生活中有一些概念我们常用,也能一眼看懂,可真动手翻译的时候你会发现找不到合适的词。比如这一句:“一类公厕将24小时开放并安排专人定岗保洁,时间不少于16小时。让我纠结的是“保洁”这个字眼。
字典里推荐的译法是 Clean-keeping,可很牵强。这种时候译者就需要变通,不再拘泥于字眼,而是整个句子的意思。我后来就进行了转化,是指环卫工人值班的时间。Guangzhou Urban Management Commission also requires that eachpublic toilet that opens 24 hours a day should have its designated sanitationworkers with their on-duty time no less than 16 hours a day.
The Guangzhou Urban Management Commission also requires that sanitation workers beon-duty at 24-hour public toilets for at least 16 hours per day.