大学英语四级翻译第1课学习
大学英语四级翻译第1课学习
Directions: For this part, you are allowed 30 minutes to translate a passage from Chinese into English. You should write your answer on Answer Sheet 2.
从前有个农夫嫌他种的禾苗长得慢，就到地里把禾苗一株株地拔高了一点。回家后他对 家人说：“今天可真把我累坏了！但我总算让禾苗一下子长高了。“他儿子到地里去一看，禾 苗都已死光了。
现在有些家长急于让孩子成功，往往步那个农夫的后尘，搞得孩子苦不堪言，却不见孩 子学业长进。这样的家长是否该对这个问题有所醒悟，让孩子自然成长呢？
There was once a peasant who was unhappy about the slow growth of his seedlings.So he went to the field and pulled up them a bit one by one.After getting back home,he told his family, “I am really tired out today! But I finally made those young crops grow taller all at once.” On hearing this, his son hurried to the field, only to find that the crops were all dead.
At present, some. Parents are so eager for their children's success that they tend to follow the example of the peasant,making their children suffer a lot yet seeing no academic progress. Should these parents wake up to this problem and let their children grow up in a natural way?
1 . 第一句可以拆分为两个句子，分别翻译:先用There was once...结构翻译第一个分句“从前有……”，后 接 who引导的定语从句，说明农夫为什么要拔苗助长;再用So表明与第一分句的因果逻辑关系，”一株株地拔高了一点”可以译为pulled up them a bit one by one. 在本句中,“禾苗”一词出现两次,可以把第二个“禾苗”翻译为them,以避免重复，达到词汇多样化的效果。
2 . 第二句包含直接引语，注意英语中冒号和引号一般不连用，应该是逗号接引号 。”今天可真把我累坏了!”是典型的汉语无主句现象，可以用I 作主语，也可以用感叹句“What a tiring day I have today!”。第二个直接引语前要用表示转折意义的连词but或副词however」让禾苗一下子长高了”可以直接译为 made those young crops grow taller all at once,同样,这里的“禾苗”也可以译为更为口语化的表达young crops,避免了词汇重复。
3 . 第三句承接上句,本句的翻译可以增加On hearing this,使上下文衔接更为紧密。“到地里”译 为 hurried to the field体现出急迫的心情，更为生动。“一看，禾苗都已死光了”强调结果，可以选用only to discover/find that...结构来翻译，“禾苗都已死光了”可译为the crops were all dead/all the crops died out.
4 . 第四句句子较长,需要理清逻辑关系,还要注意时态由第一段的一般过去时转换为一般现在时。分析主干，可 以用 so. . .that结构翻译,后面两个分句用现在分词短语作状语的形式进行处理。“搞得孩子苦不堪言”可以翻译为making their children suffer a lot,其中“苦不堪言”为成语，汉语中的成语或
四字格结构是翻译的一大难点，通常是译出其基本意义即可。
5 . 第五句用设问句指出对孩子“拔苗助长”的家长应该如何做。根据本句的句子类型，将情态动词 should置于句首，用并列连词and连接谓语动词，即wake up to this problem and let their children grow in a natural way.
话题词汇
in ancient times 在古时候
rack one’s brains 绞尽脑汁
hit upon an idea想出一个主意
with great satisfaction 心满意足
farmland 农田
turn out结果是
shrivel up 枯萎
moral寓意
