问答题 After months of speculation, the final 22,000-character overview of China"s "third plenum" was published on November 15th. In the economic sphere the document turned out to be bolder than the initial summary suggested, but the document"s interest lies not just in the economic reforms, which were anticipated. More striking were some of the social changes the document announced, such as the relaxation of the one-child policy. A couple in which one parent is an only child will be allowed to have two children, and the policy is likely to be loosened even further. In another widely welcomed move, labor camps are to be abolished.
But possibly the most important announcements were buried deep in the document and grabbed fewer headlines. Two moves in particular, namely allowing the development of "social organizations" or NGOs in essence and the separation of judicial jurisdiction systems from administrative areas, showed that the party is sensitive to the ferment in Chinese society and the demands for greater liberty and accountability that accompany it.
In the past 30 years China has gone from a totalitarian society to one in which people can usually work where they want, marry whom they want, travel where they want (albeit with varying degrees of hassle for those from the countryside and ethnic-minority regions). In ten years internet penetration has gone from minimal to almost universal. Old welfare structures have broken down, with little to take their place. Ordinary people are being empowered by new wealth and participation, through microblogs, and by becoming consumers and property owners. Change is bubbling up from the bottom and the system cannot contain it. That these two gestures towards reform were mentioned at all is encouraging, and the world is keen to know whether Chinese leadership will honor their words in the plenary document that they "Dare to gnaw through even tough bones, dare to ford dangerous rapids, break through the fetters of ideological concepts with even greater resolution."
【正确答案】
【答案解析】历经数月的猜测,总计两万两千字的中国十八大三中全会决议全文终于在11月15日出炉。在经济领域,决议中的内容比之前的总结更大胆。决议的重点不只在预料之中的经济改革。更为惊人的是其中一些社会改革,如放宽计划生育政策。夫妻双方有一方是独生子女的允许生二胎,该政策有望进一步放宽。还有一项广受欢迎的举动,废止劳教制度。
但有可能最为重要的改革内容都深埋在决议中,头条报道也很少。特别是有两点,即决定允许“社会组织”,其实也就是非政府组织发展以及将司法管辖制度与行政区划分离,显示出中国政府对社会骚动以及由此带来的对更大自由度和更强问责制的需求异常敏感。
在过去30年里,中国已从一个极权主义社会转变为一个相对自由的国家,人民能够自由选择工作地点、自由恋爱结婚、自由旅行(只是农村和少数民族地区还会遇到不同程度的麻烦)。十年的时间,网络覆盖基本从零变成了全面覆盖。旧的社保体系漏洞百出、广为诟病,但还没有找到可替代的新体系。微博赋予普通人更大的参与度,通过消费和置业,普通人也拥有了新的财富。变革正在从社会底层逐渐展开,并且势不可挡。能够提出这两点改革意向就足以鼓舞人心了,世界正在拭目以待中国领导集体是否会像决议中说的那样“敢于啃硬骨头,敢于涉险滩,以更大决心冲破思想观念的束缚。” [解析] Two moves in particular, namely allowing the development of "social organizations" or NGOs in essence and the separation of judicial jurisdiction systems from administrative areas, showed that the party is sensitive to the ferment in Chinese society and the demands for greater liberty and accountability that accompany it.
翻译这句话时,首先需要确定句子的中心结构,这句话的主谓结构为“Two moves showed that”,其中namely引导的部分为两项行动的同位语,起解释说明的作用;that后则引导了一个宾语从句,将show的现象引出。分析清楚句子结构,确定了句子的主谓关系和修饰语与被修饰成分之间的关系,句子的意思便显而易见,翻译起来也就容易很多。因此,长句翻译的基础和重点便在于句子结构和成分分析,考生一定要勤加练习,不要看到长句不分析就翻译。
特别是有两点,即决定允许“社会组织”,其实也就是非政府组织发展以及将司法管辖制度与行政区划分离,显示出中国政府对社会骚动以及由此带来的对更大自由度和更强问责制的需求异常敏感。
In the past 30 years China has gone from a totalitarian society to one in which people can usually work where they want, marry whom they want, travel where they want (albeit with varying degrees of hassle for those from the countryside and ethnic-minority regions).
这句话中包含了一个由in which引导的定语从句,修饰前边的代词one,而通过上下文,我们很容易便能得出one指的便是前边提到的society(社会、国家),由于修饰成分过长,将其处理为后置定语,翻译时我们同样将这部分取出,放在后边,同时省略了连接语“在这样的社会(国家)中”,当然,如果考生将连接成分翻译出来也不错,但是可能没有参考译文这样处理简便、自然。
在过去30年里,中国已从一个极权主义社会转变为一个相对自由的国家,人民能够自由选择工作地点、自由恋爱结婚、自由旅行(只是农村和少数民族地区还会遇到不同程度的麻烦)。
Ordinary people are being empowered by new wealth and participation, through microblogs, and by becoming consumers and property owners.
首先我们根据常识,知道微博并不会增加我们的财富,微博带给人们的是更加广大的参与度,因此through microblogs与participation(参与度)相关,而becoming consumers and property owners,字面意思是成为消费者和业主,其实“消费和置业”是new wealth(增加财富)的方式。因此,这里我们需要结合常识将前后的逻辑对应关系理顺,得出顺应常理、符合常识的、严谨的译文。
微博赋予普通人更大的参与度,通过消费和置业,普通人也拥有了新的财富。
That these two gestures towards reform were mentioned at all is encouraging, and the world is keen to know whether Chinese leadership will honor their words in the plenary document that they "Dare to gnaw through even tough bones, dare to ford dangerous rapids, break through the fetters of ideological concepts with even greater resolution."
这句话需要注意的是引号中间的部分,由于是直接引语,因此翻译时要特别注意,这样的表达在中文里一定有特定的说法,考生需要在平时关注国家政策,熟悉特定说法,以求译文的准确和地道。
能够提出这两点改革意向就足以鼓舞人心了,世界正在拭目以待中国领导集体是否会像决议中说的那样“敢于啃硬骨头,敢于涉险滩,以更大决心冲破思想观念的束缚。”