in the first place的用法与翻译
■陈根花（长沙）
一、某些词典对in the first place的翻译实例
习语
in the first place最通常的翻译是“首先”“第一”。我们先来看看一些词典的例句翻译：
How did you manage to get into this mess in the first place? 首先你是怎么弄到如此狼狈的？（《朗文英语写作活用词典（英汉双解）》）
It was irresponsible of the school to allow this to
happen in the first place. 首先是学校不负责任，才会让这种事发生。（《麦克米伦高阶英语词典》）
In my humble opinion (= I want to emphasize that I
think that) we should never have bought the car in the first place. 依愚见，首先我们就不应该买这辆汽车。（《剑桥高级英语词典》第4版）
What interests me most is where he got all that money in the first place. 让我感兴趣的就是首先他是从哪里弄来这么多钱的。（《朗文英语写作活用词典（英汉双解）》）
Of course she was angry, but it's your fault for
telling her about the whole thing in the
first place. 她当然要生气了，但把这件事全都告诉她首先就是你的错。（《朗文英语写作活用词典（英汉双解）》）
二、in
the first place的实际用法与翻译
我们认为上面各个句子对 in the first place的翻译并不准确或不妥，因为in
the first place不仅仅表示“第一”“首先”，还可以表示“究竟””到底““当初”等。两者的区别是：
1.用于句首时，通常表示“第一”“首先”（主要用于列举或强调，表示列举时，接下来的搭配通常有 in the second place 第二，其次；in the third place 第三，再次……）；
2.用于句末时，则表示“究竟”“到底”“当初”等，主要用于谈论某事为何如此或是否应该去做。
所以上面各句可作如下改译：
How did you manage to get into this mess in the first place? 你究竟是怎么弄到如此狼狈的？
It was irresponsible of the school to allow this to
happen in the first place. 当初是学校不负责任，才会让这种事发生。
In my humble opinion (= I want to emphasize that I
think that) we should never have bought the car in the first place. 依愚见，我们当初就不应该买这辆汽车。
What interests me most is where he got all that money in the first place. 让我感兴趣的就是他究竟是从哪里弄来这么多钱的。
Of course she was angry, but it's your fault for
telling her about the whole thing in the
first place. 她当然要生气了，但当初把这件事全都告诉她就是你的错。
三、有关词典对in the first place的用法说明
关于
in the first place的用法，许多词典都有说明，下面是《牛津高阶英汉双解词典》(第8版)的相关用法说明：
●in
the first place：used at the end of a sentence to talk about why sth was done or whether
it should have been done or not（用于句尾，谈论某事为何或是否应该做）究竟，到底，当初：
I still don't understand why you chose that name in the first place. 我仍不明白，你究竟为什么取了这么个名字。
I should never have taken that job in the first place. 我当初就不该接受那份工作。
●in
the first, second, etc. place：used at the beginning of a sentence to introduce the
different points you are making in an argument （用于句首）第一、第二，等等：
Well, in the
first place he has all the right qualifications. 噢，首先，他符合一切条件。
四、使用 in the first place的典型例句
1. 用于句首：
Well, in the
first place he has all the right qualifications. 嗯，首先，他符合一切条件。
In the first place I don't want to go, and in the second
place I can't afford to. 首先我不想去；其次，我也去不起。
Her success was secured by two factors. In the first place, she had the support
of managers. 她的成功有两个因素作保证，首先，她有经理们的支持。
In the first place, they have a more experienced team, so
they're more likely to win. 首先也们的球队有更多经验，所以他们更有可能贏。
In the first place you are not old, Conway. And in the second
place, you are a very strong and appealing man. 首先，你不老，康韦。其次，你是个非常强壮、有魅力的男人。
In the first place it's not your car, and in the second you're
not old enough to drive it. Is that clear? 首先，这不是你的车，其次，你太小了还不能开车。你明白了吗？
Political reality was not quite that simple—in
the first place, divisions
existed within the parties. 政治现实远非那么简单——首先，党内存在着分歧。
2. 用于句末：
What brought you to Washington in the first place? 最初是什么使你来到华盛顿？
I should never have taken that job in the first place. 我当初就不该接受那份工作。
She couldn't recollect who had mentioned his name in the first place. 她不记得究竟是谁提到了他的名字。
Why Joan ever married such an idiot in the first place is beyond me. 我不明白琼当初怎么会嫁给这样一个白痴。
It was your own idea in the first place, so you can hardly object now. 这当初可是你自己的主意，所以现在你可不能反对。
