省略法

 英译汉翻译技巧

 省略法

 首先请试译下面的句子：

 Dr. John resumed his experiment as soon as he came into the laboratory.

 译文一：约翰博士一到实验室，他就继续做实验。

 译文二：约翰博士一到实验室就继续做实验。

 译文一将主从句的主语都译出，貌似“忠实”，但产生歧义，可能让人以为“他”和”约翰博士”是两个人。

 省略法（omission），是指在翻译中，原文中有些词在译文中可以省略，不必翻译出来。因为译文(汉语)中虽然没有这个词，但是已经具有了原文这个词所表达的意思，或者这个词在译文中的意义是不言而喻的。省略的目的在于使译文更加通顺流畅，更符合译文习惯（idiomatic）。一般地说，英译汉并不随便删减词语，但汉语有其简洁的特点，如果过分强调表达一切，把每一个词都译出，反而因为保全了一些次要部分而破坏了整体，即所谓因小失大。因此，只有敢于牺牲一些不影响原意的词句，才能更好地突出重点。

 Definition

 By omission we mean we properly omit some words or expressions in order

to make the translated version brief, concise and clear. Proper omission in English-Chinese translation often involves the omitting of some words (such as

prepositions, articles, certain pronouns, conjunctions, etc.) that are indispensable

in the SL text but not in the TL text.

 Omission is based on the differences between English and Chinese. For example, Chinese has no articles or infinitive markers. And pronouns, conjunctions, and prepositions are not used as frequently as those of English. So when we translate English sentences with articles and infinitive markers into Chinese, we often omit these articles or infinitive markers.

 Principles

1. Omission should be aimed at smoothness and conciseness or succinctness.

2. Omission does not go against ‘faithfulness’. Omission does not mean subtracting meanings from the original work.

3. What is omitted may not be necessarily confined to certain parts of speech, as the traditionalists often say. Any parts of speech may be liable to be omitted depending upon the context and the translator’s translation techniques.

 一个认真负责的译者往往不仅善于保全，而且也善于牺牲。但是应该注意，省略千万不能破坏原文的思想内容。该保全的，决不能少译一个字；该牺牲的，整个从句也可删

去不译。省略不能改变原文的意义。现从语法角度和修辞角度分别举例探讨省略法：

 一、从语法角度来看

 省代词

 ——省略泛指人称代词（即使是作第一个主语，也可省略）

 1） He who has never reached the Great Wall is not a true man.

 不到长城非好汉。

 2）Before you hand in your paper, you have to read it over and see if there is anything in it to be corrected and revised.

 在交卷以前，请通读一遍，确认是否需要修改。

 He was well-favoured, bright, a good dancer, a fair shot and a fine tennis player. He was an asset at any party. He was lavish with flowers and expensive boxes of chocolate, and though he entertained little, when he did it was with an originality that pleased.

 他很聪明，舞跳得不错，打得也可以，网球也打得挺好，深得（女孩子）喜爱。他是宴会的宠儿，从不吝啬购买鲜花和昂贵的巧克力送人。尽管他不大请客，请起来也别有一番创意，让人开心不已。

 ——省略物主代词

 在英语句子里的物主代词，出现的频率很高。一个句子中往往会出现好几个物主代词，如果将每个物主代词都翻译出来那么汉语译文就显得非常罗嗦。所以在没有其他人称的物主代词出现的情况下，在翻译的时候物主代词大多省略。

 例如： I wash my hands before having my lunch.

 汉语只需说“我吃午餐前洗手”，

 而不必说“我吃我的午餐前洗我的手”。

 1) She covered her face with her hands as if to protect her eyes.

 她用手遮住脸，仿佛是想保护眼睛。

 Her dark hair waved untidy across her broad forehead, her face was short, her upper lip short, showing a glint of teeth, her brows were straight and dark, her lashes long and dark, her nose straight.

 她的黑发蓬蓬松松地飘拂在前额上，脸是短短的，上唇也是短短的，露出一排闪亮的牙齿，眉毛又直又黑，睫毛又长又黑，鼻子笔直。

 省略连接词

 ——省略表示从属、条件和时间的连接词

 I knew the train was coming as I had seen the passengers swarm into the platform.

 我看到乘客们涌上站台，知道火车就要进站了。

 If winter comes, can spring be far behind?

 冬天来了，春天还会远吗？（雪莱《西风颂》）

 An example from an interpretation occasion

 Good evening, everybody. Please have a seat. On behalf of Michelle and myself, welcome to the White House. And thank you for joining us as we host President Hu and the Chinese delegation, and as we pay tribute to the bonds between two great nations and two proud peoples.

 大家晚上好。请坐。米歇尔和我欢迎大家光临白宫。感谢各位与我们一道欢迎和中国代表团，对中美两国和人民的紧密关系致意。

 ——省略冠词

 You cannot build a ship, a bridge or a house if you don’t know how to make a design or how to read it.

 不会制图或看不懂图纸，就不可能造船、架桥或盖房子

 The taxi driver said that he was getting a pound a mile.

 出租汽车司机说他（开车）每开一英里可赚一英镑。（不定冠词a或 an 指“每一”时不能省略）

 从修辞的角度来看

 ——避免重复

 University applicants who had worked at a job would receive preference over those who had not.

 报考大学的人，有工作经验的优先录取。

——根据汉语习惯省略一些可有可无的词

 Patients with influenza must be separated from the well lest the disease should spread from person to person.

 流感病人必须与健康的人隔开，以免疾病传播。

 There was no snow. But the leaves were gone from the trees and the grass was dead.

 天未下雪，却已叶落草枯。

 I am here today, in front of a decidedly -friendly crowd, in direct violation of my own advice. That said, I plan to redeem myself by not

developing too much time talking about - a topic that is well known to this audience. Rather I intend to concentrate on the less known.

 今天在我面前的，都是对极为友好的人士，我不打算花太多时间再谈论，因为这个话题对各位来说已经非常熟悉了。而我想多谈一些大家不太了解的东西。

 小结

 1. 省译法不是任意省略、删减。从以上各例句中不难看出，某些词语如果不删减，译文必定不够简洁，或累赘不堪，甚至影响整体意思的表达。采用省略法不仅使译文读起来流畅、自然，而且突出了原文的整体意思。

 2. 应该特别注意的是，省略绝不能影响原文的中心思想和整体意思，否则就是违背“忠实”这一基本原则。从原则上讲，翻译不能对原文内容作任何删减，所以，采用省略法必须以不损害原文的内容为前提。

 3.与增译法（amplification)相比,减省的情况要少得多，所以，省略法要慎用，绝不可想删就删，随心所欲。