汉译英的简洁、精炼（二）

　　二、一些特定的短语、用法也能使句子简洁、地道。如：

　　1、你要是跟我们一起就好了!

　　If only you could be with us!

　　2、画笔之于画家有如钢琴之于音乐家。

　　The brush is to the painter what the piano is to the musician.

　　3、一半是因为劳累，一半是因为气愤，他病倒了。

　　Between overwork and indignation, he was laid up. (or: what with overwork what with indignation, he was laid up.)

　　4、天气一会儿冷，一会儿热。

　　The weather is now cold, now hot. (or: The weather is now cold, then hot. )

　　5、有两家便宜的旅馆，若都不行的话，不妨还是回你从前住的地方去吧。

　　There are two cheap hotels, but failing either of these, you may as well go back to where you were before.

　　6、这本书不是一下子就能吃透的。

　　The book cannot be understood at one swoop.

　　7、他总是轻言细语地跟别人讲话。

　　He is always soft-spoken.

　　8、它的眼带出进退两难的神情。

　　The look in its eyes shows that the little creatures is of two minds.

　　三、名词化结构往往包括动作行为的逻辑内涵，但句式表现却非常简洁。需要注意的是，名词化结构往往用于很正式的文体之中。如：

　　1.他贪污了大量公款，锒铛入狱了。

　　His egregious embezzlement led to his imprisonment.

　　2.由于无法弄到实验器材，实验进展起来非常困难。

　　The unavailability of apparatus rendered the experiment rather difficult.

　　3.我家和他家很近，路途上也方便，所以每月都要往来一次。

　　The convenient proximity between the two families enabled our monthly visit.

　　4.由于电信、传媒的发达，人们之间联系日益紧密，地球仿佛成了地球村。

　　The sophistication of telecommunication and mass media brings about increasing interconnection among people and turns the globe into a village.

　　5.雨水一刻不歇地下着，运动会只好搁浅了。

　　The relentless determination of the rain wrecked the sports meet.

　　6.这位老人举止优雅，可以看得出，他从前过着非常从容的生活。

　　The old man’s graceful appearance betrayed his previous easy days.