英文词汇有很多意思相近的词汇，如何选择表达的词汇才能使更生动和准确呢？

1.概说

A.用词要忠于原文，不能凭“大概”“差不多”。这就要真正 弄懂汉语的意思和所用英文词汇的真正准确的含义。如： 在提及工艺品的发展前景时，于经理满怀信心地说：

“…… ”

While dwelling on future prospect for growth of arts and crafts, Managing Director Yu confidently predicted:…

评：“提及”不应译为dwelling, dwell为“详论”，所以译 为 speaking of future prospects for growth of arts and crafts,…较为合适。

技术革新受到了鼓励。

Technical innovations are urged. 应译为：

Technical innovations are encouraged. 他在上业余大学。

He is attending a spare-time university.

评:就我国实际情况，译为spare-time college可能更为 合适。

羽毛画盧用各种鸟类的漂亮的羽毛做成的。

Feather pictures are made of beautiful plumes and feathers of various species of birds. 应译为：

Feather pictures are made from beautiful plumes and feathers of various species of birds.

比较：

The bridge is made of steel;steel is made from iron.

B.翻译时，要注意汉英词汇广义、狭义、具体意义、抽象意 义的不同，如:汉语的“抓”字有时作狭义的用手抓,如：狗把她的 手抓了(The dog scratched her hand),有时作抽象的意义解，如 瞎抓(find oneself at a loss),抓苗头(watch out for the first signs),抓养猪配种(pay close attention to pig-breeding)_o 而英 语的grasp含义狭窄，指用手去抓或心里理解，所以把抓革命译 为grasp revolution就值得商榷，抓肥料也不能译为grasp manure _o 又如：他讲的笑话逗得她笑了 .可译成His joke made her laugh.

但”他的话使她笑了”，译成His words made her laugh就不 够了。因为laugh可能是因高兴而笑，也可能是在嘲笑。

在汉语里，“笑”这一个字,若不加修饰语，一般指快活而笑， 而英语laugh的含义则较多。

又如：“来往”“交往”，在汉语中意思单纯，而英语的intercourse 或exchange则多义，如：exchange blows_o汉语中的收购 含义较狭,英语的procurement含义较广。在翻译时，应使读者 通过上下文理解无误。如果通过上下文,读者还是可以从两个 方面或几个方面理解，那么我们就要换别的字眼。如“他们在抓 收购”，若译成They are grasping procurement.则使人感到奇怪， 因为procurement有”拉皮条”之意。在国际交往中，我们应坚持 平等的原贝!1”，”In international intercourse, we should maintain the principle of equality. intercourse 有别的含义，可改为 contactSo

C.不要对字进行死译，要考虑英文的真正含义。如果字对 字死译则读者会看不懂你的译文，如:

他们省吃俭用，为的是为国家多积累资金。

They save food and expenses to accumulate more funds for the country, save food的意思是把食物放起来。这句可 译为：

They live frugually to accumulate more funds for the  state.

下面就译文的“夸张”问题，用词的轻重、范围大小问题、褒 贬问题、用词具体问题、以及同义词、近义词的选择诸问题分别

2.去掉不适当的夸张

译文要确切，严谨，不要夸张，不要言过其实。只有在要达 到夸张目的（如在一些文学作品中，原文用了夸张的手法）时，译 文才采取相应的夸张手段。在严肃的政府声明、议论文、说明文 等文章中，用词一定要准确。如果在这种场合乱夸张，读者会认 为你在撒谎。如：

该市的人都赞成。（这是国家某一领导人所写的政论 文中的一句话）

Everyone in the city agrees with it.

评:因是政论文，用词一定要准确。一般说来,要使一 个城市的每一个人都同意某项建议是不可能的。 因为这位领导人代表中国政府，所以在翻译时我们 •不仅要为原作者负责，也要为祖国、为政府负责。

原译文可改为：Almost everyone in the city is in favour of it.

又如：

世界上公认他是最伟大的政治家（社论）。

He is everybody’s choice as the world⁹s greatest statesman. 不妥，可改为：

He is generally acknowledged as the world’ s greatest statesman.

和这里的人们一样，他也喜欢吃土豆。

Like all people here, he likes to eat potatoes. 可改为：

Like most people here, he likes to eat potatoes.

这个聪明的孩子没能及时完成作业，但老师宽恕了他。

The teacher condoned the bright student * s failure to finish his homework, condoned —词用得不妥。可把 condoned 改为 overlooked _o

3.用词要注意轻重和范围的大小

我国的进出口贸易总额有了较大幅度的增长。

There has been a sharp increase in the total value of imports and exports.

评:sharp increase是激增的意思。贸易额应译为volume. 比较译文：

There has been a big increase in the total volume of im・ ports and exports.

我们必须广泛地利用现代科学技术的新成就。

We must utilize the results of modem science and technology on a wide scale.

评:”成就”不能译成results,太轻了，可译为achievements. *

本来日子就紧，偏偏又赶上了一场大旱，地搏荒了，他 饿倒了。

Life was already hard, but then came a searing drought. His family fields were laid waste, and famine took over.

