翻译硕士考研笔译技巧:声色词的译法(2)
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二、拟声词译法
翻译英语拟声词时,除了闻声解意外,还应根据具体语境和修辞等要求,选用恰当的翻译方法。常见的拟声词译法大体有如下几种:
A.英语原文中有拟声词,汉译时也用拟声词
英语原文中的拟声词在汉语中可译成相同的拟声词:
(1) A turkey gobbles.火鸡咯咯叫。
(2) A wolf howls/growls.狼嚎。
(3) A bee hums.蜜蜂嗡嗡地叫。
(4) A bull bellows.公牛哞哞地叫。
(5) A sparrow twitters.麻雀吱吱喳喳叫。
有时也可译成不同的拟声词:
(1) The train clattered out of the station.火车哐唧哐唧驶出车站。
(2) The shutters clattered in the wind.百叶窗在风中劈劈啪啪作响。
(3) The girls clattered away at their luncheon.午餐时女孩们咭咭呱呱地谈个不停
(4) The dishes and bowls slid together with a clatter.碟子碗碰得丁丁当当响。
有时,英语原文中不同的拟声词在汉语中也可译成同一拟声词:
(1) The thunder rolled in the distance.远处雷声隆隆。
(2) There came the hum of machines.传来了机器的隆隆声。
(3) The offices were quite. Far below I could hear the rumble of tube trains carrying commuters to the west end.各办公室都很静,我可以听到地底下的隆隆声,那是地铁在运送通勤人员去西区。
将英语的拟声词译成汉语的拟声词,有时可保持原文中拟声词的词性及其在句子中的成分,例如:
(1) Whee-ee-ee! Whee-ee-ee! The police whistles shrilled suddenly.的!的!突然警笛响了。
(2) Those standing behind whispered and chattered all the time.站在身后的人们一直吱吱喳喳个没完。
(3) They hissed him off the stage.他们把他嘘下了台。
(4) The clock ticked, the fire cracked.钟声滴滴答答,火声劈劈啪啪。
英语拟声词多数是动词或名词,在句中作谓语、主语或宾语,而汉语拟声词多半带有形容词和副词的性质,作定语、状语或补语。所以英语拟声词翻译成汉语时,往往需要转换原文中拟声词的词性属性及句法功能。例如:
(1) About this time a brick came through the window with a splintering crash.大约在这个时候,有人从窗户外面抛了一块砖进来,辟里啪拉砸得很响。(形容词──副词)
(2) The ship hooted down the river.呜那船沿江而下。(谓语动词──独立成分)
(3) The clock ticked away the minutes.钟声滴答滴答地把时间打发走了。(谓语动词──独立成分)
(4) A bitter storm of sleet, dense and ice-cold, swept the wet streets, and rattled on the trembling windows.刺骨的暴风夹着密集而寒冷的雨雪,扫过湿漉漉的街道,打得颤抖的窗子格格作响。(谓语动词──副词)
必要时还可增补一定的词语,使语义完整、句法正确。例如:
(1) She slammed the box on the table.她把匣子砰的一下摔在桌子上。
(2) The man shut the door with a bang.那人砰的一声把门关上了。
(3) The wind whispered in the pines.风在松林中飒飒作响。
(4) The clang of the fire bell aroused the town.报火警钟的当当声惊醒了全镇。
B.英语原文中用拟声词,汉语译文中不用
恰当地运用拟声词可增强感染力,使语言表达更加形象生动。但如果拟声词用得过滥或不得体,也会造成译文语言轻佻、累赘,从而破坏原文的表达力。因此原文中的拟声词有时可改用非拟声词来表达。例如:
(1) Old beams began to crack mysteriously.那些老屋梁神秘地发出裂开的响声。
(2) There was a large , low-ceiling room, with clacking, rattling machines.有一大间天花板很低的屋子,里面的机器响成一片。
(3) A profound silence prevailed over all and the only thing she could hear was the tap of ivy on the pane.万籁俱寂,她唯一听到的是长青藤轻扣玻璃声。
(4) On my way to school I can see the babbling water in the brook, hear the frogs creaking,cuckoos cuckooing, sparrows chirping in the woods.上学路上,我能看见溪中的潺潺流水,能听见青蛙鸣、杜鹃啼,麻雀叫。
C.英语原文中没有拟声词,汉语译文中加用拟声词
在一定的情况下可采用这种译法,以加强译文语言的表达力。例如:
(1) He crashed down on a protesting chair.他猛然坐到一把椅子上,椅子被压得吱吱作响。
(2) The lad rushed in , gasping for breath.小伙子冲进来,呼哧呼哧上气不接下气。
(3) When he raised his hand, ten thousand eyes followed it.他把手儿一扬,千万人的眼睛跟着它滴溜溜地转。