2017年6月英语六级翻译技巧：缩减法

由于汉、英语各自行文风格上的差异，不少汉语连珠四字句的使用往往出于声韵对仗、渲染情感气氛或顺应汉语行文习惯等方面的考虑，实际并无多大实际意义。

在这种情况下，为顺应英语译文的习惯，翻译中大多采用压缩删减的手法。

例如：

例1.在大明湖800 种花卉草木中，数量最多，久负盛名的是荷花和柳树。公园的湖内池中广植荷花，盛夏时节红白竟放，花光照眼，叶翻绿浪，香气侵衣。湖畔岛上有垂柳千余株，浓荫覆岸，柔条拂水，临风起舞，阿娜多姿。

Lotus flowers and the willow trees form the major part of the park' s 800 kinds of plants. In summer, lotus in the lakes bloom in white and red among the sea of leaves, giving off delicate scents. Along the banks and on the islands more than a thousand willow trees dance in the breeze.

仔细掂量，汉语的四字连珠的确用得有些牵强，明显是出于行文对仗的考虑。译文抓住其实质，从华丽的语言中提炼出实际内容，较好地表达了原文意义。

例2.由桂林至阳朔84 公里的漓江，像一条青绸绿带，盘绕在万点峰峦之间，奇峰夹岸，碧水萦回，削壁垂河，青山浮水，风光旖旎，犹如一幅百里画卷。(《漓江》画册，2005)

试译：The Lijiang River offers a natural art gallery in the 84- km section from Guilin to Yangsuo along which the green ribbon of water winds between the mountains and cliffs, with their images reflected in water

汉语琅琅上口、珠圆玉润的连珠四字句无一译得“历历俱足”。“奇峰夹岸”也好，“碧水萦回、削壁垂河”也罢，译文几乎全部省去，以“一条青绸绿带盘绕在群山与峭壁之间”一言以蔽之(原文划底线处)。

若仔细体味其字里行间的意蕴，同样充满诗情画意，美感不逊原文。当然，这一句译文还可这样处理：…along which the winding ribbon of water sandwiches between the mountains and cliffs, with their reflections inverted in water.

例3.有的地方和部门甚至出现了“上有政策、下有对策”、有令不行、有禁不止的现象。

Some localities and departments even went so far as to disobey orders and defy prohibitions.

原文底线处为中国内部的流行说法，其后的“有令不行、有禁不止”其实已含此意，在对外宣传无需强调这一说法的前提下，可以删去不译，以避免同义重复。但若实在要强调，下面2 种译文可供参考借鉴：

1)“你有政策，我有对策。”

There are people who say, "You have your policies, and I have my ways of getting around them."

2)不能搞“你有政策我有对策”，不能搞违背中央政策的“对策”，这话讲了几年了。

For several years now I have been objecting to the attitude "You may have your policy, but I have my counterpolicy." There shouldn' t be any counterpolicies.