摆脱中式英语 24|佛山英语培训

文本来源：佛山英语培训 首选爱德华国际英语

207. 失之东隅,收之桑榆.
[误] Lose where the sun rises and gain where the sun sets.
[正] What one loses on the swings, he gets back on the roundabouts.
注:第一句虽然将原文的意思忠实地表达了出来,但英国人仍然难以体会中文"日出之处日落之时"的内涵.因此,借用地道的英语说法才是最明智的选择.swings 是"秋千",roundabouts 是"旋转木马".swings and roundabouts 在英语中就表示"有得有失"."失之东隅,收之桑榆"还可以直接用 It's all swings and roundabouts 来表达.

208. 塞翁失马,焉知非福.
[误] When the old man on the frontier lost his horse, who could tell it was not a blessing in disguise
[正] A loss of many turns out to be a gain.
注:直译出的句子很长,有失原文的韵味.而且,英美人没有听过"塞翁失马"的故事,所以他们也未必能懂.还有一些其它的译法:A loss sometimes spells a gain.; Every cloud has a/its silver lining.; Misfortune may be a blessing in disguise.; Nothing so bad, as not to be good for sth.

209. 此地无银三百两.
[误] There isn't 300 liang of silver buried here.
[正] A guilty person gives himself away by conspicuously protesting his innocence. 注:民间故事,有个人把银子埋在土里,上面写了个字条:"此地无银三百两";他的邻居阿二把银子偷走了,也写了个字条:"隔壁阿二不曾偷." Folk tale. A man buried his silver in the ground and put up a note, saying: "Three hundred ounces of silver is not buried here." His neighbour Ah Erh stole the silver and also put up a note with this: "Your neighbour Ah Erh didn't steal it." ---A metaphor for one's being exposed by one's own vindication. 与上句一样,对不清楚故事背景的人,只有把一切解释得明白一点了.

210. 现在的家庭一般都用白糖而不用红糖.
[误] Nowadays households tend to use white sugar rather than red sugar.
[正] Nowadays households tend to use white sugar rather than brown sugar. 注:就像我们中国人不知道为什么要叫红糖(有的红糖其实是黄色的),恐怕英国人也不知道为什么要叫 brown sugar,约定俗成吧!另外,他们的 brown bread 我们却称作"黑面包".类似一些说法还有:红眼病 green eyes;脸色发紫 black in the face;红茶 black tea;黄色电影 blue film 等.
211. 对不起,小姐,恐怕我点的不是红茶而是绿茶.
[误] Sorry Miss, I'm afraid my order is not red tea but green tea.
[正] Sorry Miss, I'm afraid my order is not black tea but green tea.
注:与前面的例子一样,这又是无法解释的东西方颜色差异.又如:"黄色书籍"英文用 blue book,"又青又紫"英文称 black and blue.另外,西方人眼中的吉日是 a white day,如"婚礼"就被叫做 white wedding,因为新娘的婚纱是白色的(近年来,在中国,一些城里人也有去教堂举行婚礼的,自然新娘要穿白色婚纱).而中国人传统上只有葬礼才用白色形容(如红白"喜事". About this entry, please

212. 三个和尚没水喝. [
误] Three monks have no drinking water.
[正] Everybody's business is nobody's business.
注:后一句译文用最直白的方式将原文的内在含义准确表达出来,避免了文化差异带来的理解障碍

213. 人才流失是我们面临的重大问题.
[误] Talents draining is a serious problem we are facing.
[正] Brain-draining is a serious problem we are facing.
注:talent 指的是"天才",而原文中的"人才"是可以通过后天塑造的,而且 brain-draining 是表示"人才流失"的英文地道说法,用在这里更恰当.

214. 你怎么做出那样愚蠢的事情真是让人笑掉大牙.
[误] What a fool you are to do such a thing! That really makes people laugh off their front teeth.
[正] What a fool you are to do such a thing! That really makes people laugh off their head.
注:"笑掉头"可比"笑掉门牙"更严重,看来英国人比我们还夸张.

215. 和他谈文学简直是对牛弹琴.
[误] To talk with him about literature is nothing but playing the lute to a cow.
[正] To discuss with him about literature is nothing but casting pearls before swine.
注:"对牛弹琴"可以借用英语中类似的现成说法.这种可以在英语中找到对应表述的情况很多,如:吹牛(to talk horse);挥金如土(to spend money like water);鹬蚌相争,渔翁得利(When shepherds quarrel, the wolf has a winning game);近朱者赤,近墨者黑(Who heeps company with the wolf will learn the howl).

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文本来源：佛山英语培训 首选爱德华国际英语