翻译辨析:save...lives...from 防止或阻止某人做某事

英语作文    发布时间:2024-08-19  
划词翻译

原 文:

To save most lives from cancer, efforts should be concentrated to help people foster a healthy way of living.

原 译:

为了拯救大多数的癌症患者,应该集中精力帮助人们树立健康的生活方式。


辨 析:

因为原句开头有save...lives的字样,很容易错译为「拯救……的生命」,关键在于原译者忽略了后面的介词from。


from是一个常用介词,除了本意「从」,常常含有否定的意思,和keep,prevent,stop等词连用,表示防止或阻止某人做某事,如:

  • Measures were taken to prevent the secret from leaking out.采取了措施防止秘密泄露出去。

  • There were soldiers on guard at the gate to stop anyone from trying to get in or out.门口有士兵守着,不让任何人进出。

  • They excluded children under fifteen from getting in.他们不许15岁以下的小孩进去。

  • The media were barred from the conference.没有允许记者对会议进行采访。

  • 但是save somebody / something from... 是「保护某人 / 某物不受……伤害 / 不至于会怎么样」的意思, 如:

  • He jumped into the water and saved the boy from drowning just in time. 他及时跳入水中,(在孩子快要淹死时)救了孩子一条命。

  • The huge tree saved the house from being blown to pieces. 那棵巨大的树保护了房子没有被风刮散。


所以,原句的意思不是「拯救(患了癌症的病人的)生命」,而是「使人们免于患癌症」。全句可译为:为了使大多数人不会得癌症(不受癌症的侵袭),应该集中精力帮助人们建立健康的生活方式。