翻译考试在即，众多考生摩拳擦掌，跃跃欲试。作为一名业内人士，真心希望大家的努力得到应有的回报，如愿通过考试，获取证书。然而，如果不能做到知己知彼，不了解翻译考试的特点，也很有可能功亏一篑，不仅努力白费，而且浪费了一笔不菲的考试费。
我想以一套二级笔译真题（2016年11月）为例，提几点忠告，助各位考生一臂之力。
翻译考试的判卷采用扣分制而非加分制，译对是本分，不加分，译错就惩罚，要扣分。
比如一个句子20个单词，分值一分，译错一个单词就是零分，尽管你译对了19个单词。
二级笔译考试总共四篇文章，每篇总分才25分，每个错误至少扣一分，所以不到十个大大小小的错误就意味着不及格了。因此必须谨小慎微，努力避免一切导致扣分的明显硬伤。作为一位经验丰富的阅卷老师兼翻译高手，挑错扣分易于反掌。
请看这个句子，可谓词词危险，步步惊心，如果阅卷老师关注到，几乎没有一位考生不被扣分。
You know, like a mortgage. Or braces for your wallet-draining children-to-be.
“like”很多考生习惯理解成类比“像……一样”，而本文作者喜欢用它举例“例如”；“mortgage”作为婚后生活的最大开销之一，显然指“还房贷”而非其他的贷款；
错误最多的当属“braces”就是“牙套”，而非为未来的孩子做准备，理由很简单，名词复数，加之与mortgage并列，作为具体开销的例子。
“wallet-draining”有很多考试有意无意漏译，最后，很多考试把“children-to-be”译为“即将出生的孩子”，简直荒唐透顶，难道所有情侣谈婚论嫁时，女方都挺着大肚子？
不考虑语境，貌似差之毫厘，实则谬之千里。这个貌似简单的小句只有11个单词，全部译对，让老师无法下手扣分者，可谓凤毛麟角。
理解错误导致的硬伤是最明显、最不可原谅的错误，扣分最狠，即使你幸运地碰到最心慈手软的阅卷老师。一定要善于运用语法、上下文、常识、逻辑等各种有效武器，帮助正确理解原文。
具体到这段翻译，如果三个地方理解错了，肯定无望通过考试。
第一是 And if your fianceé is dead set on a fairytale wedding?中“dead”一词的理解；
第二是 because you have to feed your guests and provide them entertainment and put a roof over their heads for a couple of hours 中的“put a roof over their heads”；
第三便是最后一段中关于Cat的理解。
非常遗憾，大量学生把第一句中的“dead”理解为本意“死亡”，把这句译为“如果你的未婚妻在一场童话般（梦幻）的婚礼上死去（暴毙，香消玉殒）”。
这个错误之所以严重，是因为不仅本句译错了，还会导致连锁反应，导致下文中好几个句子理解翻译出现偏差，因为未婚妻在婚礼上暴毙毕竟不是什么值得高兴的事情，与下文中用省下的结婚费用过快乐的单身汉的描述严重背离。
避免这种错误的有效方法就是善于利用语法分析、常识或逻辑。从语法上看，明确dead是形容词还是副词，是表语还是set的状语不就明白了吗？从常识上看，谁见过未婚妻在一场童话般浪漫的婚礼上暴毙的？从逻辑上分析，一场童话般浪漫的婚礼与新娘子死亡有必然的因果关系吗？
第二个句子中，很多考试把“put a roof over their heads”译为“在他们头顶上搭一个遮风避雨的棚子”，在婚礼上搭棚子？着实令人费解。避免这类错误的最有效武器就是我们的常识。一般而言，译文中出现有悖常识之处必错无疑！
常识告诉我们，在婚礼上，一对新人不必喂饱客人，更不会在宾客的头顶上搭棚子。他们会宴请宾客，举办一些娱乐活动，当然前提是租一个场地，无论是教堂或是饭店。
所以“put a roof over their heads”就是租一个举办婚礼的室内场地而已。
For instance, purchasing and providing for a nice house cat rather than dropping major dough on finger bling intended for fending off hotties for the rest of your life. Fluffy won’t care if you bring home someone new every weekend—he’ll just hate everyone indiscriminately.
最后一段中用猫做比喻的意图很多考生都没有完全读明白，导致大量失分。当然，此段中疑点较多，“cat”有什么用？“dough”是什么意思？“finger bling”指什么？它们与“hotties”有什么关系等等？都要逐一冷静分析判断。“dough”是俚语，意即“money”；“finger bling”结合上下文，肯定就是结婚戒指。
合乎情理的解释应该是，无名指上戴一枚重金购置的亮闪闪的戒指固然可以昭告天下佩戴者的已婚身份，打消觊觎者的非分之心，但是一只相对便宜的漂亮家猫也可以达到同样的效果，因为这个毛绒绒的小动物谁都不喜欢，你带谁回家，它都会把她挠出去。猫比戒指更好，只是因为猫比钻戒便宜得多。
然而，很多考生却理解为，猫比戒指更好，是因为猫不在乎你每周末带新面孔回家过夜。如此曲解，恐怕有悖人类最基本的婚姻道德观和社会主义核心价值观吧。此外，还要特别注意此处作者调侃幽默的语气，所以不必当真，并非让读者真的去用猫代替钻戒。哈哈。
几点忠告，总结如下：
不求精彩，但求无误。
避免误解，杜绝硬伤。
谨小慎微，认真细心。
语法语境，正解之本。
逻辑常识，翻译利器。
预祝大家好运！
附 2016.11 CATTI 英语二级笔译实务英译汉第一篇
Everyone knows that weddings—the most elaborate and costly form of old school pageantry still acceptable in modern society—are stupid expensive. But it turns out Americans are now blowing even more money than ever before on what’s supposed to be the most magical day of any couple’s life together. Money that, to be honest, could be spent on much, much cooler stuff.
The Knot released its annual wedding survey this week, with findings showing that couples are spending a mind-numbing average of $32,641 on matrimonial celebrations. The study includes data from nearly 18,000 pairs across the country. While the cost of a wedding varied greatly from city to city—reaching a nauseating high of $82,300 in Manhattan—the price was steep no matter where couples chose to get hitched. All this despite the fact that weddings (and marriages in general, honestly) can be a fairly impractical thing to invest in. Seriously, even 50 Cent doesn’t spend as much in a day as you’re spending on a reception band alone. Think about that.
So rather than buying into the Marriage Industrial Complex on a union that may or may not work out, wouldn’t it make more sense to save your hard-earned money by forgoing the big ceremony for the major expenses you’re likely to face in married life? You know, like a mortgage. Or braces for your wallet-draining children-to-be. And if your fianceé is dead set on a fairytale wedding? You could always just blow your financial load on a plenty fulfilling single life.
With nearly $33,000 to spend in the life of a singledom, you could get pretty far when it comes to amenities and entertainment. Perhaps the best part of being free from the shackles of wedding planning is the opportunity to treat yourself. Like, why drop $1,400 on a frilly dress you’ll wear once before it turns to moth food when you can rock the most expensive shoes of the season and look great doing it?
And while weddings are supposed to be all about the happy couple, everyone knows that’s bull,because you have to feed your guests and provide them entertainment and put a roof over their heads for a couple of hours and likely go into debt doing it.
In addition to simply having fun, there are some more practical ways to spend your wedding purse as well. For instance, purchasing and providing for a nice house cat rather than dropping major dough on finger bling intended for fending off hotties for the rest of your life. Fluffy won’t care if you bring home someone new every weekend—he’ll just hate everyone indiscriminately.
（津门龙王）
