英语翻译有哪些修辞手法（我在英国学口译）

要准确翻译成语、比喻和其它形式等修辞语言，是一件非常棘手的事即便是单一语种，你也需要思量许久，更何况是双语成语和比喻修辞里面都隐藏着另一种意思，而它们与目标语言之间通常也没有什么逻辑上的等价关系，要把它们翻译成另外一种语言，无疑是一个噩梦那么如何才能翻译出准确无误？我们归纳总结为三个技巧，这归功于我们一个最喜欢的说法：我们不是在翻译文字，我们是在翻译意思，下面我们就来聊聊关于英语翻译有哪些修辞手法?接下来我们就一起去了解一下吧!

英语翻译有哪些修辞手法

要准确翻译成语、比喻和其它形式等修辞语言，是一件非常棘手的事。即便是单一语种，你也需要思量许久，更何况是双语。成语和比喻修辞里面都隐藏着另一种意思，而它们与目标语言之间通常也没有什么逻辑上的等价关系，要把它们翻译成另外一种语言，无疑是一个噩梦。那么如何才能翻译出准确无误？我们归纳总结为三个技巧，这归功于我们一个最喜欢的说法：我们不是在翻译文字，我们是在翻译意思。

方法一：逐字翻译

逐个逐个字地翻译，希望翻译出来的意思是正确的。很显然，这并不是一个最佳方案，但却是一个开始下手的好地方，想一想如何翻译“skeleton in the closet”这个成语，如果逐字翻译就是【衣柜里的骷髅】，closet【衣柜】这里有双管之意，我们都知道衣柜具有藏匿、存放东西的功能，所以这里隐藏的意思是【这个人有难言之隐，或是有着不可告人的秘密和丑事】。所以，逐字翻译不一定是最完美的表达，但也算为最接近这个成语上下文意思的表达。

当然，这个方法也有它自己的问题，虽然行得通，但大多数时候翻译出来的句子都不是最好的（有时候甚至完全不是那回事）。想一下，你是如何表达“say cheese!”这是常用于帮人照相的时候鼓励对方笑的英语，如果逐字翻译，就会是【说芝士】，意思就变得和原来完全不一样的。逐字翻译问题，是在于没有把原来的意思表达出来，这个词语本来是用于拍照的，这与芝士一点关系也没有，所有这些都是为了让拍照的人笑。虽然如此，逐字翻译还是一个很好的开始，你也可以回过头来添加和修改其内容。

方法二：翻译意思

迄今为止最佳选择，意译不但能让我们保留原来信息在风格上所有的微细差别，也让我们在内容表达上保留上下一致。这个方法迫使我们把注意力都集中在内容信息上，结果导致我们翻译出来的句子比第一种方法更为准确。再举刚才的例子”skeletons in the closet,” the closet 相当于中文的【衣柜、壁柜】，这样不仅保留了原来句子的风格，同时也传达了【隐藏秘密，不让想让别人知道】的语境。同样地，”say cheese!”翻译成“说芝士”的时候，因为缺乏必要的语境，这样使翻译出来的句子变得毫无意义。而翻译成【微笑】“smile”既传达了预期的意思，也令原来句子里上下文的语境一致。

问题又来了，如果花费了好几个小时的搜索，也没能得出一个既保留风格也令上下文一致的翻译呢？ 那我会说，再花多一点时间去搜索吧……要是最终还是没有任何结果的话，那么，我们就采用第三种方法：解释。

方法三：解释

就像是你会在法庭上遇到那些技术含量很高的单词，你很难想出和它意思完全一样的词语，最好的应变措施就是尽可能意译，也就是说解释。虽然很难把原来信息中的全部风格完全保留下来，但至少你能准确地传达所要表达的意思，这也是翻译和口译的首要目的。再举之前的例子”skeleton in the closet “ 也可以翻译成中文【难以启齿，羞耻于自己家里的丑事】，这样就解释了这个成语。尽管听起来并不是很完美的样子，但至少也传达了原来句子的意思。有时候，你可以一石二鸟，既保留风格也保留内容的上下一致。

