(1) 順序法

如果英語長句的時(shí)間順序、邏輯順序以及名詞性從句與漢語句子基本相似,則可按原文順序譯。

President George Bush has rejected the treaty, calling it unfair in allowing developing countries – such as China, India and Brazil—to carry on emitting

greenhouse gases unabated while rich countries must cut theirs.

(布什總統(tǒng)已拒絕簽署該條約,稱該條約不公平,因?yàn)樗�允許諸如中國、印度和巴西等發(fā)展中國家繼續(xù)不受限制地排放溫室氣體,而發(fā)達(dá)國家卻必須減少它們的排放量。)

(2) 逆序法

“Neither believe nor reject anything, because any other person has rejected or believed it …”

(“不要因?yàn)閯e的人相信或拒絕了什么東西,你也就去相信或拒絕它……”)

Yesterday, Iraqis got a glimpse of what life without Saddam Hussein may hold, as protests and politicking marked the first day of meetings to decide the country’s fate.

(昨天是伊拉克召開決定國家命運(yùn)的會(huì)議的第一天,各種抗議和其它政治活動(dòng)令人矚目,讓伊拉克人初次瞥見了沒有薩達(dá)姆的生活會(huì)是什么樣子。)

(3) 分譯法

我們可以在翻譯中將英語長句中一連串后置修飾語與其修飾成分分開來譯,將短語或從句分拆譯為短句。

The U.S. almost certainly will have departed from Thailand where the {..} has declared U.S. forces unwelcome and from Taiwan which the U.S. should evacuate under the terms of the U.S.-Chinese Shanghai Communique of 1972.

(鑒于泰國已經(jīng)宣布美國軍隊(duì)不受歡迎,而根據(jù)中美兩國1972年上海公報(bào)的規(guī)定,美國應(yīng)該從臺(tái)灣撤軍,因此,幾乎可以肯定美國將會(huì)從泰國和中國臺(tái)灣撤軍。)

Across all continents, nearly a billion people seek, sometimes almost desperation, for the skills and knowledge and assistance by which they may satisfy from their own resources, the material wants common to all mankind.

(遍及各大洲的近10億人口在尋求,有時(shí)幾乎是不惜一切地尋求技術(shù)、知識(shí)和援助。有了技術(shù)、知識(shí)和援助,他們就能夠運(yùn)用自己的資源來滿足全人類的物質(zhì)需要。)

當(dāng)然在翻譯長句時(shí)也可以把上述三種方法綜合起來使用。從事翻譯時(shí)間長了,長句見多了,譯多了,自然就會(huì)得心應(yīng)手。做個(gè)合格的甚至優(yōu)秀的翻譯工作者固然不易,但也并非高不可攀。只要我們端正態(tài)度踏踏實(shí)實(shí),不斷提高英文理解能力和中文表達(dá)水平,刻苦鉆研,勤于積累,滿腔熱情投入到工作中,就一定會(huì)在翻譯事業(yè)中有所成就。