Перевод фразеологических словосочетаний

Перевод фразеологических словосочетаний

Свободные и связанные словосочетания

В свободных словосочетаниях слова сохраняют свое значение, поэтому их перевод = перевод отдельных компонентов и учет отношения этих компонентов друг к другу:

to do smb. a favour
to speak in a low voice
a bank robbery

 

Связанные (фразеологические) словосочетания = лексические единицы, компоненты которых семантически тесно связаны друг с другом, и значение целого ≠ значения компонентов, входящих в словосочетание => Значение целого преобладает над значением компонентов.

a small house
a small talk
to have a green hat
to have green fingers
to get a telegram
to get the upper hand

 

Ошибка → неумение определить, является ли переводимое словосочетание свободным или связанным. Контекст → не позволяет с очевидностью установить статус словосочетания.

Не is a fair-haired, blue-eyed boy
Everyone thinks he'll be Director of the firm one day. He's the blue-eyed boy

 

Перевод устойчивых фразеологических словосочетаний

Фразеологические выражения подразделяются на образные и необразные.

Перевод необразных ФЕ не представляет особых трудностей: внимание переводчика → на соблюдение норм сочетаемости слов в языке перевода:

to make an attempt
to pay a visit
to break one's promise
to fall in love
as a matter of fact
at first sight
in the prime of life

 

Наибольшие трудности для перевода представляют образные ФЕ, так как перед переводчиком стоит задача передать не только смысл выражения, но и его образность, стилистическую окраску, а также выполнить перевод с учетом национально-культурных различий между сходными по смыслу фразеологизмами в двух языках.

Учет стилистической окраски ФЕ = сохранение стилистической однородности при переводе.

	-	+
as old as Methuselah	старый пень
a to pass away	протянуть ноги или сыграть в ящик
to get out of hand		отбиться от рук и выйти из-под контроля
Both parties have got out of hand		Обе партии стали неконтролируемыми/вышли из-под контроля

 

Учет национально-культурных различий необходим при переводе ФЕ, обладающих национально-культурным колоритом.

to carry coal to Newcastle
when Queen Ann was alive
to set the Thames on fire

 

При переводе подобных фразеологизмов происходит замена специфических национальных реалий.

a French window
a City man
to meet one's Waterloo

 

Особую сложность при переводе представляют собой многозначные ФЕ.

over smb.'s head
Не was promoted over my head
This is all completely over my head

 

Сложными для перевода являются также фразеологизмы, у которых в языке перевода имеются ложные двойники, совпадающие с ними по форме, но отличающиеся по значению.

	-	+
to cut one's teeth on smth	'сломать себе на чем-то зубы'	'приобрести первый жизненный опыт'

 

Еще одна причина, по которой могут возникнуть трудности при переводе, заключается в наличии в английском языке ФЕ, сходных по форме, по разных по смыслу, например,

	-	+
a blue film		'эротический фильм'
blue book	'книга эротического содержания'	'сборник официальных правительственных документов'
to give a hand		'помочь'
to give a big hand	'оказать большую помощь'	'аплодировать'

 

Ошибочные ассоциации

	-	+
to give smb. a liе	'сказать кому-либо неправду'	'уличить кого-либо во лжи'
to be in the block	'находиться в проигрыше, в трудной ситуации'	'вести дело с прибылью, не быть в долгу'
to step into the breach	'свалиться в пропасть'	'выручить из беды, прийти на помощь'

 

Основные приемы перевода фразеологических единиц

Перевод с помощью фразеологического эквивалента, т. е. нахождение в языке перевода образной единицы, которая полностью соответствует по образности и стилистической окраске фразеологическому выражению оригинала.

Число таких непосредственных соответствий между английским и русским языками довольно ограниченно. К фразеологизмам, переводимым с помощью эквивалента, относятся фразеологические единицы, присутствующие во многих европейских языках: выражения, вошедшие в языки из Библии, античных источников, классической художественной литературы, политической сферы. Перевод данной группы фразеологизмов, как правило, не вызывает особых затруднений:

a Pyrrhic victory
to cross the Rubicon
Promised Land
to cast the first stone
to be or not to be
hot line

 

2. Перевод с помощью фразеологического аналога, т. е. нахождение в языке перевода фразеологической единицы, аналогичной по смыслу единице языка перевода, но основанной на иной образности:

a fly in the ointment
to work one's fingers to the bone
to get out of the bed on the wrong side
to make a mountain out of a mole hill
to save for a rainy day

 

3. Перевод с помощью калькирования (дословного перевода) в случае, если у фразеологизма не имеется ни эквивалента, ни аналога, а образность полученного с помощью калькирования выражения в языке перевода легко воспринимается его носителями:

to put all eggs in one basket
to learn to walk before you run
No news is good news
You can't make an omelette without breaking eggs

В таких случаях в текст иногда вводится короткое пояснение (например: как говорят в Англии).

