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  3. Four months before election day, five men gathered in a small conference room

Four months before election day, five men gathered in a small conference room

游客2023-12-12  19
问题    Four months before election day, five men gathered in a small conference room at the Reagan-Bush headquarters and reviewed an oversize calendar that marked the remaining days of the 1984 presidential campaign. It was the last Saturday in June and at ten o’clock in the morning. The rest of the office was practically deserted. Even so, the men kept the door shut and the drapes carefully drawn. The three principals and their two deputies had come from around the country for a critical meeting. Their aim was to devise a strategy that would guarantee Ronald Reagan’s resounding reelection to a second term in the White House.
   It should have been easy. These were battle-tested veterans with long ties to Reagan and even longer ones to the Republican party, men who understood presidential politics as well as any in the country. The backdrop of the campaign was hospitable, with lots of good news to work with: American was at peace, and the nation’s economy, a key factor in any election, was rebounding vigorously after recession. Furthermore, the campaign itself was lavishly financed, with plenty of money for a top-flight staff, travel, and television commercials. And, most important, their candidate was Ronald Reagan, a president of tremendous personal popularity and dazzling communication skills. Reagan has succeeded more than any president since John F Kennedy in projecting a broad vision of America a nation of renewed military strength, individual initiative, and smaller federal government.
选项
答案    按理说，此事并不困难。他们五位都是竞选活动的老手，久经沙场，熟谙大选策略，与里根交往多年，与共和党关系更长。而且，此次大选时机很好，可资利用的好消息很多；美国眼下无战事，其国民经济——在任何选举中均具关键作用的因素——在衰退之后已开始强劲反弹。再者，此次竞选活动资金雄厚，搭建一流的工作班子，四处演说，大登电视广告，都不愁没有钱。更重要的是，他们为之奔忙的候选人是罗纳德?里根，这位现任总统本人大得人心且极善交际。他已为美国描绘了广阔的蓝图；国家的军力将得到进一步加强，国民进取精神将得到更好地发挥，联邦政府的规模将进一步压缩。在这方面，他比约翰?F?肯尼迪以来的任何总统都更加成功。
解析    这篇是议论文；回顾当时对1984年美国大选结果的预测；要求译第2段。
   第一段简述了那天那五个人在一起讨论怎样才能保证里根总统连任。在第二段，作者分析了里根获得连任的有利条件，认为困难不大，前景乐观。
   1．此事应该是容易的。
   这样译，没有很清楚地再现作者“回顾”的角度。
   2．这些人是经过战争考验的老兵，……
   搞错了语义场。全文谈的是美国大选，应该以此来确定语义场，因此，这里的battle指的是竞选战场， veterans指的是竞选活动中的老手。确定词义时，首先要判定语义场。而语义场的判定有赖于对整个意思的理解，这就需要先通读全文。
   3．这些人既懂得总统政治，又懂得这个国家里的其他任何方面。
   根本问题是把as well as错误地理解为and了。诚然，字典上，as well as有and的释义，
   但是，翻译时，要想一想用and来理解，形成的句子是否合乎逻辑。“懂得这个国家里的其他任何方面”与大选有什么直接联系吗?没有。既然如此，那种理解就得排除。其实，如果译者把握住了本段的中心意思，即获胜的各种有利条件，那么就不难理解本句的意思是“他们对presidential politics太内行了比国内的任何人都懂”。第一个as可以用so来替换。另外，把presidential politics译作总统政治，没有译到位，应该直接译作“大选策略”——选举总统过程中的策略。出现这样的问题反映出译者对politics这个常用词理解太窄，对西方文化的认识尚未达到英语本科毕业生的要求。(如果教师在教学中从未讲过 presidential politics的实际意思，我觉得，教师也应该挨板子。)
   4．里根在为美国勾画蓝图方面比肯尼迪以来的任何总统都出色。美国的军力已经得到增强，个人的进取精神已经得到发挥，联邦政府已经缩小。
   这里，关键问题是：破折号后面的部分与前文是什么关系。不是说明美国已经如何如何，而是提供该蓝图的主要内容，在结构上是a broad vision of America的同位语。意思是：“如果我得以连任，那么我将使美国如何如何。”再者，“缩小”“联邦政府”，意思不清，应该加上“的规模”。意思是：规模小了，纳税人的负担就轻了。
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