英语原文:
The letter was an eye-opener: she wanted to divorce me!
错误译文:
这封信让我大开眼界,她要同我离婚!
翻译加油站:
原译逻辑上显然有问题深圳翻译公司,一个人的老婆要同自己离婚,怎么谈得上会使他“开眼界”呢?不错eye-opener有“使人开阔眼界的事物”的意思,如:The exhibits from the British Museum were real eye-opener to most visitors. (来自大英博物馆的展品使大多数参观者大开眼界。)
eye-opener是一个中性的词语,即除了指“令人恍然大悟的(新鲜或好)事物”,也可以指“令人惊讶的(坏)事物” ,如:The declassified wartime documents revealed many unthinkable atrocities committed by the Japanese aggressors and were an eye-opener to many people.(解密的战时文件揭露出日本侵略者许多令人想象不到的暴行,令人震惊。)
在本句中表示的也应该是贬义的意思,所以全句应译为: 这封信让我大为惊讶,她居然要同我离婚!
其实,英语里有许多中性的成语,翻译成褒义还是贬义,一定要看上下文决定,例如:
birds of a feather(兴趣爱好相同的人/一丘之貉);
enough to make the cat speak(绝妙的/非常糟糕的———以至于连猫都惊讶得开口说话了);
full of ambition(有雄心壮志/野心勃勃的);hand in glove with(狼狈为奸/亲密无比);
take example by...(以……为榜样/吸取……的教训)。
Eye-opener当然来自动词短语open one's eye,其意思是“使人睁大眼睛”:
When I told him so, he opened his eyes.深圳英语口译这里并不是张开原来闭着的眼睛,而是惊讶得睁大眼睛”。叫人睁大眼睛则要说Open your eyes wider. 而 open somebody's eyes to something 的意思是“启发某人认识某件事”,如:That incident opened my eyes to the true character of this young man.(这次事件让我认清了这位年轻人的真正品格。)