翻译备考 | 关键词汉译英 | 022 | "封口"“封口费”

北极光翻译 2023-11-03

汉语关键词

封口、封口费

英语关键词

seal, heal, heal over, heal up,seal sb’s mouth, close one’s mouth about, shut one’s mouth about, keep silent about, keep quiet about, speak with a tone of finality, close one’s door to further compromise, shut one’s door to further negotiation, set it as the maximum limit, flap, hush money

句子

这个矿主给记者们发封口费，是他们对这次矿难封口。

误译

1) The mine owner paid the journalists hush money, so as to close their mouth about the mine accident.

2) The mine owner paid the journalists hush money, so as to shut their mouth about the mine accident.

正译

The mine owner paid the journalists hush money, so as to seal their mouth about the mine accident.

to close/shut one’s mouth 的意思是"当事人封自己的口” 即“闭嘴，’或“闭口”；而to seal one’s mouth的意思是“当事人封别人的口”。在这句话里，矿主是当事人。他发封口费的目的是封别人的口。

"封口"的第一个意思是"封闭信封或容器幵口的地方”。英语可以译为toseal。例如

1. 这封信还没有封口。

1) The letter is not sealed.

2) The letter is unsealed.

2. 这是一封还没有封口的信，而不是封口的信。

This is an unsealed letter，instead of a sealed letter.

3. 我们寄信时要用浆糊、胶水或胶棒给信封封口。

We must seal the envelope with paste，glue or glue stick before posting the letter.

4. 他用稀泥给坛子封口。

He sealed the jar with mud.

“封口”的第二个意思是"伤口愈合"。英语可以译为to heal, to heal over, to heal up。例如:

5. 我腿上的伤已经封口了。

The wound in my leg has healed over,

6. 如果你保持伤口干净,很快就会封口。

The wound will soon heal up if you keep it clean.

7. 疮还没有封口。

The sore has not healed yet.

“封口" 的第三个意思是“堵住别人的嘴，不让呼吸或说话”，也可以说 “封嘴”。英语译为to seal sb’s mouth。例如：

8. 绑匪用破布给不停叫喊的人廣#住口。

With rug, the kidnapper sealed the mouth of the hostage who had been crying.

9. 我用双手封住病人的口，形成一个管道，通过这个管道向他的舁子吹气。

I used my hands to seal the patient’s mouth and to form a tube through which to blow air into his nose.

“封口"的第四个意思是"闭嘴不说，保持缄默”。英语可以译为to close one’s mouth about, to shut one’s mouth about, to keep silent about, to keep quiet about. 例如：

10. 关于这个政治丑闻，他决定封口。

He decided to close his mouth about this political scandal.

11. 这件事不是我想封口，实在是头头儿不让我说。

It is not that I wanted to shut my mouth about the incident, but that our boss didn’t allow me to talk aboutit,

12. 关于这个新的商业计划，公司总经理叫他的员工们封口。

The general manager of the company told his staff to keep silent about this new commercial plan.

13. 关于他跟他哥哥的争议，他一直试图封口。

He has tried to keep quiet about his dispute with his brother.

“封口费”，可以译为hush money。例如：

14. 目击者从地下团伙那里拿了“封口费”，就对他所见到的事守口如瓶了。

Taking hush money from the underworld gang, the witness kept his mouth shut about what he saw.

15. 他因为揭露了一个贪官给记者“封口费”的事实而出了名。

Because he exposed a corrupt official’s offer of “hush money” to journalists, he became well known.

"封口”的第五个意思是"把话说死，不再改口"。也可以说"封嘴”或"封门”。英语可以译为 to speak with a tone offinality, to close one's door to further compromise, to shut one’s door to further negotiation。例如:

16. 由于对方已经封口了，我们没法儿再谈了。

As the other side has spoken with a tone of finality, we can’t have any more discussion.

17. 说话不要轻易封口，要留有余地。

You mustn’t speak with a tone offinality, and you should leave room for further consideration.

18. 谈判双方都已封口了。

Both parties have closed the door to further negotiation.

19. 他没有封口，还有商量的余地。

As he hasn’t shut the door to further compromise, there is still room for discussion.

"封口"的第六个意思是比喻“使规定的限度不突破”。英语可以译为to set it as the maximum limit。例如：

20. 银行给我们的贷款就是这20万，已经封口了。

The bank has made a loan of only two hundred thousand yuan to us and set it as the maximum limit.

“封口”的第七个意思是"信封、封套等可以封起来的地方"。英语可以译为flap。例如：