第一篇:专业英语刘宇红第八章后置定语的译法讲稿
第八章后置定语的译法讲稿
修饰名词或代词的词、短语或从句,称为定语。可作定语的有:介词短语、形容词、代词、数词、名词、非限定动词、副词、同位语和从句等。按定语所处的位置又可将定语分为前置定语和后置定语。所谓前置定语,即定语位于它所修饰的成分之前。前置定语一般较短,因而较简单。
8.1 介词短语作后置定语
直接将后置定语放在先行词的前面翻译
1.In general, ethers are good solvents for fats, waxes and resins.醚通常是脂肪、蜡和树脂的良好溶剂。
2.The gas from coke ovens is washed with water to remove ammonia.焦炉煤气用水洗涤可除去氨。
3.The presence of a substituent group in benzene exerts a profound control over both orientation and the ease of introduction of the entering substituent.苯环上取代基的存在对引入基团的方位及难易程度具有很强的控制作用。4.The hydrogen atom of/on the benzene ring is not easily to be substituted.苯环上的氢原子很难被取代。8.2 形容词(或其短语)作后置定语
1.Hydrocarbons that do not contain the maximum number of hydrogen atoms possible are called unsaturated hydrocarbons.不含有最大可能氢原于数的烃叫不饱和烃。(不含有最大氢原子数的烃可能叫不饱和烃。)2.Acetylene is hydrocarbon especially high in heat
value.乙炔是热值特别高的烃。
3.An engineer has to know the properties of the materials available.工程师必须了解所用的各种材料的性能。
4.All of the carbon-carbon bonds in benzene are alike and have properties intermediate between those of a single and a double bond.苯中所有的碳-碳键都一样,具有介乎单键和双键之间的性质。8.3 非限定动词(动词不定式、现在分词、过去分词)作后置定语
1.Man was not the first living thing to communicate through the use of sound. 第一个用声音进行联络的生物并不是人。
2.California has a statewide plan to balance the distribution of water. 加利福尼亚有一个在全州范围内使水的分配平衡的计划。
3.It is this nitronium ion that reacts with the hydrocarbon being nitrated. 就是这个硝鎓离子与要被硝化的烃反应。
4.The functional group of a ketone consists of a carbon atom connected by a double bond to an oxygen atom.
5.酮的官能团是由一个通过双键与氧原子相连的碳原子组成的。
The homologs of benzene are those containing an alkyl group or alkyl groups in place of one or more hydrogen atoms.苯的同系物是含有单烷基(取代一个氢)或多烷基(取代多个氢)的物质。
6.This discovery explains the diminished unsaturation property shown by the ring structure.这个发现解释了由环形结构所体现的不饱和性降低的原因。8.4 定语从句作后置定语
定语从句包括限制性定语从句和非限制性定语从句两种。由关系代词(that,which,who,whom,whose,but,as)或关系副词(where, when, why,as, wherein, whereon)引导。同被动语态一样,定语从句在科技英语中出现的频率很高。
定语从句不翻译时,根据定语从句的不同结构和不同含义,可采用不同的译法:分译法或合译法。
定语从句除译作“„„的”外,还有许多翻译技巧和方法。概括起来主要有以下几种: 8.4.1 合译法 所谓合译法,就是把从句融合于主句中,把定语从句置于所修饰的名词前,译成汉语的单句。1.翻译成定语
凡是结构比较简单,在逻辑上对先行词有明确的限制和确定作用的定语从句,如果翻译时置于所修饰的名词前不影响意思表达而且符合汉语表达习惯的,一般译成“„„的”,置于被修饰的词之前。
1.One may already have some idea of the material with which organic chemistry deals, but he may not know the extent to which organic chemistry touches on our life.也许有人已经对有机化学所涉及的物质有所了解,但是他可能并不知道有机化学触及我们日常生活已经达到什么样的程度。
2)Of all the forms of energy that we use, electrical energy is the most convenient.我们使用的各种能量中,电能最方便。3)When fuels burn, they return once more to the simple materials out of which they were made.燃料燃烧时,又转变成原来构成它们的那些简单的物质。2.翻译成谓语
有些定语从句是全句的中心,如要突出从句的内容,汉译时,可将从句顺序译成简单句中的谓语,而把主句压缩成主语。
例:1)A semiconductor is a material that is neither a good conductor nor a good insulator.半导体材料即不是良导体,也不是好的绝缘体。
2)Strength, hardness and plasticity of metals are the properties that make them so useful for industry.金属的强度,硬度和可塑性等性能使得它们在工业上非常有用。
3)There are some metals which possess the power to conduct electricity and ability to be magnetized.某些金属能导电,而且能被磁化。8.4.2 分译法
