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韩刚专栏| 让四级考生闻之色变、痛不欲生的“都江堰”

2021-12-22 9549

#韩刚翻译#翻译诊聊室周记——让四级考生闻之色变、痛不欲生的“都江堰”


本文为韩刚老师原创

译文和分析均属韩刚老师的分享

未经允许,不得私自转发!

如有侵权,将会追究法律责任!


12月18日,

2021年下半年四六级开考,

翻译题让不少考生直呼好难。

都江堰”“大运河”你会翻译吗?“

坎儿井”又怎么解释?

其中,“都江堰四级”话题词登上热搜。

如果说“都江堰”“大运河”对于有充分准备的同学来说,

只算小挑战的话,

“坎儿井”相关的翻译可以说让很多同学都无从下手。

有网友还分享了自己急中生智、随机应变给出的答案。


其实,简单回顾下近些年大学英语四六级考试的翻译试题部分,就会发现考题与我国历史文化、发展成就越来越紧密相关,很多“中国特色”关键词频频出现在考题中。例如,2020年12月英语四级翻译的题目就包括了春节团圆饭和南北方饮食差异。


考试题目是一个指南针,提示各位四六级考生,平时要有意识地主动了解、学习并运用相关中文词汇的外文表达。四六级考试中的翻译题目出题目的不是为了难倒大家,而是让大家真正做到学以致用,让大家真正成为中国文化传统的传播者,为夯实中国的文化软实力尽一份力。


今天我们就以都江堰这个考试题目来剖析一下到底该怎么应对考试,好的译文又是怎么产生的


图源:微博截图


18日中午,青城山都江堰景区官方微博也发文回应:“同学们都把都江堰翻译出来了吗考完试一起来都江堰散散心吧~”


图源:微博截图


以下是考试原文:


都江堰坐落在成都平原西部的岷江上,据成都市约50公里,始建于公元前三世纪。它的独特之处在于无需用堤坝调控水流。两千多年来,都江堰一直有效地发挥防洪与灌溉的作用,使成都平原成为旱涝保收的沃土和中国最重要的粮食产地之一。都江堰工程体现我国人民与自然和谐共存的智慧,是全世界年代最久,仍在使用,无坝控水的水利工程。



我们逐句来剖析题目

01
第一句


都江堰坐落在成都平原西部的岷江上,据成都市约50公里,始建于公元前三世纪。


本句信息都属于事实背景类信息,“地点和时间”。很多同学会机械地对应为“...and...”,这样只能得到基本分。到底该如何处理呢?一般会将其中一个信息作为附属信息放在分词结构中,将另一个作为主句。此外,中文信息一般是“前面次要后面主要”,即,“前轻后重”,所以,一般会将最后出现的信息作为主干信息。这样一来,“始建于公元前三世纪”就可以作为主句,前面的地点类信息以分词结构或者从句的形式出现。示范如下:


  1. Sitting across/Located in the Min River in the west of the Chengdu Plain and about 50 kilometers of the Chengdu City (in Southwest China), the Dujiangyan (the Dujiangyan Dam) was built in the third century BC(before Christ )/BCE(Before Common Era).

  2. The Dujiangyan, which sits across ..., was built ...

  3. The Dujiang sits across ... It was built in the third century BC.


02
第2句


它的独特之处在于无需用堤坝调控水流。

本句有表态判断总结类信息“独特之处”。可以直译也可以转换词性“打回原形”处理。示范如下:

  1. Its uniqueness lies in the fact that it doesn’t need a dam to regulate water flow/It regulates water flow without a dam.

  2. It’s unique(名词打回形容词原形) as it regulates water flow without the need for a dam.


03
第三句


两千多年来,都江堰一直有效地发挥防洪与灌溉的作用,使成都平原成为旱涝保收的沃土和中国最重要的粮食产地之一。


本句属于特殊句式。中文前轻后重,往往是“前因后果”,最后的信息补充说明造成的结果,本句就是这种典型的句式结构,英文对应的句式为:主句,doing...。示范如下:

Overthe past more than two thousand years/more than two millennia, theDujiangyan has been playing an effective role in flood prevention andirrigation, turning the Chengdu Plain into fertile land of bumpyharvests free from the impact of/irrespective of droughts or floodsand making it one of China’s most important grain productionbases/China’s leading granaries.


