中译英策略与方法（二十五）

这一期我们讨论几个常用动词。这几个动词与其英文对应词有较高的契合度，但在用法上又有具体的差别，翻译的时候比较容易出错。

1. 组织

《现代汉语词典》第7版的释义是：1.安排分散的人或事物使具有一定系统性或整体性；2.系统； 配合关系。所以，与“组织”最为对应的英文动词是organize。

地震发生之后，协会积极组织开展抗震救灾活动。Immediately after the earthquake took place， the association took action to organize and deliver rescue and relief activities.

他的文章我看了三遍，组织得很好。I’ve read his article three times. It is very well organized/structured.

我要感谢学校组织这个活动，让我和多年不见的校友能再次相聚。I want to express my gratitude to the school for organizing this event so that I will get a chance to meet my schoolmates that I haven’t seen for years.

这几句话里面的“组织”基本都符合词典的第1个释义“安排分散的人或事物使具有一定系统性或整体性”，因此使用organize翻译还是比较合适的。再看几个对“组织”灵活处理的例句：

我们要专门组织一次会议讨论这个问题。We’ll hold a meeting specifically to discuss this issue.

凡是学校组织法律相关讲座， 都愿意请他来讲。He is one of the first speakers to invite whenever there is a lecture or talk on legal issues at the university.

教师要组织好课堂教学，严格要求学生，鼓励学生好学上进。It is important that teachers teach in a more effective and structured manner， be strict with the students and inspire them to be enthusiastic learners who strive for progress.

市里决定组织一个由工商界人士组成的代表团出席会议。The municipal government decided to form a delegation of business leaders for the meeting.

这几句译文如果使用organize也说得过去，译文采取了其他的方式灵活处理。但在有些情况下，使用organize需要特别注意。例如：

我们将组织更多的企业参加明年在法国举行的博览会。We will reach out and get more companies to participate in the trade fair in Paris next year.

这句话的基本结构是一个使动形式，“组织……做”，在翻译时很容易直接使用organize sb to do sth这样的结构，例如：organize more businesses to participate in the trade fair next year。首先，这个结构在英文中很少见；其次，鉴于“组织”在这个句子里的内涵，使用这样的动宾搭配不太合适。这句话里的“组织”基本意思应该是“安排”或“协调”，而且其过程特征非常明显，是通过“组织”或“安排”达到一个目的。而organize的内涵与“组织”的第一个释义比较契合，即“安排分散的人或事物使具有一定系统性或整体性”，换句话说，organize的宾语往往是经过“组织”后达成的一个结果或一种形式，例如：organize a team，organize a tour，organize a delegation。如果要用organize表述这个具有过程特点的结构，按照中文的结构顺序，要使用organize sb to do sth，这个结构好像是对应了，但用法不当。如果一定要用organize这个动词，可以先完成organize的搭配结构，然后在后面加内容，例如“We’ll organize a delegation with wider business representation for the trade fair in Paris next year.”，而不是直接用 organize people to do sth这样的对应结构。

“组织……做”这样的结构在中文里是常见的，如：

节前，县交通部门组织人员到县汽车客运站开展安全大检查，排查安全隐患，严防各类事故的发生。Shortly before the holiday season began， inspectors had been dispatched by the county transportation department to carry out safety checks at bus terminals， to eliminate safety hazards and therefore prevent the occurrence of any accidents.

这里的“组织人员……开展节前安全大检查”用法与上句相同，不能说organize inspectors to do sth，而是可以采取不同的方法表示相同的意思。

把下岗职工组织起来，自我创业，共同致富。Support programs will be provided to displaced workers to help them start their own businesses， and build a better life for themselves and their families.

这句话里的“组织”，应该是系统地、全面地、有组织地提供帮助，而非一定是将下岗工人纳入一个具体的组织机构。译文采用了比较含糊的support programs，既然是一种program，那么就是一种比较正规和系统的支持。如果这里的内涵是下岗职工应该通过某种形式一起合作，则可以处理为：Displaced workers should be encouraged to work together to start their own businesses and build a better life for themselves and their families.亦即，应该根据具体的语境确定可行的译文，而不是机械地采用organize sb to do sth 这样的对应结构。

下面看几个英文例句：

I am already 18 and I don’t want anyone to organize my life. 我都18岁了，不需要任何人安排我的生活。

We are running a little tight on the budget， so consider organizing the purchase of supplies in a supermarket to save on costs， instead of the connoisseur store.我们的预算不太充裕，所以请您购买日用品的时候安排去超市，不要去精品店。

They will organize opportunities for your dance team and get you on track for a great season.他们会给你们舞蹈团安排演出机会，让你们走向大获成功的演出季。

The crowd gradually started to organize into lines.人群慢慢排成了队形。

His thoughts began to organize around a new idea.他的思绪开始围绕着一个新的想法组织起来。

The emotions within her finally organized into understanding.她内心的情绪终于理清，变成了理解。

2. 协调

“协调”一词使用频率很高，《现代汉语词典》第7版的释义是：1. 配合得适当；2. 使配合得适当。“协调”在各个语境下的意思还是比较丰富的。看看下面几个例句：

刚上大学学习会很紧张，但是我们也应该协调好学习与休息的关系。Courses can be overwhelming as we start college， but it is important to find a balance between studying and resting.

经过老师的多方协调，这几位同学终于得到了这家公司的实习机会。Thanks to the teacher’s relentless effort to communicate and negotiate， these students were finally offered opportunities to intern at this company.

双方谈了三次，但是立场仍然南辕北辙，无法协调。After three meetings， the two parties still couldn’t agree on anything， with their positions being too far apart.

这件事情很棘手，还是得请王先生出面协调。This is a tricky issue， and we’ll need Mr. Wang to step in and coordinate / help find a solution.

随着城市化进程的不断推进，社区建设中常常会出现社区各组织之间的利益不协调、管理不到位、机制不顺畅等问题。As urbanization continues to advance， community construction often faces challenges in different areas， including misalignment of interests among community organizations， inadequate management， and less than functional mechanisms.

以上几个句子里面的“协调”在不同的语境下都有稍微不同的意思，因此采用了比较灵活的方式翻译。再看看下面几个例句：

各部门人员缺乏协调和相互联系，将影响公司总体效益目标的实现。The company’s profit target would be difficult to achieve if there is a lack of coordination and interaction between different departments.

每次发生全球性的公共卫生危机时，世卫组织都需要积极协调国际卫生应对行动。Whenever a global public health crisis occurs， the World Health Organization must act quickly to coordinate international health response actions.