英漢倍數(shù)的表達(dá)有相似之處,也有不同。英漢互譯時要特別注意不同的英語句型和表達(dá)方法所表示的倍數(shù)概念與漢語不同。英語用times 表示倍數(shù)。無論在何種句型中都表示乘的關(guān)系,即包括基數(shù)在內(nèi)的倍數(shù)。請注意以下表示倍數(shù)的英語句型及其含義:
A is N times larger(longer,heavier…)than B.
A is larger(longer,heavier…)than B by N times.
A is N times as large(long,heavy…)as B.
這三句英語的含義都是“A的大小(長度、重量……)是B的N倍”,或者“A比B大(長、重……)N-1倍”。
(1) The earth is 49 times the size of the moon.
地球的大小是月球的49倍。(或地球比月球大48倍)
(2) Since mid-century, the global economy has nearly quintupled, While the population has doubled, demand for grain has nearly tripled, and the burning of fossil fuels has increased nearly fourfold.
自本世紀(jì)中葉以來,全球經(jīng)濟(jì)增長了將近四倍,人口翻了一番。結(jié)果,糧食的需求增加了近兩倍,石油燃料增加了近三倍。
(3) Within 30 years there will be twice as many urban people as countryside people in the world.
30年內(nèi),全世界的城市居民將是農(nóng)村人口的兩倍。
(4) Although London covers less than 400,000 acres, it needs nearly 50 million acre-----125 times its area-----to provide it with food, timber, and other resources, and to absorb its pollution.
雖然倫敦占地不到40萬英畝,卻需要近5000萬英畝的土地——125倍于它本身的面積——來供給它食品,原木和其他資源,并吸收它產(chǎn)生的污染物。
漢語倍數(shù)的表示法歸納起來有兩類:第一類表示是(原數(shù)的)幾倍,幾倍于(原數(shù))或增加到(原數(shù)的)幾倍。第二類表示(比原數(shù))大幾倍或(比原數(shù))增加了幾倍;這兩類說法含義不同。第一類表示包括基數(shù)在內(nèi)的倍數(shù),與英語倍數(shù)表示法的含義相同。第二類表示凈增倍數(shù)。因此,漢語倍數(shù)的英譯首先要區(qū)分不同含義,選用恰當(dāng)?shù)木湫?,靈活準(zhǔn)確地表達(dá)。如果用能N times/表示英語的包括基數(shù)在內(nèi)的倍數(shù),那么漢語的第二類表示“增加了幾倍”的英譯就要用 (N+1) times 來表示。例如:
去年這個公司手機(jī)的銷量增長了近一倍(為原來的兩倍)。
The sales volume of portable phones of this company increased nearly twice last year.
The sales volume of portable phones of this company nearly doubled last year.
漢語增加倍數(shù)的說法很多,英譯時,首先要仔細(xì)區(qū)分是包括基數(shù)在內(nèi)的增加倍數(shù)還是凈增倍數(shù),然后決定用N times 還是(N+1)times 來表達(dá)。例如:
(1) 過去20年中,中國的國內(nèi)生產(chǎn)總值增長了近五倍。
In the past 20 years, China’s gross domestic product increased nearly six times.
(2) 1978年至1997年,中國人均生產(chǎn)總值增長了3.4倍。
China’s per capita GDP went up by 4.4 times between 1978 and 1997.
(3) 中國城鎮(zhèn)居民人均居住面積由1978年的3.6平方米提高到1997年的8.8平方米,增加1.4倍。
The per capita living space for urban residents in China expanded from 3.6 square meters in 1978 to 8.8 square meters in 1997, a rise of 2.4 times.
(4) 1949年至1998年, 中國的糧食總產(chǎn)量由1.1億噸增加到5.1億噸, 增長3.5倍, 年平均增長3.1%, 是人口增長率的2.5倍。
China's total grain output increased from 110 million tons in 1949 to 510 million tons in 1998, or an increase of over 4.5 times, with an average annual growth rate of 3.1 percent, 2.5 times that of the population growth.
(5) 1997年, 全國高等學(xué)校在校生總數(shù)為608萬人, 其中研究生18萬人, 分別是1979年的2.2倍和9.6倍。
In 1997,6.08 million students were studying in colleges and universities, including 180,000 postgraduates, 2.2 times and 9.6 times the figures of 1979 respectively.
由于漢語很少用“減少了若干倍”的說法,而多用“減少了百分之幾”或“減少了幾成”的說法,因此,減少多用百分?jǐn)?shù)和分?jǐn)?shù)表示。例如:
(1) 由于水災(zāi),去年的收成減少了三成。
Owing to flood, the crop last year was declined by 30 percent.
(2) 該公司的員工裁減了近三分之一,開支減少了四分之一。
The personnel of the company have been reduced nearly by one-third and the expenses by one-fourth.
(3) 1998年,政府機(jī)構(gòu)改革目標(biāo)實現(xiàn)。國務(wù)院下設(shè)部門從40個減少到29個,人員減少了近一半。
In 1998,the targets of restructuring governmental institutions were met. Departments under the State Council were reduced from 40 to 29 and personnel were cut nearly by half.