 

4. Антонимический перевод, т. е. замена утвердительной конструкции в оригинале па отрицательную в переводе или, наоборот, отрицательной на утвердительную:

to keep one's head
to keep one's head above water
unvarnished truth

5. При отсутствии эквивалента или аналога, а также невозможности применения калькирования используется прием описательного перевода, т. с. передача смысла фразеологической единицы при помощи свободного словосочетания:

to give smb. the cold shoulder
to be in the same boat
to flog a dead horse
wild goose chase
a tall order

 

Определите идиоматическое значение прилагательных (А) и существительных (В) в следующих словосочетаниях.

А

a dead letter

a dead fence

a dead end

a dead-end job

a dead wire

dead loss

a good debt

a bad debt

hard currency

hard liquor

hard drugs

high life

high tea

at high noon

in high summer

high treason

a pretty penny

a thin audience

thin beer

a thin excuse

a thin story

a blind date

a blind alley

a blind wall

a blind landing

small talk

in the small hours

a white lie

a white elephant

blue water

blue stories

blue chip

В

a bed of roses

a bed of thorns

the crux of the matter

a baker's dozen

the cock of the walk

a bolt from the blue

the seeds of time,

a pillar/the pillars of society

a rope of sand

a shot in the wild

a soldier of fortune

birds of feather

the ups and downs of smth.

odds and ends.

 

Дайте русские эквиваленты следующих устойчивых оборотов, заимствованных из Библии (А) и античной культуры (В).

А

a prodigal son

a doubting Thomas

the slaughter/massacre of the innocent

the horn of plenty

the Holy of Holies

Solomon's judgement

a dog in the manger

Buridan's ass

Noah's ark

salt of the Earth

ten commandments

the stumbling stone

writing on the wall

Man shall not. live by bread alone.

Nothing is secret that shall not be made manifest.

He who sows the wind, shall reap the whirlwind.

Phoenix rising from the ashes

by/in the sweat of one's brow/face

to separate the wheat from the chaff/the husk from the grain

seven deadly sins

thirty pieces of silver

Confusion of Babylon

a voice in the wilderness

В

the Augean stables under the aegis

the sword of Domocles the torments of Tantalus

the Procrustean bed a Sisyphean labour

the thread of Ariadne the bonds/ties of Hymen

the apple of discord the labours of Hercules

the heel of Achilles the Hub of the Universe

to sink/fall into the Lethe a Greek gift/the Trojan horse

 

Текст 1

France Denies Losing out on Brussels Jobs

It is claimed in some quarters that France, a founder member of the European Union, has had the grass cut from under its feet by Britain, the "slowcoach" of the community, which this week scooped up most of the good jobs in the upper echelons of the Brussels administration. And all with the blessing of the European Commission's very Anglophile Italian president, Romano Prodi.

But then Britain, although it has decided to position itself on the outer reaches of European construction, has nevertheless been extremely active in the Belgian capital. Britons play a leading role in the lobbying firms that have proliferated in Brussels, and have placed themselves in key positions within the EU administration with a professionalism that contrasts sharply with the amateurishness and individualism that often typify the French approach.

So has France really suffered some kind of Waterloo in the battle to secure key EU jobs? Neither the Elysee Palace, nor the prime minister's office, nor the foreign ministry seem to think so — though their official reaction may be partly motivated by the need to put a brave face on events.

The prime minister's office stresses that it would be a big mistake to put the appointment of EU directors general on the same plane as that of advisers. "As regards advisers. Prodi laid down clear rules of 'multinationality' so as to strengthen the commission and bring in new blood," says one of Lionel Jospin's aids. "France respected those rules, our partners less so."

Does France need to worry about mounting Anglophilia within the commission? Prodi's spokesman, Ricardo Levi, prefers to play down the issue: "We have to look at this from a broader, worldwide perspective. French has undeniably lost ground to English. A few years ago only French was spoken in the pressroom here. Now you hear both English and French."

As for the alleged loss of French influence in the upper echelons of the ELI administration, Levi stresses Prodi's desire to carry out reforms that France fully supports: "We had to make a break with the habits of the past, which allowed certain countries to 'own' some directorates-general. The criteria we have followed are based on the need to ensure job rotation, maintain a balance and base appointments on merit. It so happened that the British had some excellent candidates. But in the longer term the French presence remains predominant."

Текст 2

Gordon's Early Decisions

Even before he became Prime Minister, Mr. Brown signed up to renewing Trident missiles, which will leave Britain dependent on American military technology for decades to come. Some weeks ago, I predicted that Mr. Brown would give the green light to the construction of two new aircraft carriers. He did just that last week.

