专业英语长句和复杂句翻译

2013-03-06 15:07 来源:科学网 作者:刘 进平
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英语语言结构重形合(hypotaxis),汉语重义合(parataxis),也就是说,英语的句子组织通常通过连接词(connectives)和词尾的曲折变化(inflection)来实现,汉语则较少使用连接词和受语法规则约束。英语句子通过表示各种关系如因果、条件、逻辑、预设等形合手段组织,环环相扣,可以形成像树枝一样包孕许多修饰成分和分句的长句和复杂句,而汉语则多用短句和简单句。此外,英语注重使用各种短语作为句子的构成单位,在修饰位置上可前可后、十分灵活,常习惯于后置语序。这些差异就形成了王力先生所谓的英语“化零为整”而汉语则“化整为零”特点。此外,英语多用被动语态,这在科技英语中尤为如此。了解英语和汉语这些造句差异,就可在英语长句和复杂句的理解和翻译中有意识地将英语句子按照汉语造句特点进行转化处理,短语和从句结构变单独句子或相反,后置变前置,被动变主动。以下结合本人在教学中遇到的例子,说说如何对生物类专业英语长句和复杂句翻译进行翻译处理。

1、How can plant genetics contribute to the related objectives of achieving sustainable food production with a reduced environmental impact and at the same time provide a livelihood for rural communities in the face of reduced production subsidies?

[解析]该句的主要结构是“How can plant genetics contribute to …… and at the same time provide ……?”并列分句中各成分的载荷不算太严重,因此宜按原句进行翻译。

[翻译]植物遗传学如何做到在实现可持续粮食生产又能降低对环境影响相关目标的同时,为面临减少生产补贴的农村社区提供生计?

2、Root elongation may be inhibited by the levels of auxin required to initiate roots, and the use of IAA, which rapidly breaks down in cultured tissues, is a useful way of overcoming this problem without having to provide a second rooting medium.

[解析]第一个分句宜将被动语态译为主动语态,第二个分句如将定语分句处理为汉语前置,“利用能在培养组织中迅速降解而无需提供第二种生根培养基的IAA则是克服这个问题的一种有用方法。”则会因修饰语太长,不易理解,也不符合汉语习惯,宜作为分句处理。

[翻译]根发端所需的生长素水平会抑制根的伸长,而利用IAA则是克服这个问题的一种有用方法,因为IAA能在培养组织中迅速降解而无需提供第二种生根培养基。

2、Amylase, which starts at the non-reducing ends of the outer chains of starch and proceeds by gradual removal of maltose units, and de-branching enzyme (R-enzyme), which hydrolyzes the α-1-6-linkages of starch, were detected in these plants.

[解析]该句主句结构“Amylase, ……, and de-branching enzyme (R-enzyme), ……, were detected in these plants.”,“Amylase”和“de-branching enzyme (R-enzyme)”用两个定语从句修饰。宜先译主句,然后再分译两个定语从句。

[翻译]在这些植株体内检测到淀粉酶和去分枝酶(R酶)。淀粉酶从淀粉外链的非还原端开始,逐个降解麦芽糖单位,而去分枝酶则水解淀粉的α-1-6-连接键。

3、Current concerns focus on the growth of genetically engineered plants as an intrusion on nature that may have unknown and irreversible consequences, and on the amassing of unprecedented power by corporations through ownership and control of the supply of food from seed to plate.

[解析]该句的理解的关键是要抓住主句的结构“Current concerns focus on ……, and on ……”,同时不要将第二个“on”的搭配(intrusion on)与主句中第一个和第三个“on”的搭配(focus on)混淆。翻译时,为了避免宾语的修补词过长,可用“目前公众对转基因植物的关注集中在这两点”来总述,然后用“一方面……;另一方面……”来分述,这样处理更符合汉语习惯。

[翻译]目前公众对转基因植物的关注集中在这两点:一方面将栽培基因工程植物视作是一种对自然的“侵扰”,因为它可能会带来未知的和不可挽回的后果;另一方面,(生物技术)公司通过对所有权和食物从田间到餐桌(从种子到盘子)的控制而掌握(集聚)前所未有的权力。

4、With the advent of DNA-based genetic markers in the late 1970's, the situation changed and researchers could, for the first time, begin to identify large numbers of markers dispersed throughout the genetic material of any species of interest and use the markers to detect associations with traits of interest, thus allowing MAS to finally become a reality.

[解析]该句较长,但其修饰成分和从句排列基本按照逻辑顺序展开,且与汉语语序无多大区别,宜直接翻译。

[翻译]随着70年代晚期以DNA为基础的遗传标记出现,情况发生了改变,研究者首次能够对散布在任何目标物种遗传物质上的大量标记进行鉴定,并能利用这些标记来检测与之联系的性状,最终使得分子标记辅助育种(MAS)成为现实。

5、Therefore, if the full potential of enzymes is to be exploited cheap efficient methods of extracting and purifying enzymes will have to be discovered which take into account the low concentrations of enzymes that are typically found in the cells, which are usually less than 1% (w/w).

