3．1．10　Affirmative in Meaning含有否定词的肯定翻译

3．1．10　Affirmative in Meaning含有否定词的肯定翻译

In English，although some sentences are negative in form，they are actually affirmative in meaning．So we should pay special attention to these negative sentences in translation．The following phrases and structures should be noticed．

1)“can + negative word + too / over-”construction

You can＇t be too careful when you drive a car．

　开车时，越小心越好。

No man can have too much knowledge and practice．

　知识和实践越多越好。

The importance of proper lubrication cannot be over emphasized．

　应特别强调适当进行润滑的重要性。

2)“no/ not/nothing + more/ less + than”construction

It is no more than a beginning．

　这仅仅是个开端。

I had no sooner reached home than it began to rain．

　我刚一到家，天就下雨了。

No less than 150 people were injured in the crash．

　这次飞机失事中，受伤人数竟达150名。

3)“no/ not/ never/ nothing…+ but/ except/ until” construction

Some oil wells produce nothing but salt water，while others always remain dry．

　有些油井只产盐水，而另一些油井却总是干的。

She did not turn up until the meeting was over．

　直到会议结束她才出现。

The molecular formula C6H14 does n＇t show anything except the total number of carbon and hydrogen atoms and hence is seldom used．

　分子式C6H14只表示碳原子和氢原子的总数，因此很少使用。

Comments Note that the Chinese versions are affirmative in sense though there are negative words in the source language．This is a very good method in translation of such constructions．In English，some phrases appear to have negative words，but they have positive meanings．For instance ，“nothing like”has the Chinese sense of没有……比得上; “no less…than”is in the sense of不少于，正好; “no more than”has the Chinese meaning of只有，仅仅; and the expression“cannot be too”is in the sense of无论怎样……都不过分．Therefore when we translate such phrases or expressions，we should understand their usage in particular．