16. 我的學習很忙。
[誤] My study is very busy.
[正] I am very busy with my study.
注:第一句譯文完全套用漢語的結(jié)構(gòu)和語序,卻犯了英文的句法錯誤。因為在英語中,study(學習)是一個行為,并不懂得忙不忙,感到忙的應是進行這一行為的人。所以,be busy with sth. 或 be busy (in) doing sth. 才是地道的英語表達。
17. 給他當二把手我看也值得。他太能干了。
[誤] I feel it worth being a second hand to him. He is so capable.
[正] I feel it worth playing second fiddle to him. He is so capable.
注:英語的 second hand 作名詞指“中間人”、“舊貨”或“助手工人”,而漢語的“二把手”是“副手”,即“第二負責人”的意思,所以二者不是一回事。play second fiddle 則源于管弦樂隊中第一提琴手(first violin)不在的時候由第二提琴手負責,并被人們引申為“當主要領導人的副手”,也就是我們所說的“當?shù)诙咽帧?。由此,不難猜出“當一把手”譯成英語應該是 paly first fiddle了。
18. 電車上十分擁擠,幾乎沒有立足之地。
[誤] The tram was so crowded that there was hardly sufficient room for you.
[正] The tram was so crowded that there was scarcely sufficient room for you.
注:副詞 hardly 和 scarcely 雖然都含有“幾乎不”等否定含義,有些時候也可以互換,如:I could hardly/scarcely recognize her(我?guī)缀跽J不出她來了),但仍有細微的差異。如在強調(diào)數(shù)量“不足”時只能用 scarcely,這時它常與 enough、sufficient等詞連用。
19. 他被戴上了綠帽子。
[誤] He is made to wear a green hat.
[正] He is a cuckold.
注:中文的“戴綠帽子”是指某人之妻與他人私通,但直譯成英文西方人只會按字面意思理解為“某人頭上被戴了頂綠色的帽子”,無論如何也不會理解漢語的喻義。而英語的 cuckold 是指“*婦的丈夫”(a man whose wife deceives him by having a sexual relationship with another man),所以用 be a cuckold 才能正確表達原文的意思。
20. 我在新聞片里看到你站在總裁的身旁。
[誤] I saw you stand by the president in the newsreel.
[正] I saw you stand beside the president in the newsreel.
注:stand by someone 的意思是“支持某人”(to support someone);to stand beside someone 才是“立于某人旁邊”(to stand by the side of someone)。但是,如果 stand by 后面的賓語不是人,那倒是可以與 stand beside 互換,表示“在...之旁”,例如:Their house stands by a forest(他們的房子在森林旁邊)。除此之外,stand by 還有“袖手旁觀”之意,例如:How can you stand by and watch while your allies are attacked?(當你們的盟友受到攻擊時,你們怎能袖手旁觀呢?)
[誤] My study is very busy.
[正] I am very busy with my study.
注:第一句譯文完全套用漢語的結(jié)構(gòu)和語序,卻犯了英文的句法錯誤。因為在英語中,study(學習)是一個行為,并不懂得忙不忙,感到忙的應是進行這一行為的人。所以,be busy with sth. 或 be busy (in) doing sth. 才是地道的英語表達。
17. 給他當二把手我看也值得。他太能干了。
[誤] I feel it worth being a second hand to him. He is so capable.
[正] I feel it worth playing second fiddle to him. He is so capable.
注:英語的 second hand 作名詞指“中間人”、“舊貨”或“助手工人”,而漢語的“二把手”是“副手”,即“第二負責人”的意思,所以二者不是一回事。play second fiddle 則源于管弦樂隊中第一提琴手(first violin)不在的時候由第二提琴手負責,并被人們引申為“當主要領導人的副手”,也就是我們所說的“當?shù)诙咽帧?。由此,不難猜出“當一把手”譯成英語應該是 paly first fiddle了。
18. 電車上十分擁擠,幾乎沒有立足之地。
[誤] The tram was so crowded that there was hardly sufficient room for you.
[正] The tram was so crowded that there was scarcely sufficient room for you.
注:副詞 hardly 和 scarcely 雖然都含有“幾乎不”等否定含義,有些時候也可以互換,如:I could hardly/scarcely recognize her(我?guī)缀跽J不出她來了),但仍有細微的差異。如在強調(diào)數(shù)量“不足”時只能用 scarcely,這時它常與 enough、sufficient等詞連用。
19. 他被戴上了綠帽子。
[誤] He is made to wear a green hat.
[正] He is a cuckold.
注:中文的“戴綠帽子”是指某人之妻與他人私通,但直譯成英文西方人只會按字面意思理解為“某人頭上被戴了頂綠色的帽子”,無論如何也不會理解漢語的喻義。而英語的 cuckold 是指“*婦的丈夫”(a man whose wife deceives him by having a sexual relationship with another man),所以用 be a cuckold 才能正確表達原文的意思。
20. 我在新聞片里看到你站在總裁的身旁。
[誤] I saw you stand by the president in the newsreel.
[正] I saw you stand beside the president in the newsreel.
注:stand by someone 的意思是“支持某人”(to support someone);to stand beside someone 才是“立于某人旁邊”(to stand by the side of someone)。但是,如果 stand by 后面的賓語不是人,那倒是可以與 stand beside 互換,表示“在...之旁”,例如:Their house stands by a forest(他們的房子在森林旁邊)。除此之外,stand by 還有“袖手旁觀”之意,例如:How can you stand by and watch while your allies are attacked?(當你們的盟友受到攻擊時,你們怎能袖手旁觀呢?)