最近,有关专家在评论公示语翻译错误现象时对“眼科医院”英译为eye hospital提出了质疑。对此,笔者认为,“眼科医院”英译为eye hospital是完全可以的,而ophthalmology hospital则显得更加专业。根据Google搜索引擎的检索结果,西方国家,尤其是英国国家确实大量使用eye hospital这一说法,如Manchester Royal Eye Hospital,The Sydney Eye Hospital.
Manchester Royal Eye Hospital主页的简介中也多次出现Eye Hospital:Manchester Royal Eye Hospital operates as the Ophthalmic Division within the Trust. Nationally,it is the second largest provincial postgraduate ophthalmic teaching hospital—— Moorfields Eye Hospital in London being the first.
该医院主页还有一张该院大楼的图片,大楼正面清楚地写着Royal Eye Hospital.此外,香港也有眼科医院采用了eye hospital这一说法,该医院的主页简介是这样的:Opened in 1992,the Hong Kong Eye Hospital replaced the Yaumatei Eye Centre as a secondary and tertiary eye referral centre. It occupies a total floor area of 13,065 square metres with a staff force of 230.
著名的“奥比斯飞行眼科医院”的英文也是ORBIS Flying Eye Hospital.
从以上例子可以看出,eye hospital是完全可以接受的一个表达。既然英语国家和地区普遍认可,我们没有理由就否定它,被广泛认可的表达就是可接受的表达,完全符合英语文体的可接受性(accept ability)原则。Eye hospital应该是一个比较通俗的说法,易于理解;而ophthalmology这个单词非常专业,无论是拼写、读音还是辨别都比较困难。香港眼科医院在主页介绍中也提到The Academic Department of Ophthalmology and Visual Sciences of the Chinese University of Hong Kong is integrated with the Hospital's clinical service.这表明,在作为一个学术研究范畴的时候,ophthalmology无疑是最佳的选择。
(摘自外语教育网)
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