习语翻译.pdf

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1、 一桶水摇不响，半桶水响叮当有人照字面译成：The full pot of water makes no sound; the half-empty pot of water is noisy. 老外听后，也许会感到困惑。他们有自己的说法：A little knowledge (or learning) can be (or is) dangerous.（一知半解很危险）或者说： Still water runs deep. （静水深不可测）也可以说：He who knows the most says the least.（懂得越多的人，反而说得越少。） 水落石出有人照字直译为：As the

2、 water level sinks,the stones are exposed. 这样说，恐怕老外还是听不懂。他们的说法是：All secrets may eventually come to light. (所有祕密最后总会曝光。) 也可以说： Eventually, every secret will be disclosed. 这山望到那山高有人译成： The apples on the other side of the wall are the sweetest.（意思是：墙那边的苹果最甜） 当然，如要译成：If you stand on a mountain, you feel

3、 the distant mountain seems higher than yours. 老外也勉强能接受。而他们的最习惯说法是：The grass always looks greener on the other side.（另一边的草，看来总是绿些。） 烈火炼真金，患难见真情有人译成： Fire is the test of gold ；adversity is the test of friendship. 这句译文，虽然很好，老外也能了解，但是他们还有另外的说法：Liquor brings out a persons true color. （烈酒能显示一个人真正的特色）或者说：

4、 Wine reveals a persons true heart. 虽然老外不用烈火炼真金 的比喻，但有 路遥知马力 的说法： By a long road, we know a horses strength； at times of difficulty, we discover a friends true character. 雷声大，雨点小有人译为： The thunder roars loudly, but little rain falls. 或者说：All we hear is thunder, but no rain falls. 虽然这样直译比较容易理解，但是老外的说法

5、是这样的：Actions speak louder than words. (行动胜于言谈) 或 All we hear is words, but there is no action. （只动嘴不动手）或Actions and words should go hand in hand. (言行必须一致) 另外，还有英语里还有这样的说法：An empty barrel makes biggest sound. （空洞的话说得太多了。） 人不可貌相，海水不可斗量有人译为： A man can not be known by his look, nor can the ocean be meas

6、ured by a dipper. 这样的译法只是直译，如果能够稍加修改，老外就能了解：A man can not be judged by his appearance, nor can the water in the sea be measured by a bucket. 不过，老外通常的说法是这样的：We can not judge a person by appearance only. 或 You can not judge a book by its cover. ( 意思是：一本书的好坏取决于它的内容，而不是它的封面装帧的漂亮与否。) 口蜜腹剑，笑里藏刀有人译为His mou

7、th is honey; his heart is a sword. 外国人听了会对这样的比喻摸不着头脑，如果要形容某人口蜜腹剑，笑里藏刀，我们可以说with honey on ones lip and murder in ones heart, 或者honey-mouthed but dagger-hearted. 也可以更直接的译成He is an evil man who has a mouth that praises and a hand that kills. 少壮不努力，老大徒伤悲有人译成If you neglect study when you are young, what

8、may happen to your old age? 这句问句会把老外问得云里雾里，因为他们沒有学而优则仕 的思想，也不认为功课差，将来就会伤悲。他们劝告子女经常说的是Studying / working hard can lead you to a brighter / more promising future. ( 努力用功会带给你光明的前程。当然也可以对年轻人说：Study hard when you are young. It will pay off when you get older. (年轻时好好努力，到老的时就会觉得学有所值。 ) 学如行舟，不进则退如果直译成： Lear

9、ning is like rowing upstream; not to advance is to drop back. 老外听后，也许会感到一头雾水。这样修改一下，表达可以清晰一些：Learning seems like rowing upstream（逆流） ; if one does not advance, one will fall back. Learning is like rowing against the current（激流） , if one does not advance, one will retreat. 更直接的说法是：If you dont make pr

10、ogress, you will fall behind. 中国人给孩子起名字，往往都是起一些比较好听好叫有美好寓意的名字！比如说， 姓谢的男孩，他的父母宁愿给他起“ 谢志坚 ” 或 “ 谢强 ” ，也不会给他起“ 谢度 ” ！因为 “ 谢度 ” 和“ 泻肚 ” 谐音，在学校里，同学不叫他“ 拉稀 ” 才怪！当然，老辈人为了孩子好养，也曾给孩子起些阿猫阿狗之类的贱名。八姐曾接待过南方某地的一位老兄，接过他的名片， 俺当场差一点儿乐晕过去！那老兄的名片上郑重其事印着他的大名阿狗！原来只听说过，现在可见到叫阿狗的真神啦！你知道哪些英文名字是？说到名字， 汉语中是这样， 英语中也是如此。其实有一些英

11、文名字在俚语当中也有另外的不好的含义。 下边听俺细说一二，你想起英文名字的时候，尽量避免取这些不安全的名字哟！Many typical English names have bad double meanings. Some, like Dick and Gay, have become unpopular because of this and now only older people use them. Others, like Peter and Randy, are still common because the bad meaning is secondary to the na