04
第4句


都江堰工程体现我国人民与自然和谐共存的智慧,是全世界年代最久,仍在使用,无坝控水的水利工程。


拿到一个中文句子的第一件事情是先套用因果,如果因果不成立再考虑“主句,doing...”,即,后面是补充说明。


本句依然要牢记:中文看似并列但往往是前轻后重,最好是将最后的信息作为主句,少用“...and...”。


如果语言驾驭能力较弱,可以果断断句,切分为两个句子翻译。示范如下:

  1. The engineering project embodies/symbolizes/manifests/demonstrates/exhibits/displays the wisdom of the Chinese people pursuing harmonious coexistence with nature/the Chinese wisdom for harmony between man and nature. It’s the world’s oldest water conservancy project still in use and known for water control without a dam.

  2. An epitome/embodiment of the Chinese wisdom in pursuit of harmony between man and nature, the Dujiangyan represents the world’s oldest, still-in-use water conservancy project (that is) known for damless water control.



我们来归纳总结一下这个题目中用到的句式和技巧吧。


  1. 句子信息都为事实背景时,鉴于中文前轻后重,往往用后面的信息作为主句,前面的信息用从句或者分词短语连接。


  2. 词性转换:学会打回原形,如:名词打回形容词或动词原形、副词打回形容词原形等等,让句子更为简洁。


  3. 中文句子逻辑分析首先尝试是否为因果关系(“As..., 主句”或者“主句 as...”),然后考虑是否为补充说明关系(主句,doing...)。


  4. 名词结构放在句首,要慎用“as sth., 主句”,除非前后为因果关系。


  5. 几个修饰成分修饰一个核心名词时,要注意是否都可以变为形容词,如果不可以,就要将其中一个或两个修饰成分放在定语从句中或者从句省略式中。


大家附上维基百科的都江堰介绍,学习一下里面的地道表达吧。


TheDujiangyan (定冠词)is an ancient irrigation system in Dujiangyan City, Sichuan, China.Originally constructed (过去分词短语置于句首,引出时间)around256 BC by the State of Qin as an irrigation and flood controlproject(防洪灌溉工程),it is still in use today. The system's infrastructure develops on(坐落在)theMin River (Minjiang), the longest tributary(支流)ofthe Yangtze. The area is in the west part of the ChengduPlain(定冠词加大写),between the Sichuan Basin and the Tibetan Plateau. Originally, theMin would rush down from the Min Mountains and slow down abruptlyafter reaching the Chengdu Plain, filling(补充说明主句造成的结果)thewatercourse with silt, thus making(递进关系,进一步补充说明结果)thenearby areas extremely prone to floods(洪涝灾害易发频发).King Zhao of Qin commissioned the project, and the construction ofthe Dujiangyan harnessed the river(治理河流)usinga new method of channeling and dividing the water(疏导和分流)ratherthan simply damming it(用堤坝拦截).The water management scheme(替换词,水利工程)isstill in use today to irrigate over 5,300 km2 (2,000 sq mi) of landin the region.The Dujiangyan, the Zhengguo Canal in Shaanxi and theLingqu Canal in Guangxi are collectively known as并称为the"three great hydraulic engineering projects of theQin."(秦朝三大水利工程)



Duringthe Warring States period(战国时期),people who lived along the banks of the Min River were plagued byannual flooding(每年都要遭受洪水侵袭).Qin hydrologist(水利专家)LiBing investigated the problem and discovered that the river wasswelled by fast flowing spring melt-water from the local mountainsthat burst the banks(造成决堤)whenit reached the slow moving and heavily silted stretch(淤泥重度拥堵的河段)below.


Onesolution would have been to build a dam, but the Qin wanted to keepthe waterway open for military vessels to supply troops on thefrontier, so instead an artificial levee (防洪堤)wasconstructed to redirect(改变方向)aportion of the river's flow and then to cut a channel through MountYulei to discharge(排放)theexcess water upon the dry Chengdu Plain beyond.


Construction

KingZhao of Qin allocated 100,000 taels of silver (多少量白银)forthe project and sent a team said to number(动词,数量达到)tensof thousands. The levee was constructed from long sausage-shapedbaskets of woven bamboo filled with stones known as Zhulong held inplace by wooden tripods known as Macha. The construction of awater-diversion(调水)leveeresembling a fish's mouth took four years to complete.


Cuttingthe channel proved to be a far greater problem, as the toolsavailable at the time(当时的可用工具),before gunpowder was invented, could not penetrate the hard rock ofthe mountain, so a combination of fire and water used heat and coolthe rocks until they cracked and could be removed. After eight yearsof work, a 20-meter (66 ft)-wide channel had beengouged凿;敲(某人)的竹杠;诈骗钱财throughthe mountain.


