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难翻的词 (The English words that are very difficult to translate into Chinese)
Thread poster: Zhoudan
wherestip
wherestip  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 06:05
Chinese to English
+ ...
useful Aug 24, 2009

clearwater wrote:


Steven,
看来用进废退的道理确实很适用于语言使用上^_^
没有关系,只要双方都能明白,使用什么文字都无大碍。
您说的没错,一个英文单词或词组往往有很多种用法和说法,同一个exploit可以表示“欺负”,也可以表示“揩某人的油”,还可以表示“盘剥某人”,不一而足。而从多义中找到最适合、最到位的意思,也正是翻译工作的一大难点。这既需要对源词有深入而全面的了解,又需要对目标词的运用驾驭自如。
不好意思,感觉话题有些扯远了。。。



没有. 我觉得这种讨论挺好.


 
ysun
ysun  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 06:05
English to Chinese
+ ...
上下文确实很重要 Aug 24, 2009

根据 Bin Tiede 介绍的背景来看,那厨师讲的“欺负我不懂德语”,就是指老板利用他不懂德语这一弱点(例如无法向政府和司法部门求助)而欺负他,肆无忌惮地剥削他。

一般而言,“欺负某人不懂德语” 就是利用某人不懂德语这个弱点而欺负他。欺负的性质要视情况而定。我同意 Steve 所说,“Context 往往很重要”。例如,“老板欺负他不懂德语,让他签了一份不合
... See more
根据 Bin Tiede 介绍的背景来看,那厨师讲的“欺负我不懂德语”,就是指老板利用他不懂德语这一弱点(例如无法向政府和司法部门求助)而欺负他,肆无忌惮地剥削他。

一般而言,“欺负某人不懂德语” 就是利用某人不懂德语这个弱点而欺负他。欺负的性质要视情况而定。我同意 Steve 所说,“Context 往往很重要”。例如,“老板欺负他不懂德语,让他签了一份不合理的合同”。 又如,“这家伙欺负那问路人不懂德语,给他指了一条方向恰恰相反的路”。 有时,不一定是真正的欺负,而只是利用某种情况达到自己的某种目的而已。例如,“他欺负大家不懂德语,尽情地卖弄了一番他那并不怎么样的德语”。

http://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/advantage

3 take advantage of somebody
to treat someone unfairly in order to get what you want, especially someone who is generous or easily persuaded

4 take advantage of something (to do something)
to use a particular situation to do or get what you want
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wonita (X)
wonita (X)
China
Local time: 08:05
Thank you for your correction, ysun Aug 24, 2009

OK, the sentences after "either"or"or" should appear in normal order, and those after "neither" or "nor" in reversed order.

ysun wrote:

In my opinion, the following two sentences are correct:

Either you have misunderstood me, or I haven't expressed myself properly.

Neither have I understood you, nor do I want to.

Either...or... 表示两者择一

Neither...nor... 表示两者皆不


[Edited at 2009-08-24 06:14 GMT]


 
wonita (X)
wonita (X)
China
Local time: 08:05
翻译 Aug 24, 2009

clearwater wrote:
Steven,
看来用进废退的道理确实很适用于语言使用上^_^
没有关系,只要双方都能明白,使用什么文字都无大碍。
您说的没错,一个英文单词或词组往往有很多种用法和说法,同一个exploit可以表示“欺负”,也可以表示“揩某人的油”,还可以表示“盘剥某人”,不一而足。而从多义中找到最适合、最到位的意思,也正是翻译工作的一大难点。这既需要对源词有深入而全面的了解,又需要对目标词的运用驾驭自如。
不好意思,感觉话题有些扯远了。。。


不论是中译英,还是英译中,很多时候译文虽然可以把意思表达清楚,但是却无法重现原文的神韵。


 
clearwater
clearwater
China
Local time: 19:05
English to Chinese
先抓根本 Aug 24, 2009

Bin Tiede wrote:

clearwater wrote:
Steven,
看来用进废退的道理确实很适用于语言使用上^_^
没有关系,只要双方都能明白,使用什么文字都无大碍。
您说的没错,一个英文单词或词组往往有很多种用法和说法,同一个exploit可以表示“欺负”,也可以表示“揩某人的油”,还可以表示“盘剥某人”,不一而足。而从多义中找到最适合、最到位的意思,也正是翻译工作的一大难点。这既需要对源词有深入而全面的了解,又需要对目标词的运用驾驭自如。
不好意思,感觉话题有些扯远了。。。


不论是中译英,还是英译中,很多时候译文虽然可以把意思表达清楚,但是却无法重现原文的神韵。

呵呵,确实如此。

问题是,现在有许多译文意思都未表达清楚,甚至是错误百出;更遑论是重现原文的神韵了。

我觉得前提还是先把意思翻译准确、翻译到位。在此基础上,再来考虑神韵问题。

总有个先来后到。

也许是科技类的文章翻译多了,把准确性的重要性置于可读性或其他标准之上。当然,译者应当追求精上求精。


 
wonita (X)
wonita (X)
China
Local time: 08:05
老实 Aug 25, 2009

中国人常说“某某人很老实”。

这个“老实”和英文的“honest”好像还不太一样,“reliable”似乎也体现不出某人憨厚的本质。

个人认为,“老实”包含了reliability, honesty, down-to-earth simplicity 等等很多品质。

其他建议?