12、me. As you can see below, many famous people have these names. However, having one may get you teased at schoolRead on for names to watch out for. BAD FACTOR indicates teasing potential. People with names that are not bad are teased less, but none of these names are completely safe. BOYS NAMESButchS

13、LANG MEANING: masculine (adjective). Primarily used about gays and lesbians. BAD FACTOR : Not bad, unless he is openly gay. FAMOUS NAMESAKE(同名人 ): Western outlaw Butch Cassidy ColinSLANG MEANING: No slang meaning, but if you pronounce it the way Colin Powell does, (KOH-lin) instead of the usual way

14、(KAH-lin), it sounds like youre talking about your intestines（肠子） . BAD FACTOR : Bad. FAMOUS NAMESAKE: FORMER US Secretary of State Colin Powell DickSLANG MEANING: Penis. BAD FACTOR : Bad. Many older men have this nickname (for Richard). FAMOUS NAMESAKE: US Vice President Dick Cheney EarlSLANG MEANI

15、NG: Vomit. BAD FACTOR : Especially bad in high school and college. No longer a popular name. FAMOUS NAMESAKE: Bluegrass musician Earl Scruggs Gay/GaylordSLANG MEANING: Gay BAD FACTOR : Bad. FAMOUS NAMESAKE: Best selling author Gay Talese JohnSLANG MEANING: Customer of a prostitute BAD FACTOR : Not b

16、ad. Most people wouldnt make that association. FAMOUS NAMESAKE : Actor John Travolta and a large percentage of the male English speaking population John ThomasSLANG MEANING: Penis. BAD FACTOR : Not bad. Kind of old fashioned as slang. FAMOUS NAMESAKE: Toronto Raptors basketballer John Thomas Johnson

17、SLANG MEANING: Penis. BAD FACTOR : A little bad, but how many people use Johnson as their first name? FAMOUS NAMESAKE: Basketball legend Magic Johnson PeterSLANG MEANING: Penis. BAD FACTOR : Not bad, and most people with this name go by Pete. FAMOUS NAMESAKE: Nightly News anchor Peter Jennings Ralph

18、SLANG MEANING: Vomit. BAD FACTOR : Especially bad in high school and college. FAMOUS NAMESAKE: Green Party candidate Ralph Nader RandySLANG MEANING: Sexually excited. BAD FACTOR : Not bad. Guys with this name might joke about it themselves. FAMOUS NAMESAKE: Oscar winning composer Randy Newman RodSLA

19、NG MEANING: Penis. BAD FACTOR : Bad. Great name for a porno star. FAMOUS NAMESAKE: Rock singer Rod Stewart Willie/WillySLANG MEANING: Penis. BAD FACTOR : Not bad. Slang term is more common in Britain than the US. FAMOUS NAMESAKE: Baseball great Willy Mays WoodySLANG MEANING: Erect penis. BAD FACTOR

20、: Bad in high school, but younger kids dont know about it. Thats probably why it was considered okay as the name of the hero in the childrens movie Toy Story. FAMOUS NAMESAKE: Director Woody Allen GIRLS NAMESCherrySLANG MEANING: virginity BAD FACTOR : Okay in elementary school, but in middle school

21、or high school, this would be a really bad name to have. The term is most often used to discuss losing virginity. FAMOUS NAMESAKE: Actress Cherry Jones FannySLANG MEANING: polite word for buttocks (worse, in the UK it can mean vagina.) BAD FACTOR : Bad at every age. FAMOUS NAMESAKE: French actress F

22、anny Ardant Mary JaneSLANG MEANING: marijuana( 大麻烟 ) BAD FACTOR : Okay in elementary school, unfortunate in middle school or high school FAMOUS NAMESAKE: Halloween peanut butter candy Mary Janes PatsySLANG MEANING: the victim of a dishonest scheme, or the person who is forced to take responsibility

23、for a crime. BAD FACTOR : Not bad. Unless their parents allow them to stay up for The Sopranos, kids dont know the double meaning FAMOUS NAMESAKE: Singer Patsy Cline PansySLANG MEANING: feminine gay man BAD FACTOR : Okay. Besides the fact that it only refers to men and its a girls name, that slang i

24、s old-fashioned, so most kids wouldnt know it. FAMOUS NAMESAKE: Gay punk-pop band Pansy Division Priss, Prissy (short form of Priscilla) SLANG MEANING: overly concerned about getting dirty BAD FACTOR : Not bad. Probably not an issue after elementary school FAMOUS NAMESAKE: Prissy Presley RandiSLANG

25、MEANING: Sexually excited. BAD FACTOR : Not bad, though somewhat worse for girls than boys named Randy. FAMOUS NAMESAKE: Adult film star Randi Rage 趣味双语：关于美国总统的脑筋急转弯When electing Presidents of the United States, Americans havent been partial to one type of man. Commanders in Chief of all kinds-tall

