最实用的翻译策略汉英翻译八条“戒律”

七、戒语句重复

汉语多重复，以强化语气；英语则要尽量避免重复。

先生曰：“狼负我，狼负我！”狼曰：“吾非固欲负汝。天生汝辈，固需吾辈食也。”

“ You are an ungrateful beast,” complained the man.

“Not at all,” retorted the wolf, “it is not that I’m ungrateful, but you men were created for us to devour.”

（颜惠庆译《马中锡·中山狼传》）

王曰：“此鸟不飞则已，一飞冲天；不鸣则已，一鸣惊人。”

“ The bird may not have flown yet”, replied the King,“Once it does, it will soar to the sky. I may not have cried out yet, but once it does, it will startle everyone.”

（杨宪益译《史记·滑稽列传》

阿凡提借了财主一锭金子，还他时给了他两锭。

Afanty borrowed a small ingot of gold from a moneybags, but repaid him two ones.

（选自艾临《幽默新大陆》）

以上粗体字都是为了避免重复，下面两句中的粗体字属于省译，当然也是为了避免重复。

又斗争，又团结，以斗争的手段，达团结之目的。

Unity, struggle, unity through struggle.

中国人也好，外国人也好，死人也好，活人也好，对的就是对的，不对的就是不对的。

What is right is right and what is wrong is wrong, no matter what it concerns, the Chinese or foreigners, the dead or the living.

为了避免重复，还可将相同的汉字故意译成不同的英文，如

在78岁高龄的人的眼里，大多数人都显得有点年轻。倘若美利坚对44岁以下的人抱有不信任态度的话，它必将阻止杰佛逊起草独立宣言，阻止华盛顿领导独立战争，阻止麦迪逊制订宪法，甚至阻止哥伦布发现新大陆！

In the eyes of a 78-year old person, most people seem to be little young. If the USA embraces mistrustful attitude to those who are under 44, it would clog necessarily Jefferson from drafting the Declaration of Independence, obstruct Washington from leading Independent War, prevent Madison from formulating the Constitution, and even keep Columbus from discovering the New Continent!

从渲染艺术效果来讲，重复并非绝对不允许的，如：

行路难，行路难。

多歧路，今安在？

长风破浪会有时，

直挂云帆济沧海！

Hard is the way, hard is the way.

Don’t go astray! Whither today.

A time will come to ride the wind and cleave the waves,

I’ll set my cloudlike sail to cross the sea which raves.