原文：

Not if I can help.

原译：

即使我帮也不行。

辨 析：

有时越是简单的句子越容易译错。

Not if I can help it是口语中表示拒绝或不同意的一种常用说法，意思是“我一定会阻止这样的事”，潜台词是：只要我能帮忙，就一定会帮忙。/如果我有办法，我不会让此事发生 /让某人做这样的事 。这个短语通常用于表示决心或意愿去帮助他人或阻止某种不好的情况发生。

翻译这个句子时有一定的难度。首先，"not if" 表示否定的条件，但在这个短语中，"not" 的意思并不是否定，而是强调"一定会"去帮助。其次，"if I can help" 的意思是"如果我能帮忙"，而不是"如果我不能帮忙"，这也是容易误解的地方。

help的基本意思是“帮助”，Can you help me?是请求别人帮忙，可是I can't help it就不能理解为“我也帮不了它”。这里的it指“情况”，其意思是“我也无能为力 / 没有办法 / 没辙”，但不宜译为“我也帮不了忙”。

当help和can或 cannot (can't) 连用时，表示“避免、阻止、改变、忍住”等意思。有两个习惯用法"Can't help doing something" 和 "Can't help but do something"。

"Can't help doing something" 表示无法避免或控制做某事，强调主观上的无奈或不由自主。例如：

- I can't help laughing when I see that funny video.（每当我看到那个搞笑视频，我就忍不住笑。）

- She couldn't help crying when she heard the sad news.（听到那个悲伤的消息，她控制不住地哭了。）

"Can't help but do something" 表示情感或欲望强烈到无法抑制的程度，强调客观上的必然性。例如：

- I can't help but feel excited about my upcoming vacation.（对于即将来临的假期，我情不自禁地感到兴奋。）

- He couldn't help but shout in joy when he won the race.（赢得比赛时，他情不自禁地大声喊了出来。）

 "Can't help doing something" 更强调无奈或不由自主，而 "Can't help but do something" 更强调情感或欲望的强烈程度。

help一词还有许多类似的用法，比如It can't be helped和more than one can help。

1. "it can't be helped"：意思是"无法避免"或"无法改变"，表示对某种情况感到无奈或无法控制。这个短语通常用于接受或表达无法改变的事实或状况。

- It started raining right before the picnic. Well, it can't be helped. (雨在野餐前开始下了，嗯，没办法。)

- I missed the last train. It can't be helped. (我错过了最后一班火车，无法避免。)

2. "more than one can help"：意思是"超出某人能力范围"或"无法由某人独自完成"，表示某个任务或情况超过了某人的能力或希望得到他人的协助。

- The project is so overwhelming, it's more than one person can help. (这个项目太庞大了，一个人无法完成。)

- The workload is more than I can help. I need assistance from my colleagues. (工作量超出了我的能力范围，我需要同事的帮助。)

"help" 和 "can" 还能组合成一些常见的短语

1. "help with"：帮助某人做某事

   - Can you help me with my homework?

   - I need someone to help me with the heavy lifting.

2. "help out"：帮助或协助

   - Can you help me out with this project?

   - I'll help out at the charity event tomorrow.

3. "help (someone) do"：帮助某人做某事

   - She helped me clean the house.

   - He helped his sister prepare for the exam.

4. "help (someone) out (of/from)"：帮助某人摆脱困境或解决问题

   - I helped him out of a difficult situation.

   - Can you help me out from this mess?

5. "can do"：能够做某事

   - I can do it by myself.

   - She can speak three languages.

6. "can't help but"：无法控制不做某事

   - I can't help but smile when I see you.

   - He can't help but feel nervous before the performance.

7. "can't help oneself"：无法自控

   - She can't help herself when it comes to eating chocolate.

   - Sometimes I can't help myself and start singing in public.