英语、汉语中均有从正面或反面来表达一种概念的现象。翻译时，英语中正面表达的词或句子，译文中可从反面表达；英语中反面表达的词或句子，译文中可从正面表达，这种翻译手法称为反译法。这里所谓的反面表达，主要是指在英语中用了“no, not, never”等否定词或“de-, dis-, non-, im-, in-, un-, -less”等否定性词缀的词；在汉语中用了“不、非、无、没、没有、未、否、别、休、甭、孬、莫、勿、毋”等否定意义的字。

 

1           英语从正面表达，译文从反面表达

1.1          Word

e.g. Such a chance was denied (to) me. (v.)             — 我没有得到这样一个机会。

e.g. The first bombs missed the target.      (v.)         — 第一批炸弹没有击中目标。  

e.g. This summer is predictably hotter. (ad.)             — 不出所料，今年夏天更热。

e.g. Time is what we want most, what, alas, many use worst. (ad.)

         —时间是我们最缺少的，可叹的是，偏偏许多人最不善于利用。

e.g. The plan is not final. (a.)                          — 这计划并不是不可改变的。

e.g. I have read your article. I expect to meet an older man. (a.)

   — 我拜读过你的大作，没想到你这样年轻。

e.g. What you’ve said is above me. (prep.)              — 你说的我不懂。

e.g. It was beyond his power to sign such a contract. (prep.)

   — 他无权签订这种合同。

e.g. After you! (prep.) — 您先请！（虽然没有否定词，但“先”与“after”相对）

e.g. The soldiers would fight to death before they surrender. (conj.)

   — 战士们宁愿战斗到死也决不投降。

e.g. They feel great anxiety about his sickness. (n.)

   —他们对他的病情感到焦虑不安

 

1.2          Phrase

e.g. The evidence is conclusive, excluding all possibilities of doubt.       

— 证据确凿，不容置疑。

e.g. The explanation is far from being satisfactory.

   — 这个解释远不能令人满意。

e.g. The criminal is still at large.        — 罪犯还未捉拿归案。

e.g. They will prove worthy of the Party's trust.      — 他们不会辜负党对他们的信任。

 

1.3          Sentence

e.g. He is nearly 60,but he carried his years lightly.

   — 他已年近花甲，可并不显老。

e.g. More haste, less speed.                     — 欲速则不达。

e.g. All you need is a good heart, most people assume, and the rest will take care of itself.

   — 大多数人认为，你只需要有一副好心肠，其余的事情便不用操心了。

 

2           英语从反面表达，译文从正面表达

1.1          Word

e.g. The mother gently disengaged her hand from that of her sleeping baby. (v.)

   — 母亲小心翼翼地从熟睡的宝宝手里抽出自己的手。

e.g. He carelessly glanced through the note and got away. (ad.)

   — 他草草扫了一眼那张便条就走了。

e.g. He was dishonorably discharged from the army for his cowardice in the battle.

   — 由于他在战场上的懦弱行为，他很不光彩地被部队开除了。

e.g. All the articles are untouchable in the museum. (a.)

   — 博物馆内一切展品禁止触摸。

e.g. Hitler’s undisguised effort to persecute the Jews met with world-wide condemnation. (a.)

   — 希特勒对犹太人明目张胆的迫害遭到了全世界的谴责。

e.g. He took an instinctive dislike to the woman. (n.)

   他本能地讨厌那女人。

 

1.2          Phrase

e.g. Don’t lose time in posting this letter.         — 赶快把这封信寄出去。

e.g. The examination left no doubt that the patient had died of cancer.

   — 调查结果清楚地说明病人是死于癌症。

e.g. Students, with no exception, are to have physical examinations this afternoon..

   — 今天下午全部的学生都要进行体检。

 

1.3          Sentence

e.g. Such behavior couldn’t long escape notice. — 这样的行为早晚会被人发觉的。

e.g. Suddenly he heard a sound behind him, and realized he was not alone in the garage.

   — 他忽然听见背后有动静，便立刻意识到车库里还有别人。

e.g. I never go past the house but I think of the happy moments I spent there.

   — 我每次走过那所房子，都会想起在那里度过的快乐时光。

e.g. No man can have too much knowledge and practice.

— 知识和实践越多越好。

 

3           正反两种表达皆可

e.g. I am new to the work.                — 这工作我是生手。（这工作我不熟悉。）

e.g. It is no less than a farce.              — 这简直就是一出闹剧。（这无异于一出闹剧。）

e.g. He realized that he was in trouble.

   — 他意识到自己遇上麻烦了。（他感到自己的处境不妙。）

e.g. The works of art were left intact, the money gone.

   — 艺术品还好好的，钱却不见了。（艺术品原封未动，钱却不翼而飞了。）

e.g. The station is no distance at all.

   — 车站近在咫尺。（车站一点儿也不远。）

 

4           表示强调的双重否定

e.g. There is no rule that has no exception.         — 任何规则都有例外。

e.g. There is not any advantage without disadvantage.        — 有利必有弊。

e.g. It is impossible but that a man will make some mistakes.     — 人无完人。

 

5           否定的陷阱

英语句子中，有的否定词会造成句子的否定转移；有的否定词看上去是否定靠近它的成分，实际上是否定离它较远的东西；有的否定词在不同的上下文中可以是全部否定，也可以是局部否定；有的否定词和其他否定词连用，句子成了肯定的意思；也有的否定词和其他词语搭配，形成了固定的意义，再也不能从字面上来理解，等等。因此，在翻译时要格外注意否定的陷阱。

not … because

e.g. This plan is not placed first because it is simple.

   — 这个计划并不因为简单就放在首位。

e.g. Don’t scamp your work because you are pressed for time.

   — 不要因为时间紧迫就敷衍了事。

not …, as/like

e.g. Spiders are not insects, as many people think, nor even nearly related to them.

   — 与许多人的看法相反，蜘蛛并不是昆虫，它们甚至和昆虫一点关系也没有。

all/every … not

e.g. All that glitters is not gold.

e.g. If richness needs gifts with which everyone is not endowed, simplicity by no means comes by nature.

   — 如果说写华丽的文章需要的是并非人人具备的天资，简练的文笔则决不是天生就能有的。

not … nearly/possibly: 固定结构，意为“根本不”

e.g. The food supply will not increase nearly enough to match the increase of population, which means that we are heading into a crisis in the matter of producing and marketing food.

   — 食品供应的增加绝对赶不上人口的增长，这就意味着我们在粮食的生产和购销方面正陷入危机。

not … or/too/without

e.g. Hardly a year now passed without Shanghai losing its traditional dominance in another field or product.

   — 上海几乎每年都要失去它在一个领域或一项产品上的传统优势。

cannot … too

e.g. You cannot be too careful in proofreading.           — 校对时越仔细越好。

both … not

e.g. Both children are not clever.                        — 并非两个孩子都聪明。

e.g. But you see, we both cannot go.                 — 可是你瞧，我们不能两个人都去啊。

for all

e.g. You may leave at once for all I care.             — 你尽可以马上离开，我才不管呢。

c.f. He seemed as fresh as ever, for all that I never saw him drink or eat.

   — 尽管我从未见到他喝点什么或吃点什么，他似乎仍然精神饱满。