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  含有否定意义的词汇

英语表示否定意义的方式比汉语丰富得多，下列词汇常常译成汉语的否定：

1.  名词：failure, lack, free, far from, omission, absence, ignorance, exclusion, scarcity

2.  形容词（短语）missing, ignorant, free from, far from, short of , blind to

3.  连词：unless, before, until, than, or, but that, more than

4.  介词（短语）but, without, except, beyond, instead of, anything but

  采取诅咒和感叹的方式表示否定往往语气非常强烈，常用词汇有：devil, the hell, damn, dead

1)  I will be damned if I go.
2)  I’ll see you dead before that happens！

  双重否定

双重否定就是在一个句子中同时使用两个否定词，或者使用一个否定词和一个含有否定意义的词或短语。双重否定的语言现象在汉语和英语中都存在，如：

No one who returned from the front failed to express admiration for Doctor Bethune whenever his name was mentioned and none remained unmoved by his spirit.
凡是从前线回来的人，提起白求恩的名字，没有一个不佩服，没有一个不为他的精神所感动。
（毛泽东“纪念白求恩”）

有时译成肯定句更符合汉语的表达习惯，如：

1)  Mild edema is not uncommon in normal pregnancy
2)  No one who strolls through the Egyptian galleries of a museum can fail to be struck by multitude of divinities who attract attention of all sides.

Unit 5 Translation Skill—Omission（减词法）

减词法与增词法相对。原文中有些词语在译文中不必显示出来，因为译文中虽无此词，但已有其意。换言之，减词法是减去一些可有可无的，或者有了反而啰嗦，或违背译文语言习惯的词语。减词法一般用于以下两种情况：一是从语法角度进行减省；二是从修饰角度进行减省。

The time-keeping devices of electronic watches are much more accurate than those of mechanical ones.

I.   从语法角度进行减省

  由于英汉句法上的差异，英语句法上所必需的一些表达某种句法关系或语法功能的词语，其表意作用不大或无表意作用，译成汉语时往往省译。

1.  省略连词

1)  If the rise of blood pressure occurs with some other diseases, it is called secondary hypertension.
2)  The most valuable advice which can be given to a patient with a cold is that he should keep warm and take much water and go to bed if the fever is high.

  注意当and连接句子时，不仅可翻译成汉语的并列句：并且、而且、还可翻译成汉语的偏正复句：因而、所以、虽然……但（是）等

1)  The pulse is rapid, the temperature may be as high as 39℃, and there may be shortness of breath.
2)  In the other two cases, operation was refused and it was impossible to decide whether cancer was the cause of death.
*   They loved each other and there is no love lost between them.
*  Anthrax was not known in the area at the time, or if it was, wasn’t thought to be of any consequence by the local tribes, and went unmentioned.

2.  省略代词

1)  Dr. Stevenson resumed this experiment as soon as he came into the laboratory.
I washed my face.
2)  He shrugged his shoulders, shook his head, cast up his eyes, but said nothing.

 汉语物主代词的使用往往有特殊的含义，可以表示其他所属关系，强调或不耐烦、不满情绪等。

她开他的车去。（其他所属关系）
让他们散布他们的谣言去。（不满情绪）

  当one、 we、 they、 you用作泛指代词时infinitive pronoun，通常可以省略。

3)  To really appreciate Italian painting, one should see it in Italy.
4)  It is dead quiet and pitch dark in the outer space.
5)  It was Pasteur who discovered that diseases are caused by living germs.
6)  Most of the people who appear most often and most gloriously in the history books are great conquerors and generals and soldiers.