These carriers will be the largest warships that Britain has ever put on the oceans. Sir Alan West, the former First Sea Lord, who is now Mr. Brown's security supremo, has described the carriers as "four acres of British sovereign territory that you can move anywhere in the world" in order "to project power". British sovereign territory they may be, but the carriers will be equipped with American Chinook helicopters and Joint Strike Fighters, also made in the U.S. of A.

Congress is controlled by the Democrats, George Bush's Iraq pol icy is disowned even by members of his own party, and he will be gone from power in 18 months. There are voices telling the Prime Minister that he should keep his distance from this toxic President while crossing his fingers that Americans elect a Democrat in 2008.

Mr. Brown is certainly taking an immense interest in the race for the White House. In private, he can rattle off detailed assessments of the strengths and weaknesses of each contender. I am sure he would love to have a Democrat in the Oval Office. But Mr. Brown has told friends that it's a complete misreading of his position to think that he can keep an arm's length relationship with Washington.

Britain's relations with Russia arc in deep freeze over the Litvinenko murder. Gordon Brown is still at the getting-to-know-you stage with Nicolas Sarkozy and Angela Merkel. Like it or loathe it, for the next 18 months Brown will have to deal with Bush. Even a lame-duck President has enormous power to do good and had in the world.

To coin an old phrase once beloved by his predecessor, Gordon Brown is looking for a Third Way which is neither shoulder-to-shoulder nor cold shoulder. He just has to pray that George Bush doesn't greet him with, "Yo, Brown!"

 

Текст 3

Diplomatic Language

The expression "diplomatic language" is used to denote three different things. In its first sense it signifies the actual language (whether it be Latin, French, or English) which is employed by diplomatists in their converse or correspondence with each other. In its second sense it means those technical phrases which, in the course of centuries, have become part of ordinary diplomatic vocabulary. And in its third, and most common, sense it is used to describe that guarded understatement which enables diplomatists and ministers to say sharp things to each other without becoming provocative or impolite.

"Diplomacy", as it was once said, "is the application of intelligence and tact to the conduct of official relations between the governments of independent states." The need of intelligence is self-evident, but the equally vital need of tact is often disregarded. It is this latter need which has led diplomatists to adopt a paper currency of conventionalized phrases in place of the hard coins of ordinary human converse. These phrases, affable though they may appear, possess a known currency value.

Thus, if a statesman or a diplomatist informs another government that his own government "cannot remain indifferent to" some international controversy, he is clearly understood to imply that the controversy is one in which his government will certainly intervene. If in his communication or speech he uses some such phrases as "His Majesty's Government view with concern" or "view with grave concern" then it is evident to all that the matter is one in which the British Government intend to adopt a strong line. By cautious gradations such as these a statesman is enabled, without using threatening language, to convey a serious warning to a foreign government. If these warnings pass unheeded he can raise his voice while still remaining courteous and conciliatory. If he says, "In such an event His Majesty's Government would feel bound carefully to reconsider their position," he is implying that friendship is about to turn into hostility.

 

Текст 4

Gerald Durrell

Gerald Durrell books were a part of popular British culture throughout the Sixties — huge bestsellers that financed collecting trips and enabled Durrell to realize his ambition of setting up his own zoo. His productivity is dizzying — 37 books in all. And yet no author more nicely fits the Johnsonian adage: he wrote for money, found the process a fearful grind and probably would never have bothered had it not been the providential means to an end.

"He was a vivid writer; at his best, quirky, exuberant and with a gift for the sparky phrase — a black-and-yellow striped snake "like an animated school tie", the Great Barrier Reef as "an enormous biological firework display". There is something reassuring about a person who discovers his bent at an early age and never deviates.

The breeding of endangered species was Durrell's ambition from a very early age. The Jersey Zoo that he founded in 1959 lurched from one financial crisis to another in the initial years. It emerged flourishing and secure in the Eighties, alongside the Jersey Wildlife Preservation Trust, thanks to generous patronage and, above all, to Durrell's own efforts. Although he was initially cold- shouldered by the zoo establishment, his ideas and beliefs became orthodoxy and he himself a leading figure in the zoo and conservation worlds.

He cannot have been easy to work with. But his charismatic charm and vigour shine out, along with a kind of innocence. His friend David Hughes observed him at first hand — "a simple man of unshakeable conviction".

In his intensity of outrage about species extinction Durrell was ahead of his time. The partnership between television and such persuasive advocates as Durrell, Desmond Morris, David Attenborough and others has meant an entire revolution in the past 40 years in the way that animals are perceived. Their presentation in zoos has changed radically — from spectacles to be gawped at, to sources of information and objects of respect. Durrell was a conservation pioneer, although the debate about methods of conserving endangered species continues.

He has to be admired for his obduracy in the face of setbacks, let alone for the physical defiance that saw off potentially fatal snakebites and an array of tropical ailments. His biographer sees him as "a latter-day St Francis", while admitting to certain deficiencies in saintliness.

 

Перевод фразеологических словосочетаний