中国茶

传说中国人在古时候就发现了茶。开始人们把茶当作药来用，后来就开始有人把茶当饮料喝。后来，茶受到了读书人的喜爱，他们发现喝茶可以帮助思考，也可以帮助消化。两千年来，茶在中国的很多地方都受到欢迎。随着中国与其他国家文化的交流，茶也传播到了世界各地，影响了别国的文化，如英国的“下午茶”。中国有很多地方都出产茶叶，中国的茶也有很多品种，大致上可以分成绿茶、红茶、花茶、乌龙茶等几类。中国人喝茶还讲究煮茶的水和饮茶的方法，甚至连喝茶的用具也很讲究。

段落翻译精解1.传说中国人在古时候就发现了茶。 参考译文：Legend has it that Chinese people discovered tea in ancient times. 注解：原文中的“传说……”可以采用英语的固定句型“legend has it that …”来翻译。原文中的“中国人在古时候就发现了茶”时间状语为“古时候”，因此其译文应采用一般过去时。

2.开始人们把茶当作药来用，后来就开始有人把茶当饮料喝。 参考译文：They first used tea as medicine and then drunk it as beverage. 注解：原文中的“人们”“有人”都指上句中提到的“中国人”，汉译英时可用代词they来指代，以避免表达重复。

3.后来，茶受到了读书人的喜爱，他们发现喝茶可以帮助思考，也可以帮助消化。

参考译文：Afterwards, tea became the favorite of scholars, for they found that drinking tea was helpful in thinking and digestion.

注解：原文中的“可以帮助思考”和“也可以帮助消化”中有重复信息，汉译英时可以采用“合并同类项法”，将其转换为“可以帮助思考和消化”，以避免重复表达。“茶受到了读书人的喜爱”和“他们发现喝茶可以帮助思考和消化”这两个分句在汉译英时有多种连句方式。其一，可以增添for、because等表示原因的连接词，体现两个分句之间的因果关系，如参考译文所示。其二，两个分句之间存在关联点，前面的“读书人”和后面的“他们”指的是同一个群体，因此汉译英时可以用关系代词who替代“他们”，将后两个分句译为定语从句：Afterwards, tea became the favorite of scholars, who found that drinking tea was helpful in thinking and digestion.

4.两千年来，茶在中国的很多地方都受到欢迎。

参考译文：Over the 2,000 years, tea has been popular among people in many parts of China.

注解：原文中时间状语“两千年来”有一定的时间跨度，汉译英时译文应采用现在完成时。

5.随着中国与其他国家文化的交流，茶也传播到了世界各地，影响了别国的文化，如英国的“下午茶”。

参考译文：In the cultural exchanges between China and other countries, tea has been introduced to many places in the world, influencing their culture, say, the afternoon tea in Britain.

注解：原文中第二个分句表达被动意义，其译文应采用被动语态。原文第三句分句是“茶的传播”带来的结果，汉译英时可将第三个分句处理为现在分词短语，表示上文带来的结果。英语中的举例一般采用such as，但前提是前面给出了综述性或归纳性的词语；如果没有这类词的存在，通常选择使用say来举出事例，say与前后文之间用逗号隔开。值得注意的是，此处不可以采用for example来替换say，因为这一短语后需要接独立的句子，而不能接名词短语。

6.中国有很多地方都出产茶叶，中国的茶也有很多品种，大致上可以分成绿茶、红茶、花茶、乌龙茶等几类。

参考译文：Tea leaves are produced in many parts of China, and Chinese tea boasts a wide variety, generally in the categories of green tea, black tea, flower tea and oolong tea.

注解：“中国有很多地方都出产茶叶”是无主句，汉译英时可以采用“茶叶”做主语，将其译成被动句。原文的分句很多，动词也较多，汉译英时可以适当省略动词，例如“大致上可以分成……等几类”即可省略动词，译为介词短语“generally in the categories of …”。

7.中国人喝茶还讲究煮茶的水和饮茶的方法，甚至连喝茶的用具也很讲究。

参考译文：Chinese people are also particular about the water to boil tea and the method to drink tea, and even about the ware to drink tea.

注解：原文两个分句的谓语动词都是“讲究”，汉译英不必重复译出谓语动词，译者可将第一个译为be particular about，第二个只需要保留连接词about就能表示出“讲究”的含义。原文中“煮茶的水”和“饮茶的方法”两个短语中的定语皆为动词短语，汉译英时可将两个定语处理为动词不定式结构，置于中心词之后：the water to boil tea和the method to drink tea。完整译文Legend has it that Chinese people discovered tea in ancient times. They first used tea as medicine and then drunk it as beverage. Afterwards, tea became the favorite of scholars, for they found that drinking tea was helpful in thinking and digestion. Over the 2,000 years, tea has been popular among people in many parts of China. In the cultural exchanges between China and other countries, tea has been introduced to many places in the world, influencing their culture, say, the afternoon tea in Britain. Tea leaves are produced in many parts of China, and Chinese tea boasts a wide variety, generally in the categories of green tea, black tea, flower tea and oolong tea. Chinese people are also particular about the water to boil tea and the method to drink tea, and even about the ware to drink tea.