英语翻译学习笔记 The Other Road(1)

1、 But unlike the roads in Robert Frost's familiar poem, they are not equally fair.
1）they 指前面提到的the two roads。注意句子两个地方有否定词。表达的中心意思是: The two roads are not equally fair。因为Robert Frost的诗表达的是two equally fair roads。他的诗的第6行是Then took the other, as just fair（参见课本265-226页注释Robert Frost的诗）。因此，But unlike the roads in Robert Frost's familiar poem, they are not equally fair.
=  But unlike the roads in Robert Frost's familiar poem which are equally fair, they are not equally fair.
2）Fair: good
译文：
但是并不像我们所熟习的罗伯特·弗罗斯特诗中所说的两条路是同样的好，这两条路并不一样好。
2、  The road we have long been traveling is deceptively easy, a smooth superhighway on which we progress with great speed, but at its end lies disaster .
1） we have long been traveling是限制定语从句，修饰The road，翻译时用前置法。
2） on which we progress with great speed是非限制性定语从句，补充说明a smooth superhighway，用分句法翻译这从句。
3） its end指the end of the road。
4） at its end lies disaster倒装，目的是为了与前半句更连贯，同时是为了突出信息重点disaster。
译文：
我们一直在走的这条路表面上很好走，是一条子坦的超级公路，我们可以高速前进，但是走到尽头却要遇到灾难。
5） 注意翻译at its end lies disaster时使用了增词法进行意译。增加了“走到”、“却要遇到”。
3、The other fork of the road - the one "less traveled by"- offers our last, our only chance to reach a destination that assures the 前一单元sevation of our earth.
1）"less traveled by" 是过去分词短语，作定语，修饰 the one
2）the one: the road：英语多代词，汉语多重复，翻译时，重复“路”更好。
3) our last: our last chance 翻译时要把原文中省略的部分增加进去。
4）our only chance to reach a destination that assures the 前一单元servation of our earth 是our last的同位语。这同位语可采用分句法翻译。
5）注意抽象名词前一单元servation的翻译，可以把它转译为动词词组"得到保护"。
译文：
另外一条路，是一条“走得不多”的路，它为我们提供最后的出路，也是唯一的出路，以便我们达到一定的目的，使我们这个地球确实得到保护。
4、 If, having endured much, we have at last asserted our "right to know", and if, knowing, we have concluded that we are being asked to take senseless and frightening risks, then we should no longer accept the counsel of those who tell us we must fill our world with poisonous chemicals; we should look about and see what other course is open to us.
1） 这个句子结构较复杂。两个由and连接的平行的条件从句中都有现在分词短语，作从句中的时间状语。If, having endured much, we have at last asserted our "right to know", and if, knowing, we have concluded that we are being asked to take senseless and frightening risks,译为：
如果我们在忍受了很长时间之后，终于提出了“知情权”，如果在我们知情时，已得出结论认为现在人们是在要求我们冒无谓的可怕风险，
   注意第二个条件状语从句有被动结构的宾语从句的翻译，有时被动句可以译成 “大家”、“人们”等作主语的主动句，如：
   He was believed to have been killed in the war.
   人们以为他已经在战争中死了。
2） 主句是由两个平行的小句组成，一句否定，另一句肯定，形成对比：we should no longer accept...和we should look about and see...，翻译时一定要把这个语气翻译出来。
3） fill... with...用...来充满/填满/装满...
译文：
如果我们在忍受了很长时间之后，终于提出了“知情权”，如果我们知情时，已经得出结论认为现在人们是在要求我们冒无谓的可怕风险，我们就不应该再听从那些人的建议，非得把我们这个世界弄得到处都是化学毒物，而应该往四下里看一看还有没有什么别的路。
5、注意原文结构连贯的特点，Some...Other....Still others...使文章一气呵成，翻译时要体现原文的风格。
6、All have this in common: they are biological solutions, based on understanding of the living organisms they seek to control, and of the whole fabric of life to which these organisms belong.
