第29課 翻譯與文體--新聞?dòng)⒄Z(yǔ)翻譯(1)

字號(hào):

新聞?dòng)⒄Z(yǔ)(journalistic English)指英文報(bào)刊上常見的各類文章,體裁多樣,有新聞報(bào)道、新聞特寫、廣告、公報(bào)、文藝作品、述評(píng)、訪談、學(xué)術(shù)介紹和爭(zhēng)鳴……題材廣泛,內(nèi)容包羅萬(wàn)象。限于篇幅,也因不存在一個(gè)統(tǒng)一的新聞報(bào)刊文體和為了便于陳述,本課所要講的新聞?dòng)⒄Z(yǔ)主要指那些新聞性強(qiáng)的news report,news analysis, news features等。新聞?dòng)⒄Z(yǔ)有以下文體特點(diǎn):
    (一)詞匯層面
    (1) 新聞報(bào)道通常擁有自己的一些慣用詞匯,或者叫做"新聞詞語(yǔ)",如story一詞意思常常是news item或news report,而probe一詞則指"(新聞)調(diào)查",如中央電視臺(tái)的一個(gè)重要欄目"新聞?wù){(diào)查"即譯為News Probe.還有如cut表示reduction;bar表示prevent;curb表示restrain或control等等。常見的其他例子還有:
    accord (give) ban (prohibition)bid (attempt) boost (rise, increase) clash (disagreement) deal (business agreement) freeze (stabilization) loom(appear) blaze(fire) comb(search) row (violent argument) rap(to speak severely to, to blame, to punish) move (plan, decision, suggestion)round(a series of action) shock (astonishment, blow) shun(to keep away from…) heist (robbery) viable (workable) voice(express) operation(activities) pact (agreement) woo (to seek to win…,to persuade…) fake (counterfeit)
    這些常用的新聞詞語(yǔ)一般都具有短小精悍的特點(diǎn),這主要是由于使用短小的詞語(yǔ)能夠節(jié)省時(shí)間和篇幅并有利于搶發(fā)新聞的緣故。
    (2) 為了表達(dá)的需要和追求新奇以吸引讀者,新聞?dòng)⒄Z(yǔ)中常會(huì)使用一些新詞(包括舊詞賦新義)和臨時(shí)生造的詞(nonce words),以使文章生動(dòng)活潑,并給人以新奇之感。如gay (同性戀者),basket (一組問題等),unisex (男女共用),hijack (劫持),supercrat (高級(jí)官員),dial in (電話*),moneywise (在金錢方面),thumbsuck (安撫),sitcom (情景喜?。?,Reaganomics (里根經(jīng)濟(jì)學(xué)),Jazznik (爵士樂迷 ),heartmen (換心人),Euromart (歐洲共同市場(chǎng)),Masscult (大眾文化),atobomb (原子彈),blacketeer (黑市商人)等。在這一點(diǎn)上,新聞?dòng)⒄Z(yǔ)與廣告英語(yǔ)十分相似。
    (3) 新聞?dòng)⒄Z(yǔ)還廣泛借用社會(huì)各界的行業(yè)用語(yǔ)以及外來(lái)詞語(yǔ)。如從商業(yè)用語(yǔ)中它吸收借用了a package deal (一攬子交易),從賭博業(yè)中它借用了showdown (攤派),從體育中借用了knockout (擊敗)等。而外來(lái)詞語(yǔ)有如:coup de theatre (非常事件,源自法語(yǔ),),swindler (騙子,源自德語(yǔ)),Zen (禪宗,源自日語(yǔ)),renegade (變節(jié)分子,源自西班牙語(yǔ)),rapport(兩國(guó)間的親善關(guān)系,源自法語(yǔ)),macho (偉男氣概,源自西班牙語(yǔ))等等。
    (4) 新聞?dòng)⒄Z(yǔ)還大量使用新聞套語(yǔ),如according to…(eyewitness, AP reports, sources concerned, etc.)(據(jù)目擊者,美聯(lián)社,有關(guān)方面等),informative sources or well-informed source(消息靈通人士),with guarded reserve(持審慎態(tài)度),no comments(無(wú)可奉告),on the brink of a breakthrough(即將取得進(jìn)展),quoted as saying (cited as saying)(援引……的話說(shuō)), in response to allegation in The New York Times(就《紐約時(shí)報(bào)》的提法發(fā)表評(píng)論),Not so, not yet(不置可否),preferred not to be identified(不愿透露姓名的)等等。
    (5) 為節(jié)省篇幅,新聞報(bào)道還常使用縮略詞,如:ISDN (Integrated Services Digital Network),PC (personal computer),TMD(Theater Missile Defense),memo (memorandum),AIDS (Acquired immure Deficiency Syndrome),mod (modern), Lab (Labor), Lib (Liberal), nukes (nuclear weapons), heliport (helicopter airport), NATO (North Atlantic Treaty Organization), memo (memorandum), SALT (Strategic Arms Limitation Talks) 等等。
    (二) 句法層面
    (1) 為求得在較小的篇幅內(nèi)容納較多的信息量,新聞?dòng)⒄Z(yǔ)多采用擴(kuò)展的簡(jiǎn)單句(expanded simple sentences),其方法是使用定語(yǔ)、狀語(yǔ)、同位語(yǔ)、介詞短語(yǔ)、分詞短語(yǔ)等語(yǔ)言成分來(lái)擴(kuò)展簡(jiǎn)單句。因此,英語(yǔ)報(bào)刊里經(jīng)常出現(xiàn)一個(gè)句子就是一個(gè)段落的情況。而要把眾多的信息包容到里面,在確保句式不過(guò)于復(fù)雜的前提下,作者只有大量使用或增加修飾限定詞的數(shù)量。試看下列一則報(bào)道:
    LAGOS, Dec. 15(Reuter) - The Nigerian foreign ministry's offices were completely destroyed by a fire in the center of Lagos Monday night.
    Eyewitnesses gave conflicting reports about the number of people injured in the blaze, which firemen suspect was caused by an electrical fault.
    One fireman said four people had been rescued from the ministry, suffering from minor injuries. About 100 firemen were unable to prevent the blaze spreading to buildings beside the seven-storey ministry.
    The foreign ministry, which lost many valuable records in the blaze, was due to be moved to a new site shortly.
    The building, completely gutted by the blaze, also housed offices of the information ministry and the ministry of science and technology.
    (2) 廣泛使用直接引語(yǔ)間接引語(yǔ)。這既可增添新聞報(bào)道的真實(shí)性和生動(dòng)性,又可顯示其客觀性。
    (3)新聞?dòng)⒄Z(yǔ)多用主動(dòng)語(yǔ)態(tài),但為了敘事的客觀和便利,有時(shí)也使用一些被動(dòng)結(jié)構(gòu)。
    (4)正文較多地使用現(xiàn)在時(shí),而標(biāo)題所使用的時(shí)態(tài)則幾乎都是現(xiàn)在時(shí),這可對(duì)讀者產(chǎn)生一種"某事正在發(fā)生"的印象,從而增強(qiáng)其真實(shí)感和現(xiàn)實(shí)感。例如:China Starts WAP Service. / Longevity star dies at 110.
    (5)標(biāo)題中常使用省略句。像冠詞、動(dòng)詞、介詞等常在標(biāo)題中省略,這既可節(jié)省版面,又可使新聞的風(fēng)格顯得簡(jiǎn)潔明快。如:House and Senate Pursuing Efforts to Reduce Deficit (The New York Times) = The House of Representatives and the Senate are pursuing the efforts to reduce the deficit.