《英语翻译笔译技巧》句法翻译之（四）合句译法

合句译法（又称：并句译法），从技术上说，是与断句译法相反的操作，即把原文中内容关系密切的两个或多个句子合成一个句子。（Chris TAO 于2012年10月18日归纳总结并存手稿。）

严格来说，合句译法和缩句译法都属于一种压缩：合句译法是压缩原文的两个或多个句子，合为一个句子（缩句为句）；缩句译法是压缩原文的短句或单句，合为一个句子的组成部分（缩句为词）。

我们知道，英语句子一般都要比汉语句子长，其容量也远比汉语句子大得多。汉译英时，往往必须先找出隐藏或模糊的主谓结构与框架，树起主干，然后将各种关系词、短语（介词短语、名词短语）、附加成分（同位语、插入语）、分词结构、从句（定语从句、状语从句、同位语从句）等添加到主干，使树木枝繁叶茂，形成所谓的“树式结构”。翻译汉语的多个分句时，注意分析各个分句之间的逻辑关系，确定好主从关系，并采用恰当的方式进行连接。

因此，合句译法对于汉译英而言意义非凡。当然，在英译汉时，对于比较口语化的英语短句，我们也可以考虑用合句译法，将其翻译成一个汉语句子。(This article is hand written and concluded by Chris TAO on Oct.18, 2012)

在使用得当的情况下，合句译法和缩句译法都能有效调整句子长度，使译文词句简练、逻辑关系清晰、语气连贯、一气呵成。

英译汉中的合句译法

1.    并列关系合句

—  汉语译句通常以“和”、“并”、“及”、“而”、“且”、“也”、“还”、“同时”、“（既）又（要）…，又（要）…”、“（一）边…（一）边…”等表示并列关系的连接词连接。

He was very clean. // His mind was open. 他为人单纯而坦率。（Chris TAO 于2012年10月18日归纳总结并存手稿。）

My 15 students read Emerson, Thoreau and Huxley. // They kept diaries. // They wrote term papers. 我教的15名学生读了艾默生、格洛和赫胥黎的作品，记了笔记，还写了学期论文。

He would miss many things and many people. // He would miss Celia. 他会想念许多人和往事，也会想念他的西莉亚。(This article is hand written and concluded by Chris TAO on Oct.18, 2012)

She is very busy at home. // She has to take care of the children and do the kitchen works. 她在家很忙，又要看好孩子，又要下厨。

2.    转折关系合句

—  汉语译句通常以“但”、“却”、“可是”、“不过”、“然而”、“尽管…（但/但是）…”等表示转折关系的连接词连接。

Darkness fell. An explosion shook the earth. // It did not shake his will to go to the front. 夜幕降临，一声爆炸震动了大地，可并没动摇他上前线的决心。

3.      因果关系合句

—  汉语译句通常以“因为”、“所以”、“因此”、“结果”、“因而”、“最终”、“终于”等表示因果关系的连接词连接。(This article is hand written and concluded by Chris TAO on Oct.18, 2012)

He has been ill for many years. // He died in loneliness finally. 他病了很多年，最终在孤独中死去。

The young man was very miserable. He had no money about him. // All his savings had been stolen. 这个年轻人很惨，已落到了身无分文的地步，因为他所有的积蓄都被偷了。

That day, the President had an interview with her father. // Her father was going to the moon by space shuttle. 那天，总统会见了她的父亲，因为她的父亲即将乘航天飞机去登月。

Yet the car park on the edge of the crater of Masaya Volcano is nearly empty. // This is a boon for daring travelers who can enjoy all the beauty without having to share it with hordes of other visitors. 尽管玛莎雅火山如此美丽，但是敢于驱车靠近火山口的人却很少。所以，它的美景是对那些勇敢的独行者的一种奖赏。

4.    从属关系合句（Chris TAO 于2012年10月18日归纳总结并存手稿。）

—  后句所述为前句的某个状态，或依附于前句发生或存在。汉语译句的表现形式更为灵活，通常不需要特别的连接词，直接用逗号，以短句形式合并。

Qin walked through the forest. // She was in a good mood and went on her way, headshaking and singing. 琴穿过树林，摇着头，哼着曲，继续赶路。

汉译英中的合句译法

1.    并列关系合句

—  前后句具有并列关系；此类句子通常具有相同的主语，或虽无相同主语但在时间和顺序上具有连贯发生性，或说明同一事物的两个方面。英语译句通常以”and”, “while”等表示并列关系的连接词连接。

新航线和公交公司不断涌现，// 竞争降低了旅游成本。New airlines and bus companies have emerged, and competition has cut the cost of travel.

