译事 | 译文到底需不需要一遍遍详细校对？

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We all had to translate at least one text in our lives. Sometimes it’s difficult; sometimes it’s a piece of cake. This takes exercise, time and patience. When it comes to translating a text, there are a few things you need to keep in mind, such as the meaning of the original text, the register the author’s using, the slang or the professional terms. We’ve written this article to give you a few tips on how to get better at translating texts.

我们在人生中多少都会翻译到一篇文章。有时似乎很难，有时又轻松加愉快。它需要我们不断地花时间耐心练习。翻译文章时，需要考虑到很多方面，比如原文的意思、作者使用的语域、俚语或专业术语等。我们写这篇文章的目的就是要告诉你们一些提高翻译水平的方法。

Does it sound natural?

文章读起来是否流畅自然？

An excellent translator is one that listens to the language. You need to ask yourself, at all times, if a certain term of the sentence sounds natural.

一名优秀的译者是懂得倾听语言的人。你需要不时地问自己，句子中的某个词听起来是否自然。

This takes practice and you can only do this if you speak with natives. The dictionary you’re using will present you two or three options for a word. In these cases, you need to choose the one that sounds natural and that it’s used more. You cannot write something you’d never say, and you cannot even say it.

要达到这一点必须经过反复的练习，而只有与本土人聊天，你才能具有这种辨识力。你使用的词典能够为一个词提供两三种替换选择，这时你就要选择听起来比较自然、使用较多的那一个。如果你不会这样说，甚至不能这样说，那么你就不要这样写。

This is a good thing, as it also helps you with your language skills.

能做到这一点很好，这个过程还能够帮助你提升语言技巧。

The register needs to stay the same

语域必须保持一致

It may sound obvious, but many people forget about this aspect. If a text is formal, you need to keep the same tone in your translation. The words and the style need to be appropriate. If you’re dealing with colloquial talking, you will need to find the words that can match the meaning of the original text. Either way, the register needs to stay the same for both texts.

这听起来似乎很废话，但很多人都会忘记这一点。如果一篇文章的文体比较正式，那么在译文中也应保持同样的语调，词语和文风都应得当。如果你翻译的是口语谈话，那么你就要找到和原文意思相匹配的词语。不论用哪种方式，都必须保持原文和译文语域一致。

Who you’re writing for?

你的译文受众是谁？

It’s very important to know for what kind of audience you’re writing. This way, it’ll be easier for you to choose the words. Let’s take a clear example: if you’re translating a story for kids, you won’t be using words like hyperbole instead of excessive exaggeration or nefarious instead of wicked. Know your audience before starting to translate, because otherwise, some people may not understand your work.

要知道你是写给哪种类型的受众，这一点十分重要。这样，你在选择词语时就会变得更加容易。让我们来举个明确的例子，如果你在给小孩翻译故事，你不会说“夸张法”这个词，而会说“太夸张了”；或者你不会说“穷凶极恶”，而会说“凶恶”。在开始翻译前先搞清楚你的受众是谁，否则有些人可能会看不懂你的译文。

Don’t lose yourself in details

不要在细节中迷失自我

Details are important, but it’s best if you looked at the bigger picture. Before starting a translation, people assume that you know that language at a certain level – including all the grammar rules and the fancy words. You don’t need to complicate your work by losing yourself in the details. Your text can come up flawless, even if you don’t check out five times the text to see all the details. We’re not saying you’re not supposed to proofread your text. We’re just saying that it’s good just to see if the result is natural, without actually it being labored.

细节固然重要，但最好还是从大局着眼。在开始翻译前，人们会觉得你在一定程度上了解这门语言——包括语法规则和各种华丽的辞藻。所以你无需在细节上迷失自我，使工作复杂化。即使你没有检查5遍译文，查看到所有的细节，你的文章也可以完美无瑕。我们不是说你不应该校对译文，而是说只要看看最后的呈现是否自然就好了，实际上这个过程完全不需要太费力。

英文来源：FINSMES

编译：Yee君

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