翻译题目

甲骨文(oracle bone script)是中国现存最早的文宇。这些刻在龟甲(tortoise shell)或兽骨上的文字已相当成熟。没认识甲骨文之前，人们都把这些甲骨当作药材。清代(the Qing Dynasty)学者王懿荣偶然发现了这些龟甲和兽骨。在仔细研究之后，他认为这些刻在甲骨上的符号是3000多年前商代(the Shang Dynasty)的文字。从这些文字中可以大致了解商代统治者的日常生活情况。甲骨文为研究汉字起源提供了重要的资料。

表达难点

1.第1句中的“现存最早的文字”是两个形容词修饰一个中心词，其中一个为最高级。在英语中，当比较级和最高级形容词与其他形容词连用时，比较级和最高级形容词放在其他形容词之前。故此处译为the earliest existing characters。

2.在第2句中，定语“刻在龟甲或兽骨上的”较长，可将其处理成后置定语，用过去分词短语carve on tortoise shells or animal bones 来表达，表被动。

3.倒数第2句“从这些文宇……”为无主语句，在翻译时需补充其主语，此处应增译“人们”，表达为From these characters, people can...。

4.在翻译最后一句的“为研究汉字起源提供了重要的资料”时，可以用provide... for...(为……提供……)来表达，译作 provide important materials for research into the origin of Chinese characters，也可译作provide important materials for researching on the origin...。

参考译文

The oracle bone script is the earliest existing characters in China. These characters carved on tortoise shells or animal bones are quite mature. Before recognizing the oracle bone script, people regarded the shells and bones as medical materials. Accidentally, a scholar of the Qing Dynasty, Wang Yirong, discovered these tortoise shells and animal bones. After careful study, he believed that these signs were the characters of the Shang Dynasty more than 3,000 years ago. From these characters, people can roughly understand the daily life of the rulers at that time. The oracle bone script provides important materials for research into the origin of Chinese characters.