There is no agreement whether methodology refers to the concepts peculiar to historical work in general or to the research techniques appropriate to the various branches of historical inquiry.
[結(jié)構(gòu)分析] 根據(jù)句子結(jié)構(gòu)和語(yǔ)意分析,這個(gè)句子可分成5段:主句(There is no…)+從句(whether…)+后置定語(yǔ)(peculiar to…)+選擇性并列從句(or…)+后置定語(yǔ)(appropriate to…)。從語(yǔ)意上講,主句講的是結(jié)果,從句說(shuō)的是細(xì)節(jié)。根據(jù)漢語(yǔ)的表達(dá)習(xí)慣,譯文的表達(dá)順序正好與原文相反。
[參考譯文] 方法論是指一般的歷史研究中特有的概念,還是指歷史研究中各個(gè)具體領(lǐng)域適用的研究方法,人們對(duì)此意見不一。
For example,they do not compensate for gross social inequality,and thus do not tell how able an underprivileged youngster might have been had he grown up under more favorable circumstances.
[結(jié)構(gòu)分析] 這句話長(zhǎng)達(dá)31個(gè)單詞。從結(jié)構(gòu)上講,它是主句(they do not…)+并列謂語(yǔ)(and thus do not…)+賓語(yǔ)從句(how able an underprivileged youngster might…)+條件狀語(yǔ)從句(had he…);從語(yǔ)義上講,它有四層意思:“不能………因此………不能會(huì)有多大的才干………如果…。”。根據(jù)對(duì)這個(gè)句子的結(jié)構(gòu)分析和語(yǔ)意分析,我們可以把它切分成四個(gè)小段:
For example,they do not compensate for gross social inequality,/ and thus do not tell / how able an underprivileged youngster might have been / had he grown up under more favorable circumstances.
由于每一小段包含一個(gè)意群,切分后我們就可以試譯為:
例如,它們不能彌補(bǔ)巨大的社會(huì)不公,因此不能說(shuō)明一個(gè)物質(zhì)條件差的年輕人會(huì)有多大才干,如果他在較好的環(huán)境中長(zhǎng)大。
上海道正認(rèn)為這樣的譯文可以說(shuō)已經(jīng)很清楚,漢語(yǔ)也基本過得去,但仔細(xì)檢查一下,我們?nèi)匀话l(fā)現(xiàn)漢語(yǔ)表達(dá)中還有英語(yǔ)的影子,那就是表示條件“如果…。”放在句子最后不大符合漢語(yǔ)的表達(dá)習(xí)慣,因此上海道正建議可以調(diào)整為
[參考譯文] 例如,測(cè)試并不彌補(bǔ)明顯的社會(huì)不公,因此它們不能說(shuō)明一個(gè)物質(zhì)條件差的年輕人,如果在較好的環(huán)境下成長(zhǎng)的話,會(huì)有多大的才干。
Television,it is often said,keeps one informed about current events,allows one to follow the latest developments in science and politics,and offers an endless series of programs which are both instructive entertaining.
[結(jié)構(gòu)分析] 從句主語(yǔ)帶有三個(gè)并列的謂語(yǔ)keeps…,allows…,and offers…
構(gòu)成一個(gè)三項(xiàng)并列結(jié)構(gòu),第二個(gè)三項(xiàng)中又各有一小的二項(xiàng)并列結(jié)構(gòu)。
[參考譯文] 人們常說(shuō),電視使人們了解最近發(fā)生的大事,使人跟上最新科學(xué)和政治的發(fā)展,并向人們提供無(wú)終止的既有教育意義又有娛樂性的節(jié)目。
You have all heard it repeated that men of science work by means of induction and deduction,that by the help of these operations,they,in a sort of sense,manage to extract from Nature certain natural laws,and that out of these,by some special skill of their own,they build up their theories.
[結(jié)構(gòu)分析] 如能看出此句所涉及的并列結(jié)構(gòu)… that …,that… ,and that…,即可以說(shuō)解決了此句的關(guān)鍵疑難點(diǎn)。因此,遇到長(zhǎng)句如能查看一下是否有并列結(jié)構(gòu)很重要。
[參考譯文] 人們常說(shuō)過,科學(xué)家使基于歸納法和演繹法工作,借助于這些方法,在某種意義上說(shuō),設(shè)法從自然界找出某些自然規(guī)律,然后根據(jù)這些規(guī)律,用他們自己特殊的技能逐步建立起自己的理論。
From agreement on this general goal,we have,unfortunately,in the past proceeded to disagreement on specific goals,and from there to total inaction.
