Translation is generally regarded as either an elementary or an overly complex exercise. Too often it is regarded as merely a ma

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问题    Translation is generally regarded as either an elementary or an overly complex exercise. Too often it is regarded as merely a matter of individual preference, hence warranting little general discussion, unless one engages in professional translation, new technology for it, applied linguistics, or the like. Having read recent publications in several fields and talked with colleagues, I beg to differ.
   Before raising the issues, let us agree on the obvious. Decisions on the mode of translation often involve several dimensions. First, the choice of style: should the translation be literal, permissibly free, rendered quite lyrical, given an extended nuance for clarity or emphasis, stretched somewhat to go along with a certain interpretation, and so on? Another aspect is that of cross-cultural perspective: how to indicate something in one culture by a counterpart in another, across the barriers of respective cultural contexts? (E. g. , should the old Chinese elite be called "the gentry" ?) A third and related dimension may appear; how to adjust a translated term to fit a given discipline? (E. g. , can "training" in an earlier translation now read "socialization," in the interest of mid-twentieth century sociology or even political science?) A fourth dimension is whether or not to make a temporal adjustment; e. g. , should a piece in classical Japanese be translated in old English or current English? A fifth dimension is something like the Heisenberg Principle of Uncertainty in physics. When one particular meaning of a word gets pinned down, this imparts other connotations or implications.
   There are yet other dimensions, but enough said. Let us agree that choosing one way to translate does not necessarily imply rejecting others. We know all about that; we ponder over the dimensions; we struggle with the options, and we make hard decisions. But that is not the point!
   How often do we spell out this thinking process, enabling our readers to quickly fathom whither we are headed? Or rather, do we leave them to figure out, if they wish, not only what we do but how we have done it? This falls short of effective communication, not to mention the time wastefully spent retracing one’s footsteps without a map.
   The questions that need to be raised are these: Can we try to encourage more authors who publish considerable amounts of translation to add some brief explanation of their thinking process behind it, either as a whole or on particular passages? Would it be desirable to stress the same in graduate training? Attention to these matters will help.
Which of the following can best serve as the title of the passage?

选项 A、Some Thoughts about Translation
B、Dilemmas of Translation
C、Translation and its Challenges
D、Translation, a Work of Art

答案A

解析 主旨大意题。作者在第一段对翻译通常缺乏一般性讨论的现状提出异议,第二段介绍了决定翻译模式的五个方面,第三、四段提出是否向读者展示翻译过程中从不同方面思考抉择的思维过程,第五段建议翻译者在译文中加入对翻译思路的简要说明。通篇来看,本文主旨是提出对翻译的一些思考和建议,[A]项适合作为本文标题。
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