练习21(倍数及其他数量表示法的翻译问题)

练习21(倍数及其他数量示法的翻译问题) 倍数及其他数量表示法的翻译 1. Likewise in agriculture, the number of farms in the United States tripled between 1860 and 1910. 农业方面也是如此，1910年美国的农场数目是1860年的3倍。(或:增加了2倍) 2. By 1849 the wheat crop of Virginia was worth twice as much as the tobacco crop. (J. Garraty) 到1849年，弗吉尼亚州的小麦产值比烟草产值高出了1倍。(或:是烟草的2倍) 3. The trade gap for the year is expected to reach an unprecedented $130 billion. That would nearly double the record $ 69.4 billion deficit of 1983. 今年的贸易差额可能达到前所未有的1，300亿美元。这个空前数额几乎是1983年的 694亿美元的2倍。(或:比1983年的„„多1倍) 4. Japan is already on the verge of becoming the world’s second greatest industrial power — and China has nine times the population of Japan, and an incomparably greater wealth of natural resources. (R. Nixon) 日本即将成为世界第二经济大国，而中国人口则9倍于日本，并拥有无与伦比的自然资 源和财富。(或:人口比日本多8倍) 5. In population, New York State, with 16,782,304 people (in 1960) has 74 times as many as people in Alaska, with226,167. 就人口而论，纽约州在1960年有16 782 304人，相当于阿拉斯加的226 167人的74倍。 (或:比阿拉斯加多73倍) 6. Even if the husbands smoked only one to 19 cigarettes a day, non-smoking wives faced one and one half times the normal threat of lung cancer. Non-smoking wives of farm workers who smoked more than 40 cigarettes a day were found to face a four and one half times greater than normal threat of lung cancer. (J. Huizenga) 即使丈夫每天只抽1-19支烟，不抽烟的妻子所面临的肺癌威也是一般人的一倍半。每 天抽40支烟的农业工人的不抽烟的妻子所面临的肺癌威胁要比一般人高三倍半。(或: 是„„的四倍半) 7. In 1766 the English scientists Henry Cavendish had shown that hydrogen was seven time lighter than air. 1766年英国科学家亨利?卡文迪什证明氢比空气轻6倍。(或:氢的重量为空气的七分 之一) 8. Then they (the white Desk Servant and his men) will give me thirty days and fine me twice as much as they would a white man for doing the same thing. (L. Hughes) 随后他们(白人值勤警官及下属)就会判我30天禁闭，还要罚款，数目要比白人干了 同样的事多1倍。(或:是白人„„的2倍) 9. Since the roads do not spread out in search of nourishment, six times as many plants can be raised in the same space needed for earth farming. 由于根部没有散开以吸取养分，因此在同一空间能容纳6倍于一般泥土栽培的植物。 (或:比一般„„多5倍) 10. Herman Miller, one of the best-known authorities on income statistics, has computed that the white Southern college graduate receives l.85 times the compensation of his Negro counterparts, and in the North the white edge is l. 50. (M. Harrington) 在收入统计方面最负盛名的权威人士之一赫曼?米勒曾经计算过，在南方，一个白人大 1 学毕业生所获得的报酬为黑人大学毕业生的1. 85倍，在北方则为1.59倍。(或:相当 于„„的„„倍) 或:白人大学毕业生与黑人大学毕业生所得报酬的比例为1.85比1。在北方，二者的比 例则为1.59比1。 *注意:汉语一般不说“比„„高0.85倍”，倍数必须大于一，小于一倍时用百分比， 可以说“比„„高85 %”; 11. In Mexico, English speaking secretaries can double their wages; in Egypt, their pay goes up 10 times. 在墨西哥，能说英语的秘书的薪金可以(比不能说英语的秘书的薪金)多1倍(或:可 以加倍挣钱);在埃及，他们的工资比一般秘书高9倍。(或:则10倍于:为,是„„ 的10倍) 12. If this is true of the rich, it is ten times true of the poor. (M. Harrington) 如果说富人的情况是这样的话，那么穷人更10倍于这种情况了。 *注意:这种倍数属于比喻说法，不应依“比„„减一倍”的翻译式。又如“你比他强 十倍”这句汉语译成英语时也不能在倍数上加一。 It makes me feel fifty times better than when I’m cooped up in that dormitory with three hundred others. (A. Sillitoe) 我觉得这比和其他300人一起给关在宿舍里强50倍。 13. (In the Unites States), one of every 10 nonwhites 65 0r older has diabetes. A really fat man is 20 times more likely to get diabetes than a thin man is. (在美国)，每10个65岁以上的非白种人中就有一个患糖尿病。胖人比瘦人得糖尿病的 可能性大20倍。 *注意:句中这种倍数按“比„„倍”式翻译时也不必减一，目的是求其整数，比较自然。 实际上这类可能性的大倍数中的基数对总数来说意义不大。 14. A study in 21 countries shows that women using the pill for birth control are 5 times more likely to die of heart disease or hypertension than nonusers. But a Harvard Medical School study says that pregnancy is 5 times as likely to kill a woman as is the pill. (M. Feinsilber and W. Mead) 根据21个国家的情况所作的一份#调查#表明:使用口服避孕的妇女因心脏病或高血 压致死的可能性5倍于不使用这种避孕药的妇女。