一、英语词汇翻译的多样性
在William Thackeray的小说Vanity Fair(名利场)一书中，作者描绘女子学校校长巴巴拉·平克顿给其学生写的推荐书时是这样写的：
1.Although schoolmistresses’ letters are to be trusted no more nor less than churchyardepitaphs;yet, as it sometimes happens that a person departs his life，who is really deserving ofall the praises the stone-cutter carves over his bones;who is a good Christian，a goodparent，child，wife or husband;who actually does leave a disconsolate family to morn his loss;...
这一段杨必先生译为：
一般说来，校长的信和墓志铭一样靠不住。不过偶然也有几个死人当得起石匠刻在他们朽骨上的好话，真的是虔诚的教徒，慈爱的父母，孝顺的儿女，尽职的丈夫，贤良的妻子，他们家里的人也真的哀思绵绵地追悼他们。
一个“good”，译得何等文采风流!“虔诚的”、“慈爱的”、“孝顺的”、“贤良的”、“尽职的”不都是在具体语境中从“好的”一词升华出来的吗?
2.A thin man in a thin overcoat watched them out of thin, emotionless eyes.(JamesThurber：One Is A Wanderer)
一个骨瘦如柴、衣服单薄、双目失神的男子注视着他们。
I am busy today.
I have a busy day.(……)
3.Some fishing boats were becalmed lust in front of us.Their shadows slept，or almostslept, upon the water，a gentle quivering alone showing that it was not complete sleep，or ifsleep，that it was sleep with dreams.
眼前不远，渔舟三五，凝滞不前，樯影斜映水上，仿佛睡去，偶尔微见颤动，似又未曾熟睡，恍若惊梦。
这是一个充满诗情画意的段落。其中sleep(slept)一词出现五次，如果将它们逐个译成“睡”字，大煞风景。译者经过处理，只译出其中三个，分别为“斜映”、“睡去”、“熟睡”，无一简单重复，而另有两个隐去。译得如此丰富多彩，首先在于对原文意蕴的深入发掘和理解。同时也有赖于译者运用语言的娴熟手法。
4.A great company came to the exhibition.(a group of people)
许多人参加了展览会。
The company are now enjoying a feast.(a number of people combined with a commonpurpose)
那一行人正在进餐。
He kept me company.(He is my guest)
他是我的客人。
We have company today.(invited guest)
今天我们请客。
The ship’s company assembled on the deck for inspection. (a ship’s crew)
全体船员在甲板上等候检阅。
以上例句中都有一个“company”，在不同的语境中就有了不同的含义(见括号内解释)。又如：In marriedlife three is company and two none.此句中的 “company”中的意思又与上面的例子不一样，意思是“和谐”，所以全句的意思是“结婚以后，有了孩子才成其为家”。由此我们想到汉语的成语“两个和尚抬水吃，三个和尚没水喝”可以译成“In social life，two is company and three is none.”正确理解多义词的关键是正确把握语境，也就是上下文，关于这一点我们还要进一步讨论。
