2017年英语六级翻译练习：宋朝

　　宋朝始于960年，一直延续到1279年。这一时期，中国经济大幅增长，成为世界上最先进的经济体，科学、技术、哲学和数学蓬勃发展。宋代中国是世界历史上首先发行纸币的国家。宋朝还最早使用火药并发明了活字(movable-type)印刷。人口增长迅速，越来越多的人住进城市，那里有热闹的娱乐场所。社会生活多种多样，人们聚集在一起观看和交易珍贵艺术品。宋朝的政府体制在当时也是先进的。政府官员均通过竞争性考试选拔任用。

　　这是一段介绍了古代中国非常著名，同时也让中国历史走向新的鼎盛时期的宋朝。整个段落分为了8个句子，其中前两句为一个意群，介绍宋朝的基本情况。第二个意群则是三四句，即宋朝的发明。第三个是第五六句，讲宋朝的社会生活经状况。第四个是最后两句，讲官僚制度。

　　【第一句】宋朝始于960年，一直延续到1279年。

　　在这一句里，”延续“不仅是从始到终的过程，其中还暗示其“命运多舛”，在其政权统治上分成了“北宋”和“南宋”，还不断受到北方民族的侵犯。到了后来，最终为元朝所灭。

　　因此，“延续”可以用continue来解释。如在维基百科中，对宋朝的存续时间的介绍就是这样的：

　　The Song dynasty was an era of Chinese history that began in 960 and continued until 1279

　　借鉴这个句子，可以翻译如下：

　　The Song Dynasty began in 960 and continued until 1279.

　　【第二句】这一时期，中国经济大幅增长，成为世界上最先进的经济体，科学、技术、哲学和数学蓬勃发展。

　　这是一个长句，信息量不少。首先切一下句子的意思：

　　1、宋朝在经济方面取得的成绩：经济大幅增长，成为世界上最先进的经济体

　　2、在科学技术等其他方面的发展：科学、技术、哲学和数学蓬勃发展

　　对于这样的一个长句，可以分用分句法来断句，即按意思分成两句。不过，为了与第一句有一个语义上的关联性，突显宋朝“经济”方面取得的成就——“最先进的经济体”，建议用一个强调句式，即：

　　It was an era that the economy grew substantially and rose to one of the leading economies in the Earth.

　　对于“蓬勃发展”一词，可以“thriving development”。在这一句里，科学、科学、技术、哲学和数学的“发展”更多地是按“进化论”的角度来看的，即是累积式变化。因此，development一词能很好地揭示这种变化规律。柯林斯在线辞典的解释是：

　　Development is the gradual growth or formation of something. 生长、发育

　　不过，在这一句里，发展是动词，蓬勃自然是修辞动词“发展”的。在英译中，需要将变成动词develop一词，但thriving改成thrivingly，就不符合习惯了。

　　这时，我们可以用另外一个词来表示类似的意思，即flourish。柯林斯在线辞典对于这个词的解释如下：

　　If something flourishes, it is successful, active, or common, and developing quickly and strongly.

　　在这个意思中，包括了develop一词，甚至还将“蓬勃”一词的意思也含括在内了。

　　在维基百科中，也有一个类似的句子

　　Technology, science, philosophy, mathematics and engineering flourished over the course of the Song.

　　参照这个句子，第二句可试译如下：

　　Science, technology, philosophy and mathematics flourished.

　　不过，这个拆分句子，显得这一个意群内在的联系不够紧凑(即第二句与第一句的“an era”的关联性不强)，句子与句子之间的关系非常松散。可以尝试合成一个句子：

　　It was an era that the economy grew substantially to be one of the leading economies in the Earth, and science, technology, philosophy and mathematics flourished.

　　【第三、四句】宋代中国是世界历史上首先发行纸币的国家。宋朝还最早使用火药并发明了活字(movable-type)印刷。

　　这两句话，有一个共同的特征，都是提到了宋朝的重要发明，并使用了“首先”和“最早”两个词。因此，将两句话可以整合成一个句子，使得句子更紧凑。

　　在维基百科中，我们可以查到有关描述宋朝使用纸币以及火药的句子：

　　It was the first government in world history to issue banknotes

　　This dynasty also saw the first known use of gunpowder.

