Перевод сложных предложений различних типов
While translating complex (сложное) sentences a translator usually uses the following types of syntactic transformations:
1. Substitution of simple sentence by a complex one (Замена простого предложения сложным).
The necessity to use this type of substitutions quite often is dicdated by structural differences between
sentences in the target and the source language. In the process of translaing from English into Russian this
transformation often is needed to render English predicative or “semipredicative” constructions with impersonal
forms of verb which have no direct equivalents in Russian. For example:
I like watching her dance.
Я люблю смотреть, как она танцует.
I never even once saw him brush his teeth.
Я не видел, чтобы он чистил зуби.
He really felt pretty lousy about flunking me.
Ему было здорово не по себе от того, что он меня провалил.
In other cases such transformations appear due to stylystic reasons:
They looked sort of poor.
Видно было, что они довольно бедны.
It was the Saturday of the football game with Saxonhall.
Началось это в субботу, когда шел футбольний матч с Сексонхоллом.
In the next example complex lexical-grammatical (комплексная лексико-грамматическая) transformation is
caused by stylystic reasons too:
At that moment the door was opened by the maid.
Дверь отворилась и заглянула горничная.
In this case the sentence in the source language is the subject to the following transformations: 1) the simple
sentence is being changed by complex one; 2) subordination is being changed by coordination; 3) lexical-
grammatical transformation takes place: was opened - отворилась; 4) prepositional object (предложное
дополнение) with by is being changed by the subject (подлежащее); 5) the word заглянула is added; 6) words at
that moment are omitted. An attempt to preserve the initial construction would have led to the phrase admissible
from grammatical point of view but unacceptable stylysticly: В єто мгновение дверь била открита горничной.
2. Substitution of complex sentence by a simple one (Замена сложного предложения простым):
I figured I probably wouldn’t see him again till Christmas vacation started.
Я сообразил, что до начала рождественских каникул я его не увижу.
It was pretty nice to get back to my room, after I left old Spencer.
Приятно было от старика Спенсера попасть к себе в комнату.
Even though it was so late, old Erni’s was jam-packed.
Даже в такой поздний час у Ерни было полним полно народу.
It was so dark I couldn’t see her.
Я ее в темноте не мог видеть.
A special kind of this transformation is so called articulation (членение) of the sentence - when a compound
(сложное) sentence is being split into two or more simple. Such a transformation is usually needed when one deals
with with the translation of Britain and American newspapers. A typical feature of their materials is the use
(especially in the introductory part) of long sentences with numerous subordinate clauses and/or participial
constructions (придаточние предложения и причастние обороти). The Russian press, on the contrary, is given to
brevity of the sentences which contain informational material. This can be seen from the following example:
In the pamflet on Chile published by the Communist Party after the coup last September, the CIA plot
against the Aliende Government was exposed and condemned at a time when The Times was publishing
articles by apologists for the Chile junta and the Daily Telegraph was sneering at “those who will soon be
manufacturing ingenious theories of CIA involvment”.(Morning Star)
В брошуре о положении в Чили, выпущенной Коммунистической партией после переворота в
сентябре прошлого года, был разоблачен и осужден заговор ЦРУ против правительства Альенде. В то же
время “Таймс” опубликовала статью апологетов чилийской хунты, а “Дейли Телеграф” иронизировала
над теми, “кто скоро будет фабриковать хитроумние теории о вмешательстве ЦРУ”.
3. Substitution of principal clause by subordinate clause and vice versa (Замена главного предложения
придаточным и наоборот).
In the following example the subordinate clause is substituted by the principal clause in the target language and
the principal clause in the source language - by subordinate in the target:
While I was eating my eggs, these two nuns with suitcase and all... came in.
Я ел яичницу, когда вошли две монахини с чемоданами и сумками.
4. Substitution of subordination by coordination (Замена подчинения сочинением).
Sentences in both English and Russian can relate to each other in both coordinative and subordinative way.
But it’s more typical for Russian to use coordinative constructions meanwhile in English subordination is more
common. Due to this fact quite often in the process of translating from English into Russian substitution of
subordination by coordination takes place:
We had strolled to the front yard where Bill stood looking down the street at the dreary face of the
Radley Place.
Мы поплелись в полисадник, Билл выглянул на улицу и уставился на мрачний дом Редли...
He had a new father whose picture was enclosed...
У него новий папа - это он снят на карточке...
I didn’t sleep too long, because I think it was only around ten oclock when I woke up. I felt pretty hungry
as soon as I had a cigarette.
Спал я недолго, кажется было часов десять, когда я проснулся. Выкурил сигарету и сразу
почуствовал, как я проголадался.
(substitution of subordination by coordination in most cases as one can see is accompanied by substitution of
conjunctional link by asyndentic one (союзной связи безсоюзной).
In the next example substitution of subordination by coordination is accompanied by transformation of
compound sentence into simple one with homogenious predicate (однороднoе сказуемое):
He kept whistling “Song of India” while shaved.
Он брился и насвыстивал “Песнь Индии”.
Substitution of subordination by coordination may take place in a simple sentence as well:
I lived in the Ossenburger Memorial Wing of the new dorms.
Я жил в корпусе имени Оссенберга, в новом общежитии.
In the process of translating from Russian into English, on the contrary, substitution of coordination by
subordination usually takes place:
В столике нашел бумажки кусочек, а на бумажке написано...
Also, on the table I found a scrap of paper had written on...
Уберите, дьявола, убью!
Take that devil out of here before I killed it!
5. Substitution of conjunctional link by asydyntic one (Замена союзной связи бессоюзной).
In both English and Russian coordination (сочинительная связь) may be expressed in both syndentic
(conjunctional) and asyndentic form. But, once again, it is more typical for Russian, especially in oral speech, to
use asyndendic form while in English prevails conjunctional. Due to this fact substitution of conjunctional link by
asydyntic one often can be observed in Russian translations of Englisn texts:
So I opened my suitcases and took out a clean shirt, and then I went in the bathroom and washed and
changed my shirt.
Я открыл чемодан, вынул чистую рубашку, пошел в ванную, вымылся и переоделся.
After I made the date with old Sally, I got out of bed and got dressed and packed my bag.
Договорился с Салли, потом встал, оделся, сложил чемодан.
It was hot as hell and the windows were all steamy.
Жара была адская, все окна запотели.
In translations from Russian into English, on the contrary, asydentic link in many cases is changed with
syndentic:
И сушенная вишня тогда была мягкая, сочная, сладкая, душистая.
The dried cherries were soft and juicy and sweet and sweet-smelling then.