2017年考研英语翻译技巧之代词

一、人称代词及物主代词的指代

【真题例句】

Additional social stress may also occur because of the population explosion or problems arising from mass migration movements--themselves made relatively easy nowadays by modern means of transport.

【解析】

从结构来看，该句because of 的后边接两个名词短语the population explosion和problems arising from mass migration movements--themselves made relatively easy nowadays by modern means of transport来表示原因。其中，第二个名词短语又含有一个短语themselves made relatively easy nowadays by modern means of transport来补充说明mass migration movements。因此，这里的代词themselves 指代名词短语mass migration movements。

【参考译文】由于人口的猛增或大量的人口流动(现代交通工具使这种流通变得相对容易)造成的种种问题也会对社会造成新的压力。

二、不定代词的指代

【真题例句】

While there are almost as many definitions of history as there are historians, modern practice most closely conforms to one that sees history as the attempt to recreate and explain the significant events of the past.

【解析】

不定代词one 指代名词短语definition of history。在这里one 和物主代词及人称代词在指代名词方面有所不同，one 指代上文出现的名词的同类名词，其中，one 表示单数，ones表示复数;而物主代词及人称代词必须指代上文中出现的名词本身，所以单复数必须一致。比如这里若要用人称代词，则必须用they/them来指代上文中复数形式的definitions of history。

【参考译文】几乎每个历史学家对史学都有自己的界定，但现代史学家的实践最趋向于认为历史学是试图重现过去的重大史实并对其作出解释。

三、指示代词的指代

【真题例句】

Everybody has a responsibility to the society of which he is a part and through this to mankind.

【解析】

这里的this指代前面的a responsibility to the society，如果只是译成“这个"，则会造成语义不明。在to mankind之前省去了Everybody has a responsibility (to)。