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摘 要:翻译是一种思维活动,更是一种科学逻辑活动。由于中西方语言的差异和逻辑思维的不同,并且科技英语作为一种特殊的文体,为使目标语读者能更加准确地领会到原文的意义,这就要求译者能用科学的逻辑思维方法来翻译。
关键词:科技英语;翻译方法;逻辑思维
一、 引言
从理论上讲,辩证科学逻辑包括了“科学研究与发现过程中所采用的逻辑方法论,如逻辑归纳与演绎、因果逻辑、假设逻辑、类比逻辑等”。本文主要基于科技英语为文本,探讨了以上几种语言逻辑思维方式对于翻译的指导意义。
二、 例证
1. 逻辑归纳与逻辑演绎(principle of logic introduction and deduction)
[例1]然而,相较于十分古老的疾病如癌症(在2000多年前的木乃伊中就发现有癌细胞),艾滋病对于人类还是一种新疾病。
[原译]AIDS, compared to some ancient diseases like cancer—cancer cells have been found in more than 2000 years old mummies—however, is still a new disease to human beings.
尽管原译文句子结构的处理思路很好,但是句子开头部分略显冗长,使用逻辑推理后发现,译文与原文强调的核心不太一样。
[改译]However,compared with ancient diseases like cancer(cancer cells have been found in mummies that were made 2000 years ago),AIDS is quite new to human beings.
[例2]The report noted that being overweight has been linked to sickness and death from such diseases as high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease and gallbladder.
[原譯]报告指出,过胖与疾病及诸如高血压、糖尿病、心脏病和胆囊疾病引起的死亡有关。
经科学的逻辑思考,过胖引起的疾病与举例是一般到具体的关系,引起死亡的原因也不是由该类疾病直接引起,而是由于过胖。
[改译]报告指出,肥胖容易引起疾病,容易导致由高血压、糖尿病、心脏病和胆囊疾病等引起的死亡。
2. 因果逻辑(principle of causality)
[例]Autophagy is a hot topic in medicine, as biologists have come to realize that it helps protect the body from all kinds of ailments.
[原译]细胞自噬是医学领域的热门课题,因为生物学家们逐渐意识到细胞自噬能帮助人类机体抵御各种疾病。
该译文是一个典型的因果倒置的错译,没有领会到英文中的因果逻辑关系,翻译切忌不要完全按照原文顺序逐字翻译,还可能导致前后用词的重复。
[改译]随着生物学家们已逐渐意识到自噬有助于身体抵御各种疾病侵袭,自噬现象正成为医学领域的一个热门话题。
3. 假设逻辑(principle of presumption)
[例]一项由多国科学家参与的研究发现,艾滋病病毒(HIV)感染者如果在患病初期就接受抗逆转录病毒(ARV)治疗,可以将病毒传染给性伴侣的几率减少96%。
[原译]According to a research jointly conducted by scientists from many countries, if persons with HIV infection receive antiretroviral therapy(ARV)in an early stage, the HIV transmission risk to their partner can be reduced by 96%.
在原译文的假设关系中,in an early stage的限定不清楚,部分翻译的表述选词不专业。如果使用被动修饰句承当假设关系及使用科技专业术语,能提高翻译准确性及语义清晰度。
[改译]Scientists from many countries have carried out a research together, which shows that antiretroviral treatment, received at the initial stage of HIV infection, can reduce the odds of transmitting this virus from the infected to their sexual partners by 96%.
4. 类比逻辑(principle of analogy)
[例]以“世界末日”为背景的好莱坞灾难大片《2012》,讲述了2012年12月21日,全人类经历了灾难和逃亡后,一部分人和动物在“诺亚方舟”上存活下来的故事。
[原译]In the background of “doomsday”, the Hollywood disaster film “2012” tells a story that on December 21, 2012, after the huge catastrophe, only part of the humans and animals escaped and survived on Noahs ark. 原译的意思基本正确,但似乎未能把原文“全人类经历了……”的过程细致体现出来,诺亚方舟这个典故的意义也未通过类比逻辑体现出来,因而过于简略。
[改译]In 2012, the Hollywood blockbuster about a cataclysm in the Doomsday scenario on December 21, 2012, tells a story of how humans and animals have struggled hard to escape from the worldwide catastrophe before some of them come to survive on the “Noahs ark”.
5. 逻辑句法理解(principle of logic syntax)
[例1]In computing work done, it is important always to keep in mind that the force and distance that are multiplied must be in the same direction.
[原译]相乘的力和距离的方向必须相同,在所完成的计算工作中,记住这一点是重要的。
根据物理学专业知识和句子的语境,这里的work指的是做功,而不是计算工作。
[改译]在计算所做的功时,用以相乘的力和距離必须沿同一方向,始终记住这一点是很重要的。
[例2]The scale of the changes already under way and the real value of a unified approach to studying human influences on the planet should surely quash these concerns.