[解析]该句前面为If引导条件状语从句“if the full potential of enzymes is to be exploited”,主句为“cheap efficient methods of extracting and purifying enzymes will have to be discovered”,之后为“methods”的定语从句,定语从句中又嵌套一个“the low concentrations”的定语从句。翻译时宜将“methods”定语从句译成分句。

[翻译]因此,如果要充分利用酶的潜力,就必须找到提取和纯化酶的低廉而有效的方法。这类方法能够考虑到细胞中酶的浓度通常都很低,一般低于1% (w/w)。

6、This led to a whole new field of academic research, including the milestone paper by Paterson and co-workers in 1988 which showed, given the availability of large numbers of genetic markers for their species of interest (tomato), how the effects and location of marker-linked genes impacting a number of quantitative traits (fruit traits in their case) could be estimated, using an approach that could be applied to dissect the genetic make-up of any physiological, morphological and behavioural trait in plants and animals.

[解析]该句的主句结构为“This led to a whole new field of academic research”,后面有一个现在分词结构“including the milestone paper by Paterson and co-workers in 1988”之后为“the milestone paper”的长定语从句。在翻译时,宜将该定语从句分译成句,但要将表示方法手段的现在分词结构“using an approach that could be applied to dissect the genetic make-up of any physiological, morphological and behavioural trait in plants and animals”前置译出,这样更符合汉语的表达习惯。

[翻译]这导致一个全新的学术研究领域的出现,包括佩特森及其合作者在1988年发表的具有里程碑意义的论文。该论文表明,在可以获得目标物种(番茄)的大量遗传标记的情况下,如何采用一种可以用来对植物和动物任何生理、形态和行为性状的遗传组成分析的方法,来估测与标记连锁的影响一定数量性状(如番茄中的果实性状)的基因的效应和位置。

7、Combining the best genes in one plant is a long and difficult process, especially as traditional plant breeding has been limited to artificially crossing plants within the same species or with closely related species to bring different genes together.

[解析]这个句子是英语注重后饰(back modifier)的一个例子。as引导原因状语从句置于主句之后,表示传统植物育种将最好的基因集中在一种植物中由于此原因而尤其(especially)是一个漫长而艰难的过程。

[翻译]将最好的基因集中在一种植物中是一个漫长而艰难的过程,对于传统植物育种而言尤其如此,因为传统植物育种仅限于对相同物种或亲缘关系相近的物种进行人工杂交来将不同基因组合在一起。

8、This technology provides the means for identifying and isolating genes controlling specific characteristics in one kind of organism, and for moving copies of those genes into another quite different organism, which will then also have those characteristics.

[解析]此句的主句结构为“This technology provides the means for ……, and for ……”,另外还有一个修饰“another quite different organism”的定语从句“which will then also have those characteristics”。该句在翻译处理时,可以按原英语句子语序译出,也可先总述主句,然后再分述“两种方法”。

[翻译一]该技术不仅为从某一生物体中控制特异性状的基因分离和鉴定提供了方法,而且为将这些基因拷贝转移到另一种非常不同的生物体中并使之也具有上述特异性状提供了方法。

[翻译二]该技术提供这些方法:从某一生物体中分离和鉴定控制特异性状的基因,将这些基因拷贝转移到另一种非常不同的生物体中并使之也具有这些性状。

9、This powerful tool enables plant breeders to do what they have always done ― generate more useful and productive crop varieties containing new combinations of genes ― but it expands the possibilities beyond the limitations imposed by traditional cross-pollination and selection techniques.

[解析]理解此句的关键在于专业知识。从专业角度来看,转基因技术可以突破种属界限,将不同物种的基因组合在一起,创造具有崭新性状的物种或品种,而常规(传统)育种技术如杂交育种和选择育种则受限于物种之间的生殖隔离,不同物种很能杂交,因此也很难将不同特种的基因组合在一起。明乎此,该句的翻译就容易多了。

[翻译]有此利器,不仅可使植物育种工作者做他们一直在做的事——培育出包含新基因组合的更有用更高产的作物品种,而且可以突破传统的杂交授粉和选择育种技术带来的局限。

刘进平,庄南生,王英,唐燕琼,许云,黄小龙. 生物类专业英语长句和复杂句翻译的实战训练. 教育教学论坛,2012,45(23):151-152

本文引用地址:http://blog.sciencenet.cn/blog-39731-667589.html

编辑: zhongguoxing

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