中式英语之鉴100句（七）

何航

61. 车来了。您先请。
[误] Here comes the car. You go first, please.
[正] Here comes the car. After you.
注：第一句译文虽然把“请”翻译出来了，但还是带有命令的口吻。地道的说法应该是 After you。另外，不少人以为汉语的“请”等同于英语的 please，其实并非如此。例如，在餐桌上请人吃菜或喝酒就不用 please，地道的说法是 Help yourself。
62. 房间里有一张床、两张桌子和五把椅子。
[误] There are one bed, two desks and five chairs in the room.
[正] There is one bed, two desks and five chairs in the room.
注：there be 句型中，be 动词的单复数取决于离它最近的那个词。原文虽然一共列举了八件家具，但是根据英语的谓语就近原则，one bed 决定了应该使用 is。
63. 我不想听他那些空话。
[误] I don't want to hear his empty words.
[正] I don't want to hear his hollow words.
注：虽然 empty 和 hollow 都有“空洞的”之意，但表达“空话”时，英语习惯用 hollow words 或 empty talk。
64. 他是我们的死敌。
[误] He is our dead enemy.
[正] He is our deadly enemy.
注：dead 作形容词时表示“死的，无感觉的”，而 deadly 才表示“致命的，不共戴天的”。
65. 奥斯本名义上是个医生，但他整天都呆在股票交易所里。
[误] Osborne is a doctor by name only, but he stays in the stock exchange all day long.
[正] Osborne is a doctor in name only, but he stays in the stock exchange all
day long.
注：by name 和 in name 虽然形似，但涵义却有区别。by name 相当于 by the name of，常放在专有名词之后，表示所说的人或事物的确实名称。例如：There was a great poet in China, Qu Yuan by name（中国有个伟大的诗人，名叫屈原）。而 in name 是贬义词，表示“名义上的”或“徒有虚名”。
66. 我们是不信上帝的。
[误] We do not believe God.
[正] We do not believe in God.
注：believe 和 believe in 虽然都有“相信”的意思，但表示“信仰”的时候只能用后者。
67. 你做这样的事难道不感到羞耻吗？
[误] Aren't you ashamed for doing such a thing?
[正] Aren't you ashamed of doing such a thing?
注：be ashamed for 一般是指“对他人的行为或外在事物感到羞耻”，而 be ashamed of 则是“由于自己的所作所为而感到羞耻”。
68. 车祸发生在十字路口。
[误] The accident took place at a crossroad.
[正] The accident took place at a crossroads.
注：crossroad 是“交叉路，横马路”的意思，而 crossroads 才是“十字路”或“十字路口”，它前面也可以用 a，但 -s 绝不能丢掉。
69. 要学好英语，大量的练习是必要的。
[误] To learn English well, a great deal of practice is necessary.
[正] To learn English well, one needs to have a great deal of practice.
注：英语中非谓语动词的逻辑主语要与句子的主语一致，本例句中不定式 to learn English well 的逻辑主语应该是“人”，而句子的主语却是 practice，两者不相一致，违背了英语习惯，所以必须将句子的主语改为 one，并做其它相应的调整。