句子:央視調查結果顯示,2010年我國人民的幸福指數為44.7。
誤譯:The result of a survey by CCTV shows that the people’s happiness quotient in our country was 44.7 in 2010.
正譯:The result of a survey by CCTV shows that the people’s happiness index in our country was 44.7 in 2010.
解釋:quotient 的意思是 a number which is the result when one number is divided by another,是一個數被另一個數所除的結果,即“商數”或“商”,與“指數”是不同的概念。“幸福指數”應譯為 happiness index。例如:
1. 當6被2 除時,商是3。When six is divided by two, the quotient is three。
“指數”的第一個意思是純數學概念,表示“一個數目自乘若干次的數字”。英語可以譯為 index, index number, exponent, power。例如:
2. 指數是一個數學符號,表明一個數目自乘若干次的數字。 An exponent is a mathematical notation that implies the number of times a number is to be multiplied by itself。
“指數”的第二個意思是經濟學概念,表明“經濟現象變動的程度”。英語可以譯為 index,其復數形式為 indexes或 indices。例如:3. 三月份中國經濟繼續快速增長,而其通脹指數攀升至32個月的新高。
China’s economy continued its rapid expansion in March as the inflation index climbed to a 32-month high。
4. 居民消費價格指數,衡量通脹的主要依據,在三月份同比增長5.4%。The consumer price index, a main gauge of inflation, rose by 5.4 percent year-on-year in March。
5. 在這個亞洲國家,工業生產指數自2005年一直在增長。The industrial production index has been rising since 2005 in this Asian country。
6. 今天上午道瓊斯指數跌了15點。The Dow Jones index fell 15 points this morning。
7. 在這個歐洲國家,就業指數在過去三個月里從48.4 降到 43.6。In this European country, employment index has fallen from 48.4 to 43.6 over the past three months.