2015年12月四级翻译练习(16)
【原文】
高山族世代居住在中国的台湾省，人口约为40万。他们以农业生产为主，种植水稻、红薯和小米(millet)等。还有些族人以打猎和捕鱼为生。高山族没有本民族文字，但口头文学很丰富，有许多神话、传说和民歌。唱歌和跳舞是高山族人生活的一部分，每逢节日，他们都要聚集在一起唱歌、跳舞。高山族人还非常喜欢雕刻，刻得最多的是蛇身人首的图像。
【解析】
1.第1句中的“人口约为40万”可处理为与前半句“高山族世代居住在……”并列，译作the population is about400,000，但将其处理成介词短语about 400,000 in total作插人语更佳，译文也更简洁明了。
2.第2句中的“他们以农业生产为主”中“以……为主”可用短语mainly engage in来表达。“种植水稻、红薯……”为补充说明，处理成伴随状语，用分词短语planting rice…来表达。
3.第4句中的“但口头文学很丰富，有许多神话、传说和民歌”中“……很丰富”可用短语sth. be rich来表达，“有许多神话、传说和民歌”用介词短语with many myths, legends…译出。
4.最后一句“高山族人还非常喜欢雕刻，刻得最多的是蛇身人首的图像”可用并列结构译作The Gaoshan people are also fond of…and the most carved images are those with…。“图像”的定语“蛇身人首的” 较长，故将其处理为后置定语，用介词短语with human heads and snake bodies来表达。
【参考译文】
The Gaoshan people, about 400 thousand in total,have lived for generations in Taiwan Province. They mainly engage in farming, planting rice, sweet potato, millet and so on. And some live on huntin gand fishing. The Gaoshans do not have their own script, but their spoken literature is quite rich with many myths, legends and folk songs. Singing and dancing are a part of Gaoshan life. On every holiday people gather to sing and dance. The Gaoshan people are also fond of carving and the most carved images are those with human heads and snake bodies.
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