走出英语倍数理解与翻译的误区

Clearing Up Fallacies Over Expressions of "Times

长期以来在翻译实践中一直存在着对英语倍数的误解。英语中表示倍数的结构大致可分为两大类:be N times和increase N times。be N times结构可分为三种形式:A is Ntimes as large(much等等)as B,A is N times larger(more等等)than B和A is larger(more等等)than B by N times。三者均表达A是B的N倍,即A=B × N。increase N times结构亦可分为三种形式:increase N times,increase to N times和increase by N times,三者涵义完全相同。

With authentic examples, this study attempts to clear up two types of fallacy o-ver expressions denoting ' times' , i. e. , ' be N times' and ' increase N times' . ' Be N times' exists in three forms: ' A is N times as large (or much, etc. ) as B' , ' A is N times larger (or more, etc. ) than B' , and 'A is larger (or more, etc. ) than B by N times'. The authors conclusion is that the three expressions are semantically identical, and can be expressed in an equation: A = B × N. Similarly, 'increase N times' , with its two variants, i. e. , 'increase to N times' and ' increase by N times' , has often led to mistranslations, but the author believes that they mean precisely the same.