中文原文:
各行各业的人在关于汽车使用的辩论中发表了他们的观点。
错误译文:
People from all works of life expressed their ideas in the debate about the use of cars.
正确译文:
People from all trades and professions expressed their ideas in the debate about the use of cars.
翻译加油站:
英语中根本没有all works of life这样的搭配。“各行各业的人”的正确译法是people from all walks of life或 people from all trades and professions。将all walks of life误说成是all works of life,原因可能有二:一是发音不准,将walks 误读成works,从而记忆失真。二是望文生义,以为“各行各业的人”意味着“生活中从事各种工作的人”,自造all works of life的错误说法。例如:
1. 本汽车俱乐部的成员来自许多不同的行业。
1) Members of this car club are from many different walks of life.
2) Members of our car club come from many different trades and professions.
2. 与“各行各业的人”意思相关的“普通百姓”, 一般可以译为ordinary people 或 common people。例如:
政府官员,无论职位多高,在法律面前应该与普通百姓一律平等。
1) No matter how high their ranks might be, governmental officials should be on an equal footing with common people in front of the law.
2) Even if a governmental official has a very high position, he should be equal with ordinary people before the law.
3. “普通百姓” 还可以译为:a man in/on the street,或 an ordinary man or woman in/on the street。例如:
作为一名普通百姓,他好像只是渴望得到一辆汽车。
As a man in/on the street, he seems only to yearn for a car.
4. 物价的上涨将会影响普通百姓的利益。
The rise of the prices will affect the interests of the ordinary man or woman in/on the street.
英语的短语Tom, Dick and Harry,意思为 ordinary people,用来泛指“普通百姓”,与汉语的“张三、李四和王五”具有异曲同工之妙。例如:
5. 这位高官想要跟普通百姓那样下小馆、泡吧或逛商场。
This high official wants to eat in a small restaurant, hang about in a bar, or do window-shopping just like every Tom, Dick and Harry.