英語(yǔ)二翻譯的長(zhǎng)難句解析
Think about driving a route that’s very familiar. It could be your commute to work, a trip into town or the way home. Whichever it is, you know every twist and turn like the back of your hand. On these sorts of trips it’s easy to lose concentration on the driving and pay little attention to the passing scenery. The consequence is that you perceive that the trip has taken less time than it actually has.This is the well-travelled road effect: people tend to underestimate the time it takes to travel a familiar route. The effect is caused by the way we allocate our attention. When we travel down a well-known route, because we don’t have to concentrate much, time seems to flow more quickly. And afterwards, when we come to think back on it, we can’t remember the journey well because we didn’t pay much attention to it. So we assume it was proportionately shorter.
先看下第三個(gè)句子:whichever it is, you know every twist and turn like the back of your hand.
Whichever it is是一個(gè)讓步狀語(yǔ)從句。whichever可以翻譯為:無(wú)論哪一個(gè),類似的詞還有whatever,however,wherever等??紤]到上文說(shuō)的是route,則這里翻譯為不管是哪條路。you know every twist and turn like the back of your hand.是主句部分,twist當(dāng)名詞用,是轉(zhuǎn)彎處、轉(zhuǎn)變等意思,turn也是轉(zhuǎn)變/拐彎等意思,這兩個(gè)詞連用有點(diǎn)押頭韻的感覺(jué),也加強(qiáng)了修飾作用,是曲曲折折,轉(zhuǎn)變,迂回婉轉(zhuǎn)等意思。
如果直接翻譯you know every twist and tum可以是:你知道路上的每一個(gè)拐彎.like the back of your hand.直譯的結(jié)果是:像知道自己的手背一樣,它也是英語(yǔ)的一種習(xí)慣表達(dá),一般指:非常熟悉。正因?yàn)檫@句話加強(qiáng)了修飾作用,所以不妨把上面的:知道每一個(gè)拐彎。用中文重復(fù)的方式來(lái)加強(qiáng)語(yǔ)氣,翻譯為你熟悉每一個(gè)拐每一個(gè)彎。like the back of your hand:了如指掌。
最終完整的翻譯是不管是那條路,你對(duì)每一個(gè)拐每一個(gè)彎都了如指掌,非常熟悉。
再來(lái)看下第六個(gè)句子:.This is the well-travelled road effect: people tend to underestimate the time it takes to travel a familiar route.
This is the well-travelled road effect是主句部分。travel是行駛,行走,旅行的意思,合成詞well-travelled按照合成的方式分析是travelled will,意思是:經(jīng)常走的。修飾road意思就是:熟悉的路線,熟路。effect是效應(yīng)、結(jié)果的意思。翻譯為:即這就是所謂的“熟路效應(yīng)”。
people tend to underestimate the time是同位語(yǔ)從句,tend to意思是:傾向于、往往。underestimate是:低估的意思,直接翻譯即可:人們往往會(huì)低估時(shí)間。 it takes to travel a familiar route.是定語(yǔ)從句,修飾前面的the time。所以, it takes應(yīng)該是it takes (the time)to travel a familiar route.意思是:在熟悉的線路上所花費(fèi)的時(shí)間。
最終完整的翻譯就是:這就是所謂的“熟路效應(yīng)”:人們往往會(huì)低估在熟悉的線路上所花費(fèi)的時(shí)間。