宋氏快译(英汉对照)(7):20 颗人头,交通停顿
Traffic stop yields embalmed heads
Tue Oct 30, 8:25 PM ET
抹防腐剂的人头造成交通停顿
宋德利 译自yahoo 《奇闻轶事》(Odd News)
前言:
各位读者早安!谨以此文祝您万圣节愉快!。
ROYSE CITY, Texas - A traffic stop in Texas yielded about two dozen embalmed heads. But it's no Halloween joke. Investigators said the human heads had been used for medical training in the Fort Worth area and were being returned to Little Rock, Arkansas.
罗伊斯市,得克萨斯-
得克萨斯的交通因为二十几颗抹了防腐剂的人头而一度停顿。不过这不是万圣节开的玩笑。调查人员说,这些人头是沃斯堡地区用于医疗培训的,事发时正要送还阿肯色的小石城。
Hunt County Justice of the Peace Aaron Williams was summoned during a traffic stop Sunday in Royse City after a trucker was suspected of speeding.
星期天在罗伊斯市有一位卡车司机被怀疑非法快速行驶之后,亨特郡的治安官阿伦。威廉姆斯在交通停顿期间被请去(处理此案)。
注释:
Justice of the Peace: 兼理一般司法事务的地方官,治安官,常略作JP,其中的Peace作“治安”解。Speeding,以非法或危险的速度驾车。这句话并不难理解,但是翻译起来却相当棘手,不如把原句的语序前后颠倒,这样比较顺手。否则硬是按照原来语序,翻译出的句子就会很别扭:“亨特郡的治安官阿伦。威廉姆斯星期天在罗伊斯城有一位卡车司机被怀疑非法快速行驶造成交通停顿期间被请出处理此案。”
"This is in the top five of the strangest things maybe the strangest that I've ever encountered," Williams told The Dallas Morning News on Monday.
“这也许是我所遇到的最离奇的五件事之一,”威廉姆斯周一这样告诉《达拉斯早间新闻》。
The wrapped-in-plastic heads were found in the trailer. The driver couldn't immediately locate the documentation. The trucker and his cargo were later allowed to proceed after the paperwork was faxed to him.
这些包在塑料袋中的人头是在拖车中发现的。当时司机没能立即找到相关文件。不过卡车司机及其货物在文件电传给他之后,已经放行。
注释:
本句中被动语态用得很勤。这是英语句式的特点之一。不过翻译成汉语有时并不需要都用被动句式。比如heads were found,不必译成“人头被发现”,没有“被”不是也很通吗?同样道理,the paperwork was faxed to him,也不必翻译成“文件被电传给他”,没有“被”字,句子也很通。而The trucker and his cargo were later allowed to proceed,也不必翻译成“被放行”。我把原句中所有的被动句式全部改变成主动句式,这是因为汉语习惯用主动句式。
The name of the company wasn't immediately released.
这家公司的名字没有立即曝光。