英语四级翻译练习:儒家思想
请将下面这段话翻译成英文:
儒家思想(Confucianism)是中国影响最大的思想流派,也是中国古代的主流意识。自汉代以来,儒家思想就是封建统治阶级(feudal ruling class)的指导思想之一。儒家思想的核心其实是一种人道主义(humanism )。它提倡自我修养,认为人是可教化的、可完善的。儒家思想的一个宏大的目标就是实现“大同社会”,在这样的一个社会中,每个人都能扮演好自己的角色,并与他人维持良好的关系。
◆参考翻译:
Confucianism
Confucianism is the largest Chinese school ofthoughts, and the mainstream consciousness ofthe ancient China. Confucianism had been one of theruling doctrines of the feudal ruling class since theHan Dynasty. The core of Confucianism is actually a kind of humanism. It advocates self-cultivation, and believes that human beings are teachable and improvable. A grand goal ofConfucianism is to achieve a harmonious society in which each individual plays his or her partwell, and maintains a good relationship with others.
1.思想流派:可译为school of thoughts。
2.指导思想:可译为ruling doctrine,也可直译为guiding ideology。
3.自我修养:应翻译为self-cultivation。cultivate除了有“耕种;照料”之意,还可以表示“修养,改善”。
4.可教化的、可完善的:都可以使用动词加上“-able”这一形容词后缀的构词法,故分别为teachable和improvable。
5.大同社会:孔子所提出的“大同”的特征是:“大道之行也,天下为公。选贤与能,讲信修睦…”从字面上也可看出,“大同”即为“和谐”之意, 故“大同社会”可译为 harmonious society 或 perfect society。
6.每个人:除可译为everybody、everyone以外,还可译为each individual, 更加强调个体。“扮演好某人的角色”即为play one's part/role well。
英语四级翻译练习:十二生肖
请将下面这段话翻译成英文:
十二生肖(the twelve Chinese Zodiacs)是中国传统文化的重要组成部分,它们源于自然界的11种动物和一个民族图腾(totem)。十二生肖代表动物的性格特点各不相同。到了龙年或虎年,人们常说“生龙活虎”;马年人们会说“马到成功”;猪在中国人的眼里是“宝”的意思;牛是勤劳(diligence )的象征,这一点在鲁迅的诗句“俯首甘为孺子牛”中有着完美的体现。
◆参考翻译:
The Twelve Chinese Zodiacs
The twelve Chinese Zodiacs, including eleven animalsin the nature and a national totem, play animportant role in the Chinese traditional culture.The twelve symbolic animals have their owncharacteristics. In the Year of Dragon or the Year of Tiger, people will say shenglonghuohu—full of vim and vigor; in the Year of Horse, people will say madaochenggong—to gain animmediate success. In Chinese eyes, pig is a “treasure”. Ox is a symbol of diligence, which iswell presented in the verse by Lu Xun一an outstanding writer in China, “head bowed, like awilling ox I serve the children”.
1.生龙活虎、马到成功:中国成语在翻译时可以先译为拼音,再进一步解释其内涵。“生龙活虎”即“精力充沛,活力四射”,可译为vim and vigor; “马到成功”即“快速获得成功”可译为gain an immediate success。
2.牛:生肖中的“牛”用ox来表达,而不用如cattle, cow,bull等其他表示“牛” 的词。
3.俯首甘为孺子牛:可直译为Head bowed, like a willingox I serve the children;或者根据其表达的“愿意为弱小服务的精神”译为modesty combined with thespirit of willingly serving the young and weak。同时,译文要简略给出鲁迅的身份,以使译文内容更为周全。