問:我任職翻譯,所譯以下句子,第一位上司把Havingjoined改為Joined,第二位則保留Havingjoined,卻把been字刪去,那些修改正確嗎?──Havingjoinedthegovernmentin1990andbeentransferredtotheXDepartmentin1999,IamcurrentlyattachedtotheXTeam(「我一九九○年加入政府,一九九九年調至ABC部,現駐守DEF隊」)。
答:把Havingjoined改為Joined,文法上等於Iwasjoinedthegovernment(我被加入政府),用被動語態(passivevoice),當然錯得厲害。
讀者那一句,文法上等於I,whohadjoinedthegovernmentin1990and(had)beentransferredtotheXDepartmentin1999,amcurrentlyattachedtotheXTeam。這一句的hadjoined和hadbeentransferred,明顯應改為過去式joined和transferred/wastransferred。可見譯文根本不應用完成式分詞(perfectparticiple)havingjoined等。原句可翻譯如下:Ijoinedthegovernmentin1990,transferred/wastransferredtotheXDepartmentin1999,andamcurrentlyattachedtotheXTeam。
完成式分詞一般用於緊接着發生的事,或用來解釋事情原因,例如:(1)Havingcarefullyreadthedocument,hesignedit(=Whenhehadcarefullyreadthedocument,hesignedit他細讀文件之後,簽下名字)。(2)Havingbeenbribed(=Ashehadbeenbribed),heturnedablindeyetotheirregularity(他受了賄,對違規視而不見)。