翻译题46.Expectations surrounding education have spun out of control. On top of a seven-hour school day, our kids march through hours of nightly homework, daily sports practices and band rehearsals, and weekend-consuming assignments and tournaments. Each activity is seen as a step on the ladder to a top college, an enviable job and a successful life. Children living in poverty who aspire to college face the same daunting admissions arms race, as well as the burden of competing for scholarships, with less support than their privileged peers. Even those not bound for college are ground down by the constant measurement in schools under pressure to push through mountains of rote, impersonal material as early as preschool. Yet instead of empowering them to thrive, this drive for success is eroding children's health and undermining their potential. Modern education is actually making them sick. Working together, parents, educators and students can make small but important changes.
【答案解析】(1)注意On top of的翻译。On top of字面意思为“在……上边”，联系上下文，不难得知其字面意思在此处显然不合适，此处翻译为“除……之外”更贴合句意。当考生遇到生僻词组或是文章考查熟词僻意时，要学会利用上下文，推测词意。 (2)第四句的主干是Children face the same daunting admissions arms race，as well as the burden of competing for scholarships。living in the poverty和定语从句who aspire to college用来修饰children，with less support than their privileged peers作句子的状语。 (3)第五句的主干是those are ground down by the constant measurement in school。not bound for college为定语，修饰主语those。those not bound for college需要增译，联系上下文，可翻译成“那些没有大学升学压力的学生”。under pressure to…preschool为定语，修饰schools。其中翻译mountains of rote时，需要进行“词性转换”，把名词rote转换为动词，把名词mountains转换为形容词“堆积如山的”，并且进行适当的增补，此句可单独译为“学校也承受着压力，早在学前教育中，就要迫使学生死记硬背堆积如山的枯燥知识”。 (4)倒数第二句的主干是this drive for success is…。eroding children’s health和undermining their potential为is的并列表语。Yet instead of empowering them to thrive为定语，修饰主语this drive for success。