2018年翻译资格考试初级笔译试题：泰坦尼克号

　　英译汉

　　For a decade, metallurgists studying the hulk of the Titanic have argued that the storied ocean liner went down quickly after hitting an iceberg because the ship's builder used substandard rivets that popped their heads and let tons of icy seawater rush in. More than 1,500 people died. Now a team of scientists has moved into deeper waters, uncovering evidence in the builder's own archives of a deadly mix of great ambition and use of low-quality iron that doomed the ship, which sank 96 years ago Tuesday.

　　The scientists found that the ship's builder, Harland and Wolff, in Belfast, struggled for years to obtain adequate supplies of rivets and riveters to build the world's three biggest ships at once: the Titanic and two sisters, Olympic and Britannic.Each required three million rivets, and shortages peaked during Titanic's construction.

　　"The board was in crisis mode," said Jennifer Hooper McCarty, a member of the team that studied the company's archive and other evidence. "It was constant stress. Every meeting it was, There's problems with the rivets, and we need to hire more people.' "

　　The team collected other clues from 48 Titanic rivets, using modern tests, computer simulations, comparisons to century-old metals and careful documentation of what engineers and shipbuilders of the era considered state of the art.

　　The scientists say the troubles began when the colossal plans forced Harland and Wolff to reach beyond its usual suppliers of rivet iron and include smaller forges, as disclosed in company and British government papers. Small forges tended to have less skill and experience.

　　Adding to the threat, the company, in buying iron for Titanic's rivets, ordered No. 3 bar, known as "best," not No. 4, known as "best-best," the scientists found. They also discovered that shipbuilders of the day typically used No. 4 iron for anchors, chains and rivets.

　　So the liner, whose name was meant to be synonymous with opulence, in at least one instance relied on cheap materials.

　　The scientists argue that better rivets would have probably kept the Titanic afloat long enough for rescuers to have arrived before the icy plunge, saving hundreds of lives.

　　参考译文：

　　过去十年一直研究“泰坦尼克”船体的冶金学家认为，这艘著名的远洋邮轮在撞上冰山后之所以会迅速沉没，是因为当时的造船商使用了劣质铆钉，在撞上冰山后铆钉头开始崩脱，(致使钢板开裂)，冰冷刺骨的海水大量倒灌入船体，最终造成 1,500 人殒命。

　　一组科学家进行了深度调查研究，他们从造船厂的档案记录中发现了相关证据。据档案记载，造船厂一方面要建造豪华巨轮，另一方面却使用劣质铁铆，为海难埋下了祸根，最终导致“泰坦尼克”号在 96 年前的那个周二沉入海底。

　　科学家们研究发现，位于贝尔法斯特的哈兰德与沃尔夫(Harland and Wolff)造船厂当时决心要同时建造 3 艘当时世界上最大的超级邮轮，分别命名为“泰坦尼克”号、“奥林匹克”号和“不列颠”号。但是，多年来，该造船厂却一直苦于无法获得足够的铆钉及铆工。每艘巨轮都需要 300 万个铆钉，特别是在建造“泰坦尼克”号的过程中，铆钉短缺情况尤为严重。

　　“造船厂董事会很有危机感”，负责调查的一位科学家珍妮弗 ·胡柏·麦卡锡说，“当时造船厂运转持续吃紧。每次董事会开会都是同样的问题，„铆钉供应不上，铆工人手不够‟”。该调查小组通过从“泰坦尼克”号上取下的 48 个铆钉收集了其他相关线索。调查人员运用现代测试手段，进行计算机模拟实验，按照 100 年前的金属成分标准重新制造铆钉进行比对，并仔细查阅了当时工程师和造船厂眼里“最先进”的标准是什么。

　　调查人员发现，正如哈兰德与沃尔夫造船厂和英国政府部门相关档案文件所披露的那样，建造巨轮工程浩大，该造船厂除了从原来的正规铆钉铁供应商那里进货外，还不得不从小型锻工厂订货，而这些小厂的员工一般都缺乏相关技能和经验。调查人员还发现，在购买造船用铆钉铁的工程中，该造船厂以次充好，没有购买“最佳”的四号铁，而是购买“较佳”的三号铁，这也是一大隐患。调查发现，当时造船厂建造锚、链、铆钉时通常都使用四号铁。

　　调查显示，建造寓意“富足”的“泰坦尼克”号时至少在这方面采用了劣质材料。调查人员称，当时如果选用了优质铆钉，或许“泰坦尼克”号就不会如此迅速下沉，救援人员就能及时赶到，数百人也许就能幸免于难。