(或:比„„大4倍，倍数较少，每 一个基数的意义比较大)但哈佛大学医学院的一份研究报告则说，妇女因怀孕致死的可 能性5倍于服口服避孕药致死的可能性。 15. The volume of western commerce over the Erie in 1851mounted to more than 20 times what it had been in 1836, while the value of western goods reaching New Orleans in this period had increased only two-and-a-half times. (J. Garraty) 1851年时西部与伊利人的贸易总额已20倍于1836年的总数。(或:比„„增长19倍) 而在同一时期到达新奥尔良的西部货物的总值则比原来的总值仅仅增长了一倍半。(不 用“两倍半于”，注意选择现代汉语中比较常用的表达法)。 16. Shaklee Corp., a food supplier, is up 372 percent-from$ 15.12 to around $ 71. 克利公司(美一家食品公司)的股票增长了372 %，从15.12美元上升到大约71美元。 *注意:用百分比表示增长在现代英语中似比倍数更为常见。因为这表达法比用倍数更 简单明白。 17. He openly called on the President to trim his 1983 defense budget by 10 billion t0 15 billion dollars before sending it to Capitol Hill. 2 他曾公开请求总统在将预算提交国会以前，将1983年度国防预算削减100亿至150亿美 元。 *此处介词by引导增加或减少的数字(包括百分比)时，指净增或净减的数量(即增或 减的幅度)，不包括基数。如:Outputs of other crops increased by 15 t0 20 percent(其他谷 物产量分别增加了一成半至二成。 18. U.S. imports of crude oil eventually would probably rise by a million bbl. a day or more. That would about cut in half the shortfall of 2. 2 million bbl. a day now projected for the second and third quarters. 美国原油的输入最终可能每天增加100万桶或更多。这样就使目前预计将在第二和第三 季度出现的每天220万桶的缺额减少一半左右。*注意减少的说法及译法。 19. There also were 47 per cent fewer heart attacks among the men who had changed to low cholesterol foods. Men in the experimental group also cut their use of cigarettes by about47 percent. 在改食低胆固醇食物的男人中，心脏病突发率减少了74 %。实验小组中的男人的吸烟 量也减少了47 %。 20. They expect their income from mineral production this year to drop to some 26 million dollars, about 7 million less than in1982. 他们预计，他们今年的矿业生产收人将降低到大约2 600万美元，比1982年少大约700 万美元。 21. Consumption of oil in the U.S. will rise by an average of 2percent yearly through the year 2000. Imports will be reduced by an average of l percent yearly during the same time. 到公元2000年为止，美国石油的消耗量将每年平均递增2%，石油进口量将每年平均 递降1 %。 22. That (future job opportunities) may be one reason retail sales jumped l. 6 percent. 未来可能出现较多的就业机会也许是使零售额增加了1.6%的原因之一。 *在增、减幅度前也可以不用by，此句动词用的是jump，汉语一般还是用“增加了”(或 “提高了”)，减少或降低时相同。注意由净增(或净减)数量，所以不能译成增加(或 减少)到(或到了)„„ 23. Prices are another bright spot: Over all, they eased again at the Producer level- down 0. 8 percent in April on an annual basis. The bad news: Food, up l.2 percent in April alone—a possible sign of hikes ahead. 物价是另一个令人颇为乐观的方面:总的说来，物价再次稳定在出厂价格水平，4月份 在全年基础上下降了0.8%。但也有坏消息，食品仅在4月份即上涨了1. 2%，这是今后 仍可能上涨的先兆。*同上句。不要译成“下降到、上涨到”，而是“下降了、上涨了”。 24. One of every 26 American wives is beaten by her husband, at least occasionally. So says the U. S. Commission on Civil Rights. 据美国民权委员会披露，每26对美国夫妇中有一对中的丈夫是打老婆的，至少是偶尔 为之。 *注意以下说法:one out of ten或one of every ten都是每10 个中即有1个，如指排列的 物件，译成“每隔„„”时则要减1;ne of every ten是每隔9个即有1个。 结语 一、翻译英语倍数时最紧要的问题与其说是对原文的理解，毋宁说是汉语的表达法。汉语如 3 何措辞、用哪种句式，关系极大。英语大体有以下五种表达法，请注意如何因使用不同的汉语措辞而改变译文中的倍数表示法: (1) n times larger than (a)比„„大n-l倍(按原文减1倍) (b)是„„的n倍(照原文倍数) (c) n倍于„„(照原文倍数)c (2) n times as large as (a)高度是(为)„„的n倍(照原文倍数) (b)高度n倍于„„(照原文倍数) (c)比„„高n-l倍(按原文减1倍) (3) n times the...of (e.g.., five times the energy of) (a)(能量)为„„的n倍(照原文倍数) (b) n倍于„„的(能量)(照原文倍数) (c)(能量)比„„大n-l倍(按原文减1倍) (4) increase n times (as against) (a)比„„增加了n-l倍(按原文减1倍) (b)在„„的基础上增加到原数的n倍(照原文倍数) (5) double the output (a)产量翻了一番 (b)产量比原数增长了1倍 二、英语中属于比喻的倍数，，无非是为了言其大、言其多等等，没有什么精确的数量意义，所以不必考虑“减1不减1”的问题。 三、整数有一种直观的整体感，比较悦目，所以不必拘泥于“减1不减1”的问题，如“200”比“199”看来悦目，特别是倍数特别大时，更不必改动原文倍数。 4