(2)“我知道了。——瑜儿,可怜他们坑了你,他们将来总有报应,天都知道;①你闭了眼就是了。——你如果真在这里,听到我的话,——②便叫这乌鸦飞上你的坟顶,给我看罢。”
"I know," she continued. "They murdered you. But a day of reckoning will come, Heaven will see to it. ①Close your eyes in peace. ... If you are really here, and can hear me, ②make that crow fly on to your grave as a sign."
(鲁迅《药》,杨宪益、戴乃迭译)
该例是一位母亲对含冤九泉的儿子的谈话。原文含两个祈使句,译文句式与原文大体对应。值得注意的是,两个祈使句的译文都作了少许必要的调整。句①根据语境增添了介词短语in peace;句②调换了叙述角度,将“给我看罢”转换成as a sign。这两处的处理都很见功力。
(3) 奏国歌,请全体起立。
a. Now it's time for the National Anthem. Please all stand up.
b. Please rise for the National Anthem.
该例可以有译文a和b两种处理方法。译文a含两个对应的简单句,译文b合二为一。“奏国歌”一句以译文a的方式处理时具有一定的典型意义,即,有一类汉语祈使句译成英语时,不再以祈使句式,而是以"It's time ... "的句式来表达。如“该出发了”It's time to start off,“上课了”It's time to begin our class.