我们平常看到正式文件中同一实词的使用率很高，特别是"发展"、"现象"、"问题"、"关系"这一类意义较抽象的词。而在英语中，重复用词是不太受欢迎的。

The King's English中有: "…the words repeated would ordinarily be either varied¹ or left out; the repetition…is more or less abnormal, whatever is abnormal may be objectionable in a single instance, and is likely to become so if it occurs frequently."

单其昌先生也说：英译文中不要总用同一个词汇或短语，如果用得太多，会使读者感到厌烦，因此用词要多样化。

 

请看一篇汉译英的例子：

我国同广大发展中国家的友好关系继续加强，与周边国家的睦邻友好合作关系全面发展。去年，我国同俄罗斯和中亚四国共同宣布建立"上海合作组织"；在第五次中国-东盟领导人会议上，我国与东盟一致同意今后10年内逐步建立中国-东盟自由贸易区。我国同朝鲜、韩国和南亚各国的关系稳步发展。我国同非洲、拉美国家友好合作取得新的发展，与阿拉伯各国和其他伊斯兰国家的友好关系进一步发展。

一段话中"发展"（作动词和名词时）、"关系"各出现了四次。如果不重视词语变换使用技巧来翻译，译文的效果肯定不理想。然而如果稍动脑筋，灵活地变换用词，文章定会增色不少，下文就是一篇比较成功的例子：

China and other developing countries have strengthened their friendlyrelations. The good-neighborly friendship and cooperation between China and its surrounding countries have enjoyed all-round development/have developed in a comprehensive way/have multiplied. Last year, China, Russia and four Central Asia countries jointly² announced the establishment of the Shanghai Cooperation Organization. At the Fifth China ASEAN Summit, the two sides agreed to gradually establish a China-ASEAN free trade zone in the next ten years. The connections between China and DPRK, ROK and South Asian countries have developed steadily³ /have been maturing. China's friendship and cooperation with African and Latin American countries have made new development/fresh progress, and China's friendly relations with Arab and other Islamic countries have been further improved/have improved/have also warmed.

 

有时中文中的重复正是为了强调，然而这种强调照搬到英文中未必就有相同的效果。下一组译文就证明了英文里变换有时比重复更有说服力：世界要和平，人民要合作，国家要发展，社会要进步，是时代的潮流。

The world needs peace. The people want cooperation. Nations aspire⁴ for development. Society seeks progress. This is the trend of our times.

 

一个"要"的多种译法就能让译文更为生动，避免让读者产生厌烦和排斥。汉译英时要非常注意，如果一个重复使用的词不能vary，就只好被left out.

 

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