1.6 Контекст

Абсолютное большинство слов любого языка являются многозначными. Только в устной или письменной речи они обретают какое-либо конкретное значение.

Контекст – это минимальная часть текста, которая делает слово однозначным. Переводчик должен учитывать роль контекста, то есть окружения, в котором встречается данное слово. Например, английскому слову variability в русском языке соответствуют изменчивость, вариативность, неровность, неустойчивость. Но в выражении variability of temper (изменчивость настроения) данное слово однозначно.

С другой стороны, иногда можно догадаться о значении пропущенного или незнакомого слова по контексту, например: The cold wind caused a drop in temperature. – Холодный ветер стал причиной понижения температуры.

Упражнение 1.6.1

Определите, какое значение приобретают выделенные слова в контексте следующих предложений. Переведите их.

A 1. The soldier is now at his post.

2. The man did his best to get a better post.

3. I will send you the book by post.

4. The wooden gate was supported by two metal posts.

B 1. The chameleon has the power of changing its colour.

2. I will do everything in my power to help.

3. He’s a man of great intellectual powers.

4. The boxer was sorry for having underestimated the power of his competitor’s blows.

5. The device operates on electrical power.

6. Are the powers of the President defined by law?

7. Is the press a great power in your country?

8. What is the third power of this number?

9. They employed a high power telescope.

10. The Great Powers have agreed to co-operate on this matter.

C 1. The cloth is unfortunately very rough to the touch.

2. He had to apologise for his rough behaviour.

3. The sea was rough and no swimming allowed.

4. This suitcase must have had some rough handing.

5. She has a very rough tongue.

6. That is a rough translation, it requires stylistic improvement.

7. I’ve seen his new statue only in the rough.

8. He was set on by a gang of roughs who knocked him down and took all his money.

D 1. The summer temperature there does not exceed 20°C in the shade.

2. We have dress materials in several shades of blue.

3. The word has many shades of meaning.

4. You are so clever and brilliant that my poor efforts are put into the shade.

E 1. The date of his birth is 15 November, 1975.

2. 1492 is the date of the discovery of America by Columbus.

3. What’s the date today?

4. Has the date for the meeting been fixed?

5. Many ruins of Roman date are to be seen in the south of France.

6. Will jeans ever go out of date?

7. I’ve got a date with a friend of mine.

8. The method applied is up-to-date.

F 1. I don’t know whether he is here or not.

2. He knows a lot of English.

3. Do you know how to play chess?

4. I was introduced to Miss Wood last week, but I’ve a bad memory for faces and might not know her again.

5. He’s already known to the police.

6. They are twins and it’s almost impossible to know one from the other.

7. He knew poverty in his early life.

8. She knows a good singing voice when she hears one.

9. I knew about it last week.

Упражнение 1.6.2

Подберите соответствующие русские эквиваленты к выделенным устойчивым выражениям. Переведите предложения.

A 1. If you don’t take care of your teeth you’ll stand a good chance of loosing them.

2. The new type of refrigerator prolongs the storage life of food.

3. Market economies rest upon the principle of individual freedom.

4. In implementing the programme they faced a lot of unexpected problems.

5. Do you have many top students in your class?

6. A new second-hand clothes store was opened in our district.

7. The nurse gave him an injection of penicillin.

8. Let’s knock a hole in the wall.

9. Tom would not lift a finger to solve the problem.

10. When he regained consciousness, he found himself in hospital.

B 1. The arrow hit the target.

2. It was a narrow escape for him.

3. She survived the operation.

4. The air was rich with the scent of summer flowers.

5. The earthquake caused much damage. No loss of life was reported.

6. He often meets with misfortune.

7. He backed the car into the garage.

8. The child clung to its mother’s skirt.

9. Don’t encourage him in his idle ways.

10. I intended no hurt to his feelings.

C 1. He didn’t want her to ask him any questions.

2. Pay attention to the spelling of the word.

3. She takes a keen interest in history.

4. He hoped he’d manage to gain his living.

5. Last night I had a wonderful dream.

6. The train runs from London to Manchester.

7. Rich feeding does more harm than good.

8. They were looking at terraces rising from the sea.

9. Let us take an example.

10. Unfortunately, he missed the 5 p. m. train.

D 1. The ship went aground.

2. It’s not easy to get on friendly terms with him.

3. Mr. Smith was asked to arbitrate the dispute.

4. The lawyers argued the case for hours.

5. He was placed behind prison bars.

6. His fingers were bitten by the frost.

7. Her failure to pass the examination was a great disappointment.

8. Where does the blame lie for our failure?

9. Large, black clouds announced a coming storm.

10. My life is entirely given up to work.

E 1. The idea struck me greatly.

2. Don’t play the fool.

3. Mr. Smith consulted Mr. Green on the matter.

4. The mist lifted.

5. Snakes renew their skins.

6. He came across an interesting fact.

7. All-round co-operation among the countries is very important.

8. We are always short of time.

9. It takes an hour to get there.

10. They put forward two questions for discussion.

F 1. The company’s directing agency is located in Detroit.

2. The chief executive officer was appointed in May.

Ответьте на вопросы для самоконтроля:

1 Что такое контекст и в чем состоит его роль при переводе?

2 Какую сложность для переводчика представляют многозначные слова? Что необходимо знать для перевода многозначных слов?