2024年专八历年翻译真题详解.doc

【8级测试英译汉】

PossessionforitsownsakeorincompetitionwiththerestoftheneighborhoodwouldhavebeenThoreau’sideaofthelowlevels1.Theactivedisciplineofheighteningone’sperceptionofwhatisenduringinnaturewouldhavebeenhisideaofthehigh2.Whathesavedfromthelowwastimeandefforthecouldspendonthehigh.Thoreaucertainlydisapprovedofstarvation,buthewouldputintofeedinghimselfonlyasmucheffortaswouldkeephimfunctioningformoreimportantefforts.

Effortisthegistofit3.Thereisnohappinessexceptaswetakeonlife-engagingdifficulties.Shortoftheimpossible,asYeatsputit,thesatisfactionwegetfromalifetimedependsonhowhighwechooseourdifficulties4.RobertFrostwasthinkinginsomethinglikethesametermswhenhespokeof“Thepleasureoftakingpains”5.Themortalflawintheadvertisedversionofhappinessisinthefactthatitpurportstobeeffortless6.

Wedemanddifficultyeveninourgames.Wedemanditbecausewithoutdifficultytherecanbenogame.Agameisawayofmakingsomethinghardofthefunofit.Therulesofthegameareanarbitraryimpositionofdifficulty7.Whensomeoneruinsthefun,healwaysdoessobyrefusingtoplaybytherules.Itiseasiertowinatchessifyouarefree,atyourpleasure,tochangethewhollyarbitraryrules,butthefunisinwinningwithintherules.Nodifficulty,nofun.

【概述】

这是一篇說理性的议论文，文章评论美国19世纪哲学家、思想家、作家亨利·大卫·梭罗对人生幸福的見解。用詞正式，逻辑严谨，哲理性强。译好此类文章有一定难度，但在近年的8级考试中出現的概率较高，不可忽视。翻译時要注意整篇文章的逻辑关系，尤其注意語篇的连贯和衔接。

【翻译要点评析】

1.Thoreau:HenryDavidThoreau(1817—1862),美国哲学家、作家、“一种人的乌托邦”的倡导者和实践者，年轻時代师从美国“先验论者”爱默生，其论著在美国有一定影响。ideaofthelowlevels和ideaofthehigh,是梭罗所理解的“低层次境界”和“高层次境界”。

2.activediscipline:积极律已；heighteningone’sperception:提高自已的感悟能力；whatisenduringinnature:自然界永恒存在之物；在hisideaofthehigh短語中，后边省略了levels,与上句ideaofthelowlevels相对应。

3.gist:与essence同义，意為“精要；精髓”。此句可译為“全力以赴，便是其精髓所在”。

4.shortof:除……之外。shortoftheimpossible可