四级翻译练习：刺绣
中国是丝绸的故乡，因而有很多与丝绸相关的艺术，刺绣就是其中的一种。1 刺绣是中国民间传统手工艺之一，至少有两三千年的历史。从事刺绣的多为女子，因此刺绣又被称为“女红”。2 刺绣在中国受到人们的广泛喜爱。刺绣可用来装饰衣物，如在衣服、被子、枕套等物品上绣上美丽的图案，也可制作成特别的饰品。3 中国有四大名绣：苏州的苏绣、广东的粤绣、湖南的湘绣以及四川的蜀绣。4 各种绣法不仅风格有差异，主题也各有不同。5 其中，苏州的苏绣最负盛名。
参考译文：
China is home to silk, thereby having a variety of arts related to silk, one of which is embroidery. Embroidery, with at least two or three thousand years of history, is one of the traditional Chinese folk arts and crafts. Since most embroiderers are women, it is also called “women’s needlework”. Embroidery has been widely popular among the Chinese people. It can be used to decorate clothing and other articles of daily use. For example, clothes, quilts, pillowcases etc. can be embroidered with beautiful designs, or a piece of embroidery can be made for a special ornament. There are four most famous types of embroidery in China – respectively from Suzhou, Guangdong, Hunan, and Sichuan – each having its own style and different themes. Among the four, Suzhou embroidery has enjoyed the highest reputation.
翻译简析
1 本句的翻译需留意英文句子结构，用了thereby和one of which等连接词语，主次分明，结构严谨。“丝绸的故乡”译为home to silk，也可译为the home of silk。
2 “从事刺绣的”可直译为embroiderer。“女红”这个中国文化特色词无对应的英语词汇，此处意译为women’s needlework。
3 本句采用了分译法，例子另译为一句，便于读者理解。
4 本句谈到四大名绣分别出自不同地区，译文用介词from，简洁明了。
5 本句与上一句语义联系紧密，合译为一句，结构自然紧凑。
