2004 题目详解
(61) The Greeks assumed that the structure of language had some connection with the process of thought, which took root in Europe long before people realized how diverse language could be.
assumed 假定;认为;以为 the process of thought思想的过程;思维过程
took root生根;扎根;
long before 早在…之前;不要与before long(不久，不久以后)相混淆
how diverse 多么的不同;多么的千差万别could be 可能会是(can 过去式)
【译文】希腊人认为，语言结构与思维的过程之间存在着某种联系。这种观点，早在人们意识到语言会有多么千差万别/多样性之前，在欧洲就已经根深蒂固了。
(62) We are obliged to them because some of these languages have since vanished, as the peoples who spoke them died out or became assimilated and lost their native languages.
be obliged to感激某人
have since vanished从那以后就消失了，不复存在了;
此处的since 表示 “从此以后”之意;
die out 灭绝，完全的灭亡(cease living completely; become extinct);不宜译作 “死亡，消失”。
【译文】我们之所以感激他们(两位先驱)，是因为在此之后，这些(土著)语言中有一些已经不复存在了，原因是使用这些语言的民族要么灭绝，要么被同化，从而丧失了自己的本族语。
(63) The newly described languages were often so strikingly different from the well studied languages of Europe and Southeast Asia that some scholars even accused Boas and Sapir of fabricating their data.
so ... that …(如此…以至于)结构;
措词注意accused sb. of sth. (指责/谴责某人作了某事)，
fabricating(捏造, 伪造, 虚构)，
the newly described (这些新近被描述的)，
strikingly different(显著的不同)the well studied languages(经过充分研究的各种语言)。
【译文】新近描述出来的各种语言往往与经过深入研究的欧洲、东南亚语言截然不同，以至于一些学者甚至指责鲍厄斯和萨丕尔捏造事实
(64) Being interested in the relationship of language and thought, Whorf developed the idea that the structure of language determines the structure of habitual thought in a society.
being interested in …应译作一个句子，即 “Whorf对语思维的关系很感兴趣”，
develop与idea搭配，不宜照字面译作 “发展”，而是“形成观点，创立理论”，否则不合汉语的表达习惯;habitual thought 应译作 “习惯(性)思维”，而不宜译作 “思考、思想”。同位语结构可考虑用冒号提示性方法来处理。
【译文】沃尔夫对语言与思维的关系很感兴趣，逐渐形成了这样的观点，认为在人类社会中，语言结构决定惯性思维结构。
(65) Whorf came to believe in a sort of linguistic determinism which, in its strongest form, states that language imprisons the mind, and that the grammatical patterns in a language can produce far-reaching consequences for the culture of a society.
此句是5个试题中最难的一句。一是结构复杂，句中有句，一环套一环;
二是一些词语不宜直译，如：come to believe 开始相信;in its strongest form在其最强烈的形式下;imprison把……关在监狱中，囚禁;far-reaching伸得很远的;
【译文】Whorf逐渐接受了某种语言决定论的观点;这种观点的极端说法是：语言禁锢了思想，语言的语法结构可以对一个社会文化产生深远的影响。
2005考研翻译题
46. Television is one of the means // by which these feelings are created and conveyed --// and perhaps never before has it served so much to connect different peoples and nations as in the recent events in Europe.
【要点：】定语从句，被动语态，倒装句式
本句出现了4个动词，大致切分为三句，其中by which 引导定语从句修饰means, 括折号后用and连接并列句。convey 传递/传播。 feelings感觉/情绪。Events事件。
首先考虑定语从句的位置问题，one of the means与by which在意义上联系紧密，故而从句前置。被动语态不宜直译，应该转为被动语态。倒装句式的翻译技巧为还原，于是得到perhaps it has never served so much to connect different peoples and nations as in the recent events in Europe. 直译：电视也许还从来没有起过如此重大的作用，去联系不同的民族和国家，就像在最近的欧洲事件中那样。然后根据汉语表达习惯适当调整。
【参考译文：】电视是创造和传递这些情感的方式之一。在欧洲近期发生的事件中，电视在加强不同民族和国家之间的联系方面，也许起到了前所未有的作用
47. In Europe, as elsewhere, multi-media groups have been increasingly successful; groups //which bring together television, radio, newspapers, magazines and publishing house //that work in relation to one another.
【翻译要点：】同位语，定语从句
本句考察了两句定语从句，这种一长一短两个定语从句套用的情况在2003(62)，2001(73)题中都出现过，一般是一句独立成句，一句译为前置定语。请注意根据动词work 为复数形式，that work in relation to one another修饰前面五个并列名词。increasingly successful直译“越来越成功”。
【参考译文：】同其他地区一样，在欧洲，多媒体集团蒸蒸日上，这些集团将相互联系的电视、广播、报纸、杂志以及出版社等媒体联合起来。
48. This alone demonstrates //that the television business is not an easy world to survive in, //a fact underlined by statistics that show // that out of eighty European television networks, no less than 50% took a loss in 1989.
【翻译要点】：宾语从句，定语从句，同位语，过去分词作后置定语
本句重点表现了考研长难句式的特点，多重复合句层层嵌套。难点在于要判别a fact后接的underlined为过去分词充当后置定语，而不是谓语动词。这可以从其后接by来判断。本句的结构为“That the television business is not an easy world to survive in”是宾语从句， “a fact underlined … 1989”为同位语修饰说明前一句话,印证not easy. “that show that out of eighty European television networks, no less than 50% took a loss in 1989”为定语从句， 修饰statistics. 而其中“that out of eighty European television networks, no less than 50% took a loss in 1989”为show的宾语从句。
词汇层面上out of 和no less than是不少同学容易搞错的地方。Out of后接数字，不表示“超出”或“出来”，相当于among,表示“从…中”：比如：Out of the six members, four are men.(六名成员中四名为男性)。 No less than表示“多达，有…之多”
【参考译文：】仅这一点就足以表明要在电视界生存绝非易事，统计数字更强调了这一事实： 1989年，在80家欧洲电视网中，一半以上出现亏损。
49.Creating an “European identity”//that respect different cultures and traditions //which go to make up the connecting fabric of the old continent// is no easy task and demands a strategic choice
【翻译要点：】选词角度注意European identity, connecting fabric.考点依然是定语从句套用。which go to make up the connecting fabric of the old continent修饰cultures and traditions。
【参考译文：】创造一个尊重不同文化传统的“欧洲统一体”并非易事，需要做出战略性选择。正是这些文化传统的纽带将这个历史悠久的大洲联为一体。
50. In dealing with a challenge on such a scale, it is no exaggeration to say, "United we stand, divided we fall".
【翻译要点：】英文习语(团结就是力量)可以根据上下文适当调整，此处united呼应前文的multi-media group, bring together.
【参考译文：】可以毫不夸张地说，要应付如此大规模的挑战，“合则存，分必亡。”
