CATTI二级口译精讲第11讲讲义

思维理解 (二) 信息视觉化

语音、语义、语篇意义的产生有赖于认知知识，而认知知识并非完全以语言为载体存在于大脑 中，还有其他存储方式。为了避免将精力放在字词上，我们可以采用视觉化方法,边听边将听到的内容视觉化，用视觉跟踪事态的发展，借助形象来记忆听到的内容，这样做既 可避免只听字词，还可在表达时实现通畅和清晰。

下面这段话就可以采用视觉化手段进行记忆:

There's something in the Persian Gulf waters near Kuwait that has been killing tens of thousands of fish. No one seems to know what it is or why the fish are dying, but scientists from around the world are descending on Kuwait in hopes of finding the answer. Tons of dead fish are appearing in Persian Gulf waters off the coast of Kuwait. Scientists say they have never seen anything like it. It started around the 10th of August. Since then, around 2,000 tons of dead fish, most mullet, have been recovered from Kuwaiti waters and dead fish are still appearing. The fish market in Kuwait has been shut down and is reported losing more than $ 1.5 million per day. The government has placed a ban on fishing in Kuwaiti waters and has set up a committee of inquiry. Scientists from around the world, including the United States and Britain, are either already in Kuwait or en route to help solve what has become a scientific mystery. The investigations thus far have been exhaustive. So far, scientists say their best guess for what is killing the fish is an infection caused by warmer-than- normal Persian Gulf waters. Temperatures in Kuwait over the past several weeks have been soaring above 50 degrees Celsius. However, the hot water theory is just one possible explanation. Scientists are also examining the possibility of sewage or agricultural bacteria being exposed to Persian Gulf waters. They say they have ruled out any possible connection to the 1991 Gulf War. Investigators hope they can find a definitive answer to what is killing Kuwait's fish within the next few weeks.

当我们听到"killing tens of thousands of fish"时，可以联想到一大片的死鱼漂在海面上，对此我们一定也想知道其中的原因。接着下文讲一些科学家突然抵达科威特，希望找出鱼的死因。科学家到后，我们可以想象他们匆匆赶往波斯海湾，看到海边数十吨的死鱼不断浮上水面，而科威特的市场也一片萧条。这样的串联形象可以帮助我们记住讲话中的细节。而且我们很快可以把握住讲话的主旨是要说明鱼群暴死的原因。信息视觉化在口译中非常重要，它可以帮助我们丢掉语言形式，而将信息意义提炼出来。例如
在下面的一段话中，

Many people are too weak to be able to eat and that means that they have had to install a system called "wet feeding" with grains and it's mixed with water and it gurgles down easier.

如果我们将信息视觉化，眼前可以呈现出照片上经常出现的情景：孩子们坐在那里，骨瘦如柴、目光呆滞、非常虚弱，进而可以推断出他们吃东西困难，只能吃流食。如果我们将注意力只集中在语言上的话，第一句很可能译成"孩子们忘记了如何吃饭"，而且还会被wetfeeding这个词所羁绊，费力去想它的对应词，结果误了听下文。

汉译英中，也同样可以采用信息视觉化来理解讲话的含义，如：我们第一次参观秦俑还是在1992年。而秦俑是在1974年首次被发现的，那年，一些农民在挖井时挖到了一个陶俑头。我们去的时候一切设施才刚刚开始建设，实际上一号坑还只是部分被发掘。现在二号、 三号坑都已在完工阶段了。秦俑也已被联合国教科文组织指定为世界历史遗址。事实上，令人震惊的不仅是这 支地下军队的巨大的规模，还有秦俑复杂的形象，表情各异的神态，还有建筑构造，它设计独特，可以保护秦 俑形象免遭自然力和污染的侵害。此时，我被空气中弥漫的古老土壤气息包围着，仿佛可以听到剑盾的撞击声.当我们在听到"参观兵马俑"时，眼前涌现出兵马俑的壮观，表情各异的神态，以及凝重的历史氛围，再加上我们大脑中已储存的对发掘兵马俑的历史背景，这样我们就可以脱开语言的形式，抓住讲话人 的含义，借助于故事和形象将信息的意义阐释出来。

Practice

What we see now is the Washington National Cathedral. The Washington National Cathedral is one of the largest and most famous religious centers in the United States. It belongs to the Episcopal Church. The official name of the building is the Cathedral Church of Saint Peter and Saint Paul. But everyone calls it the National Cathedral because people of all religions are welcome to pray there.

The National Cathedral was built with money from private citizens. The work started in 1907, and the Cathedral was not completely finished until 1990. The first stone was laid in the presence of President Theodore Roosevelt. Every President of the United States since then has attended services or visited the Cathedral. It was built on 7,000 hectares of land on one of the highest places in the city. It looks like many of the great religious centers built in Europe about 800 years ago. The building is shaped like a cross or the letter T. In the center is a bell tower 91 meters high. Two more towers stand at the bottom of the cross.

Two hundred windows are set high in the walls of the National Cathedral. Most are made of many pieces of colored glass. They color the sunlight as it enters the building and spills across the floor. Some windows have flower designs. Others have images from Christian stories or from American heroes. In one window is a rock that was brought back from the moon.

The National Cathedral also celebrates American heroes. It has statues of Presidents George Washington and Abraham Lincoln, for example. And more than 150 famous Americans are buried there. They include President Woodrow Wilson, business leader Andrew Mellon and writer Helen Keller.

The Washington National Cathedral is open to all people for many religious events throughout the year. The Cathedral also holds Christian religious services, family activities, weddings, funerals, concerts and educational programs for children.

Now you have thirty minutes to look around.