句子:我們必須加快保障性住房建設,以解決低收入家庭的住房困難。
誤譯:We must speed up the construction of protective housing so as to tackle the difficulty in housing for low-income families.
正譯:We must speed up the construction of indemnificatory housing so as to tackle the difficulty in housing for low-income families.
解釋:housing 的第一個意思是houses, flats, etc. for people to live in,即“人的住房”。housing 的第二個意思是a hard cover that protects part of a machine,即“機器部件的外殼”。雖然to protect有“保障”的意思,但是protective housing的意思不是“保障性住房”,而是“防護箱”。比如,protective housing for a battery in a car的意思是“汽車蓄電池保護器”。保障性住房,可譯為indemnificatory housing。indemnificatory 的意思是protective against damage or loss, esp. in the form of a promise to pay for any that happens,即“補償性的”。例如:1. 保障性住房包括廉租住房、經濟適用住房和政策性租賃住房。Indemnificatory housing consists of low-rent housing, affordable housing and policy-regulated rental housing.
“保障”的第一個意思是“保護生命、財產和權利等,使不受侵犯和破壞”,作動詞用。可以譯為 to ensure, to protect。例如:2. 這項法律旨在保障全體公民的合法權益。This law is designed to protect the legitimate rights of all citizens.
“保障”的第二個意思是“確保,使充分實現”,作動詞用??勺g為 to guarantee。例如:3. 我們要盡一切努力保障農產品供給,以穩(wěn)定其價格。We must make every effort to guarantee the supply of agricultural products, so as to steady their prices.
“保障”的第三個意思是“起保障作用的事物”,作名詞用??勺g為guarantee, assurance, safeguard。例如:4. 我們需要更強有力的法律保障來保護消費者。We need stronger legal safeguards to protect the consumers.▲
(本欄目供稿:王逢鑫教授)