[Edited at 2009-08-25 10:09 GMT]


 
wherestip
wherestip  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 06:05
Chinese to English
+ ...
老实人 Aug 25, 2009

Bin Tiede wrote:

中国人常说“某某人很老实”。

这个“老实”和英文的“honest”好像还不太一样,“reliable”似乎也体现不出某人憨厚的本质。

个人认为,“老实”包含了reliability, honesty, down-to-earth simplicity 等等很多品质。

其他建议?



一般就说 "he's a very nice guy", "she's a very nice person" ...

Or you can go further, and say someone's "a saint", "an angel", "a genuinely nice person", "a sweetheart", "a doll"


我觉得还是那句话, 具体要看 "老实" 是指什么. 各种情况可考虑用不同的方法表达. For example, you might want to describe a person or a group of people as sincere and honest, simple and kind, pure and innocent, good-natured, well-liked(by others), kind-hearted, good-hearted, unassuming, quiet, modest, low-key, laid-back, easygoing, tolerant, sensitive, caring, friendly, generous, never taking advantage of others, always considerate of others ... virtuous, or possessing irreproachable moral values

其实中文 "老实人" 也是很笼统的, 大多情况下只是描述对人的一种印象. 即便是夸一个人 "老实", 也并不意味着概括包揽了人所可能具备的诸多良好品质. 很多情况下 "老实人" 只不过是形容一个人比较低调随和, 为人和气罢了. 孰不知老实人也有蔫儿坏的呢

林彪事件发生后, 国内曾大力提倡 "说老实话, 做老实人". 我觉得这个口号主要是从 honesty and integrity 这个角度来讲的. 实事求是, 不搞阴谋, 不说谎话.

奉劝他人 "做人老实点儿" 意思就又不同了. 这种用法的 "老实" 尺码可不是太高的 (meaning the bar isn't set that high). I'd say it mostly refers to just basic human decency.



[Edited at 2009-08-26 12:59 GMT]


 
wherestip
wherestip  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 06:05
Chinese to English
+ ...
decent Aug 25, 2009

wherestip wrote:

奉劝他人 "做人老实点儿" 意思就又不同了. 这种用法的 "老实" 尺码可不是太高的 (meaning the bar isn't set that high). I'd say it mostly refers to just basic human decency.



That reminds me ... You can also say so-and-so is a real decent fellow. That's a huge compliment, and implies many nice and admirable qualities in a person.



[Edited at 2009-08-26 13:00 GMT]


 
wherestip
wherestip  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 06:05
Chinese to English
+ ...
couple of interpretations for the word "decent" Aug 25, 2009

http://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/decent

morally good: decent, virtuous, respectable, honourable
British English, honorable
American English, upright, beyond reproach


http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/decent

5 : ma
... See more
http://www.ldoceonline.com/dictionary/decent

morally good: decent, virtuous, respectable, honourable
British English, honorable
American English, upright, beyond reproach


http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/decent

5 : marked by moral integrity, kindness, and goodwill (hard-working and decent folks) (it's very decent of them to help)
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wherestip
wherestip  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 06:05
Chinese to English
+ ...
"Nice Guys Finish Last" Aug 27, 2009

Bin,

Here's another reference for you. Like I said previously, 老实人 in some sense is simply a nice guy.



http://idioms.thefreedictionary.com/Nice%20guys%20finish%20last

Nice guys finish last

Prov. You will never be able to get what you want by being kind and considerate. The unscrupulous salesman advised his trainees, "Don't worry if you have to lie about the product to get the customer to buy it. Nice guys finish last."



这个谚语大意就是 "老好人总是要吃亏的" ... Well, never mind if it's true or not.


Here's another group of folks' interpretation of the saying. The answers are mostly geared towards the dating scene because the asker posed her question in the category of "Relationships --> Singles and Dating". Regardless, one can still gather between the lines as to what kind of person a "nice guy" generally refers to ...

http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index?qid=20080915075833AAoKUIV

I like this explanation the best by a guy who goes by Fred ...



It commonly means that if you're polite, considerate and easy-going then you will lose out to someone who is aggressive, selfish and rude. I have also heard it interpreted as "Nice guys finish last because they're the only ones left standing".



