李鹏按：1997年金秋时节，江主席访美，其间在哈佛大学发表题为《增进相互了解　加强友好合作》的演说。从演讲的角度看，这是一篇上好的演讲稿；从翻译的角度看，这是一篇汉译英佳作。拟从今日起以汉英对照形式刊发并略作点评。

第一部分：

【原文】我感谢陆登庭校长的邀请，使我有机会在这美好的金秋时节，来到你们这座美国古老而又现代化的学府。哈佛建校３６０年来，培养出许多杰出的政治家、科学家、文学家和企业家，曾出过六位美国总统，三十多位诺贝尔奖获得者。先有哈佛，后有美利坚合众国，这说明了哈佛在美国历史上的地位。哈佛是最早接受中国留学生的美国大学之一。中国教育界、科学界、文化界一直同哈佛大学保持着学术交流。哈佛为增进中美两国人民的相互了解作出了有益的贡献。

【译文】I wish to thank Dr. Neil L. Rudenstine, President of Harvard University, for inviting me to this old yet modernized institution of the United States in this golden fall. Since its founding some 360 years ago, Harvard has nurtured a great number of outstanding statesmen, scientists, writers and businessmen, including six of the American Presidents and over thirty Nobel Prize winners. The fact that Harvard was founded before the United States of America testifies to its position in the American history. Harvard is among the first American universities to accept Chinese students. The Chinese educational, scientific and cultural communities have all along maintained academic exchanges with this university. Harvard has thus made useful contribution to the enhanced mutual understanding between the Chinese and American peoples.

【评点】

1. 作汉译英时切忌“机械对应”，如第一句中的“古老”就不可译为ancient，这个词的释义是belonging to a long time ago in history，especially thousands of years ago。说哈佛“古老”，是以美国历史为参照物说的。从世界历史来看，360年是无论如何也称不上不“古老”的，所以译为old即可。

2. 哈佛大学建于1636年，距1997年是361年，中文可以说“哈佛建校３６０年来”，但英译时必须要精确，所以加上了some。

3. 译者将“先有哈佛，后有美利坚合众国，这说明了哈佛在美国历史上的地位。”译为The fact that Harvard was founded before the United States of America testifies to its position in the American history.是再妥贴不过了。我们作英译汉时遇上类似句子也可参考原文翻译，即将the fact的同位语部分抽出先译，再译“这说明……”，使译文地道。

4. “哈佛为增进中美两国人民的相互了解作出了有益的贡献。”是对前面两句的总结，所以译者译此句时加了thus，体现了这句和前两句的联系。这个词加得妙，值得学习。

第二部分：

【原文】相互了解，是发展国与国之间关系的前提。惟有相互了解，才能增进信任，加强合作。中美建交以来，我们两国人民之间的相互交流与了解在逐渐扩大和加深，但还不够。为了推动中美关系的发展，中国需要进一步了解美国，美国也需要进一步了解中国。要了解中国，可以有很多视角。现实中国是历史中国的发展。中国是一个有五千年文明历史的国家，从历史文化来了解和认识中国，是一个重要的视角。

【译文】Mutual understanding is the basis for state-to-state relations.Without it, it would be impossible for countries to build trust and promote cooperation with each other.Since the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and the United States, the exchanges and mutual understanding between our two peoples have broadened and deepened steadily. However, this is not enough. To promote the development of China-U.S. relations, China needs to know the United States better and vice versa. To know China better, one may approach it from different angles.China today has been evolved from its past.China is a country with 5,000 years of civilization. Therefore, it is important to approach China from a historical and cultural perspective.

【评点】

1.“惟有相互了解，才能增进信任，加强合作。”以虚拟语气句型译出，很好地传达了原文的语气。“相互了解”是重复上句中的，英译文中用it指代符合英语习惯。

2. 将“但还不够”这个分句另起一句翻译，很好地传达了原文的强调语气。

3. “中国需要进一步了解美国，美国也需要进一步了解中国。”译为China needs to know the United States better and vice versa.，用vice versa就译出了原文的后半句，简练至极。

4.“现实中国是历史中国的发展。”不可字对字直译，且看译者的处理方法China today has been evolved from its past.，这是地道的英语。

5.原文“记得我在中国是一个有五千年文明历史的国家，从历史文化来了解和认识中国，是一个重要的视角。”是一句，译文拆为两句，用therefore衔接，很好地体现了原文内在的因果关系。

