怪怪的中式英文Part 3

2013/5/8 分類：i新聞報導 作者：余老師的英文作文教室 點閱次數：1474

中文與英文的語法有著極大的差別，所以不能按照中文的語法將句子直譯為英文，必須注意到這些差異，才不會鬧出中文式英文的笑話。

〔例〕雖然我主修英文，但是我對藝術更有興趣。
Although I major in English, I have more interest in art. ＊
→ Although I’m majoring in English, I’m more interested in art.
說明：
Major這字必須用在過去式或現在進行式，此外談到有興趣最好是用be interested in 或 become interested in，不要用have interest in.

〔例〕我在國小時就接觸藝術。
I approached art when I was studied in elementary school. ＊
→ I started to learn about art when I was in elementary school.
說明：
我接近藝術是中文的說法，英文裡應該說started to learn about art.大多學生碰到要說在那兒就讀，都會用study一字，這是錯誤的用法。應該說go to school，例如What school do you go to? 而不是What school do you study?*

〔例〕逐漸接觸藝術之後，我發覺到藝術的偉大。
After touching the art step by step, I feel the art is great. ＊
→ After I got to know more about art, I felt it was great.
說明：
「逐漸接觸藝術」，學生翻譯為touching the art step by step也是中國式的英文，最好說 get to know more。

〔例〕我想我到八十歲也不會忘記它。
I think that I will not forget this thing when I’m eighty.＊
→ I will not forget this experience when I’m eighty.
→ I don’t think (that) I will forget this experience when I’m eighty.
說明：
許多同學經常在句首用I think，但在英文裡很多時候是不必要的。I will not forget中已表示自己的認知，可以直接說I will not forget this experience when I’m eighty.
如果堅持要用I think,記得英文句的否定永遠放在主要動詞上，that連接受詞子句時經常可省略。I don’t think (that) I will forget this experience when I’m eighty. 最後中文裡常會很廣泛地說說這件事，在英文裡要看事物的性質，如果很難找到合宜的字，就用this也可以。

〔例〕我發現學習英文不像以前那麼容易，因為我不能只瞭解一些簡單會或文法。
I find that learning English now is not as easy as before because I can’t just understand some simple conversations or grammar.＊
→ I find (that) learning English now is not as easy as before, because it involves more than understanding some simple conversations or grammar.
說明：
這句話的語病是不能把前後兩子句的因果關係清楚連結起來，修正後用it代表學習英文，強調現在學英文不能只學些會話與文法就夠了，因而比以前要困難。注意雖然從屬子句在後不需用逗號，但是because例外必須有逗號。

〔例〕我的體貼以及願意聆聽不同的想法，讓自己能夠營造團隊間的和諧氛。
Being thoughtful and listening to other’s different ideas made me know how to secure harmony among team members.＊
→ Being thoughtful and listening to other’s different ideas helped me learn how to secure harmony among team members.
→ Being thoughtful and listening to other’s different ideas, I learned how to secure harmony among team members.
說明：
學生喜歡照中文意思「讓我…」翻譯成英文let me make me是很奇怪用法，know是狀態動詞，這裡必須用動作動詞learn.

〔例〕我總是無法準時完成作業。
I always did not finish my homework on time.＊
→ I seldom finished my homework on time.

例：我一直都不知道我們是同一班的。
I always didn’t know we were in the same class.＊
→ I never knew we were in the same class.

例：每個人上課都不應該遲到。
Everybody should not come to class late.＊
→ Nobody should come to class late.
說明：
上面三句是照中文句直譯成英文，所以出了問題。中文的頻率副詞不論肯定、否定都是同一個，否定時加一個「不」字就可以了，例如「總是」與「總是不」。但英文裡則要換一個頻率副詞，肯定時用always,否定時用seldom 或 never。