Specific English. Грамматические трудности перевода

С тенденцией к краткости и компактности высказывания в английском языке борется тенденция к точному обозначению пространственных и временных указателей. В подобных случаях при переводе на русский язык некоторая избыточность английского предложения устраняется: иногда опускаются лишние с точки зрения русского языка элементы. Например:

We’ll do this later in the day. Мы сделаем это попозже.

I’ve had pains here – just below where my heart is. У меня вот здесь боли – как раз под сердцем.

The wonder is that it’s lasted as long as it has. (вместо so long) Удивительно, что это продолжалось так долго.

It was not entirely without vegetation, but such vegetation as there was only added to the desolation of the place. Там была кое-какая растительность, но настолько скудная, что она еще более подчеркивала пустынность этой местности.

Не inspected Manson with a jaundiced eye and his voice, when it came, was reluctant. Он внимательно смотрел на Мэнсона своими желтушными глазами, потом нехотя заговорил.

Lantenengo Street had a sort of cottony silence to it. На улице Лантененго всегда стояла какая-то ватная тишина.

Не had a few books to read in his bag. В портфеле у него было несколько книжек.

Иногда слово thing, утратившее свое прямое значение «вещь», употребляясь в сочетании с прилагательным, также оказывается избыточным с точки зрения русского языка. Например:

Is it a good thing for children to sit in front of a television set all evening? Полезно ли детям весь вечер просиживать перед телевизором?

Главные или придаточные предложения с there (оборот there is) в составе сложноподчиненного предложения также представляются нам иногда избыточными, усложняющими высказывание. Например:

I hear there are some new people who’ve come to live next door to you. (= I hear some new people have come to live next door to you.) Я слышал, что рядом с вами поселились какие-то новые жильцы.

Please write and let us know if there’s anything else you’d like to know. (=… if you’d like to know anything else.) Пожалуйста, напишите нам, что еще вам хотелось бы знать.

Упражнения

I. Переведите следующие предложения и укажите на те элементы в английском предложении, которые являются избыточными или усложняющими высказывание с точки зрения русского языка.

1. His voice, when it came, was politely ironic. 2. «Will you have one, Miss Reid?» «I don’t mind if I do.» 3. Everybody here is very kind to me, but there are times when I think of home and am rather sad. 4. The sun shone for several hours during the early part of the day. 5. It was like an ordinary revolver except that it had hardly any barrel to it. 6. It’s a good thing we haven’t all the same likes and dislikes.7. That’s something very few men do in our country. 8. Today there are very few horses working on the farms. 9. Lucky for me I got out when I did. 10. The patron, seeing that we were customers with money to spend, unceremoniously turned the couple out. 11. Perhaps it was as well as that the interruption occurred when it did. 12. The glass has water in it. 13. It’s a good thing to make a habit of looking up words in a dictionary. 14. She could hardly believe it has happened like it had. 15. As he ate the cottage pie that was his portion he felt Blodwen Page’s eye fastened on him. 16. There’ll be a large sum to be paid to the Collector of Taxes in January. 17. But I’ll tell you this: the unions have acted the way they have because they’ve a social conscience. 18. There are not many jobs to be had nowadays. 19. I’ll twist your neck for you. 20. It was still early in the month of June. 21. He gave us coffee to drink, sweet cakes to eat, and cheroots to smoke. 22. There are no jobs to be had. 23. Captain Flume was obsessed with the idea that Chief White Halfoat would slit his throat open for him from ear to ear. 24. They had no time to spend on training for the better jobs. 25. My poor friend, you’ve had too much to drink.

II. Переделайте следующие предложения, употребив оборот с вводящим there + придаточное предложение или причастный оборот.

1. You ought to know one or two things about this place. 2. Comparisons can always be made with worse times: even in danger and misery the pendulum swings. 3. Some sources argue that urgent measures must be taken. 4. But something else worries me. 5. Little glances were exchanged all over the room. 6. I must do some things. 7. Even his best friend, Anton, must remain in ignorance, for a reward might be offered for information.