英文表达中经常会用到一些数字,如:twos and threes, at sixes and sevens, sixth
sense等等,用数字表达含义简短精练,但在将这些数字表达译成中文时,并非“英文中是几,中文就译成几”,情况恰好相反,在将这些表达翻译成中文时,常常会用到“不等值翻译”、“不译”的方法。具体说来,可分为以下三种情况。其中涉及到的一些常用说法也可供大家学习参考。
(1)等值翻译
a drop in the ocean 沧海一粟
within a stone's throw 一步之遥
kill two birds with one stone 一箭双雕
(2)不等值翻译
at sixes and sevens 乱七八糟
on second thoughts 再三考虑
by ones and twos 两两地,零零落落地
Two heads are better than one.三个臭皮匠胜过诸葛亮。
--Can you come down a little?
--Sorry, its one price for
all.
你能便宜一点卖吗?
对不起,不二价。
(3)不必译出
One mans meat is another mans poison.人各有所好。
I'll love you three score and ten.我会一辈子爱你的。
Ten to one he has forgotten it.很可能他已经忘了。
His mark in math is second to none in the class. 他的数学分数在班上是名列前茅的。
She is a second Lei Feng. 她是雷锋式的人物。
I always believe my sixth sense. 我总相信我的直觉。
The parson officially pronounced that they became one.牧师正式宣告他们成婚。
I used to study in France in the year one.
我早年曾在法国学习。
(来源:中国英语学习网 英语点津姗姗编辑)