第十一讲定语从句的翻译10.pptVIP

Unit Ten Translation of Attributive Clause Theoretical discussion Of various English subordinate clauses, the attributive is perhaps the most complicated and therefore it always presents a hard nut for the translator to crack. This is either because of the disparity between English and Chinese syntax or because of their habitual modes of expressing the same idea in different ways. A Comparative Study of English and Chinese Attributive Structures A comparative study of English and Chinese attributive structures helps us to bring this disparity to light. As some linguists have pointed out; an English sentence may be followed by an unlimited number of attributive clauses following the word being modified, While a Chinese sentence allows only a limited amount of words preceding the word being modified. And eventually, there is no correspondence between their sentence structure. Lets compare the structure of the following English sentences and its Chinese versions. 1. This is the cat. 2. This is the cat that killed the rat. 3. This is the cat that killed the rat that ate the cake. 4. This is the cat that killed the rat that ate the cake that lay in the house. 5. This is the cat that killed the rat that ate the cake that lay in the house that Jack built. Apparently, its impossible for a translator to put all the information into one Chinese sentence in the same sequence as English. Therefore, a readable Chinese version of the above English sentences 3, 4, 5 should be worked out. Consequently, some efficient ways have been suggested to tackle the problems that occurs in the translation of English attributive clauses. The meaning of the complex sentence would not be complete unless the attributive clause is taken into consideration. Generally, the following two methods are used to translate attributive clauses： Two methods used to translate attributive clauses 1.Combination （合译法） 2. Division （分译法） 1.Combination （合译法）