问英语｜英语常见问题解答

问

Some few of the survivors are still living. [原译]少数生还者依然健在。(《远东英汉双解成语大辞典》, p. 1176, 并注明: some few = 无几; 不多)。some few 在口气上到底是“言其多”, 还是“言其少”呢?

答

some few(some little),如同 quite a few, a good few 一样,在口气上是“言其多”的,因此,不应译为“无几”“不多”,而应译为“相当多”“好多”(quite a lot)(some few)。请分析下面的实例:

There are some few who can look back upon their childhood with delight. 回顾童年而能够心情愉快的人是相当不少的。
Some few of the students are absent today. 今天有不少学生缺席。 [试译]生还者之中还有不少人依然健在。 some hopes 见 some $^{3}$ some students/some of the students 见 most students/most of the students some time 见 sometime

问

Francis Bacon... wrote these words, “Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested.” (《高中英语教科书》第三册, 人教社, p. 85)

[原译]……“有些书是应当尝尝滋味的，有些书是应当吞食下去的，有少数书是应当咀嚼和消化的。”（《教师教学用书》第三册，p.325）

some few 是“言其少以至于无”呢, 还是“言其有相当的数目”呢? 也就是说, some few 是相当于 few 表示否定呢, 还是相当于 a few 表示肯定呢?

答

some few 的意思是 some but not many(一些,但不是很多), a considerable number, a fair number(相当多,颇有一些), 它相当于(quite) a few, 表示肯定意义。据此, 可以断定, 上句中的 some few 并不是从否定的意义上说需要咀嚼和消化的书少而又少, 而是从肯定的意义上说需要咀嚼和消化的书是相当不少的。

[试译]……有些书应当品尝,另一些书应当吞食,还有一些书则应当咀嚼和消化。

[附注]从翻译史上看,培根这句名言中的 some few 一直被译成“很少”。

有些书只须浅尝,另一些可以吞食,只有少数好书需要仔细咀嚼,慢慢消化。培根《论学问》(转引自《外国名句辞典》,p.754)

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