老师请看此句(摘自1996年考研英语一某篇阅读理解):
The paid manager acting for the company was in more direct relation with the men and their demands, but even he had seldom that familiar personal knowledge of the
workmen which the employer had often had under the more patriarchal system of the old family business now passing away.
【参考译文】拿薪水的经理代表公司(经营),他们直接与工人联系,也知道工人的需求。但即使这样的经理也很少对工人个人情况有非常亲近的了解,而在那些正遭淘汰的旧式家族家长制企业中,雇主通常对工人的个人情况有非常亲近的了解。
【我的疑问】译文中,把"but even he"翻译成"但即使这样的经理"。要是让我翻译,我会翻译成“但经理即使有很少的对工人个人情况有非常亲近的了解”。我的主要问题就是,为什么作者在翻译的时候,会把副词even翻译成定语来修饰he?
谢谢老师。
The paid manager acting for the company was in more direct relation with the men and their demands, but even he had seldom that familiar personal knowledge of the workmen which the employer had often had under the more patriarchal system of the old family business now passing away.
【答】副词even 用于句首,不是修饰主语本身,它跟he无关,而是修饰整个全句。这时,它是一个“连接性副词”。本句中的even,表示对上文的“评价或结论”,意为“甚至可以说,实际上”。
原翻译不仅把even 翻译错了,而且整个翻译严重失误。我重新翻译:
【翻译】为公司效力的经理,与这些人及其需求有着更加直接的关系,但实际上,他对工人的情况自己了解得并不多,在即将逝去的旧式家族企业的家长制度下,雇主(东家)往往也会有这种情况。
【重点分析】
1. even:“连接性副词”,修饰全句。是对前文的“评价或结论”,意为“甚至可以说,实际上”。与前文形成对比和转折。
2. which the employer had often had under the more patriarchal system of the old family business now passing away:是非限制性定语从句。which 指代前文整个句子的内容:即“对工人的情况自己了解得并不多”,说明旧式家族企业的雇主(东家)也是如此,翻译成:经常会有这种情况。
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