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《英汉报刊翻译常见错误》(26)

26、take off该选哪个义项?

on his own website, he explains why he never sought to cash in:"it was simply that had the technology been proprietary, and in my total control, it would probably not have taken off. the decision to make the web an open system was necessary for it to be universal.you can't propose that something be a universal space and, at the same time, keep control of it. the fame thing i don't like. there's something very frustrating when you meet somebody at a party and they say, 'oh, you invented the world wide web.' suddenly, they're not talking to you any more."

原译

他在自己的网站上解释他从来没有想赚钱的原因:“很简单,如果让这个技术成为专利并完全由我控制,它大概就不会流传开来。使万维网成为一个公开系统的决定是使它变成公用所必须的。你不能说让某种东西放在公用领域而同时又控制它。名声我是不喜欢的。叫人很失望的是,当你在聚会上遇到某个人,他们说,‘噢,你发明了万维网’,突然,他们就不再跟你说话了。”

改译

他在自己的网站上解释他从来没有想赚钱的原因:“很简单,如果让这个技术成为专利并由我完全控制,它大概就不会突然被广泛使用。决定让万维网成为一个开放系统,它才能为大家普遍使用。你不能打算让某种东西既让大家普遍使用,同时又受到控制。我不喜欢出名。当你在聚会上遇到别人,他们却说,‘噢,您发明了万维网’,突然,他们就不再跟你说话了。这真叫人失望。”

点评

1、take off的意思很多,《英语习语大词典》上总共列了24个义项,其中第20个义项是‘突然流行起来(受到欢迎);突然被广泛使用’,这里用的就是这个意思。

2、the decision to make the web an open system was necessary for it to be universal.这句“愿译”过于死板,改译流畅些。

3、the fame thing i don't like. 原译不太准确。“名声”是指“在社会上流传的评价”,而the fame thing指的是“出名”的意思。