26、and short, handsome and homely, well-educated and barely schooled, scoundrel and saint-were sent to Washington to serve. 美国人在选举总统的时候，并不偏好某一类人。无论是高是矮， 仪表堂堂还是相貌平平，有文化还是没文化，无赖还是圣人，都会入主白宫，担任三军总司令(美国总统即为美国最高行政长官及三军总司令)。The following questions delve behind the formal portraits of our nations Presidents to

27、 reveal their idiosyncrasies, oddities and ironies. 下面的这些问题瞄准了历届美国总统外表下的习性、怪癖和叫人啼笑皆非的趣事Q. Which Presidents son was personally affected by three Presidential assassinations? 哪个总统的儿子亲身感受了三次总统暗杀行动？A. Abraham Lincolns oldest son, Robert Todd, was at his fathers side after the 16th President was assassin

28、ated at Fords Theatre in 1865. Sixteen years later he was at the Washington rail depot where the 20th President, James Garfield, was shot and killed in 1881. In 1901 Lincoln was in Buffalo at the Pan-American Exposition, where 25th President William McKinley was assassinated. Thereafter Lincoln avoi

29、ded functions where a President was present. 答案：亚伯拉罕 林肯的小儿子罗伯特 托德。 1865 年美国第16 任总统林肯在福特剧院被暗杀的时候他就在父亲身边。16 年之后的1881 年，美国第20 任总统詹姆斯 加菲尔德在华盛顿车站遇刺身亡的时候他也在场。而1901 年美国第25 任总统威廉 麦金莱在布法罗的泛美博览会上遇刺，他依旧在场。此后林肯就避免在有总统在场的社会活动中出现。Q. Which President was also a King? 哪位是总统也是国王？A. Gerald Ford. Born in 1913 as Leslie

30、 L. King, Jr., his mother divorced and remarried. His stepfather informally adopted him, renaming him Gerald R. Ford. 答案：杰拉尔德 福特。 (美国第 38 任总统， 1974-1976 年在任 ) 生于 1913 年的他本名Leslie L. King, Jr.，因为目前离异再婚，他被继父收养，改名为Gerald R. Ford。Q. Which President, while living in the White House, regularly skinny-dipp

31、ed in the Potomac River? 哪个总统住在白宫期间，定期在白宫边的波托马可河里裸泳？A. Between 1825 and 1829 there was a moon on the Potomac around 5 a.m., when John Quincy Adams stripped down and took his morning constitutional. 答案：约翰 Q 亚当斯。 (美国第 6 任总统， 1825-1829 年在任 ) 在他任期内的1825-1829 年间，早上五点左右，他会脱掉衣服，光着屁股在波托马可河里进行他的晨泳。Q. Which P

32、resident is credited with saving 77 lives? 哪个总统救过77 条人命？A. Ronald Reagan, as a lifeguard in his hometown of Dixon, Ill. But some of the rescues may have been young women faking it simply to get the handsome Dutch Reagans attention. 答案：罗纳德 里根。 (美国第 40 任总统， 1981-1988 年在任 ) 里根是他家乡伊利诺斯州迪克森的救生员。但是他救的人当中也

33、许有一些年轻女性是佯装落水以引起英俊潇洒的里根的注意。Q. Which two Presidents died on the Fourth of July, 1826? 哪两个总统均死于1826 年 7 月4 日？A. Thomas Jefferson and John Adams, 50 years to the day after the Declaration of Independence. 答案：托马斯 杰斐逊 (美国第3 任总统， 1801-1809 年在任 )和约翰 亚当斯 (美国第 2 任总统， 1797-1801 年在任 )。他们均死于独立宣言发表50 周年纪念日。Q. Wh

34、ich President was taught by his wife to read and write? 哪个总统的读写是老婆教的？A. In 1827, in Greeneville, Tenn., Eliza McCardle, 16, married Andrew Johnson, 18. He was a tailor who could barely read or write. Yet he was extremely ambitious. In the evening his wife taught him to read and write. And from there

35、 his political career took off, from mayor of his town to governor to Vice President and finally President. 答案：安德鲁 约翰逊 (美国第 17 任总统， 1865-1869 年在任 ) 1827 年， 18 岁的安德鲁约翰逊在田纳西州的格林维尔迎娶了16 岁的姑娘伊莱扎 麦卡德尔。他是一个裁缝，没有受过正规教育，但是却野心勃勃。傍晚，他的妻子就教他读书写字。他的政治生涯就是从格林维尔开始的。他担任过格林维尔市长，美国副总统， 直到 1985年当选为美国总统。Q. Who was the

36、 first President to play Little League baseball? 谁是第一个参加过少年棒球联赛的总统？A. George W. Bush, for the Midland, Texas, Cubs from 1954 to 1958. His coach, Frank Ittner, now 94 years old, recalls Bush as a fine defensive catcher who needed work on his hitting. 答案：乔治 沃特 布什 (美国第 43 任总统， 2001-至今 ) 小布什在1954 至 1958 年间曾是德克萨斯州米德兰小熊队的一员。他的教练，现已94岁高龄的弗兰克 伊特纳回忆起小布什来是这么评价的：防守接球不错，但击球技术有待加强。