【2017年整理】Inve与rsion(倒置法).doc

Inversion（倒置法） Inversion of Word Order in Translating Word-Groups or Phrases（词组或短语的词序倒置） Examples Drills 8.1 Give Chinese equivalents for the following, paying attention to the word order: 1. Four cardinal points: north, south, east, and west. 2. northeast, northwest, southeast, southwest; North and South Poles 3. card-playing, letter-writing, white-washing, absent-minded, open-door policy, time-sharing system, error correcting code 4. contradictions between ourselves and the enemy 5. men and women, young and old; sisters and brothers (cf. boys and girls); dear mother and father 6. the iron and steel industry 7. sooner or later; quick of eye and deft of hand 8. heal the wounded and rescue the dying; life or death; now sink, now emerge 9. the soil and water mixture 10. you, he and I; Lisa, Linda and I; my wife (husband) and I 11. rich and poor 12. food, clothing and housing 13. negative and positive 14. hot and cold (water); hard and soft; old and new 15. back and forth; to and fro 16. by twos and threes 17. right and left 18. loss and gain 19. land and water; fire and water; as well blended as milk and water 20. track and field (events) 21. model worker The coordinating words of an English word-group or phrase are usually arranged according to their shades of meaning: “each is more impressive than the preceding” (Fowler 1965:92). Chinese word order is often the opposite. Thus a common rule for translation is: English Chinese narrower range → wider range wider range → narrower range less important → more important more important → less important weaker → stronger stronger → weaker weaker Examples: 1. 无地和少地的农民 peasants who had little or no land 2. 丰收年多积累一点，灾荒年或半灾荒年就不积累或少积累一点。 Accumulate more in good years and less or none in years when the crops half fail or totally fail. 3. 受打击、排斥或轻视 be slighted, pushed aside or attacked 4. 知识分子和青年学生 students and intellectuals 5. 中小国家 small and medium-sized countries 6. 我们并不认为，他们必须或者应当采取我们的做法。 We do not maintain that they sho