评:family fields给人他有不少地的感觉，可改为his fields.

这就点燃了武装斗争的燎原大火。

This lit the first spark in revolutionary armed struggle. 评:这不是一般的具体的点火，而是具有伟大历史意义 的抽象的点火，所以lit与文章的气氛不相称，应用 kindle_o比较译文：

This kindled the prairie fire in revolutionary armed struggle.

他们于1946年7月向解放区发动了全面进攻。

They started an all-out offensive campaign against the liberated areas in July 1946.

评:这里用started力量不够，可用launched,这个词比started更强烈，更有感情色彩。

它的1200名工人和职员……。

its 1200 workers and staft members…

在英语里 workers 包括 staff members.

他们正在培养一种新品种的杏树，这种杏树晚春时开 花,有较强的抗寒能力。

They are developing a new species of apricot tree which is more resistant to cold and blossoms in late spring.

评:species指大的方面的分类variety指小的分类，所 以这里用variety更为合适。

在国内外事物中，我们要坚持曹命的路线。

We should follow the revolutionary line in domestic and external work.可把 work 改为 affairs, domestic work 在英 文里指扫地、洗碗等工作。

她吓得魂不附体。

she was very affraid.

评:没把原文中被吓的程度表达出来丄可改为：She was terrified out of her senses.表75“恐怖”可用 frighten, scare, terrify;在这几个词中 terrify 表示意 义最为强烈。如：

他看见惊慌万4的人们试图从着火的房子逃走。

He saw terrified people trying to get out of a burning building.

他们吓得说不出话来。

They were too terrified to speak.

在政治上他是个老手，他经历了无数的运动。

He is an old full-fledged politician, having weathered countless campaigns. 可改为：He is a seasoned politician, having weathered countless campaigns.

在揭露社会罪恶的同时，这本小说的主攻目标是直捣 那些学者阶层。本书作者并要求人们将党的团结置于小派别的争吵之上。

While exposing the social evils, the main attack in thisnovel is directed against the literati. And the author of this novel begs people to set party unity above the bickering of wings.

评「小派别”不能译成wings,也不能译成faction或 bloc或sects,可译为splinter proups_o较大的集团、 派别才称为wing或bloco wing可用于一个集团 的正式成员，也可用于非正式成员，bloc则指几种 力量的联合，不强调思想上的一致，不同政治色彩 的人可以组成一个bloc。sect 一般用于宗教界。

“……如今没奈何，把你雇在间壁人家放牛，每月可得 他几钱银子，你又有现成的饭吃，只在明日就要去•了。”王冕 道:“娘说的是。我在学堂里坐着，心里也闷；又不如往他家 放牛，倒快活些。假如我要读书，依照可以带几本去读。”当 夜 WSTo

“… There *s nothing for it but to set you to work looking after our neighbour* s buffalo. You* 11 be making a little money every month, and yeu* 11 get your meals there too. You start tomorrow. ”

“Yes, mother, ** said Wang Mian. “I find sitting in school boring anyway. I’d rather look after buffaloes. If I want to study, I can take a few books along to read. ” So that very night the matter was decided.

评:如果把”当夜商议定了”译成so that very night they came to an agreement, 就不妥了，因为 agreement 指“协议”，指政治上,商业上等大的问题。

4.用词要注意褒贬

孩子是张大妈从一把屎一把尿侍弄出来的，像亲生儿子一样，孩子也把张大妈当做亲妈，冷丁一下子把娘俩拆 开，孩子能受得了吗？姚强（孩子的父亲）知情知义,说啥也不肯再拖累别人了。

She had nursed him ever since he was a small baby and loved him as her own; and the child, too, regarded her as his own mother. What would happen to him if he was taken away from her? She did not want to leave him. Yao, however, was adament. （ adament 的意思是 unyielding to requests,好像姚对张大妈不感恩似的。所以应把adament 改为firm。）

她哄劝着说「’孩子，别哭了，听妈说，当闺女的,早晚都 是人家的人呀，你婆家也是庄稼人，不会亏待你的。”

She coaxed：”Don’t cry, Lan. Listen to mother, You* re a girl, and sooner or later you’ 11 belong to another name. Your mother-in-laws are peasants like us. They won* t treat you badly. ” coax 指 persuade by flattery or by continua] trial,如 to coax something out of a person.这里应用 She tried to soothe her：…

他们在积极巩固战果。

They are actively consolidating their victorious gains.应 改为：

They are actively consolidating th&r victories.因为 victorious gains有时指抢来的战利品。

车站的钟打了 12下，老虎巷的老少还沿着那白天蒸发 臭气、半夜才吹来的一阵凉风的水塘边上乘凉。

The station clock struck twelve, yet the old and young of the Tiger Lane, were still enjoying the cool round the pond, where, though at daytime it was full of nasty smell, at midnight visited a blast of cool breeze.

评:visit 的主语是 desease, calamity 等时,visit —般指 attack.这一句译文可改为：

The station clock struck ten, yet the old and young of the Tiger Lane, were still enjoying the cool around

the pond, where, though at daytime it was full of nasty smell, at midnight there was a gust of cool breeze.

