阿房宫(Epang Palace)是秦始皇(the First Emperor of the Qin)击败六国后兴建的新宫殿。据历史记载，阿房宫是一座宏伟辉煌的建筑。根据司马迁的描述，阿房宫建于公元前212年，长693米，宽116.5米。据说在秦朝末年(the last years of the Qin Dynasty)，项羽烧毁了阿房宫。因此，我们今天所能看到的只是它的遗址。阿房宫遗址现位于陕西西安。然而，有专家认为阿房宫并未修建完成，而项羽烧毁的是另一座宫殿。

　　表达难点

　　1.第1句中的定语“秦始皇……兴建的”较长，故将其处理成后置定语，可用that引导的从句that the First Emperor of the Qin built...来译，但不如用过去分词短语 built by the First Emperor of the 来得更为紧凑、更为地道。

　　2.第2句中的“据历史记载”可用according to the historical record来表达，也可以用according to the written history，此类短语翻译时一般置于句首。

　　3.第3句中的“阿房宫建于公元前212年，长693米，宽116.5米”如果按原文结构翻译(the Epang Palace was built..., it is...long and... wide)，译文结构则显松散，故宜将“长693米，宽116.5米”处理成状语，用介词短语 with 693 meters long and 116.5 meters wide 来表达。

　　4.第5句中的主语“我们今天所能看到的”较长，故将其处理成由what引导的主语从句，译作what we can see today。第6句“阿房宫遗址现位于陕西西安”的主语“阿房宫遗址”与前一句的宾语一致，故将其与前一句“合译”，用which引导的非限制性定语从句来表达。

　　参考译文

　　The Epang Palace was a new palace built by the First Emperor of the Qin after he defeated the other six countries. According to the historical record, the Epang Palace was a grand and glorious building. As described by Sima Qian, the Place was built in 212 BC with 693 meters long and 116.5 meters wide. It is said that in the last years of the Qin Dynasty. Xiang Yu had burst down the Epang Place . So, what we can see today is its ruins, which is now in Xi'an, Shanxi Province. However, some experts hold that the Epang Palace had not been totally completed, and what Xiang Yu had burnt down was another palace.

　　元代(the Yuan Dynasty)是中国瓷器(porcelain)发展史上—个重要的时期。基于先前朝代的烧制技术景德镇成功地制作出青花瓷(the blue and white porcelain)。元青花瓷富丽雄浑，其风格与传统的瓷器大相径庭。元青花瓷的出现也使景德镇成为当时世界制瓷业的中心。元青花瓷制作精美而且传世极少，因此异常珍贵。青花瓷的制作在明清两朝(the Ming and Qing Dynasties)得到进一步发展，其中的精品是许多收藏家的终极目标。

　　表达难点

　　1.第2句中的前半句“基于......”可处理为状语，译为Based on the firing techniques of former dynasties;后半句“景德镇成功地......”若逐字对译为Jingdezhen had successfully manufactured...则不符合英语表达习惯，“青花瓷”是此段落的主题，宜把“青花瓷”转换为主语，用被动语态强调受动者，译为the blue and white porcelains had been successfully manufactured in Jingdezhen。

　　2.第3句中的“其”指代的是前面提到的“元青花瓷”，翻译时可将逗号后的“其风格与……大相径庭”处理成非限制性定语从句whose styles are quite different from...，使句子主次分明。

　　3.第4句中的“使景德镇成为当时世界制瓷业的中心”可用made sb./sth. ...(使某人/某物成为……)的结构来表达，译为 made Jingdezhen the center of porcelain industry...。

　　4.倒数第2句的前半句为因，后半句为果，若直译，句子会稍显头重脚轻;此处可把果(即“元青花瓷异常珍贵”)处理成主干，即 the blue and white porcelains of the Yuan Dynasty are extremely precious，而把因处理成状语，用表被动的分词短语来表达，即finely made and rarely handed down。

　　5.最后一句的两个分句之间意思联系不太紧密，可考虑拆译成两个独立的句子，处理为The blue and white porcelains were further developed in... Some fine works are... for collectors。

　　参考译文

　　The Yuan Dynasty is a key period in the development of Chinese porcelain industry. Based on the firing techniques of former dynasties, the blue and white porcelains had been successfully manufactured in Jingdezhen. The blue and white porcelains of the Yuan Dynasty are grand and splendid, whose styles are quite different from those of the traditional porcelains. The rising of blue and white porcelain in the Yuan Dynasty also made Jingdezhen the center of porcelain industry in the world at that time. Finely made and rarely handed down, the blue and white porcelains of the Yuan Dynasty are extremely precious. The blue and white porcelains were further developed in the Ming and Qing Dynasties. Some fine works are the dream targets for collectors。