汉译英试题训练

请将下面这段话翻译成英文：
中国传统婚礼是华夏文化的精粹。中国古人认为黄昏是一天中最吉利的时间，所以会在黄昏举行婚礼。中国人喜爱红，将红色看作是幸福、成功、好运、忠诚和繁荣的象征。因此在传统中国婚礼上，主色调是红色，有红色的蜡烛、红色的缎带（ribbon）、红花和新娘的红衣和红鞋。新娘吃的食物也是一种文化象征。新娘一般会吃红枣（red date）、花生、桂圆（longan）和瓜子（melon seed），其中的象征意义可以从这四种食物的读音中看出。当这四种食物放在一起读时就是“早生贵子”。

翻译及详解

参考翻译:

Traditional Chinese wedding is the essence of Chinese culture. Chinese ancestors believed that dusk was the luckiest time in a day, so they held the wedding at dusk. Chinese are fond of red color and regard red as the symbol of happiness, success, luck, loyalty and prosperity. Therefore, in traditional Chinese weddings, the main color is red. There are red candles, red ribbons, red flowers as well as the red dress and shoes worn by the bride. The food the bride eats has cultural significance. The bride usually has red dates, peanuts, longans and melon seeds, the symbolic meaning of which is evident in the Chinese pronunciation of these four foods. When pronounced together, it sounds like "zao sheng gui zi (Have a lovely baby soon)".

翻译讲解

1.“吉利的”是汉语的表达，英文中对应的表达应该是“幸运的，好运的”。因此“最吉利的时间”可译为the luckiest time，也可译作 auspicious time。
2.“新娘的红衣和红鞋”如果逐字对译为the bride's red dress and shoes则显得有些生硬，此处宜译作the red dress and shoes worn by the bride，使用过去分词作定语，句子读起来更顺畅。
3.“新娘一般会吃…”，这个句子较长，为了让句子更加紧凑，后半句“其中的象征意义可以从这四种食物的读音中看出”在翻译时可以使用非限制性定语从句：the symbolic meaning of which is evident in the Chinese pronunciation of these four foods。
4.“当这四种食物放在一起读时”译成英文时主句和从句主语一致，可使用“when+分词”结构，译作when pronounced together。