筆譯考前必看實用翻譯技巧 2

二、英語短語(成語)翻譯的多樣性

例：to be on tenterhooks(心情煩亂、焦急、緊張)

1)She was on tenterhooks when she heard of her mother's illness.

她得知母親病了，坐立不安。

2)He was on tenterhooks of expectation during our conversation.

在我們談話時，他因有所期待而如坐針氈。

3)I found him on tenterhooks when he was waiting for his girlfriend.

我發(fā)現他在等女朋友時顯得局促不安。

4)The President，being told of the strong earthquake in his country, was on tenterhooks every minute.

得知本國發(fā)生了強烈地震，總統(tǒng)一直心亂如麻。

5)His parents were on tenterhooks all the time until they got his letter.

他的父母在收到他的信前，一直是那樣的心煩意亂。

6)The students were on tenterhooks before the examination began.

考試開始前，學生們的心里七上八下。

7)The poor boy was on tenterhooks when his father was searching for a stick.

那個可憐的男孩見父親到處找棍子，感到六神無主。

8)The hen-pecked man was on tenterhooks when his wife scolded her way into the room.

當妻子罵罵咧咧闖到房間來時，這個得了“氣管炎”的男人便有些手足無措。

權威的英語詞典Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English對英語成語to be on tenterhooks的釋義有兩個：(1)to be in a worried，anxious，or nervous state of mind(心情煩亂、焦急、緊張);(2) to be in a state of anxious expectation(急切等待)。上面除了第二和第三個例句，里面的成語to be on tenterhooks都屬于第一個釋義。盡管第二、第三個例句中的成語有“等待”之意，但其側重點還是在于“等待造成的心情煩亂”。如果把上面例句中的英語成語全都簡單地譯成“心情煩亂”或“心情緊張”，譯文就會顯得蒼白無力、枯燥無味。上面8個例句對句中同一個成語卻采用了多樣性譯法，譯文全部都采用了四字格：“坐立不安”、“如坐針氈”、“局促不安”、“心亂如麻”、“心煩意亂”、“七上八下”、“六神無主”、“手足無措”。這8條漢語成語都是“心情煩亂、焦急、緊張”的寫照。但是，我們也須仔細體會不同譯文之間在詞義的輕重程度上所存在的細微差距。它們中的大多數并不能相互替換。