如果定语从句较长,结构较复杂,或意思上独立性较强,在逻辑意义上有分层叙述及转折等作用时,一般可把定语从句译成并列句。1.译成表示同等关系的并列分句
有的定语从句,起着对先行词进一步说明的作用,往往译成并列分句,有时加译“其、它、这”等词。
例:1)An acid is a compound whose solutions can produce hydrogen ions.酸是这样一种化合物,其溶液能产生氢离子。酸是指溶液能够产生氢离子的化合物。
2)The elements themselves were changing , which was something that had always been thought impossible by all but the oldalchemists.这些元素本身也在变化,这是除了古代炼金术士以外,人们一直认为不可能的事。2.译成表示转折的并列句子
当定语从句在意思上与主句相对照或语气转折时,可译成转折句,加译 “而、但、却、可是”等。
例:1)Matter is composed of molecules that are composed of atoms.物质是由分子组成的,而分子又是由原子组成的。
2)Mild oxidation of a primary alcohol gives an aldehyde which may be further oxidized to an organic acid.伯醇的氧化生成醛,而醛能进一步氧化生成有机酸。3)Comernicus, whose theory was not made public until after his death, believed that the sun was the center of the solar system.哥白尼认为太阳是太阳系的中心,但他的理论直到他死后才发表。3.译成状语从句
当定语从句在意义上相当于表示原因、结果、目的、条件、让步等的状语从句,可译成状语从句。可加译“因为、虽然、只要、因而”等词。(1)译成原因状语从句
例:1)Iron is not as strong as steel which is an alloy of iron with some other element.铁的强度不如钢高,因为钢是铁和其他一些元素形成的合金。
The water should be free from dissolved salts which will cause deposits on the tubes and lead to overheating.水中应不含溶解盐,因为它会沉积在管壁上,导致过热。(2)译成结果状语从句
例:1)Copper, which is used to widely for carrying electricity, offers very little resistance.铜的电阻很小,所以广泛用来输电。
2)Molecules have perfect elasticity, in consequence of which they undergo no loss of energy after a collision.分子弹性很好,所以碰撞后并没有能量损失。
3)The considerable success of these studies has brought a theoretical unity to the whole field of organic chemistry which has the effect of making its principles easier to teach and to learn.这些研究的重大成就给有机化学的整个领域带来了理论上的统一,从而使有机化学原理更加容易教授和学习。
(3)译成目的状语从句 例:1)The workers oil the moving parts of these machines regularly, the friction of which may be greatly reduced.工人们定期给这些机器的传动部分加油,以便大大减小摩擦。
2)He wishes to write an article that will attract public attention to the matter.他想写一篇论文以期引起公众对这个问题的关注。(4)译成条件状语从句
例:1)For any substance whose formula is known, a mass corresponding to the formula can be computed.不管什么物质,只要知道其分子式,就能求出与分子式相应的质量。
2)Alloys, which contains a magnetic substance, generally also have a magnetic properities.金属如果含有磁性物质,一般也会具有磁性。(5)译成让步状语从句 例:1)The problem, which is very complicated, has been solved.这个问题虽然很复杂,但已经解决了。这个复杂的问题已经解决了。
2)Photographs are taken of stars, the light of which is too faint to be seen by eyes at all.虽然很多星体的光线非常微弱眼睛根本看不到,但它们的照片还是可被拍下来的。这些照片取自于一些光线非常微弱眼睛根本看不到的星球。(6)译成时间状语从句
例:1)Water, the temperature of which reaches 100℃, begins to boil.当水的温度达到100℃时,开始沸腾。
2)Electricity which is passed through the thin tungsten wire inside the bulb makes the wire very hot.电通过灯泡里的钨丝时,会使钨丝变热。
4.如果关系代词which引导的定语从句与主句之间没有明确的关系可以不译。
例:1)Live-wire operation is an advanced technique, by which wireman can repair transmission without cutting off the current.带电作业是一项先进技术,线路工人能不切断电流就修理输电线。
2)When the free electrons in a conductor move in one direction only, the current thus established is called a direct current, which is often abbreviated to DC.当导体的自由电子只以一个方向运动时,这样产生的电流叫直流电,常缩写为DC。
3)He failed the exam, as we had expected.