第三部分：

【原文】高中读书时，老师给我们讲微积分，第一课就是讲《庄子》中的“一尺之棰，日取其半，万世不竭”，很形象地使我建立起极限的概念。这表明中国古人就已认识到事物的发展变化是无限的，也说明我们的先人对自然界的认识已达到相当的水平。早在公元前二五○○年，中国人就开始了仰观天文、俯察地理的活动，逐渐形成了“天人合一”的宇宙观。中国历史上产生了许多杰出的哲学家、思想家、政治家、军事家、科学家和文学艺术家，留下了浩如烟海的文化典籍。春秋战国时期出现的“百家争鸣”局面和老子、孔子等诸子百家的学说，在世界思想史上占有重要地位。古代中国在天文历法、地学、数学、农学、医学和人文科学的许多领域，都作出过独特的贡献。

【译文】I recall my first lesson on calculus in senior high school. My teacher quoted a line from Zhuang Zi, a Chinese philosopher over 2,000 years ago, which reads "Cut away half of a rod and keep on halving what is left, and there will be no end to that process." This gave me a vivid concept of limit. It shows that the ancient Chinese realized the endless process of changes of matters and had a fairly good understanding of the nature. As early as in 2,500 B.C., Chinese began astronomical observation and geographical survey, and gradually formed a world outlook of an "integration of the universe and humanity." China produced in its history many outstanding philosophers, thinkers, statesmen, strategists, scientists, writers and artists and left us numerous volumes of literature. The scene of "contention of a hundred schools of thought" brought forth in the Spring and Autumn Period 2,500 years ago and the Warring States Period over 2,200 years ago and the emergence of various schools of thought and their exponents such as Lao Zi and Confucius about 2,400 years ago all occupy a very important position in the world history of philosophy. Ancient China made unique contributions to many areas of science including astronomy, calendric system, geography, mathematics, agriculture, medicine and the humanities.

【评点】

1. 中国读者当然知道谁是庄子，但译为英文时必须加词解释，以便听众更好地理解，所以a Chinese philosopher over 2,000 years ago必不可少。

2. “……已达到相当的水平”，有人看见“水平”就想到level，是为“死译”，看译者的处理方法：had a fairly good understanding of the nature。

3. “百家争鸣”的译法contention of a hundred schools of thought需牢记。

第四部分：

【原文】殷商时期的甲骨文中就有日月之食的记载。从秦代到清末的二千一百多年间，哈雷彗星出现27次，中国都有记录。汉代张衡发明了测定地震方位的地动仪和演示日月星辰的浑天仪。先秦的数学家提出了勾股定理。南北朝的祖冲之算出圆周率为3.1415926。中国的丝织、制瓷、冶金、造船技术很早就达到世界的先进水平。明代朱载（育加土旁）首创十二平均律，后来被认定为世界通行的标准音调。中国的医药学在世界上独树一帜。特别是中国的造纸、火药、印刷术、指南针四大发明，曾经改变了世界的面貌。直到十五世纪以前，中国的科学技术在世界上保持了千年的领先地位。中国人的这些发明创造，体现了人与自然协调发展、科学精神与道德理想相结合的理性光辉。

【译文】Records of solar and lunar eclipses are found in the inscriptions on bones or tortoise shells of the Shang Dynasty over 3,000 years ago. In the 2,100 years from the Qin Dynasty to the late Qing Dynasty (221 BC-1911), the 27 appearances of Halley Comet were all recorded in China. Zhang Heng of the Han Dynasty over 1,800 years ago invented a seismograph to determine the location of earthquakes and the celestial globe that showed the movement of the sun, moon and other stars. Mathematicians in the pre-Qin days over 2,200 years ago put forward the proposition known as the Pythagorean theorem in the West today. In the Northern and Southern Dynasties in the 4th century A.D., China's mathematician Zu Chongzhi calculated the ratio of the circumference of a circle to its diameter to be 3.1415926. China's silk weaving, porcelain making, metallurgy and shipbuilding reached the world's advanced level in ancient times. In the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Zaiyu initiated the twelve-tone temperament which later became the universal standard tones. The Chinese medicine is a unique school of its own. Particularly, China's four great inventions of paper making, gunpowder, printing and compass had once changed the face of the world. China had been a world leader in science and technology for one thousand years until the 15th century. These inventions and creations of China have brought forward the rationalistic brilliance of coordination between humanity and the nature and the integration of scientific spirit with moral ideals.

【评点】

1.注意“独树一帜”的译法be a unique school of its own。

2.“四大发明”的译法China's four great inventions of paper making, gunpowder, printing and compass必须牢记。

3.译者处理“中国的科学技术在世界上保持了千年的领先地位”并未“机械对译”，而是吃透原文精神，译为China had been a world leader in…，此类处理方法尤值得学习。

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