　　根据上述的句子，我们可以改成如下：

　　The Song was the first government in the world history to issue banknotes and saw the first know use of gunpoweder and movable-type printing.

　　【第五句】人口增长迅速，越来越多的人住进城市，那里有热闹的娱乐场所。

　　本句的重点并不在于人口的增长以及城市化， 而是偏重于城市人口增长，城市里就有了“热闹的娱乐场所”。 在选择句型结构时，则要强调人口增长与娱乐场所之间内在的“因果关系”。

　　在翻译“人口增长迅速”时，考虑到后面接着“越来越多人住进城市”，不一定必须用一个句子(the population grew/expanded rapidly)，可以用一个名词短语(rapid expansion of population )。

　　“越来越多的人住进城市”中的“住进”即是"移居"(move)，可译成more and more people moved to urban cities.

　　在维基百科里，有一句与“热闹的娱乐场所”相关：

　　cities had lively entertainment quarters.

　　这个句子试译如下：

　　With rapid expansion of the population, more and more people moved to ruban cities, where there were lively entertainment quarters.

　　【第六句】社会生活多种多样，人们聚集在一起观看和交易珍贵艺术品。

　　这一句是典型的中文句式，在形式上，是以“总”(社会生活多种多样)带“点”(人们聚集在一起观看和交易珍贵艺术品)，而在语义层面 ，则是两个分开的，可以译成两句话。

　　在维基百科里有两句话包含了上述中文里的意思：

　　Social life during the Song was vibrant. Citizens gathered to view and trade precious artworks, the populace intermingled at public festivals and private clubs, and cities had lively entertainment quarters.

　　如此，将这一句中文拆分成两句话，让意思更为清晰一些：

　　Social life during the Song was vibrant. Citizens gathered to view and trade precious artworks

　　【第七八句】宋朝的政府体制在当时也是先进的。政府官员均通过竞争性考试选拔任用。

　　这两句是与宋朝的行政体制(civil service system)有关的。“体制”其实就是“system”，选拔可以用“select”，“任用”一词可用“appoint”或“assign”来表示，甚至也可用“recruit"。

　　"竞争性考试"，其实就是科举制(civil service examination)，可以译成competitive civil service examination.

　　在维基百科中，对于宋朝的civil service system有如下的描述：

　　(The civil service system of recruiting official) was based upon degrees acquired through competitive examinations,in an effort to select the most capable individuals for governance.

　　参与这个句子，可将第七八句试译如下：

　　During this period, its civil service system was advanced as such government officials were all selected through competitive civial service examination.

　　参考译文一：

　　The Song dynasty began in 960 and continued until 1279. It was an era that the economy grew substantially to be one of the leading economies in the Earth, and science, technology, philosophy and mathematics flourished. The Song was the first government in the world history to issue banknotes and saw the first known use of gunpoweder and movable-type printing. With rapid expansion of the population, more and more people moved to ruban cities, where there were lively entertainment quarters. During this period, the civil service system was advanced as such government officials were all selected through competitive civial service examination.

　　参考译文二：

　　The Song Dynasty started in 960, and continued until 1279. In this era, Chinese economy grew greatly, and became the largest economy in the world. Science, technology, philosophy and mathematics boomed. Song China was the first country to issue paper money in world history. The Song Dynasty was the first to use gunpowder and to invent movable-type printing. Population grew rapidly. More and more lived in cities. There were lively places for fun. There were many forms of social life. People got together to watch and trade valuable artifacts. The system of the government of the Song Dynasty was the most advanced in the world at that time. Government officials were chosen and employed through competitive exams.

　　参考译文三：

　　Initiated from AD 960 to AD 1279, the Song dynasty was an era when China’s economy boosted substantially to become the most advanced economy in the world. It’s also an era that both science and technology, philosophy and mathematics flourished. This dynasty also saw the first known use of banknote, gunpowder as well as the invention movable-type. During the Song dynasty, the population of China grew quickly and more and more people surged in to cities, where settled bustling entertaining sites. The social life were abundant and varied, people gathered together to visit and trade valuable works of art. The government system of Song dynasty that all the government officials were selected and appointed through completive tests, was also unrivalled in world at that time