英语翻译技巧之反译法(negation)

Silent Answers
• “You’re not going to school today?” Mother shouted down the stairs to her little one. The child looked up and shook his head.
• “今天你就不上学啦？”母亲从楼上喊下来，问她的小宝 贝。孩子抬起头来点了一下。
(4). Translation of Rhetorical Questions
• There is hardly a clear-cut line between a rhetorical question and a general question. Context decides whether a question is rhetorical or general, except absurd questions such as “Haven’t you got eyes?”. A rhetorical question, which the speaker uses to gain an effect, does not expect any answer.
• Not + full negative : Partial negative
E.g. Not many people have nowhere to live. ≈ Most people have somewhere to live.
不是很多人没有地方住。
• Not…for nothing: Partial negative E.g. All these investigations are not done for nothing. 这些调查并不是白做的。
(2). Translation of Negative Questions
• Look, some buses are coming this way, don’t you see them? • 瞧，有几辆公共汽车往这边开来了，你看见了吗？（cf.
你没看见吗？）
• Some questions in English look like disjunctive questions, but actually they are not. The statement and question have two different subjects covering different persons or things. In translation, the negation is generally not expressed.
satisfied. 你不可只因为她不抱怨，就以为她心满意足了。
(3). 把句子的其他成分转移到动词
E.g. He gave me not even a moment to collect my thoughts. 他甚至不给我片刻时间去集中思考。
2. Conversion of the Affirmative in to the
4. Translation of English Questions
and Answers (英语问答句译法)
（ 1）. Translation of Answers to Negative Questions
• 注意：在回答否定问句时，英汉间的差异。 • Are you notwenku.baidu.comprepared to do this work? • 你不打算做这项工作吗？ • Yes, I am. • 不，我打算做。 • No, I’m not. • 是的，我不打算做。
Negative （肯定形式译成否定形式 ）
什么是肯定形式的英语句子？ --英语句子中既没有否定词，如no, not, never, none, neither, nobody, nothing, nowhere , nowise, 也没有带有否 定前缀或后缀的词，如dis-, im-, in-, ir-, non-, un-, -less.
• Full affirmative + not / not + full affirmative: Partial negative
E.g. A man of learning is not always a man of wisdom. 有学问的人不一定是有智慧的人。
Attention!!
• “all the + noun + not” and “ not all the + noun ”: full negation E.g. All the money in the world won’t make you happy. 即使你拥有了世界上所有的财富，你也不会快乐。
big audience. • 昨天总统在大庭广众面前即席致辞。 • Aren’t they fine, these three men are going off into nowhere
like that? • 这三人真行，前途茫茫，就这样去了。
(2). Conversion of Negative Sentences into Affirmatives • My overcoat would not wear out. • 我的大衣十分耐穿。 • If that isn’t what I want! • 我所要的就是这个呀！ • Nothing is more deceitful than the appearance of humility. • 谦卑的外表是最易使人上当的。
5. Translation of Various Kinds of Negation (英语各种否定译法 )
(1). Partial Negation 部分否定
• Partial affirmative + not : Partial negative E.g. Some students are not here. ≈ Some students are here. 有些学生不在。
中文的肯定句又是怎样的呢？ --中文的肯定句，句子中不含有“不”，“非”，“否”， “没（有）”，“未”，“别”，“勿”，“莫”， “休”，“甭”。
E.g. • Take it or leave it. • 买不买随你。
• That time when we caught Molly I doubled up with laughter. • 我们抓住莫莉那一回，我笑得直不起腰来。
翻译技巧之反译法 Negation
1. Transfer of the Negative (否定转移)
(1). 把主句的否定转移到that从句
• think, believe, suppose, expect, imagine, fancy, reckon 引导的从 句，在英翻中时应使用否定转移 E.g. We don’t believe that our mother tongue is inferior to any other
• Literary style：岂不 • Modern or colloquial style：难道
• Is this the part of wise men, engaged in a great and arduous struggle for liberty? Are we disposed to be of the number of those, who having eyes, see not, and having ears, hear not, the things which so nearly concern their temporal salvation?
language in the world. 我们相信，祖国的语言并不亚于世界任何其他语言。
• 有些动词，如assume, surmise 和presume，引导的从句中，在英 翻中时主句的否定不能转移到从句当中 E.g. I can’t assume that he came. 我不能假定他来了。
3. Conversion of the Negative into the
Affirmative (否定形式译成肯定形式)
(1). Conversion of English Words with Negative Prefixes or Suffixes into Affirmative Forms
Words
incomplete unasked
unprecedented dislike disbelief
Negative Form
不完全的 未经邀请的 前所未有的
不喜欢 不相信
Affirmative Form
残缺的 自告奋勇的
空前的 反感、讨厌
怀疑
undisguised
无伪装的
公然、公开的
E.G. • Yesterday the President gave an unprepared speech before a
• I like Xiamen very much, don’t you? • 我很喜欢厦门，你呢？
• He won’t go home, but will she? • 他不回家，那她呢？
(3). Translation of Answers to Disjunctive Questions
• It’s not going to rain, is it? • 不会下雨，是不是？ • No. • 是的,不会。 • Yes. it’s going to rain. • 不，会下雨的。
I assume that he couldn’t come. 我猜想他不能来。
(2). 把谓语动词的否定转移到状语
E.g. Rome was not built in a day. 罗马非朝夕建成。 Just because she doesn't complain you should not suppose that she is
• I wonder if he cannot help me out of the difficulty. • 我不知道他是否能帮我摆脱这个困境。 • I am writing to ask your help in seeing if the provisions of the
agreement cannot be implemented in the next few weeks. • 兹函请惠予注意协议条款是否可在今后几周内实施。
• Full negative + affirmative predicate: E.g. Nobody succeeds.
• Full negative + words with negative prefixes or suffixes, or words implying negation. E.g. He was always unkind.
• Not… and … VS Not… or…
E.g. He did not speak clearly and correctly. He did not speak clearly or correctly.
他讲得清楚，但不正确。
他讲得不清楚，也不正确。
(2). Full negation (全部否定)
• 为争取自由而从事伟大而艰巨的斗争的明智人士，难道应 该这样做吗？对于目前自救运动密切相关的事业视而不见、 充耳不闻的人，难道我们甘心情愿与之为伍吗？
(5). Translation of Indirect Negative Questions
• Negation can be found even in indirect questions, which in our mode of expression should be in a tone of uncertainty, such as “是否可以……”, “能不能……”. A literal translation will confuse the reader.