2018年12月四级真题(第二套)翻译解析
参考译文

It is a fact that more and more Chinese can hardly live without their mobile phones nowadays. Many of them, including senior citizens, use mobile apps to keep in touch with others and expand their circles of friends. They also use mobile phones to shop online and search for information because they are portable What's more, communication through mobile apps costs less than traditional phone calls. However, this new trend results in the over-reliance on mobile phones when people are socializing. As a matter of fact, some young people have become so addicted to mobile phones that they have neglected the face-to-face communication with their family and friends.

难点注释

1.翻译第一句时,“的确”对应的表达为 indeed,也可像参考译文中一样用“ It is a fact that...”表达。“离不开 可译为“ cannot live without.“或" can hardly live without..."。

2.翻译第二句时,“老年人”可译为 the old people, the elderly, senior citizens等;“拓宽朋友圈”可译为 expand/ broaden their circles of friends。

3.翻译第三句时,“因为手机便于携带”可以直接译为 because they are portable,也可以将其转化为名词短语的 形式来表达,即 because of their portability.

4.翻译第四句时,“使用手机应用程序通信比传统电话便宜”需要处理为比较级结构。翻译时既可处理为两个 动词短语的比较,译为“ using mobile apps to communicate is cheaper than using traditional telephones”,也 可以将其转化为两个名词短语的比较,译为”“ communication through mobile apps costs less than traditional telephone calls"。

5.翻译第五句时,“过度依赖手机”可以翻译为 rely too much/heavily on mobile phones,也可以用 over-reliance 来表示“过度依赖”,这样翻译更简洁。

6.第六句中的“上瘾”是指对手机上瘾,翻译时可采用增译法,译为 become so addicted to mobile phones。英语 中的 neglect, ignore和 overlook都可以表达“忽视”的意思,但此处选用 neglect最合适,表示 to pay too little attention to something.