4.4 断句
对英汉两种语言运用娴熟是对译员的素质的基本要求。首先要能从繁复的长句中理清头绪。基本训练先从切分句子开始。阅读长句子时,练习快速地把长句分解为几个小句子。
例(5) On Thursday August 10th the lines became serpentine and the people in them more anxious than querulous as news spread that the police and security services had been working overnight to interrupt a plot to blow up a dozen planes bound for America.
这例长句中包含以下3个子句:
①On Thursday August 10th the lines became serpentine
②the people in them more anxious than querulous
③news spread that the police and security services had been working overnight to interrupt a plot to blow up a dozen planes bound for America.
接下来是为了做到边看边译而进行的进一步断句。视译中译员靠眼睛摄入视觉词语,因为阅读习惯、视幅(eye span)和所需视时(fixation)等的差异,摄入信息的速度因人而异,但是让译员得以开口的时间差(EVS: eye-voice span笔者仿造的词)基本上也必须是一个完整的意义单位,其长短取决于“译员个人的知识与能力,其中包括双语处理能力、工作记忆的运作能力、长期记忆知识的积累、组织、调动与激活等”,很难量化。(蔡小红,2003:77)视译中顺句驱动的类型和规律(万宏瑜、杨承淑,2005)说明即使在视译中,语法原则、句法规范仍然普遍适用。这一点进一步说明视译对学员的两种工作语言水平都有较高的要求。因此在训练断句技能的同时不能忽视对两种工作语言能力的不断提升。广泛地阅读正好可以系统地扩大知识面,又锻炼了抓大意、分析逻辑结构等等相关能力。
4.5 补全句子意思/预测
视译中的阅读不是一般的阅读,为了能够做到译语流畅,译员必须在口译前一段内容的时候开始阅读后一段的内容,即“一心两用”或“分配注意力”,除了快速阅读的能力以外,这还要求译员能对下文进行预测。从语言学的角度来说,预测是因为话语理解有可预测性。(Gile,1995:176)最常见的语言性预测是固定搭配词组(collocation)。最普通的搭配是动宾搭配,即一个动词带一个特定的名词做宾语或者一个名词要带某个特定的动词。语言性的预测能力随着语言水平和语感的加强而提高,也可以通过敏感化(sensitization)训练加以提高。(J歳g,1995:217)非语言性预测则是根据对讲话者、主题和当时情景的了解作出的判断。在这一部分训练中,教师只给出句子的一部分让学生努力完成整句话的翻译,或者自我练习时依靠预测将句子后半段立即译出,之后再对照原文以检测自己预测的准确率。
例(6) On behalf of all the members of my mission, I would like to take this opportunity to express our sincere thanks to our host for_____.
通过敏感化训练,学员很容易预测并补全句子,填入诸如their earnest/warm/sincere invitation and gracious hospitality的语句。
例(7) To our amazement, this country boasts a two-decade persistent economic growth, which is___. China’s miraculous rise as____in the Asian-Pacific region has attracted a growing number of business giants to____.
这里考察的是学员对时事的了解。应该填入的信息分别为:unequalled/unparalleled/ spectacular; one of the strongest economic powers/ one of the most powerful economies; invest here.
语言性的预测例子不胜枚举,如:
例(8) The whole world is watching with great interest the remarkable changes that are_____in China.
这里学员几乎可以直接按照中文的搭配习惯脱口译出“中国所发生的巨变”。
4.6 诠释和灵活表达
因为英汉两种语言在“形合”和“意合”方面的种种差异,又面临巨大的时间和心理压力,在翻译时要灵活应变、游刃有余、流畅通达。因此在训练期间,一句多译、替换同义词、扩展句子和压缩句子是常用的灵活应变的手段。
例(9) 初秋时节的北京,万木葱茏,金风送爽。今天,万国邮政联盟大会将在这里隆重开幕7。
Today we are gathering here for the grand opening ceremony of the Universal Postal Congress in the early golden autumn when the capital city Beijing enjoys the luxuriantly green land and refreshing and pleasant breeze.
The early golden autumn is embracing the luxuriantly green land of Beijing, bringing refreshing and pleasant breeze to the capital city. Today we are gathering here for the grand opening ceremony of the Universal Postal Congress.