[結(jié)構(gòu)分析] 本句在詞序上是倒裝,順過來(lái)應(yīng)為:“We have,unfort5unately,in the past proceeded form agreement on this general goal to disagreement on specific goals and from there to total inaction.”句中的there指agreement on general goal.
[參考譯文] 遺憾的是,在過去我們已經(jīng)從總目標(biāo)的一致發(fā)展到在目標(biāo)上的分歧,并且從有所作為到無(wú)所作為。
Just as all truck drivers and construction workers are no longer necessarily men,all secretaries and receptionists are no longer automatically women.
[結(jié)構(gòu)分析] 這里句子結(jié)構(gòu)實(shí)際上是Just as…,so………,譯為“正如………,……也一樣”。從上述我們可以看出,翻譯中的關(guān)鍵在于縮小兩種語(yǔ)言的結(jié)構(gòu)上的差距,如果能將差距縮小到最小限度,那么翻譯就小,這本身就證明了這點(diǎn)。
[參考譯文] 正如所有的卡車司機(jī)和建筑工人不一定都是男的,所有的秘書和接待員也不一定都是女的。
Science moves forward,they say,not so much through the insights of great men of genius as because of more ordinary things like improved techniques and tools.
[結(jié)構(gòu)分析] 此句中的主要結(jié)構(gòu)涉及not so much…as… 的固定表達(dá),意為:“與其說(shuō)… …不如說(shuō)… …”。
[參考譯文] 一些新學(xué)派科學(xué)家說(shuō),科學(xué)的發(fā)展與其說(shuō)起源于偉大天才的真知灼見不如說(shuō)是由于改進(jìn)了的技術(shù)和工具等更為普通的事物。
Interest in historical methods has arisen less through external challenge to the validity of history as an intellectual discipline and more from internal quarrels among historians themselves.
[結(jié)構(gòu)分析] 本句的結(jié)構(gòu)是:Interest——has arisen less through——and more from——
[參考譯文] 人們之所以關(guān)注歷史研究的方法論,主要是因?yàn)槭穼W(xué)界內(nèi)部意見不一,其次是因?yàn)橥饨绮⒉徽J(rèn)為歷史是一門學(xué)問。
This will be particularly true since energy pinch will make it difficult to combine agriculture in the high-energy American fashion that makes it possible to combine few farmers with high yields.
[結(jié)構(gòu)分析] 本句中,since引導(dǎo)的原因狀語(yǔ)從句,其中,to combine agriculture——是will make的賓語(yǔ),it是形式賓語(yǔ);而to combine few——也是賓語(yǔ),它作makes的賓語(yǔ),makes后面的it也是形式賓語(yǔ)。
[參考譯文] 這種困境是確定無(wú)疑的,因?yàn)槟茉吹膮T乏使農(nóng)業(yè)無(wú)法以高能量消耗這種美國(guó)的耕作方式繼續(xù)下去,而這種耕作方式使投入極少數(shù)農(nóng)民可獲得高產(chǎn)成為可能。
It is not that the scales in the one case,and the balance in the other,differ in the principles of their construction or manner of working but that the latter is a much finer apparatus and of course much more accurate in its measurement than the former.
[結(jié)構(gòu)分析] 本句結(jié)構(gòu)復(fù)雜:從整體來(lái)看,這是一個(gè) “not——but——”的結(jié)構(gòu),譯為“不是…而是…”。根據(jù)上下文我們知道,在not后面的that從句中,scales指代“面包師或屠夫使用的磅秤”,而balance指代“化學(xué)家使用的天平”。在but后面的that從句中,有一個(gè)比較級(jí)結(jié)構(gòu)“——much finer —— much more —— than —— ”, 其中,the latter指代balance,而the former指代scales.
[參考譯文] 這并不是說(shuō)面包師或買肉者所使用的磅秤和化學(xué)家所使用的天平在構(gòu)造原理和工作方式上存在差別,而是說(shuō)與前者相比,后者師一種更精密的裝置,因而在計(jì)量上必然更準(zhǔn)確得多。