Legacy


Dujiangyan

Afterthe system was finished, no more floods occurred. The irrigation madeSichuan the most productive agricultural region(最多产的农业地区)inChina. The construction is also credited with(人们也认为是这个工程使得)givingthe people of the region a laid-back attitude tolife(悠闲自在、怡然自得的生活态度);byeliminating disaster and ensuring a regular and bountifulharvest(旱涝保收),it has left them with plenty of free time.


Theoriginal Dujiangyan Irrigation System was destroyed by the 1933 Diexiearthquake. The current Dujiangyan Irrigation System was rebuilt byZhang Yuan and his sons after the Diexi Earthquake in 1933.

In2000, Dujiangyan became a UNESCO World Heritage Site. Today it hasbecome a major tourist attraction(主要旅游区)inSichuan.




附:四级翻译:大运河、坎儿井



维基百科学习:

TheGrand Canal, known to the Chinese as the Jing–Hang Grand Canal, ormore commonly, as the「大运河」("GrandCanal"), a UNESCO World Heritage Site, is the longest canal orartificial river in the world. Starting in Beijing, it passes throughTianjin and the provinces of Hebei, Shandong, Jiangsu, and Zhejiangto the city of Hangzhou, linking the Yellow River and Yangtze River.The oldest parts of the canal date back to the 5th century BCE, butthe various sections were first connected during the Sui dynasty(581–618 CE). Dynasties in 1271–1633 significantly restored andrebuilt the canal and altered its route to supply their capital. TheGrand Canal played a huge role in reunifying north and south China.The canal was built by conscripted laborers and connected the YellowRiver in the north with the Yangzi River in the south, which made itmuch easier to transport grain from the south to the centers ofpolitical and military power in north China.


Thetotal length of the Grand Canal is 1,776 km (1,104 mi). Its greatestheight is reached in the mountains of Shandong, at a summit of 42 m(138 ft). Ships in Chinese canals did not have trouble reachinghigher elevations after the pound lock闸门wasinvented in the 10th century, during the Song dynasty (960–1279),by the government official and engineer Qiao Weiyue. The canal hasbeen admired by many throughout history including Japanese monk Ennin(794–864), Persian historian Rashid al-Din (1247–1318), Koreanofficial Choe Bu (1454–1504), and Italian missionary Matteo Ricci(1552–1610).


Historically,periodic flooding of the Yellow River threatened the safety andfunctioning of the canal. During wartime, the high dikes of theYellow River were sometimes deliberately broken in order to flood andthus sweep away advancing enemy troops. This would cause disaster andprolonged economic hardships for local residents. Despite temporaryperiods of desolation and disuse, the Grand Canal furthered anindigenous and growing economic market in China's urban centers fromthe Sui period onwards to the present. It has allowed faster tradingand has thus improved China's economy. The portion south of theYellow River remains in heavy use by barges carrying bulk materialsand containers.


TheGrand Canal played a major role during the Great Leap Forward as itprovided an efficient way to transport grains.





维基百科学习:

Theoasis of Turpan, in the deserts of Xinjiang in northwestern China,uses water provided by qanat (locally called karez). The number ofkarez systems in the area is slightly below 1,000, and the totallength of the canals is about 5,000 kilometers.


Turpanhas long been the center of a fertile oasis and an important tradecenter along the Northern Silk Road, at which time it was adjacent tothe kingdoms of Korla and Karashahr to the southwest. The historicalrecord of the karez extends back to the Han Dynasty. The Turfan WaterMuseum is a Protected Area of the People's Republic of China becauseof the importance of the Turpan karez water system to the history ofthe area.


Aqanat or kariz, is a system for transporting water froman aquiferor water well to thesurface,through anunderground aqueduct.Constructed in Iran, Iraq and numerous other societies, this is anancient system of water supply which allows water to be transportedover long distances in hot dry climates without loss of much of thewater to evaporation. The system has the advantage of being resistantto natural disasters such as earthquakes and floods, and todeliberate destruction in war. Furthermore, it is almost insensitiveto the levels of precipitation, delivering a flow with only gradualvariations from wet to dry years.


Karezare constructed as a series of well-like vertical shafts, connectedby agently slopingtunnel. This taps into undergroundwater anddelivers it to the surfaceby gravity, without need for pumping. The vertical shafts along theunderground channel are purely for maintenance purposes, and water istypically used only once it emerges from the daylight point.


Theqanats still create a reliable supply of water for human settlementsand irrigation in hot, arid and semi-arid climates, but the value ofthis system is directly related to the quality, volume and regularityof the groundwater. Much of the population of Iran and other aridcountries in Asia and North Africa historically depended upon thewater from qanats, with many populated areas corresponding closely tothe areas where qanats are possible.