1、Proper omission(省譯)1I.DefinitionBy omission we mean properly omitting some words or expressions in order to make the translated version brief, concise, clear, instead of verbose or clumsy. Proper omission in English-Chinese translation often involves the omitting of some words (such as prepositions,

2、 articles, certain pronouns, conjunctions, etc.) that are indispensable in the SL text but not in the TL text in the process of translation. 2II.MotivationOmission is based on the differences between English and Chinese. Only by omitting or adding some words or expressions can we make the translated

3、 version more idiomatic and thus more expressive. For example, Chinese has no articles or infinitive markers, and pronouns, conjunctions, and prepositions are not as frequently used as those of English. So when we translate English sentences with articles and infinitive markers into Chinese, we ofte

4、n omit these articles or infinitive markers. E.g.:3MotivationYou cannot build a ship, a bridge or a house if you dont know how to make a design or how to read it. It took him a long time to reach the bottom and to crouch behind a little dwarf palm. 不會制圖或看不懂圖紙，就不可能造船，架橋或蓋房子。他費了很長時間才從山上爬下來，蹲到一棵矮小的棕櫚樹后

5、面。4III.PrinciplesOmission should be aimed at smoothness and conciseness or succinctness.Omission does not go against faithfulness. Omission only involves omitting words that are superfluous in the TL text but are indispensable in the SL text. Omission does not mean subtracting meanings from the orig

6、inal work. What is omitted may not be necessarily confined to certain parts of speech, as the traditionalists often say. Any parts of speech may be liable to be omitted depending upon the context and the translators translation techniques.5Omission of parts of speech due to syntactic considerationOm

7、ission of articles (articles are generally not translated unless it is necessary)Omission of prepositionsOmission of personal and possessive pronounsOmission of itOmission of conjunctionsOmission of verbs6Omission of articles The earth moves round the sun.The horse is a useful animal. Any home appli

8、ance must be handled with care whether it is a TV set, a VCR or a microwave oven. We do translation exercises twice a week. How do you like the film? 7Omission of articles地球繞太陽公轉(zhuǎn)。馬是有用的動物。家電都需要輕拿輕放，不論是電視機，錄 像機還是微波爐。 我們每星期做兩次翻譯練習(xí)。 你認為那部電影怎么樣？ 8Omission of prepositionsThe rocket engine carries with it

9、the oxygen of its own. We have made much progress in pronunciation.Trees grow along both banks of the canal. Now complaints are heard in all parts of that country. 9Omission of prepositions我們的發(fā)音有很大進步。火箭發(fā)動機自帶氧氣。運河兩岸長著樹木。該國各地目前怨聲載道。 10Omission of personal and possessive pronounsIf you want to kill a s

10、nake you must hit it first one the head and if you want to catch a band of robbers you must first catch their leader. He is a good friend that speaks well of us behind our backs. The significance of a man is not in what he attains but rather in what he longs to attain. 114)If your TV set does not wo

11、rk properly, youd better not have it fixed. Just buy a new one. 5)He is keeping his bed. 6)All the fellows gathered around, stretching their necks like geese. 7)Why do we feel cooler when we fan ourselves? 8)That dishonest boy is not at all ill. He is alive and kicking in the swimming pool. We all s

12、aw him.12Omission of personal and possessive pronouns打蛇先打頭，擒賊先擒王。在背后說我們好話的人才是一個好朋友。人生的意義不在于已獲取的，而在于渴望獲得什么樣 的東西。電視有毛病，最好別去修，最好再買新的。他正臥病在床。所有的人都聚攏來，像鵝一樣伸長脖子。煽扇子時我們?yōu)槭裁磿械經(jīng)隹煨磕莻€不誠實的孩子根本就沒病，他在游泳池里活蹦亂跳的，我們都看見了。13Omission of itIt was not until the middle of the 19th century that the film came into being. I

13、t requires patience to do the job. It is true that he went there. He took it upon himself to pay off the debt. It is easy to learn English, but it is difficult to attain perfection in it. It is quite still in the laboratory. It was just growing dark, as she shut the garden gate. 14Omission of it直到十九

14、世紀(jì)中葉，電影才開始出現(xiàn)。做這件工作需要有耐性。他去了那里是真的。他自愿負責(zé)還清債務(wù)。英語易學(xué)難精。實驗室里很安靜。她關(guān)上園門時，已是暮色蒼茫了。15Omission of conjunctionsIf winter comes, can spring be far behind? I can finish the work so long as you give me time. No matter whether you believe me or not, I saw it with my own eyes. There must be some people in the room,

15、for I heard a voice. Let us go and try it again. 166)He considered the National Security Council too large and bulky and thus too leaky, too many people who talked too much. 7)When deeply absorbed in work, which he often was, he would forget all about eating and sleeping. 8)On the platform I could s

16、ee a Negro who was working at the pump17Omission of conjunctions冬天來了，春天還會遠嗎？給我時間，我就能完成這項工作。我親眼看見的信不信由你。屋里準(zhǔn)有人，我聽見有人聲。我們再去試試。他認為國家安全委員會機構(gòu)太龐大，人多嘴雜，容易泄密。他經(jīng)常聚精會神地工作，往往廢寢忘食。我看見平臺上有個黑人在壓水泵。18Omission of verbsIn most cases the soil near the surface is merely damp and is not completely saturated with water.

17、When the pressure gets low, the boiling point becomes low. These developing countries cover vast territories, encompass a large population and abound in natural resources. 19Omission of verbs在大多數(shù)情況下，地表附近的土壤僅僅有些潮濕，但含水量并未完全飽和。氣壓低，沸點就低。這些發(fā)展中國家土地遼闊，人口眾多，資源豐富。20Omission due to a consideration of logicHe

18、ordered a Gibson (吉布森雞尾酒，一種由杜松子酒或伏特加酒與苦艾酒混合而成的酒) and shouldered his way in between two other men at the bar. What is the shortest possible way to China Hotel? 21Omission due to a consideration of logic他要了一杯雞尾酒，就在酒店里擠到兩個人當(dāng)中站著。去中國大酒店哪條路最近？22Omission due to a consideration of rhetoricOmission of the re

19、peated expressions of the originalOmission of the unnecessary expressions of the original23Omission of the repeated expressions of the originalUniversity applicants who had worked at a job would receive preference over those who had not. Instead of one old woman knocking me about and starving me, ev

20、erybody of all ages knocked me about and starved me. 24Omission of the repeated expressions of the original報考大學(xué)的人，有工作經(jīng)驗的優(yōu)先錄取。那時打我并且使我挨餓的不只是一個老太婆，而是老老少少各式各樣的人。25Omission of the unnecessary expressions of the originalUNICEF would be in a position to meet more of the vast unsatisfied needs of children

21、and young people if more resources were made available to it. A motion has been made for a separate vote on paragraph 4 of the draft resolution which appears in paragraph 11 of the report. There was no snow, the leaves were gone from the trees, and the grass was dead. 264)China is also a country of people with a passionate love of flowers and trees and intense dedication to the welfare of children and to the work ethic. 5)Patients wit