英语翻译技巧第八节 英语被动语态的翻译

第八节英语被动语态的翻译

汉英对比，英语的被动句显然多于汉语，因为英语重视形态（形式），汉语不重视形态，重视语感。如：

（1）海水不可斗量。（2）文章总算写好了。说汉语的

人自古以来有一种主体思维方式，认为“成事者必在

人”，施事者“尽在不言之中”。所以很多被动关系不必

一定用“被”字句。

一、被动语态的语义价值

第一、被动语态有强调受事者，将它置于话题(topic)的主位的语用功能。

1).Peter was robbed to pay Paul.

Peter was robbed by him to pay Paul.

他偷了彼得的钱去还保尔的债。(他剜肉补疮。）

2).The happy man cannot be harried.

吉人自有天相。

第二、被动语态有承接上句的修辞功能。

3）Many advances in computer technology took place

in the twenty years after 1950.They are generally

classified into four stages or generations.

第三、被动语态在特定的语境中表达对主语的尊敬或说话者的谦恭。

4)Where can you be reached?

在什么地方可以找到您？（请问您住在什么地方？）

5)When will I be interviewed?

我什么时候来参加面试呢？

第四、被动语态常用以表示说话者对所提出的话题持有某种客观态度，因而比较委婉。

6)He is said to be the most respected teacher in

our Department.

7)It is suggested that each speaker is alloted

five minutes.

建议每位发言者讲话不要超过五分钟。

二、被动语态的翻译问题

（一）译成汉语主动句

1、原文中的主语在译文中仍作主语

2、原文中的主语在译文中作宾语

3、译成带表语的主动句“…的是…”或“……是……的”

4、常用被动句型的翻译

5、用“在…下”式（主动式动词+介短）

（二）译成汉语被动句

1、“被…”或“给…”“让”“叫”

2、“（遭）受…”

3、“为…所”

4、“加以”“予以”“给以”

（三）译成“把”“使”“由”字句

（一）译成汉语主动句

1、原文中的主语在译文中仍作主语

1）His pride must be pinched.

他这股傲气应该打下去。

2）The whole country was armed in a few days.

几天以内全国武装起来了。

3）The sense of inferiority that he acquired in his youth has never been totally eradicated.

他在青少年时期留下的自卑感，还没有完全消除。

4）On their domestic stations events in the Middle East were dismissed briefly.

在他们国内电台的广播中，中东事件只轻描淡写地报导了一下。

5）A new instant Nespray has been put into the market in HongKong.

新配方雀巢即溶奶粉在港上市。

作业：

1)A new student is kept on probation for one

semester.

2)With the outbreak of the war, flights were

stepped up.

3)Most of the questions have been settled

satisfactorily,only a few questions of secondary

importance remain to be discussed.

4)This liquid became mixed with the salt at room

temperature.

5)It should have been obvious that the plan would

have to be scrapped.

2、原文中的主语在译文中作宾语

1)By the end of the war 800 people had been saved by the

organization,but at a cost of over 200

Belgian and French lives.

大战终了时，这个组织拯救了八百人，但那是以二百多比利时人和法国人的生命为代价的。

2)It would be astonishing if that loss were not keenly

felt.

如果（人们）不强烈地感到损失，那倒是奇怪了。

3)Mr.Billings cannot be deterred from his plan.

（人们）不能阻止比林斯先生实施他的计划。

4）Nearly 400 tons of accumulated rubbish were

removed in five days.

五天内运走了近四百吨堆积的垃圾。

作业：

1)After a while an agreement was arrived at.

2)A large sum of money has been put aside for that

purpose.

3)I am afraid I shall be laughed at.

4)The workers were seen repairing the machine. 5）Agricultural technique spreading centers （农技推广中心）have been set up everywhere in that

province, helping farmers to do their work in

a more scientific way.

3、译成带表语的主动句“…的是…”或“……是……的”1）Poets are born,but orators are made.

诗人是天生的，而演说家则是后天造就的。

2)Footprints on the sands are not made by sitting down.

沙滩上的足迹是走出来的。（喻：不身体力行不足

以成事。）

3)It’s crystal clear:what’s been schemed for in his plan

is power rather than money.

很清楚，他这个计划图谋的是权，而不是钱。4）The decision to attack was not taken lightly.

进攻的决定不是轻易作出的。

作业：

1)Eventually, of course, the plan was abandoned.

2)The ship was destined for London.

3) Rainbows are formed when sunlight passes through small

drops of water in the sky.

