漢譯英最易翻錯的句子(5)

字號:

21. 車來了。您先請。
    [誤] Here comes the car. You go first, please.
    [正] Here comes the car. After you.
    注:第一句譯文雖然把“請”翻譯出來了,但還是帶有命令的口吻。地道的說法應(yīng)該是 After you。另外,不少人以為漢語的“請”等同于英語的 please,其實(shí)并非如此。例如,在餐桌上請人吃菜或喝酒就不用 please,地道的說法是 Help yourself。
    22. 房間里有一張床、兩張桌子和五把椅子。
    [誤] There are one bed, two desks and five chairs in the room.
    [正] There is one bed, two desks and five chairs in the room.
    注:there be 句型中,be 動詞的單復(fù)數(shù)取決于離它最近的那個詞。原文雖然一共列舉了八件家具,但是根據(jù)英語的謂語就近原則,one bed 決定了應(yīng)該使用 is。
    23. 我不想聽他那些空話。
    [誤] I don’t want to hear his empty words.
    [正] I don’t want to hear his hollow words.
    注:雖然 empty 和 hollow 都有“空洞的”之意,但表達(dá)“空話”時,英語習(xí)慣用 hollow words 或 empty talk。
    24. 他是我們的死敵。
    [誤] He is our dead enemy.
    [正] He is our deadly enemy.
    注:dead 作形容詞時表示“死的,無感覺的”,而 deadly 才表示“致命的,不共戴天的”。
    25. 奧斯本名義上是個醫(yī)生,但他整天都呆在股票交易所里。
    [誤] Osborne is a doctor by name only, but he stays in the stock exchange all day long.
    [正] Osborne is a doctor in name only, but he stays in the stock exchange all day long.
    注:by name 和 in name 雖然形似,但涵義卻有區(qū)別。by name 相當(dāng)于 by the name of,常放在專有名詞之后,表示所說的人或事物的確實(shí)名稱。例如:There was a great poet in China, Qu Yuan by name(中國有個偉大的詩人,名叫屈原)。而 in name 是貶義詞,表示“名義上的”或“徒有虛名”。