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標題: 句子翻譯 [打印本頁]
作者: 小鮮花111 時間: 2012-9-18 08:14
標題: 句子翻譯
I provide a service that people can do without when they are concerned about saving some dollars
這一句怎么翻啊，哪位同學給個詳細一點的譯文，特別是do without when這邊有點懵
作者: !感-杠-問? 時間: 2012-9-18 13:05
本帖最后由 !感-杠-問? 于 2012-9-18 13:09 編輯
原文如下：
When it comes to the slowing economy, Ellen Spero isn't biting her nails just yet. But the 47-year-old manicurist isn't cutting, filing or polishing as many nails as she'd like to, either. Most of her clients spend $12 to $50 weekly, but last month two longtime customers suddenly stopped showing up. Spero blames the softening economy. “I'm a good economic indicator,” she says. “I provide a service that people can do without when they're concerned about saving some dollars.” So Spero is downscaling, shopping at middle-brow Dillard's department store near her suburban Cleveland home, instead of Neiman Marcus. “I don't know if other clients are going to abandon me, too,” she says.
整段就是說經濟增速下滑所導致的一個小商鋪的生意不好。文章構思是從微觀現象來反應宏觀環境（作文中可以使用這種開頭構思）。
來看畫線句。
先把可能有障礙的詞匯解決，如下：
indicator something that can be regarded as a sign of something else [= sign]
do without phrasal verb
1 do without (something) to live or do something without a particular thing:
*I don't have any sugar so you'll have to do without.
*You can do without a carpet but you've got to have somewhere to sit.
2 can do without something used to say that something is annoying you or causing your problems:
*You can do without all that hassle.
*Those are the type of stupid remarks I can do without.
concerned worried about something
concerned about
再看原句，如下：
“I'm a good economic indicator,” she says. “I provide a service (that people can do without when they're concerned about saving some dollars).”
前半句沒有問題，“我是個好的經濟信號”。
后半句，括號內容是定語從句，修飾service，先行詞在定語從句中充當without的介詞賓語。將先行詞放回到從句中，則為：people can do without the service when they're concerned about saving some dollars.
do without有兩個解釋，第一個是do without (something)，表示在缺少某物的條件下生存或做某事；第二個是can do without something，表示這個something是annoying（令人煩惱的）或causing your problems（引起問題的）。
這里粗略看似乎是第二個義項，形式上也很符合。但是其實應該是第一個義項。原因如下：
can do without something在表示used to say that something is annoying you or causing your problems的時候，要注意這里的“your”是誰？應該是can do的主語。
但在這句話中，annoying或者causing problems的對于修指甲的那個店家而言，而非can do的主語people（他們不修指甲也不會覺得有什么特別的annoying或者causing problems）。
因此，在這里can do without something是第一個義項，即“在沒有某物的情況下生活”
最后做整句翻譯，如下：
“I'm a good economic indicator,” she says. “I provide a service (that people can do without when they're concerned about saving some dollars).”
她說道：“我的小店就是最好的經濟晴雨表。當人們擔心經濟下滑而選擇儲蓄時，很多人就不來我店里了。”
（后半句話的直譯是：當人們擔心儲蓄美元時，他們就不再消費我提供的服務而生活。（或者說，他們生活，但沒有了我提供的服務））
上述翻譯我覺得還是聽起來不太舒服，再作一修改，如下：
“I'm a good economic indicator,” she says. “I provide a service (that people can do without when they're concerned about saving some dollars).”
她說道：“我的小店就是最好的經濟晴雨表——經濟不景氣的時候，人們就會存更多的錢，很多人就不來我店里消費了。”
作者: 小鮮花111 時間: 2012-9-20 14:06
!感-杠-問? 發表于 2012-9-18 13:05 
原文如下：
When it comes to the slowing economy, Ellen Spero isn't biting her nails just yet. But th ...
很詳細！太感謝你了{:soso_e163:}
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