摆脱中式英语 15|佛山英语培训

文本来源：佛山商务英语培训 首选爱德华国际英语

127. 在动笔之前,你必须先打开思路.
[误] You should open your mind before you begin to write.
[正] You should broaden your mind before you begin to write.
注pen 表示"打开,张开"时,后面通常跟具体名词,而 broaden 表示"拓宽,扩大",其后既可以跟具体名词搭配,又可以接抽象名词,如:broaden one's horizon(开阔眼界),The street broadens here(街道在这里变宽了).mind 是个抽象名词,所以应与 broaden 搭配.

128. 那些人攒三聚五地聚在一起干嘛呢
[误] What are those people gathering in threes and fives for
[正] What are those people gathering in threes and fours for
注:汉语中有些数词可以直接翻译成英文,如:"沧海一粟"(a drop in the ocean),"一箭双雕"(kill two birds with one stone)等.但是,也有不少数词不能进行等值翻译,上面所列的就是一例.除此之外,还有"乱七八糟"(at sixes and sevens),"再三考虑"(on second thought),"三三两两地"(by ones and twos)等.

129. 我爷爷的爷爷从生下来一直到死都没有离开过这座大山.
[误] My great great-grandfather had never left the mountain from birth to death.
[正] My great great-grandfather had never left the mountain from the cradle to the grave.
注:"从......到......"常可以翻译成 from ...to...,如:from ancient times to the present(从古至今),from beginning to end(从头到尾),from dawn to dusk(从早到晚)等.第一句翻译错就错在将"生"和"死"翻得太直白了,不符合英语的习惯.

130. 要想学习英语,必须首先学会查字典.
[误] In order to learn English, one must learn to look up the dictionary first. [正] In order to learn English, one must learn to look up words in the dictionary first.
注:look up 表示"(在字典,词典,参考书等中)查找,查寻",后面要跟查找的对象.所以,第一句译文搭配不正确,让人误以为是要"找字典".原文还有另外一种表达方式,即 consult the dictionary,因为 consult 表达的正是"查阅(字典,书籍等)".

131. 盖奇在船厂工作了30年.
[误] Cage has been working in a ship factory for thirty years.
[正] Cage has been working in a shipyard for thirty years.
注:英语中的 factory 与汉语的"厂"有时候可以对应,如:clothing factory(服装厂),chemical factory(化工厂), food products factory(食品厂)等,但也有例外,除了"船厂"要用 yard 以外,还有"酿酒厂"(brewery),砖瓦厂 (brickfield),电厂(power plant)等.

132. 当心碰到脑袋.
[误] Take care of your head!
[正] Mind your head!
注:英语里提醒别人注意可以说:Take care! /Look out! /Be careful! 等,但 take care of 却表示"照顾,照料(某人或某物)".而 mind 用作及物动词时表示"注意,留心,当心",也有提醒注意的意思.如:Mind the wet paint(当心,油漆未干)等.

133. 买鞋油的钱你先垫着,我以后还.
[误] Please pay for the shoe oil for me. I'll pay back later.
[正] Please pay for the shoe polish for me. I'll pay back later.
注:鞋油的"油"不用 oil 表达,而要用 polish.polish 可以作"擦光剂"讲,也可以作"磨光,擦亮"讲,如:a desk with a high polish(表面光泽极好的书桌).

134. 由于第三者插足,这对夫妻离婚了.
[误] The couple divorced because of the third person.
[正] The couple divorced because of a third party.
注:序数词一般常跟定冠词 the 连用,表示"第几";而序数词和不定冠词 a 连用时表示的则是"另一个".如:He won the third prize(他得了个三等奖),He won a third prize(他第三次得奖).

135. 这是个口误.
[误] It is an oral mistake!
[正] It is a slip of the tongue!
注:"口误"要用 slip of the tongue(舌头滑了一下)表达,而 misake 一词太严重了,与汉语的内涵有出入.

文本来源：佛山商务英语培训 首选爱德华国际英语