汉英翻译中的“形合”和“意合”

汉语中尽可能准确并流畅地阐述语义，以“语义”为上。但看似平铺直叙的句子，其各部分之间可能存在一些隐含关系，如修饰（定语、状语、补语）、因果、递进、转折等。而我们在理解过程中，因为作为母语阅读者的缘故，已经潜移默化地将这些隐含的关系融入到了理解中。我们理解了，但不必表现出来。

例2：

欧托凯勃集团1933年成立于德国科隆，目前在世界各地共拥有8家独资子公司，为世界知名的客户，如戴姆勒奔驰、宝马、大众、通用、福特、奥迪、布加迪、保时捷等提供高端产品及其服务。

【分析】看上句中文，其总体大意罗列了以下内容：欧托凯勃集团成立时间、公司规模、服务的客户、产品层次。从字面上看，没有特殊的逻辑关系；如不加深究，直译即可。

【译文1】Auto-Kabel was established in 1933 in Cologne, Germany, has 8 wholly owned subsidiaries across the world currently and is delivering high-endproducts and services to a crowd of world famous customers like Daimler Benz,BMW, Volkswagen, General Motors, Ford, Audi, Bugatti and Porsche.

【修改1】Established in 1933 in Cologne, Germany, Auto-Kabel has 8 wholly owned subsidiaries across the world currently and is delivering high-endproducts and services to a crowd of world famous customers like Daimler Benz,BMW, Volkswagen, General Motors, Ford, Audi, Bugatti and Porsche.

【修改2】Established in Cologne, Germany in 1933, Auto-Kabel with 8 wholly owned subsidiaries across the world is delivering high-end products andservices to a crowd of world famous customers like Daimler Benz, BMW,Volkswagen, General Motors, Ford, Audi, Bugatti and Porsche.

【修改3】Established in 1933 and headquartered in Cologne, Germany, Auto-Kabelwith 8 wholly owned subsidiaries across the world is delivering high-end products and services to a crowd of world famous customers like Daimler Benz, BMW,Volkswagen, General Motors, Ford, Audi, Bugatti and Porsche.

【分析】译文1中的问题：1. 并列句过多；2. 并列句结构不对等，事态差异和谓语动词不协调。修改译文将部分语义片段转换为不同句子结构，如状语和后置定语。再看修改的译文，其句子结构更加匀称，更符合英语“形合”的表达。

2.2 汉语注重形合的原因

1）语言传统的影响

现代汉语由古代汉语发展而来。古汉语连句读都没有。不太重视形合。

例3:

虎求百兽而食之，得狐。狐曰：“子无敢食我也！天帝使我长百兽，今子食我，是逆天帝命也。子以我为不信，吾为子先行，子随我后，观百兽之见我而敢不走乎？”

A tiger went about in search of other weak animals for food. Once in his hunting, he happed to find a fox. “You won’t dare to eat me,” said the fox, “as I am head of all animals appointed by God. It is against the will of God, if you eat me now.In case you don’t believe what I say, let us go together.You just follow me as I go ahead to see if there is any animal that does not run away when I pass.”

2）母语读者的优势

作为母语使用者，我们更易于理解汉语。即使丢掉某些连词或介词，仍然能理解。

例3：

（因为）他不老实，我不能信任他。

Because he is not honest, I can’t trust him.

3）避免累赘

在充分理解的基础之上，将一些无关紧要的词省略，以保持简洁。

例4：

He started to cry.

译文1：他开始哭了。

译文2：他哭了起来。

【分析】侧重核心语义“cry”，忽略了“started to”，充分体现了汉语的“意合”。

2.3 汉语意合中隐藏的“形”

这里所说的“形”指的是：修饰关系、逻辑关系等。

分析以下案例的译文，看是否丢失了某些关系。（需要大家帮助找出隐藏的关系）

例5：

85年来，欧托凯勃以深耕于汽车线束领域并不断创新，书写了一部不断发展壮大的企业成功史。

【译文1】In the past 85 years, Auto-Kabel has made unremitting endeavor andcontinual innovation and gained a grand success in the auto harness field.（直译）

【译文2】In the past 85 years, Auto-Kabel has created a grand success by unremitting endeavor andcontinual innovationin the auto harness field.（将“深耕和创新”处理为方式状语，逻辑上体现为手段或方式）

【译文3】In the past 85 years, Auto-Kabel has kept expanding and gained successby making deep engagement and continual innovation in the auto harness field.（对意义进行了补充）

【译文4】Over the past 85 years, Auto-Kabel has gained constant grand success thanks toits unremitting dedication and continual innovation in the auto harness field. （同上）

【译文5】In the past 85 years, Auto-Kabel has kept on unremitting dedication and continual innovation, finally gaining a grand success. （“成就部分”用作了补语，逻辑上体现为递进或补充）

例6：

学识渊博、有着自己独到管理哲学的沈巍先生曾在世界500强和中小型外企都工作过，这让沈巍先生积累了丰富的专业能力和管理经验。

【译文1】Shen has worked in some foreign enterprises, including the ones listed in Fortune Global 500, and accumulated abundance of management abilitiesand experiences.