承受的荷载和轴心线成直角的是径向轴承。// 承受的荷载和轴心线平行的是止推轴承。// 这是现代机器使用的两种主要轴承。Radial bearings, which carry a load acting at right angles to the shaft axis, and thrust bearings, which take a load acting parallel to the direction of shaft axis, // are two main bearings used in modern machines. (This article is hand written and concluded by Chris TAO on Oct.18, 2012)

众人忙问端的。// 他乃说道：“原来本府新升的太爷姓贾名化，// 本贯胡州人氏，// 曾与女婿旧日相交。”（曹雪芹《红楼梦》第二回） Asked what had happened, he told them, ” This new perfect, Jia Hua, is a native of Huzhou and an old friend of my son-in-law.”

这贾菌亦系荣国府近派的重孙，// 其母亦少寡，// 独守着贾菌。（曹雪芹《红楼梦》第九回） Jia Jun was a great-great-grand-son of the Duke of Rongguo, and the only son of his mother who had been widowed early.

2.    转折关系合句

—  前后句所述情况相反或矛盾统一。英语译句通常以”though”, “although”, “but”, “however”, “yet”等表示转折关系的连接词连接。

夜幕降临。// 顺子还没有回家。Night began to fall, but Shunzi hadn’t come back.

北极熊虽然会游泳，// 但也是陆栖动物。 Although they can swim, the polar bears are terrestrial animals. （Chris TAO 于2012年10月18日归纳总结并存手稿。）

她病了。// 然而她照旧去上班，并且尽力集中精神工作。 She was ill, however she still went to work and tried to concentrate.

3.      因果关系合句

—  英语译句通常以”because (of)”, “as”, “for”, “finally”, “until (the time when)…”, “as a result”, “due to”等表示因果关系的连接词连接。

每去一次，我的药量就减少一些，// 最后医生告诉我说，不必再服药了。With each visit, the dose of medicine prescribed to me would be progressively reduced, until the time came when the doctor said that I would no longer need them.

改革价格体系关系国民经济全局，涉及千家万户。// 一定要采取十分慎重的态度，有计划、有步骤地进行。 As the price system reforms affected every household and the national economy, they must be carried out extremely prudently in a planned and systematic way.

由于西藏地处“世界屋脊”，自然条件恶劣，也由于几百年落后的封建农奴制社会形成的各种社会历史条件的限制，西藏在全国还属于不发达地区。Tibet, located on the “Roof of the World”, is still an underdeveloped area in China because of its harsh natural conditions and various social and historical restrictions formed by centuries of backward feudal serfdom.

4.    从属关系合句(This article is hand written and concluded by Chris TAO on Oct.18, 2012)

—  通常后一句是对前一句的主语、宾语或其他成分做进一步地说明或描述，因此可用定语（从句）、状语（从句）、同位语（从句）或其他从属（从句）形式来处理。

思想动向问题，我们应当抓住。// 这里当作第一个问题提出来。We should keep tabs on ideological trends, which I am taking up here as the first question. 【用定语从句合句】

我遇到了一个问题。// 当我就要出席会议时，这个间题越发明显了。I had a problem, which became clearly obvious just as I was to appear at the meeting. 【用定语从句合句】

他和王宁谈过话。// 王宁向他担保，凡是能够做到的都将竭尽全力去做。He had talked to Wang Ning, who assured him that everything that could be done would be done. 【用定语从句合句】

有一种电流表叫做动铁式电流表，如图25所示。这种电流表用于测量电流强度。One kind of ammeter, called a moving-iron ammeter, used to measure the strength of electric currents is shown in fig.25. 【用同位语合句】（Chris TAO 于2012年10月18日归纳总结并存手稿。）

汽水中就有碳酸。// 我们对碳酸的这种形式很熟悉。Carbonic acid is particularly familiar to us in the form of soda water. 【用伴随状语[i] 合句】

年满十八岁的公民，都有选举权和被选举权。// 依照法律被剥夺选举权和被选举权的人除外。All citizens who have reached the age of eighteen have the right to vote and to stand for election, with the exception of persons deprived of these rights by law. 【用伴随状语合句】

目前旅游业收入占国内生产总值的2.3%。// 预计到2013年，旅游收入将每年增长10%，// 并创造4000万个就业机会。Tourism now contributes 2.3 percent of the nation’s gross domestic product (GDP), and revenues are expected to grow by 10 percent annually through to 2013, creating 40 million jobs. 【用分词短语作伴随状语合句】

旅游的间接效益更大，// 估计创造了1840亿美元的经济活动，// 以及5400万个就业岗位。The indirect effects of tourism are even greater, accounting for an estimated US$184 billion of economic activity and contributing to some 54 million jobs. 【用一对并列的分词短语作伴随状语合句】

（Chris TAO 于2012年10月18日归纳总结并存手稿。This article is hand written and concluded by Chris TAO on Oct.18, 2012）