我們平常看到正式文件中同一實詞的使用率很高，特別是"發展"、"現象"、"問題"、"關系"這一類意義較抽象的詞。而在英語中，重復用詞是不太受歡迎的。
The King's English中有: "…the words repeated would ordinarily be either varied
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."
單其昌先生也說：英譯文中不要總用同一個詞匯或短語，如果用得太多，會使讀者感到厭煩，因此用詞要多樣化。
下次請看一篇漢譯英的例子：
我國同廣大發展中國家的友好關系繼續加強，與周邊國家的睦鄰友好合作關系全面發展。去年，我國同俄羅斯和中亞四國共同宣布建立"上海合作組織"；在第五次中國-東盟領導人會議上，我國與東盟一致同意今后10年內逐步建立中國-東盟自由貿易區。我國同朝鮮、韓國和南亞各國的關系穩步發展。我國同非洲、拉美國家友好合作取得新的發展，與阿拉伯各國和其他伊斯蘭國家的友好關系進一步發展。
一段話中"發展"（作動詞和名詞時）、"關系"各出現了四次。如果不重視詞語變換使用技巧來翻譯，譯文的效果肯定不理想。然而如果稍動腦筋，靈活地變換用詞，文章定會增色不少，下文就是一篇比較成功的例子：
China and other developing countries have strengthened their friendly
relations. 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 jointly 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 steadily /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.
有時中文中的重復正是為了強調，然而這種強調照搬到英文中未必就有相同的效果。下一組譯文就證明了英文里變換有時比重復更有說服力：
世界要和平，人民要合作，國家要發展，社會要進步，是時代的潮流。
The world needs peace. The people want cooperation. Nations aspire for
development. Society seeks progress. This is the trend of our
times.
一個"要"的多種譯法就能讓譯文更為生動，避免讓讀者產生厭煩和排斥。漢譯英時要非常注意，記住King's
English中所言，如果一個重復使用的詞不能vary，就只好被left out.
（北京交通大學通訊員黃鶯鶯
英語點津姍姍編輯）
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