【译文2】Shen has worked in some foreign enterprises, including the ones listed in Fortune Global 500, in which he accumulated abundance of management abilities and experiences.（in which体现了衔接关系）

【译文3】Shen has accumulated abundance of management abilities and experiences during his past career in some foreign enterprises, including the ones listed in Fortune Global 500. （时间状语）

【译文4】Mr. Shen Wei, who is knowledgeable and has his own managementphilosophy, accumulates abundance of management abilities and experiences afterworking in some foreign enterprises, including those listed in Fortune Global 500 and the small and medium-sized ones. （意义补充）

【译文4】Having worked in some foreign enterprises including several listed in Fortune 500, Shen has acquired abundant management abilities and experiences.（工作经历部分用作了前置状语）

例7：

巩固发展反腐败斗争压倒性胜利，加强威慑推进官员不敢腐、不能腐、不想腐。

【译文1】Consolidate the sweeping victory obtained in the anti-graft campaign and ensure that officials "don't dare to, are unable to and have no desire to" commit acts of corruption.

【分析】原文没有主语，需要补充还是做使用被动语态。

【译文2】The sweeping victory that has been secured in the anti-graft campaign must be consolidated by strengthening deterrenceso thatofficials "don't dare to, are unable to and have no desire to "commit acts of corruption.（“by strengthening deterrence”用作“方式”，“so that”体现递进）

【译文3】We must/shouldconsolidate the sweeping victory obtained in the anti-graft campaign by strengthening deterrence so that officials "don't dare to, are unable to and have no desire to" commit acts of corruption.（补充主语，形成完整的句式）

【注】：在翻译此类风格文本时，两个译文可作为良好范例。

例8：

自2002年《中华人民共和国科学技术普及法》（以下简称《科普法》）颁布以来，国家大力支持社会力量兴办科普事业，社会力量兴办科普事业可以按照市场机制运行。

【译文1】Since the promulgation of "the Science and Technology Popularization Law of the People's Republic of China" (hereinafter referred to as "the Science and Technology Popularization Law") in 2002, the country has supported strongly the establishment and development of science popularization causes by social forces and their business can operate under market mechanism.

【译文2】In 2002, "the Science and Technology Popularization Law of the People's Republic of China" (hereinafter referred to as "the Scienceand Technology Popularization Law") was promulgated. Since that, the country has been giving strong supports to the establishment and development of science popularization causes by social forces, under which, science popularization businesses can operate smoothly under market mechanism.（通过两个句子表述，避免句式过于复杂；通过“under which”引导从句，拉紧了后一句中两部分的逻辑关系）

例9：

我们参与了铝线束产品的标准制定，在材料研发、加工等方面都有专利，很多整车厂都借鉴欧托凯勃铝线束标准。

【译文1】We have participated in the formulation of a series of aluminum harness product standards, and have patents in material research and development. In addition, many motor makers follow our standards.

【译文2】We have participated in the formulation of a series of aluminum harness product standards, which have been applied by many motormakers, and taken out a string of patents in material research, development and other links.（第一个和第三个分句关系最近，因此放在一起阐述，两部分之间逻辑关系通过定语从句实现。）

例10：

我们是德国一家私营公司，在铝线束细分领域是全球最大的。

【译文1】We are a private company in Germany, the biggest one in the global aluminium harness segment market.

【译文2】We are a company in Germany, but an aluminium harness giant in the global market. (通过转折实现两个分句语义的对比，强化后半句的语义——尽管位于德国，但在国际市场上地位很最重要。)

【译文3】As a company in Germany, we become an aluminium harness giant in the global market. （第一部分用作了前置同位语）

在本文的初稿中，例5至例10仅给出了初步的译文；而更多的修改版本，是同事们在翻译讨论过程中形成的。讨论集中围绕汉英翻译如何实现英语语境下的“形合”而展开，不断发掘出汉语语言原文中隐含的“关系或连接”。讨论氛围活跃，崭新的创意不断出现。有的译文多大5个版本，各版本采用了不同的翻译技巧，给出了不同语义侧重点。

本文成稿是建立在团体讨论的基础之上，是集体创意的整合。因此，形成本文的过程，其意义远大于其内容本身。团体讨论是团队成员相互学习、共同进步的重要途径。

（作者：王彦鹏）返回搜狐，查看更多