譯文的主語(yǔ)是what，而前面的介詞短語(yǔ)的邏輯主語(yǔ)卻是the first tourist，是一個(gè)“人”。三是“your sense”的漢語(yǔ)對(duì)應(yīng)詞的確是“你對(duì)……的感受”，但問(wèn)題是英美國(guó)家的人在講到這個(gè)意思的時(shí)候并不這么講。譯文D2的問(wèn)題與D1的第一個(gè)問(wèn)題相同。兩個(gè)譯文都是簡(jiǎn)單的“直譯”，未能表達(dá)原文的基本意思。此外，D、C和B類譯文均照搬原文，將“中國(guó)”譯出了兩次。A3可以是口語(yǔ)，比如說(shuō)用于街頭采訪。

B. As a tourist who first came to China, how do you think of China?

A1. What do you think of China as a tourist who comes here for the first time?

A2. As a tourist on your first visit to China, would you leave us your comments?

A3. As a tourist on your first visit to China, certainly you have something to say?

例17　由于環(huán)境好，許多游客都到這里旅游，所以當(dāng)?shù)鼐用袷杖腩H豐，群眾生活也很富裕。

D1. Thanks to its favorable environment inviting many tourists, it enjoys good revenue which well feeds its people.

D2. Blessed with good environment, many tourists came here, which in turn brings smart revenues and makes the people much well-off.

D3. Due to its good environment, many tourists came to this place. As a result, it has enjoyed a abundant income and the living standard of its people has been high as well.

D1始終沒(méi)有明確it是指什么，D2則有雙重形式主語(yǔ)問(wèn)題，D3借助于its一詞，無(wú)論是指environment還是this place都比前兩個(gè)好一些。在提交之前再讀一遍有利于自行糾正。

C. Its favorable environment attracts many tourists. Consequently, its people enjoy a prosperous life with very high income.

B. People here enjoy prosperous life with sound incomes as a result of its good environment, which attracts many tourists.

A. The place /area /site attracts many tourists there for its agreeable environment, which has led to the considerably large revenue and therefore the easy life of its people /of the locals /of the people living there.

例18　參與北京奧運(yùn)建設(shè)為我國(guó)民族企業(yè)通過(guò)奧運(yùn)平臺(tái)走向世界創(chuàng)造了難得的歷史機(jī)遇。

B1. Participating in the construction of the Beijing Olympic Games has created rare opportunities for our national enterprises to go to the world by way of the Olympic platform.

B2. The Beijing Olympic Games offered a rare opportunity for national enterprises to launch themselves.

譯文B1是特意請(qǐng)一位學(xué)生譯的，要求她按照原文的句型直譯。她完成得很好。譯文B2是奧組委官方網(wǎng)站（Beijing takes on an international look as Olympics approaches, News > Olympic Dynamics > Headlines, Updated: 2007-11-21, Copyright The Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad, BEIJING, November 21）上的版本，可以看出改變了切入角度，特征是用The Beijing Olympic Games 做譯文的主語(yǔ)，簡(jiǎn)化了結(jié)構(gòu)，譯文簡(jiǎn)潔明了，清爽好懂。

A1. Many Chinese companies launched themselves onto the world market by taking opportunities the Beijing Olympic Games provided.

A2. Many Chinese companies had a rare exposure to the global market by taking some building contracts of the Beijing Olympic Games.

兩個(gè)A類譯文為筆者提供，可以看出采用了第三種角度，即請(qǐng)出Chinese companies作為主語(yǔ)；同時(shí)，注意到原文句中“參與奧運(yùn)建設(shè)”與“通過(guò)奧運(yùn)平臺(tái)”語(yǔ)義相似，形成了復(fù)指關(guān)系，因而可以減詞略寫（請(qǐng)見(jiàn)第十五章）。這么做的好處是連同謂語(yǔ) （launched themselves onto the world market 和had a rare exposure to the global market）構(gòu)成了本句的語(yǔ)義重心，然后利用by taking …這樣的典型的英語(yǔ)短語(yǔ)形式，將原文的主語(yǔ)部分改變?yōu)闋钫Z(yǔ)成分。

如此一來(lái)，譯文有主有次，層次分明，更為重要的好處尚有三個(gè)：一是Chinese companies launched themselves（或had a rare exposure）說(shuō)明了事實(shí)，而兩個(gè)B類譯文是某種靜態(tài)描述，僅僅交待了背景。中國(guó)企業(yè)是否那么做了呢？看不出來(lái)。二是譯文B1的participating in …，的確是翻譯了“參與”，只是語(yǔ)意不夠具體，正如pay attention to用于翻譯“重視”一樣，而A類譯文調(diào)整了句型，化解了這個(gè)問(wèn)題，還突出了語(yǔ)義重心。三是借助于A類譯法，全句形成了段落的主題句，與后面的句子更為連貫協(xié)調(diào)。

從本節(jié)的主題來(lái)講，這里最想提醒的一點(diǎn)是：落筆寫下第一個(gè)英語(yǔ)單詞之際，選擇譯文的主語(yǔ)構(gòu)成了“技術(shù)含量”極高的再創(chuàng)造訣竅，表現(xiàn)為切入角度的比較和選擇。

例19　你認(rèn)為中國(guó)醫(yī)療保險(xiǎn)系統(tǒng)是否應(yīng)該包括中醫(yī)藥？

C.　Do you think the Chinese medical insurance system should cover Chinese traditional drugs?

A1. Should the Chinese medical insurance system, do you think, cover Traditional Chinese Medicine?

A2. Should herbal drugs and treatment in the traditional Chinese medicine be covered in the national medicare insurance?

A3. What do you think of the proposal that the herbal medicine and traditional treatment be covered in the national medicare insurance?

例20　我們?cè)诟犊罘绞椒矫嬉炎龀鲎尣?，?duì)貴公司已是非常有利了。

D1. We have made some concession on the mode of payment, that’s good for your company.

D2. We have aldy made concessions in payment method, that has been very beneficialto your company.

C1. We have already made a huge step-back on the method of payment, and it has already be very favorable for your company.

C2. It is advantage for your company that we have made concessions in payment method.

譯文D1和D2都是“溶合句”，有關(guān)解釋請(qǐng)見(jiàn)第九章例17項(xiàng)下。

A1. We have compromised in the method of paying, which is beneficial to your company.

A2. The concessions in payment we already made would be quite beneficial to your company.