汉英同传中词汇模式的语料库考察

A corpus-based study on lexical patterns in simultaneous interpreting from Chinese into English

基于自建的香港当代社会生活口译语料库,本文考察Laviosa(1998)提出的译文词汇特征是否在口译语料库中有所体现并解释其原因。研究发现,口译译文中高频词出现的比例高于低频词,且词汇密度要比原生英语低,这表明汉英口译中存在"简化"的翻译共性。但本研究亦发现口译译文在平均词长、平均句长以及名词化方面比原生英语高,这意味着口译译文的正式度、难度和客观度都比原生英语高,这恰与口译译文中"简化"翻译共性的结论相左。我们认为,出现该情况的原因在于口译和笔译存在方法上的本质不同,口译员的自订词汇表及口译职业操守也会产生一定影响。

This paper examines whether Laviosa's(1998) corpus-based findings on vocabulary patterns in translations are evident in the self-developed corpora BICCSL.Our study shows that in interpreted texts,as compared to translational texts,the proportion of high frequency words versus low frequency words is relatively higher,and the lexical density is lower.These two lexical features support 'simplification' universal in interpreting.But the study also reveals that in interpreted texts,the average word length,sentence length and the degree of nominalization are higher,which suggests a more formal,difficult and objective style in interpreted texts.It is proposed that these two contradictory findings result from inherent differences between translation and interpreting,and from interpreters' customized vocabulary lists and professional ethics.