听到你母亲逝世的消息后我非常悲痛。

I am deeply grieved to hear that your mother kicked the bucket.

评:to kick the bucket是俚语，表示了对死者的不尊 敬。这一句可改为：I am deeply grieved to hear of your mother * s death. Somebody has passed away. 比较文一点，并表达了一些悲伤的情绪。somebody had died,是一种客观的叙述,作者没有流露任何感 情，文风较白。Somebody has joined the heavenly choir.这句富有封建色彩。

他告诉我们他迟到的理由是可信的。

He gave us a plausible excuse for his lateness.

评:应把 plausible 改为 believable_o Plausible 是指似是 而非的。

在战争期间,他私藏了许多珍贵的物品。

In wartime, he accumulated many scarce items.

评:accumulated用得不当，accumulate是”积累”的意 思，并不一定含有“私藏”的意思，如“中国的建设资 金是靠发展生产积累起来「'”Funds for China’s construction are accumulated by developing production. “私藏”可用英语中的Hoard 一词。

她诬告他有叛国罪。

She impeached him for treason.

评：这句可译为 She lodged a false accusation against him for treason. 或 She trumped up an impeach・ ment against him for treason.

他是一个有独立见解的思想家。

He holds himself aloof from others  

评：可改为 He is an independent thinker, aloof 是指 persons who are distant in manner or interest, as from a reluctant to associate with those whom they regard as intellectual or social inferiors, or because of habitual shyness or idio syncracy.如：They always affected a grand, aloof manner with us poor people who work for a living.

5.用词要具体

无论翻译或写文章，用词要具体、准确，不要太笼统、太抽 象、太概括。只有用词具体、准确，才能使译文鲜明、生动有力， 才能达到写作或翻译的目的。认识事物主要是识别其个性。 如：

站在那儿的那个人是一个土木工程师。

The man standing there is an engineer.这个句子贝!I 比 较笼统，因为engineer包括范围很广，可能是土木工程师， 也可以是火车司机,轮机员，轮机制造人，精明的管理员，工 兵等。所以这句译为：The man standing there is a civil engineer. 则比较准确、具体。 、

有一点我不喜欢他,那就是他太自信了。

The one thing about him that I dislike is his overconfidence. 这种译文不卞清楚，只用于非正式的口语，最好译 为：

The one characteristic about him that I dislike is his overconfidence.

又如:“a good man”可有许多解释：有道德的人，不自私的 人，健康的人，规矩的人，有贞节的人，有能力的人，快乐的 人，有用的人,勤劳的人等。“a bad man”也有不同解释:歹 人，暴徒，不正经的人，不老实的人，无能的人，爱情等反复 无常的人等。因此，在翻译时要尽量用较具体的字眼，以免 引起误解或意思不清。又如：

在火车离开的前几分钟他阔步穿进火车站。

He walked through the station a few minutes before the train’s departure.

评：应把 walked 改为 strode,因为 Stride refers to a swift, purposeful way of walking, it suggests long steps and an energetic rhythm.

我们在傍晚凉爽的时候常在森林里漫游。

We would walk in the wood in the cool of the evening. 评:应把 walk 改为 stroll,因为 Stroll emphasizes a slow movement, wandering and aimless, with suggestions of many starts and pauses.

他吹着口哨沿着海滨漫步走着。

He was whistling as he walked along the beach.

评:应把walked改为sauntered,因为walked只是一般 地走，而 saunter 的意思是 walked in a leisurely way.此句用stroll也不具体，因为One might “stroll?while concerned with disagreeable thoughts, but one would hardly “saunter?in such a state of mind.

6.同义词、近义词的选择

在动手翻译之前，首先要弄清汉语的含义。在汉语里往往 一词多义，如果把汉语含义理解错了，那么就不能翻译得正确。 如中文里“慰问”这个字，可以有几个含义：Express sympathy and solicitude,对灾区人民表示慰问：express sympathy and so-licitude for the people of disaster areas; to convey greetings, 慰问 团:a group sent to convey greeting; exprees one’ s regards to,请 向他们转达我们亲切的慰问please convey to them our sincere solicitude;慰问演出：a special performance as an expression of gratitude or appreciation;母亲的抚爱安慰了哽咽的女儿：Her mother * s loving caress comforted the sobbong girl.在最后 个例 子里，中文里的“安慰”相当英语里的comfort,但当五十年代中 国人民代表团到朝鲜去看望中国人民志愿军的时候，这个代表团叫慰问团，但不能译成comfort delegation,因为他们是去向志 愿军表示敬意，对他们的英勇作战和对朝鲜人民的革命事业作 出的贡献表示感谢,而不是comfort them,在英文里，只有在一 个人陷入悲哀、不幸、困难的时候才去comfort他，如访问灾区 人民可用comfort,访问住院伤病员也用comforto

在中文里一个词往往多义，在英语里也往往一词多义，但两 个字往往不是全部重迭，只是一部分甚至只有一点重迭，因此在 翻译时要仔细推敲中文某个词的具体含义，尔后仔细地选择相 应的适当英语词汇。