4、常用被动句型的翻译

有一类以it作为形式主语的英语句子，在译文中要改成主动形式，有时不加主语，有时加不确定的主语。1）不加主语时

It is hoped that…希望…

It is reported that…据报…

It is said that……据说…

It is supposed that…据推测…

It may be said without fear of exaggeration that…

可以毫不夸张地说…

It must be admitted that…必须承认…

It must be pointed out that…必须指出…

It will be seen from this that…由此可见…

1）可加主语的

It is asserted that…有人主张…

It is believed that…有人相信（认为）…

It is generally considered that…大家认为…

It is well known that…大家知道（众所周知）…It will be said that…有人会说…

It was told that …有人曾经说…

例句：

1)It is said that a dying person tends to

recollect his whole life, like seeing a film.

据说人在弥留于人世之际都要回顾他的一生，就像看

一部影片，一切历历在目。

2)It’s believed that her plans for a movie career

had all been merely a pipe dream.

有人说她那些当明星的计划全都是些不切实际的幻想

罢了。

5、用“在…下”式（主动式动词+介短）

1)Many lives were destroyed by the robbers.But

none left the village.

许多人都死在盗匪手下，但无人离村出走。

(二)译成汉语被动句

1、“被…”或“给…”“让”“叫”

1）The company was forbidden to use false advertising.

这家公司被禁止使用虚假广告。

2）Any minute we would surely be spotted by enemy planes flying in and out of the airfield.

我们随时都会被出入机场的敌机发现。

3)I started to explain that I could not do my best since

my glasses had been taken away from me, but

she wouldn’t let me finish.

我开始解释，我不可能干得很好，因为我的眼镜已给拿走了，但她不准我讲完。

作业:

1)Hitler was also washed away by the storms of history.

2)Robert Finn was dismissed by the boss of the factory.

3)Part or all of the light may be reflected, absorbed or

transmitted by the thing or object that comes

into its way.

4)Running water has long been used to turn the wheels of

industry.

2、“（遭）受…”

1）Two super go players from Japan were defeated one after another.

日本两位围棋高手接连受挫。

2）He was policed by the bosses’ cops.

他受到老板雇佣的警察的监视。

3)They were given a hearty welcome.

他们受到热烈欢迎。

3、“为…所”

1）I was so impressed by these words that I used them later for a Christmas card.

我为这些话所深深感动，后来我就把它们写在圣诞贺卡上。2）In his late thirties he was almost knocked down in his despondency（消沉，沮丧） of the unsuccessful

career.

近四十岁时，由于事业上的挫折，他几乎为失意所毁。

4、“加以”“予以”“给以”

1)The details of the facade of clothing store will be

further fitted up to match the interior.

服装店的门面将进一步加以装修，使之与室内装饰相配。

（三）译成“把”“使”“由”字句

1）The famous hotel had been practically destroyed by the big fire.

大火使这著名酒店几乎全部毁灭。

2)By evening the occupation was complete, and the

people were chased off the streets by an eight

o’clock curfew.

至傍晚，占领已告完成。八点钟开始的宵禁把人们从街道赶走。3）Most letters from his wife, are read to him by the nurses in the hospital.

他的妻子给他的信件，大多数是由医院里的护士念给他听的。

作业:（用“受、由、把”字）

a)She was blamed for everything her sisters did.

b)Last year the region was visited by the worst

drought in 60 years.

c)Every country will be represented by its prime

minister.

d)Natural light or “white”light is actually made up

of many colours.

e)Rivers are controlled by dams.

f)He was regarded as a Republican by everybody, even

though he had always thought of himself as an

“Independent”.

g)The decision to suicide is not taken lightly.

h)Our foreign policy is supported by the people all

over the world.

i)We hereby declare that these candidates have passed

their thesis defense and therefore degrees

will be conferred on them.

j)Discourse with the driver is strictly prohibited while this vehicle is in motion.

主被动转换作业：

1.I have been sent here by the Norwegian

Shipping Company to talk with you about

transportation.

2.Everything he advertised was guaranteed

to last “forever”.

3.My first thirty years were spent in

Western America.

4.An individual is judged by how he serves

the collective, but the collective is

expected to cherish the lives and talents

of its individuals.

5.Kissinger was so devastated by

Rockefeller’s defeat that, according to

one account, he wept.

6.But someone who has been out there in

the floodlights as often as he has can not

remain wholly undecipherable.

1. 必须承认，这些统计数字反映了许多不满情绪。

2. 拥有人工智能的第五代电脑正在发展和完善中。

5.基辛格为洛克菲勒的失败伤心透了，有人说

他哭了。

6.但是，象他这样一个经常抛头露面的人是不可能一点不被人识破的。

1 .It must be admitted that considerable discontent is reflected in those statistics.

2The fifth generation computers,

with artificial intelligence, are being develope d and perfected now.