你真的知道怎么“睡”么？

　　原文：Many people sleep late at weekends.

　　譯文：周末許多人睡得很晚。

　　辨析：此譯文錯(cuò)在沒弄懂sleep的真正含義。英語動(dòng)詞有短暫動(dòng)詞和持續(xù)動(dòng)詞之分，分別表示短暫動(dòng)作和持續(xù)動(dòng)作(或狀態(tài))。

　　Sleep是典型的持續(xù)動(dòng)詞，表示“在睡覺”。而漢語“睡(覺)”既可表示短暫動(dòng)作“上床睡覺”(如：我昨天11點(diǎn)才睡)，也可表示“在睡覺”的持續(xù)動(dòng)作(如：他睡了整10個(gè)小時(shí))。所以原句是說“許多人睡覺一直睡到很晚”，應(yīng)譯為：周末許多人睡懶覺。如果是晚上睡得很晚，英文應(yīng)說：Many people go to bed very late at weekends. 或Many people don't go to bed until very late at weekends.

　　漢譯英時(shí)也要注意區(qū)分英語的短暫動(dòng)詞和持續(xù)動(dòng)詞。英語有一條規(guī)則：短暫動(dòng)詞的完成形式不能和表示一段時(shí)間的狀語連用。下面兩句的英語譯文都是錯(cuò)誤的：1：這件衣服我穿了3天了。I have put on this jacket for three days.2：老人去世一年了。The old man has died for a year.

　　Put on和die都是短暫動(dòng)詞，兩句的謂語動(dòng)詞應(yīng)該分別改為have worn和has been dead。例2也改成The old man died a year ago(此譯強(qiáng)調(diào)“死”的動(dòng)作)或It's been a year since the old man died(此譯強(qiáng)調(diào)已過去的時(shí)間)。