简单的说,平行文本(parallel text)是指与原文内容接近的中文或英文参考资料,一种平行文本是中英文对照,另外一种是单独的英文或中文内容。找到了平行文本,其根本的目的是为了应用在译文或英文写作中,即所谓“内化”。
接下来,是Audrey关于如何搜索并利用平行文本,提供翻译灵感的实操套路。
原文
本周三,调查英国在2003年伊拉克战争中行为的特别报告终于在推迟多年之后问世。这项调查由曾担任高层公务员的约翰•齐尔考特(John Chilcot)牵头进行,审阅了数千份文档并采访了上百名目击者,最终报告的篇幅超过了两百万单词。
拿到这周的翻译,我快速地浏览了下文本。文本篇幅不长,主要围绕关于03年伊拉克战争中英国行为的调查报告来展开,介绍了报告的基本情况、目的以及少许大众对此的反响。了解大意之后,便开始着手翻译,无奈发现首段中有一些表达,例如 “特别报告”、“高层公务员” 等,自己无法确定。
之前在翻译群的学习中,飞鸟有提过如何查询平行文本,有一个很重要的概念——找到了平行文本,其根本目的是为了应用在我们的译文中,即所谓的“内化”。当不确定用词、表达甚至是结构的时候,求助权威文章,汲取长处,完善译文,毕竟它山之石,可以攻玉。
输入关键字,中英关键字结合
由于自己不太确定“调查”和“特别报告”,于是便在google里输入了“英国伊拉克战争报告”+“Britain report on Iraq War”接着页面显示:
向下翻发现了wiki,原来这里的”调查”用的是inquiry(Longman Dictionary:an official process to findout about something),(wiki搜寻平文本的好地方)点进去切换成英文的文本
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iraq_Inquiry可以找到很多有用的信息,比如:
该报告的官网↓↓↓
约翰·齐尔考特(JohnChilcot)是这个inquiry committee的主席:Sir John Chilcot (chairman), a career diplomat and senior civil servant who was previously a member of the Butler Review.
而senior civil servant可以记下来作为“高层公务员”的表达;senior:having a higher position, level,or rank高级的,高职位的
看到publication一栏:The Inquiry's final report was published on 6 July 2016. Comprising 2.6 million words in 12 volumes, plus an executive summary, a physical copy was priced at767. Bereaved families received afree copy.[37] It was also published online.
中文文本中提过“最终报告”“篇幅超过两百万单词”,这一小段英文中出现的“final report”和comprise...words便可以记下来
Wiki百科一般会有大量的references,不妨找到2016年7月左右的相关报道(报到问世时间),看看其他权威是如何表达的。
找出平行文本,对照,汲取有用表达
由于我并没有找到结构比较相似的文章,所以下面就主要举一些句子和表达来看(仅供参考,欢迎指正)
▲问世
动词:be published/released/issued/ unveiled
E.g.The Chilcot Report, a British inquiry into the Iraq War,was unveiled on Wednesday.
短语: the publication of/ the unveiling of thereport,这里可以让Wed作主语,谓语用mark/witness/see来组句。
平行文本出处:
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2016/07/06/chilcot-report-2003-iraq-war-was-unnecessary-and-invasion-was-no/ 另外还发现Iraq Inquiry也可以作主语:
The Iraq Inquiry, chaired by Sir JohnChilcot and composed of five privy councillors, finally publishedits report onthe morning of 6 July, seven years and 21 days after it was established byGordon Brown with a remit to ‘look at the run-up to the conflict, the conflictitself and the reconstruction, so that we can learn lessons’
平行文本出处:
http://www.lrb.co.uk/v38/n15/philippe-sands/a-grand-and-disastrous-deceit Iraq inquiry是个专有名词,The Iraq Inquiryis a British public inquiry into the nation's role inthe Iraq War.为了执行inquiry,委员会以John Chilcot为首的committee应运而生,我觉得在这个文本里的Iraq Inquiry可能指的是committee.
▲推迟
delay n.&v.【动名词均可】
动词词组:drag out (to last unnecessarily long or proceed for anextended period of time)
It dragged out so long.
it指的是the report,平行文本出处:
http://www.bbc.com/news/uk-36442521 ▲带头
be led by; be chaired by (chair:act aschairman of or preside over an organization, meeting, or public event 担任组织会议或公共活动的主席,主持,监管)
平行文本出处:
https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2016/jul/06/chilcot-report-crushing-verdict-tony-blair-iraq-war ▲曾担任高层公务员
former/retired highsenior servant/top senior servant
VOA用的是top,但我觉得还是看英国的主流媒体,用senior;组织句子上可以用一个同位语 The inquiry isled/chaired by John Chilcot, a former/retired senior civil servant
▲审阅了数千份文档
找到一篇报道里的analyse强调分析,所以我觉得不太适用原文
The inquiry has analysed more than 150,000 government documents as well as other material related to the invasion.
▲采访了上百名目击者
interview hundreds of witnesses
另外我还从报道上发现了这样的表达“从...获取证据”hear/take evidence from
The inquiry heard/took evidence from a varietyof witnesses.
The Inquiry took evidence from those whom it judged best placed to provide a first-hand account of events either in person or by written statement.
▲篇幅超过了两百万单词
这些都是找到的平行文本,可以参考的表达有:The report runs to(固定搭配“达到一定的量”) ...words; The report is...long; The report comprises...words
The report's long-awaited publication(出版物)follows 130 sessions of oral evidence, the testimony of more than 150 witnesses and is more than 2.5 million words long .
Comprising 2.6 million words in 12 volumes, plus an executive summary, a physical copy was priced at 767.
所以你看,学会使用平行文本,能够节约大量脑细胞,对翻译和英语学习者的秀发健康也大有助益。
当然,除了现查现用平行文本,平日里也要注意收集这些好用的句式与词组,做好术语库资料库管理,这样真到了翻译写作的时候,才可以信手拈来。读书破万卷,下笔如有神,说的就是这个道理。