[原译]改变的范围已经在扩大,因而研究人类对星球造成的影响需要统一方法,为体现这样做的真正价值,就应当消除这些疑虑。
该译文存在小句之间逻辑关系先后顺序的理解错误及对句子重心把握的失误。
[改译]变化的规模已经在不断扩大,人们正在用统一的方法来研究人类对地球的影响,而这一做法体现出的真正价值必然会消除这些忧虑。
三、 小结
通过以上例句综合分析,作为科学发现与研究活动的普遍方法论,科学逻辑思维方法不仅指导着各学科的研究过程,也指导着科技文章的翻译。只有在翻译理论的指导下,科学地运用语言逻辑思维,才能准确地翻译出科技信息,真正起到译者的作用。
作者简介:
邓丽娜,北京市,北京卫生职业学院文化基础部。
关键词:科技英语;翻译方法;逻辑思维
一、 引言
从理论上讲,辩证科学逻辑包括了“科学研究与发现过程中所采用的逻辑方法论,如逻辑归纳与演绎、因果逻辑、假设逻辑、类比逻辑等”。本文主要基于科技英语为文本,探讨了以上几种语言逻辑思维方式对于翻译的指导意义。
二、 例证
1. 逻辑归纳与逻辑演绎(principle of logic introduction and deduction)
[例1]然而,相较于十分古老的疾病如癌症(在2000多年前的木乃伊中就发现有癌细胞),艾滋病对于人类还是一种新疾病。
[原译]AIDS, compared to some ancient diseases like cancer—cancer cells have been found in more than 2000 years old mummies—however, is still a new disease to human beings.
尽管原译文句子结构的处理思路很好,但是句子开头部分略显冗长,使用逻辑推理后发现,译文与原文强调的核心不太一样。
[改译]However,compared with ancient diseases like cancer(cancer cells have been found in mummies that were made 2000 years ago),AIDS is quite new to human beings.
[例2]The report noted that being overweight has been linked to sickness and death from such diseases as high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease and gallbladder.
[原譯]报告指出,过胖与疾病及诸如高血压、糖尿病、心脏病和胆囊疾病引起的死亡有关。
经科学的逻辑思考,过胖引起的疾病与举例是一般到具体的关系,引起死亡的原因也不是由该类疾病直接引起,而是由于过胖。
[改译]报告指出,肥胖容易引起疾病,容易导致由高血压、糖尿病、心脏病和胆囊疾病等引起的死亡。
2. 因果逻辑(principle of causality)
[例]Autophagy is a hot topic in medicine, as biologists have come to realize that it helps protect the body from all kinds of ailments.
[原译]细胞自噬是医学领域的热门课题,因为生物学家们逐渐意识到细胞自噬能帮助人类机体抵御各种疾病。
该译文是一个典型的因果倒置的错译,没有领会到英文中的因果逻辑关系,翻译切忌不要完全按照原文顺序逐字翻译,还可能导致前后用词的重复。
[改译]随着生物学家们已逐渐意识到自噬有助于身体抵御各种疾病侵袭,自噬现象正成为医学领域的一个热门话题。
3. 假设逻辑(principle of presumption)
[例]一项由多国科学家参与的研究发现,艾滋病病毒(HIV)感染者如果在患病初期就接受抗逆转录病毒(ARV)治疗,可以将病毒传染给性伴侣的几率减少96%。
[原译]According to a research jointly conducted by scientists from many countries, if persons with HIV infection receive antiretroviral therapy(ARV)in an early stage, the HIV transmission risk to their partner can be reduced by 96%.
在原译文的假设关系中,in an early stage的限定不清楚,部分翻译的表述选词不专业。如果使用被动修饰句承当假设关系及使用科技专业术语,能提高翻译准确性及语义清晰度。
[改译]Scientists from many countries have carried out a research together, which shows that antiretroviral treatment, received at the initial stage of HIV infection, can reduce the odds of transmitting this virus from the infected to their sexual partners by 96%.
4. 类比逻辑(principle of analogy)
[例]以“世界末日”为背景的好莱坞灾难大片《2012》,讲述了2012年12月21日,全人类经历了灾难和逃亡后,一部分人和动物在“诺亚方舟”上存活下来的故事。
[原译]In the background of “doomsday”, the Hollywood disaster film “2012” tells a story that on December 21, 2012, after the huge catastrophe, only part of the humans and animals escaped and survived on Noahs ark. 原译的意思基本正确,但似乎未能把原文“全人类经历了……”的过程细致体现出来,诺亚方舟这个典故的意义也未通过类比逻辑体现出来,因而过于简略。
[改译]In 2012, the Hollywood blockbuster about a cataclysm in the Doomsday scenario on December 21, 2012, tells a story of how humans and animals have struggled hard to escape from the worldwide catastrophe before some of them come to survive on the “Noahs ark”.
5. 逻辑句法理解(principle of logic syntax)
[例1]In computing work done, it is important always to keep in mind that the force and distance that are multiplied must be in the same direction.
[原译]相乘的力和距离的方向必须相同,在所完成的计算工作中,记住这一点是重要的。
根据物理学专业知识和句子的语境,这里的work指的是做功,而不是计算工作。
[改译]在计算所做的功时,用以相乘的力和距離必须沿同一方向,始终记住这一点是很重要的。
[例2]The scale of the changes already under way and the real value of a unified approach to studying human influences on the planet should surely quash these concerns.
[原译]改变的范围已经在扩大,因而研究人类对星球造成的影响需要统一方法,为体现这样做的真正价值,就应当消除这些疑虑。
该译文存在小句之间逻辑关系先后顺序的理解错误及对句子重心把握的失误。
[改译]变化的规模已经在不断扩大,人们正在用统一的方法来研究人类对地球的影响,而这一做法体现出的真正价值必然会消除这些忧虑。
三、 小结
通过以上例句综合分析,作为科学发现与研究活动的普遍方法论,科学逻辑思维方法不仅指导着各学科的研究过程,也指导着科技文章的翻译。只有在翻译理论的指导下,科学地运用语言逻辑思维,才能准确地翻译出科技信息,真正起到译者的作用。
作者简介:
邓丽娜,北京市,北京卫生职业学院文化基础部。