在功能方面，第三种是最好传达信息的方法。反观在格式上，却没有办法保留原来成语或修饰词的雅致。但这完全没有问题，只要翻译出来的意思是一样的就可以了。当有可能的话，方法一可以看作是通往方法二的垫脚石。如果你只是需要传达信息，那么，方法三是最后的一招。运用这些技巧，不但能让你小心导航这些文学撰述，同时也让你尽可能传递最准确的翻译结果。

Accurately translating idioms, metaphors, or indeed any form of figurative language can be very tricky. Idioms and metaphors hold hidden messages which can be nightmare to transfer into a second language. Usually, there isn’t even a logical equivalent in that second language, so what are we as interpreters do? Well, we can narrow it down to three techniques or methods which help us to convey the message as best we can. It all comes down to one of our favourite sayings: “We don’t translate the words, we translate the meaning.”

Method 1

Translate it word for word: translating the words and hoping the meaning comes out right. This is not the preferred option, but it’s a place to start. Think about an idiom such as “skeleton in the closet,” meaning secrets you keep hidden from others. Translating this phrase into Chinese gives us “衣柜里的骷髅,” which, while not perfect, is close to conveying the same meaning as the English idiom.

Of course, this method has its problem. Word-for-word translation can work, but most of the time they are not the best or even acceptable. Think about an expression like “say cheese!” used when trying to encourage others to smile while taking a picture. A word-for-word translation into Chinese gives us “讲芝士,” which wouldn’t have the same effect. The problem here is that word-for-word translation forfeit whatever context was present in the original message in this example, the fact that the phrase is used when taking pictures- which is the very foundation of these literary devices. The phrase in English has nothing to do with “cheese” and everything to do with getting people to smile for a photo. This is a good place to begin with your translation, however, as you can go back to add in that context and revise as needed.

Method 2

Translate the meaning: the most preferred option by far! Translating the meaning allows us to preserve all of those stylistic nuances present in the original message, and we maintain the context too! Translating the meaning forces us to pay attention to this information, therefore our translation should come out to be far more accurate than those from the first method. Thinking back to our example of “skeleton in the closet,” the closet equivalent in Chinese would be “藏匿”, this preserves the style of the original, and also conveys the context of keeping secrets hidden from others. Likewise, while “讲芝士” lacks the necessary context for it to make sense, 微笑（smile)conveys the intended meaning and context of the original message.

The problem is, what if there just isn’t an equivalent? What if, after scouring for hours through resources, there is just not an accurate translation that maintains style and context? I’d say look for a bit longer, but if still no comes up, this is where method 3 comes in: explaining it.

Method 3

Explain it: much like if you were to encounter a highly technical word in the court that doesn’t have an exact equivalent, the best fall-back is to convey the meaning as best you can - to explain it. You’ll lose all the style of the original message, but at least you’d be conveying the meaning accurately which should come first in translation and interpretation. Think back to our original example, “skeleton in the closet” could be translated in Chinese to 家丑不可外扬（难以启齿的秘密）shameful secrets of the family, which explains the message of the idioms. It doesn’t sound as pretty, but it’ll convey the meaning, which is the ultimate goal of the interpreter. Sometimes, like with our example of “say cheese,” you can kill two birds with one stone and maintain the style and the meaning - “微笑” accomplish both.

Functionally, this will be the best method to choose for conveying the message. Stylistically, it will never have the same elegance as the original idiom or metaphor. That’s perfectly okay, however, as long as the meaning is the same. When possible, Method 1 can be used as a stepping-stone to get to Method 2 - which should be the go-to - and Method 3 can be the last resort if you just need to get the message across. Using these three techniques will allow you to carefully navigate these literary devices and deliver the most accurate interpretation possible!