There's also the saying "No more Mr. Nice Guy"



No more Mr. Nice Guy

something that you say when you have decided to behave in a less pleasant way. I'm fed up with people taking advantage of me. From now on, it's no more Mr. Nice Guy.





[Edited at 2009-08-28 12:03 GMT]


 
wonita (X)
wonita (X)
China
Local time: 08:05
Thanks, Steve Oct 28, 2009

for your time and patience.

我还有一个语法问题想请教一下。这个句子:

Once I finish translating, I will send the file back to you immediately.

如果我想把前半句的主语省掉,应该怎样说比较合适?

Once finish translating, I will send the file back to you immediately. Or
Once finished, I will send the file back to you immediately. Or
Once finishing, I will send the file back to you immediately.

另外是依据什么语法规则呢?

Bin


 
wherestip
wherestip  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 06:05
Chinese to English
+ ...
You're welcome Oct 28, 2009

Of the 3 sentences you provided, this is the correct one ...

"Once finished, I will send the file back to you immediately."

Or you can say "Once finished, I will send the translated file back to you immediately.". That is if you want to spell out what kind of work is to be done to the file.

I'm not real good at grammatical analysis, so I hesitate to do it. But I believe "once finished" is an attributive participle (定语分词) that modifies the subject
... See more
Of the 3 sentences you provided, this is the correct one ...

"Once finished, I will send the file back to you immediately."

Or you can say "Once finished, I will send the translated file back to you immediately.". That is if you want to spell out what kind of work is to be done to the file.

I'm not real good at grammatical analysis, so I hesitate to do it. But I believe "once finished" is an attributive participle (定语分词) that modifies the subject noun "I". Specifically it is an attributive past/perfect participle(过去分词作定语). By getting rid of the "I" in the first half of your original sentence, you basically replaced an attributive clause(定语从句) with an attributive participle(定语分词).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Participle



Participles in Modern English

English verbs have two participles:

1. called variously the present, active, imperfect, or progressive participle, it is identical in form to the gerund; the term present participle is sometimes used to include the gerund. The term gerund-participle is also used.
2. called variously the past, passive, or perfect participle, it is usually identical to the verb's preterite (past tense) form, though in irregular verbs the two usually differ.




Of course there are many other variations of this sentence, for example ...

"I will send the file back to you as soon as I finish translating it."

Or, "I will send you the file as soon as I have it translated."



[Edited at 2009-10-29 00:25 GMT]
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pkchan
pkchan  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 07:05
Member (2006)
English to Chinese
+ ...
From Google: Oct 28, 2009

Silva: Translating SilvaOnce finished translating, you can download the .po file. Then you have to generate a binary .mo file, this can be realized using 'msgfmt' or a tool like ...
www.infrae.com/products/silva/contributing/translating_silva - Cached - Similar -
dev:translation [Ampache :: Wiki]May 6, 2009 ... Once you have finished translating the PO file
... See more
Silva: Translating SilvaOnce finished translating, you can download the .po file. Then you have to generate a binary .mo file, this can be realized using 'msgfmt' or a tool like ...
www.infrae.com/products/silva/contributing/translating_silva - Cached - Similar -
dev:translation [Ampache :: Wiki]May 6, 2009 ... Once you have finished translating the PO file you need to convert it into a MO file in order for Gettext to be able to use it. ...
ampache.org/wiki/dev:translation - Cached - Similar -
Déjā Vu X 7.5 – New FeaturesOnce the other translator using Trados has finished translating the External view, it can be imported back into Déjā Vu X by filling in the target segments ...
www.atril.com/docs/DVX/DVX%207.5.pdf - Similar -
[PDF] 2009 09 - Translation Users Guide - v1File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - Quick View
3.4. When You Have Finished Translating All of the LOINC Part Terms. Once you have completed translating the terms in the file, please attach the Microsoft ...
loinc.org/international/translations/loinc-translation-user-s-guide - Similar -
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wherestip
wherestip  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 06:05
Chinese to English
+ ...
Agree Oct 28, 2009

pkchan wrote:

Silva: Translating SilvaOnce finished translating, you can download the .po file. Then you have to generate a binary .mo file, this can be realized using 'msgfmt' or a tool like ...



Yes, "Once finished translating, I will send the file back to you immediately" is a good sentence too.



[Edited at 2009-10-28 18:58 GMT]


 
wonita (X)
wonita (X)
China
Local time: 08:05
Me too Oct 29, 2009

I also feel, with my very limited language sense in English, that "once finished" sounds correct.


wherestip wrote:

Of course there are many other variations of this sentence, for example ...

"I will send the file back to you as soon as I finish translating it."

Or, "I will send you the file as soon as I have it translated by my 千里马."



 
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难翻的词 (The English words that are very difficult to translate into Chinese)






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