1、科技英语中倍数的表达与翻译,存在的问题 出现问题的原因 英语倍数增减的表达方式与翻译方法,一、存在的问题,“N times bigger than ”或“N times as bigger as ”以及“increase N times”或“ increase to N times”等是译为“大N倍”还是“大N1倍”；“增加了N倍”还是“增加了N1倍” 1）The new method was over ten times more efficient than the traditional one. 2)Were now hauling in ten times more fish tha
2、n we did then.,二 出现问题的原因,1. 倍数的用法和实数（人数、钱数、岁数、物件数等）、分数、百分数的用法不同。实数、分数、百分数用于各种场合，其数值不变；倍数则有包括和不包括基数的两种表示方式，两种表达的数值相差一倍。2.英语有乘除两用词。这些词用于数量增长或强比较，表示用某数乘基数，得出所求的倍数；用于数量减少或弱比较，表示用某数除基数，得出所求的分数。,3.汉语有“增加N倍”（不包括基数）和“增加到N倍”（包括基数）两种表达方式，前一种表达方式比后一种表达方式多一倍。外语表达倍数通常把基数包括在内，在这种情况下，译成汉语如采用“比增加N倍”这种不包括基数的表达方式，须注意
3、把原文的倍数减一。,4。汉语的强比较“A比B大（或多）N倍”不包括基数，英语的强比较通常把基数包括在内，译成汉语时倍数要减一。如果要保持原文所用的倍数不变，则不能照样使用“A比B大多少倍”的句式，而要改用“A有B多少倍大” “A为B多少倍”这类句式。,三、英语倍数增减的表达方式与翻译方法,1、用times表达倍数增加的常见句型1)A is N times bigger than B 2)A is bigger than B by N times 3)A is N times as big as B 4)A is N times the size of B 5)表示增加意义的动词与times连用
4、,即：increase by N times /to N times/ N times 根据考证，以上句型的实际含义相同，均为A=BN；都可翻译为：A的大小是B的N倍或A比B大/或增加了N-1倍。,Chromiun masks last 10 to 100 times longer than the emulsion masks.The frequency range of signal generator model 900B is twice broader than that of model 800A. This diode produces about 10 times more r
5、adiant power than that one.The increase of investment was one and a half times or from one million USD to one and a half million USD.,The latest projected figure of the worlds population for the year 2000 is 6.2 billion. This is two and a half times larger than in 1950. The production of integrated
6、circuits has been increased to three times as compared with last year. The strength of the attraction or repulsion increases by 22=4 times if the original charges is behalved.,Forests and new methods of farming are checking soil erosion and increasing yields. Whole communities have doubled their pro
7、duction of food. Some farms have increased production three times while at the same time, restoring their soil. In the past decade of reform and opening, the exports of this province increased by six times. The total output value of this factory this year increased by 3.6 times as compared with that
8、 of two years ago.,2、用times表示倍数减少的常见句型1) A is N times smaller than B 2) A is smaller than B by N times 3) A is N times as small as B 4) 表示减少意义的动词与times连用,即：decrease by N times /to N times/ N times 以上句型的实际含义相同，均为A=BN；翻译：A是B的1/N或A比B小/减少（N-1）/N。,示例：, The amount of fixed capital employed in the producti
9、on of a piece of British muslin is at least a hundred ,probably a thousand times greater than that employed in a similar piece of Indian muslin .And the proportion of circulating capital is a hundred or thousand times less.Technical innovation reduced the cost of production by four times. In 1766 th
10、e English scientist Henry Cavendish had shown that hydrogen was lighter than air by seven times.,The automatic assembly line shortened the assembling time five times. In the last fiscal year the expenditure on capital construction had a five times decline compared with the fiscal year before last. W
11、ith more and more households using gas, coal consumption as fuel in this city is now three times less than ten years ago.,3、不用times，表示倍数增减的特殊句型 1）as much (many、large、fast) again as 表示净增一倍，译为：比多（多、大、快）一倍（或：是的两倍）。This year we have produced as many TV sets again as compared with last year. 2）half as mu
12、ch (many、large、fast) as 译为：比少（少、小、慢）一半（或：是的一半）。The convalescence of rheumatic patients treated by acupuncture is generally half as short as the convalescence of those treated by other therapy.,3） half as much (many、large、fast) again as 译为：比多（多、大、快）一半（或：是的一倍半）。 例：Wheel A rotates half as fast again as
13、 wheel B. A轮的转速是B轮的一倍半。The total amount of energy was estimated to be half as much again as the energy wasted in overcoming the friction.,4、表示增减意义的动词与by a factor of +N或N-fold连用,即increase by a factor of N / N-folddecrease 以上句式结构中，N1，N-fold可类比N-times。分别表示增加了N-1倍或减少了N-1/N , 译为： 增加到N倍或增加了N-1倍 减少到1/N或减少了
14、N-1/N,示例：,The equipment under improvement will reduce the error probability by a factor of seven. 正在改进的设备将使误差概率降低6/7（或降到1/7）。 The turnover of the company has grown fivefold over the past ten years.某公司的销售额十年来增加了四倍。 The machines improves the working conditions and raises efficiency fourfold.,The produ
15、ct of 6 hourswork has increased sixfold, from 6 lbs. to 36 lbs.The machines improves the working conditions and raises efficiency fourfold.The principal advantage over the old-fashioned typewriter is fourfold reduction in weight. The new technology introduced from west Germany raised the efficiency
16、of phthaline anhydride production by a factor of three,5、用本身表示增倍的动词这类动词有double（增加一倍，或翻一番）、treble（增加两倍，或增加到三倍）、 triple（同treble）、quadruple(增加三倍，或翻两番)、quintuple（增加四倍，或增加到五倍）等，如： The growth rate of GNP per capita for China will be quadrupled by 2000. The number of faculty and staff of this college has d
17、oubled over the recent eight years. Railways in the Northwest of China have tripled as compared with 1949.,四. 结束语,翻译是不同语言间的转换，转换常在语言对比中进行。只有通过大量的同中有异、异中有同的对比，才能达到准确理解和正确表达的目的。怎样正确理解和翻译英语倍数是个重要问题，对我国科技工作者尤为重要。也是体现翻译“信”度的一个不容忽视的关键问题。英语中倍数增减的表达方式从形式上看，与汉语的表达方式基本一样，但含义不尽相同。因此需要用科学的治学态度谨慎对待，以免失之毫厘，谬以千里。,
