例5:Higher temperatures mean faster evaporation of water in the soils and more transpiration of water through the stomata of the leaves of plants(the combination of evaporation and transpiration is called evapotranspiration) .Climate change threatens the soil moistures, which in turn threatens the productivity of crops.
译文:气温上升意味着土壤中水分的蒸发速度提高,水分通过植物叶面气孔的蒸腾速度加快(蒸发与蒸腾的结合称为“蒸散”)。气候变化不利于土壤水分的保持:从而使农作物的产量受到威胁。
例6:These environmental threats and changes come in many shapes and forms. Climate change is the biggest of all. As the climate changes in complex ways under the force of human emissions of green-
house gases(GHGs) , for many parts of the world these changes will be highly adverse for food production.
译文:环境危机和环境变化形式多样,各不相同。其中,气候变化是最大的威胁。由于人类大量排放温室气体(GHGs) ,导致气候变化复杂,使农作物在世界许多地区都难以生长,给这些地区的粮食生产带来极为不利的影响。
例7:Warming also will be accompanied by changes in regional and global precipitation patterns...Climate change will also mean rising sea levels. Coastal lowlands that are farmed right now will be threatened.
译文:随着气候变暖,区域和全球降雨模式也将发生变化……气候变暖还意味着海平面上升。沿海低海拔地带的现有耕地将受到威胁,
例8:All of these environmental threats-climate change, ocean acidification, chemical pollutants,invasive species, retreating glaciers, excessive pumping of groundwater and river flows一emphasize the fact that farm systems, more than any other human activity, are dependent on the climate and environments we know and have had for the past centuries. Our food supplies are dependent on the known hydrologic patterns, ocean chemistry:and patterns of biodiversity, all of which are now undergoing enormous and rapid human-driven change. The human pressures on the planet are creating a new world-the Anthropocene-and it will be a dangerous one from the point of view of food security.
译文:所有的这些环境威胁,包括气候变化、海洋酸化、化学污染、物种入侵、冰川消退、以及地下水和河流资源的过度开发,都在凸显这样一个事实:在过去的几个世纪中,农业系统比其他任何人类活动都依赖于气候和环境。粮食供应受到现有的水文模式、海洋化学以及生物多样性模式的影响,而不当的人类活动导致这些影响因素正在发生巨大且快速的变化。随着人类活动对气候和环境产生的压力,一个新的世界——“人类世(the Anthropocene)”正在孕育而生。然而,从粮食安全的角度来看,这个新世界将给地球带来严重的危机。
例5中“soil moistures”表示“土壤水分”,但根据上文语篇提及的“气温上升意味着土壤中水分的蒸发速度提高”得出气候变化不仅仅威胁着土壤水分,更强调的是“土壤水分的不蒸发”,即将其转译为“土壤水分的保持”,这样翻译更好地遵循了语篇的逻辑语义关系。例6对译文进行合理增译,根据汉语习惯,首先在原文的基础上添加了方位词“其中”,将“环境危机和变化”(environmental threats and changes)和“气候变化”(Climate change)隐含关系表达出来——“气候变化”是“环境危机和变化”威胁最大的一种表现形式,帮助目标语读者理解原文想要传达的意思;其次,补充气候变化复杂给粮食生产带来极为不利影响的原因“使农作物在世界许多地区都难以生长”,让译文在语义上符合汉语的表达习惯,在语篇层面与原文保持一致,实现了译文的连贯、通顺。例7根据上文语篇,将“Climate change”转换为“气候变暖”,代替“气候变化”,更加符合语篇的连贯性,实现目标语文本与源语文本的功能对等。例8同样对译文进行合理的增译,根据上文语篇内容将“人类活动”精确为“不正当的人类活动”,实现篇章等值与连贯。最后一句话的两个分句之间看似没有任何逻辑关系,但从语义来看,上文语篇的“creating a new world”代表积极的事情,下文中“it will be a dangerous one...”意味着这个新世界将对地球带来严重的危机,代表消极的方面。因此,译者将并列连词“and”转译为对等连词“然而”,使译文恰到好处地衔接语篇前后的语义关系,帮助目标语读者顺利阅读,准确理解原文的含义。因此,语篇层面的转换是译者在英汉生态科技翻译实践中必须考虑的因素之一。