第8章　新旧信息和信息流动

一、介绍

翻译、写作时信息出现的先后顺序要符合人的认识规律，即把旧信息(已知信息)放在前面，把新信息(未知信息)放在后面。这样可以加强句子之间的联系，帮助读者抓住论证的线索。

在语篇分析中，按句子的线性顺序把句子切分为主位(theme)和述位(rheme)两部分。主位一般只含有已知信息，述位通常是新信息，是交际的重心。在组句成篇的过程中，主位和述位层层推进，形成一种主位推进模式。例如：

The Court of Auditors’ report criticizes agricultural spending and proposes some new measures to prevent fraud. Their proposals include setting up a special task force with powers to search farms. Such powers are not normally granted to Commission officials, but fraud prevention is now one of the EU’s main priorities.

在上例中，the Court of Auditors’ report是已知信息或者作者假定读者已知的信息，它是下面论述的出发点，所以放在句子开头；their proposals属于已知信息，放在句首，因为上一句中提到proposes some measures；such powers是已知信息，放在句首，因为上一句提到with powers to search farms.

了解信息结构的特点，对于翻译有重要的意义。英汉的信息结构是相似的，翻译时不应破坏。为了促进信息的流动，翻译(和写作)时可以从下面几个方面入手：

二、把不重要的信息移向句子左侧

这样可以避免结尾有气无力(A是修改前的句子，B是修改后的句子)，例：

A：Complete institutional reform is advocated by the report in most cases.

B：What the report advocates, in most cases, is complete institutional reform.

三、把重要的信息移向句子右侧

A：Some complex issues run through these questions.

B：Through these questions run some complex issues.

翻译中可以使用类似方法，例：

保护劳动力的再生产和合理配置劳动力资源是市场经济的客观要求。

A：Protections for reproduction of labor force and the rational allocation of human resources are the objective requirements of a market economy.

B：A market economy requires protections for reproduction of labor force and the rational allocation of human resources.

翻译A按照汉语中信息出现的顺序，把主要内容放在句首，阅读时需要加重主语，不符合一般阅读习惯；翻译B把主要内容移到了英语句子末尾，阅读时重音自然落在了句尾。

四、使用倒装句

这种做法与上一种做法类似，例：

A：Those questions relating to the ideal system for providing instruction in home computers are just as confused.

B：Just as confused are those questions relating to the ideal system for providing instruction in home computers.

翻译中可以使用类似的方法，例：

查中国在1994年制定的《广告法》中可能与此相关的只有第七条第六项规定广告不得有“含有淫秽、迷信、恐怖、暴力、丑恶的内容”，但将有关安全套的公益性广告，解释为“含有淫秽内容”，是不恰当的。

Possibly related to this in the 1994 Advertisement Law is only Article 7.6, which states that advertisements shall not “contain obscenity, superstition, terror, violence, and evil.” But it is inappropriate to interpret public service adverts on condoms as“contain[ing]…obscenity.”

如果把斜体部分翻译为only Article 7.6 of the 1994 Advertisement Law is possibly related to this…就需要重读only Article 7.6。

五、删除多余的结尾

下例中斜体部分就是对behavior的解释，可以删除：

A：Sociobiologists are making the provocative claim that our genes largely determine our social behavior in the way we act in situations we find around us every day.

B：Sociobiologists are making the provocative claim that our genes largely determine our social behavior.

六、使用被动语态

通过使用被动语态，把复杂信息放在后面，避免头重脚轻，从而遵循英语的“尾重”原则，达到信息流动的通畅。例：

A：During the first years of our nation, a series of brilliant and virtuous presidents committed to a democratic republic yet confident in their own superior worth conducted its administration.

B：During the first years of our nation, its administration was conducted by a series of brilliant and virtuous presidents committed to a democratic republic yet confident in their own superior worth.

七、重组句子主语和从句

例A的主语包含太多内容，可以把它转换为独立的从句(B)，例：

律师在证据发现程序结束之后又发现了新的书证的，即使该书证与发现程序所涉事项关系极小，也必须立即通知法庭和对方律师。

A：An attorney who uncovers after the close of a discovery proceeding documents that might be even peripherally relevant to a matter involved in the discovery proceeding must notify both the court and the opposing attomey immediately.

B：If a discovery proceeding closes and an attorney then uncovers documents that might be even peripherally relevant to the matter of the proceeding, he／she must notify both the court and the opposing attomey immediately.(Style)

八、几种表示强调的句法手段

1．There be

下例中，通过使用there be突出了强调的重点——斜体部分：

A：A few grammaticalpatterns add weight to the end of a sentence

B：There are a few grammatical patterns that add weight to the end of a sentence.

需要指出的是，there be很多时候可以省略，比如：

还有l8.5%的女性尚有更加充足的时间可以从事另外一份工作。

A：There are still l8.5%having sufficient time to do a second job.

B：18.5%still have sufficient time to do a second job.

2．What

What句型强调系动词之后的部分，例：

国家立法滞后，地方立法分散，统一的社会保障制度被分割。

National legislation has fallen behind current realities, and local legislation varies so drastically that what China has currently is not an integrated social security system, but a large set of fragmented systems.

3．It

It作为形式主语，可以把较长的主语后置：

A：The accession of new Member States in several stages now seems likely.

B：It now seems likely that new Member States will join in several stages.

It is…that…强调that之后的成分：

It was that image of calm, control and discipline that appealed to millions of voters.

4．倒装

倒装也是一种强调手段，例：

在自然经济社会里，社会成员的生活保障是以自给自足的小农经济为基础的，体现为家庭自我保障，并未形成规范化、法制化的社会保障制度。市场经济开创了现代社会保障的先河。

In the natural economy, members of society secured their livelihood through small-scale fanning, achieving self-sufficiency and economic security at the family level. Only with the transition to a market economy did the first modem, 1aw-based social security system emerge.