1）have something in common: 有共同点
2）this：代词后指，指冒号后面的全部内容。
3）of the living organisms they seek to control 和of the whole fabric of life to which these organisms belong是平行结构。
4）they seek to control限制性定语从句修饰the living organisms，翻译时使用前置法。
to which these organisms belong限制性定语从句修饰the whole fabric of life翻译时使用前置法。
5）based on understanding of the living organisms they seek to control, and of the whole fabric of life to which these organisms belong.过去分词短语作定语，修饰solutions。由于很长，用后置法翻译较合适。
译文：
所有这些方法都有这个共同点：他们都是生物的解决办法。这个解决办法基于人们对所要控制的生物体的了解，以及对这些生物体整个生活状况的了解。
6）译文把抽象名词solutions用增词法译成了“解决办法”，否则无法理解。
7、  Specialists re前一单元senting various areas of the vast field of biology are contributing - entomologists, pathologists, geneticists, physiologists, biochemists, ecologists - all pouring their knowledge and their creative inspirations into the formation of a new science of biotic controls.
1）re前一单元senting various areas of the vast field of biology是现在分词短语，作定语，修饰Specialists。用前置法翻译。
2）all pouring their knowledge and their creative inspirations into the formation of a new science of biotic controls：独立主格结构作结果状语，表示“作贡献”的结果。因此可以翻译成一个结果状语从句。
3）抽象名词formation转译为动词“形成”。
4）两个破折号之间的内容作同位语，翻译时可以仍然保留破折号，或用“包括”来引出同位语部分的内容。
译文：
广博的生物学各个领域的专家，包括昆虫学家、病理学家、遗传学家、生理学家、生物化学家、生态学家，都在做出贡献，他们把自己的知识和创造性汇集起来，形成了一门新的科学--生物控制学。
8、  It gathers momentum with the work of many investigators and as it is fed by other streams of thought; it is deepened and broadened by the concepts and generalizations that are gradually evolved.
1） momentum势头；力量
   gathers momentum力量变强大
2） with = because of
3） is fed：“被喂食”，这里是隐喻，表示“注入”、“补充”、“增加”。翻译时不是很好理解的隐喻应该增加“像”之类的词，用于说明。
4） It指上文提到的“科学”，翻译时要明确，以免译文中的“力量”不知指哪个。
  It gathers momentum with the work of many investigators and as it is fed by other streams of thought;意译为：
由于许多人从事研究工作，各种思想像支流一样注入其中，科学的力量越来越强。
5） generalization：概括；推论；普遍化
6） it指代“科学”，翻译时，不用代词，直接译成“科学”更符合汉语习惯。
7） it is deepened and broadened by the concepts and generalizations that are gradually evolved.的译文：
新的概念和结论陆续产生，又使科学得以加深和拓宽。

9、 So it is with the science of biological control in its modern sense.
      So 指上文提到的。译成“也如此”。
10、 In America it had its obscure beginnings a century ago with the first attempts to introduce natural enemies of insects that were proving troublesome to farmers, an effort that sometimes moved slowly or not at all, but now and again gathered speed and momentum under the impetus of an outstanding success.
1） it 指上文提到的the science of biological control（现代控制学）。
2） that were proving troublesome to farmers限制性定语从句，修饰insects。由于主句很长，因此这里使用分译法，把定语从句译在被修饰词之前。
3） not at all省略结构，= did not move at all
4） under the impetus of ...在....的推动下
 译文：
这门科学在美国开始创立时也是隐隐约约的。当时有些昆虫给农民找麻烦，有人就试图以这些昆虫的天敌来对付。这项活动有时进展缓慢，甚至毫无进展，但有时一项突出的成就又推动它加快速度，使它突飞猛进。
11、 applied entomology应用昆虫学
12、 as it has become apparent that the heedless and unrestrained use of chemicals is a greater menace to ourselves than to the targets, the river which is the science of biotic control flows again, fed by new streams of thought.
1）这里又使用了隐喻修饰格fed，由于已经有了说明：the river which is the science of biotic control，所以意思已经很明了，不需要增加“像”之类的词。
2）...er... than是平行结构的信号，连接两个to....的平行结构，翻译时要把原文因平行结构而省略的部分增加进去。
3）as引导的原因状语从句中，it 是形式主语，翻译含有形式主语的主语从句时，可以把it省去不译，主语从句不提前，it has become apparent that the heedless and unrestrained use of chemicals is a greater menace to ourselves than to the targets,可以译为：很显然，盲目地大量使用化学杀虫剂，对我们自己的威胁比对要控制的对象的威胁还要大。
本句译文：
很明显，盲目地大量使用化学杀虫剂，对我们自己的威胁比对要控制的对象的威胁还要大，于是生物控制学这一条河又流动起来，而且有新的思想支流注入其中。