1、C-E Translation PracticePractice makes perfect.背景介绍背景介绍(Background Information)人类用餐时的餐具，东、西方国家有很大差异，西方多用叉和勺，而东方人多用筷子。特别是中国人，对筷子更不陌生，因为它是中国人发明的一种非常有特色的夹取食物的用具，在世界各国的餐具中独具风采，被誉为中华文明的精华。本篇介绍了“筷子”这一名称的来历、筷子用材的种类等。中文段落（中文段落（ChineseChinese Version Version）筷子是中国餐桌上最有特色的用餐工具。几千年来我们中国人一直视筷子一种可以将饭从碗中逐口送入口中的最简
2、单同时也是最有效的工具。早在周朝时期（公元前11世纪-公元前3世纪）筷子便被人们用来夹取荤、蔬菜，而米饭则用手取而食之。这一时期的筷子叫做“箸”，与“住”字谐音。可这个“住”字在船上被列为禁忌语，因为船是不可以在航行途中打住不前的，人们因而改“箸”字为“筷”字，与“快”字谐音。此后人们在“筷”字后又添加了后缀词“子”。中国许多厨房用品的名称都带有后缀词“子”，如“杯子”、“盘子”、“锅子”、“桌子”等等。全国各地的筷子大小基本一样，而用材的种类各有不同，选材包括竹子、木材、漆器、玉石、象牙、塑料、铝、银、金等。特长的筷子通常为厨房用筷。过去人们用嵌有银器的木筷来测试是否有人在餐中下毒，因为银器
3、碰到一些有毒物品会起变色反应。难点解析（难点解析（Difficult Points Analysis）1.最具特色的用餐工具：译为“the most distinctive eating tool”，其中distinctive表示serving to mark a difference or make distinct(区别的；有特色的)。2.饭：可以译为“rice”,但稍显单薄，因为本篇旨在向人们深入介绍筷子的由来。“bite-sized morsels of food”似乎更符合语篇特色，其中morsel指tiny piece(esp.of food)；mouthful(一小块食物；一口)
4、。3.一直视筷子为一种最简单也是最有效的工具：“一直”提示译者时态应该用现在 完成时，译为：“have always regardedthe simplest and the most efficient tool”。4.这一时期的筷子叫做“箸”：此处“箸”是专门用语，因此，“叫做”可译为“a term for sth.”，term表示word used to express an idea,esp.a specialized concept(名词；术语)。故译成“The Chinese term for chopsticks during this period was zhu”。5.与“住
5、”字谐音：“箸”与“住”谐音，所以翻译时不必出现两次汉语拼音，“住”仅出现其含义即可，故译为：a character whose sound was homonymous with another word meaning“to stop”。6.因为船是不可以在航行途中打住不前的：前后两句都出现了“船”，在英文里可以省去原因状语从句，而启用非限制性定语从句，使译文紧凑、明了，故译为：“which were not supposed to stop en route”。其中be supposed to表示not be allowed to do(不被许可)；en route表示on the wa
6、y(在途中)。7.此后人们在“筷”字后又添加了后缀词“子”：中文出现后缀词的现象虽远不如英文，但也不是完全没有，像这里的“子”就是后缀（suffix）。译为“Then,another character zi was added as a sort of suffix”。8.全国各地的筷子大小基本一样：“在方面一样”译为“be uniform in”，故译为“chopsticks,which are roughly uniform in size throughout China”。9.漆器：lacquer。10.象牙：ivory。11.铝：aluminum。12.嵌有银器的木筷：“嵌有银器”
7、指“嵌有银丝”，故译为“wooden chopsticks inlaid with silver thread”。其中inlay表示set pieces of(designs in)wood,metal,etc.,in the surface of another kind of wood,metal,etc.so that the resulting surface is smooth and even(镶；嵌)，inlay的过去式、过去分词均为inlaid。13.因为银器碰到一些有毒物品会起变色反应：“起反应”可译为react to，“起变色反应”可译为“react to sth.by c
8、hanging color”。故整个分句可译为“since silver reacts to a number of poisonous substances by changing its color”。参考译文参考译文(Referential Translation)Chopsticks,or kuaizi,are the most distinctive eating tool at the Chinese dining table.For thousands of years we Chinese have always regarded chopsticks the simplest
9、 possible and the most efficient tool for transporting bite-sized morsels of food from a bowl to the mouth.As early as in the Zhou Dynasty(11th-3rd century B.C.),chopsticks were used for picking up meat and vegetable,while hands were used for rice.The Chinese term for chopsticks during this period w
10、as zhu,a character whose sound was homonymous with anthor word meaning to stop.Since the character was taboo on ships,which were not supposed to step en route,it was changed to kuai,a word homonymous with another word meaning quick.Then,another character zi was added as sort of suffix,as occurs with
11、 the names of many common objects in the kitchen,such as beizi(cup),panzi(plate),guozi(pot),zhuozi(table),etc.Chopsticks,which are roughly uniform in size throughout China,can be made of a variety of materials,including bamboo,wood,lacquer,jade,ivory,plastic,aluminum,silver and gold.Special long bam
12、boo chopsticks are generally used in the kitchen.In the past,wooden chopsticks inlaid with silver thread were used to test whether poison was put in a meal,since silver reacts to a number of poisonous substances by changing its color.拓展练习拓展练习1（Supplementary Practice）中国人使用筷子的方法很有艺术性，各人有各人的方法，就好像签名一样，
13、不尽一致。中国人一般都能所心所欲地用筷子夹起一粒米、一粒豌豆、一只滑溜溜的蘑菇或海参。对于那些用餐时只会使用刀叉的西方人来说，掌握用筷的方法和技巧开始时难度也许很大，也很有趣，需要很大的耐心，需要用心练习。如果他们希望享用一顿真正的中餐的话，那么花时间耐心学习用筷技艺不仅很有必要，而且也很有收益。参考译文参考译文(Referential Translation)The way Chinese handle our chopsticks is quite artistic and varied from person to person like ones signature.An averag
14、e Chinese can very easily pick up a single tiny grain of rice,or a tiny piece of peas,or a slippery button mushroom or sea cucumber.For those Westerners who use only forks and knives for their meals,the mastery of the method and skills for using chopsticks may be quite challenging,and amusing,at the
15、 beginning.A lot of patience and concentrated practice is required.This is not only very necessary and but also very rewarding if they wish to enjoy a real Chinese dinner.拓展练习拓展练习2（Supplementary Practice）在中国，餐桌上放一把刀是极其少见的现象。在许多人看来，刀会使人联想到虎视眈眈、咄咄逼人的武器，因而不可在友好温暖的餐桌上占有一席之地。根据中国的传统习俗，所有切割操作以及其他劳作都应该在厨房内
16、进行。这样所有出现在餐桌上的食物都可一口送入口中，但是整鱼、整鸡、整头乳猪除外。这些菜经过一番烹调，可以用筷子夹开取用，因而也无需借助刀子切割。参考译文参考译文(Referential Translation)In China,it is quite rare for a knife to appear on the table.For many people,a knife is associative with a menacing weapon that should not find itself landing on a friendly,warm dinner table.It i
17、s also a Chinese custom for all chopping and other manual labor to be performed behind the kitchen door.Thus,all food which appears on the table is bit-sized or smaller,with the exception of entire fish,chickens,or suckling pigs,which are cooked in such a way that they can be served and eaten with chopsticks,and therefore theres no need for a knife to appear on the table.
