We are even farther removed from the unfocused newspaper reviews published in England between the turn of the 20th century and the eve of World War II, at a time when newsprint was dirt-cheap and stylish arts criticism was considered an ornament to the publications in which it appeared.
译文:我们与20世纪初至二战前夕英国的杂感式报纸评论就更是无缘了,当时,新闻用纸价廉如土,风格独特的艺术评论被看作是对刊登它的出版物的一种装饰。
句子分析:
关于长难句的翻译,我们首先应该做的是断句,理清句子各部分的结构及成分,其次翻译,最后调整语序,通读译文!在断句的时候,我们可以看句子本身是否存在标点,可以根据标点去断句。倘若整个句子无标点,我们可以根据连词比如:when / since/ because/ that/ which 等去断句,或者介词比如:in /at / on/ without/ beyond 等去断句。
回归到本句,不难看出本句没有标点,我们可以利用连词及介词等断句,如下所示:We are even farther removed/ from the unfocused newspaper reviews published /in England /between the turn of the 20th century /and the eve of World War II, /at a time /when newsprint was dirt-cheap / and stylish arts criticism was considered an ornament to the publications /in which it appeared.
通过断句,我们可以发现句子主干为:We (主语)are (系动词)even farther removed(表语) from the unfocused newspaper reviews(状语);published in England between the turn of the 20th century and the eve of World War II 作后置定语修饰reviews, 很明显published 修饰的是reviews, focused 一般理解为焦点的,聚焦的,有重点的,focused newspaper 可以译为主题鲜明的报纸,那么unfocused newspaper 则为主题多样的报纸,杂感式报纸故此部分可以译为:我们与20世纪初至二战前夕英国的杂感式报纸评论就更是无缘了。
剩余部分,at a time为介词短语 作World War II,的同位语,介词短语其后紧跟两个定语从句,at a time (先行词)when(关系副词) newsprint(主语) was dirt-cheap(谓语) and (并列连词)stylish arts criticism(主语) was considered (谓语)an ornament to the publications in which it appeared(整体作宾语,其中,which 关系代词,先行词为the publications),该部分中的生词,ornament 译为装饰,摆设,点缀。dirt-cheap 译为毫无价值的,戏如粪土的,非常便宜的。stylish 译为时髦的,现代风格的,潇洒的,雅致的。arts criticism 译为艺术评论。故此部分译为:当时,新闻用纸价廉如土,风格独特的艺术评论被看作是对刊登它的出版物的一种装饰。
综合考虑,采用顺译的方法,本句译文为:我们与20世纪初至二战前夕英国的杂感式报纸评论就更是无缘了,当时,新闻用纸价廉如土,风格独特的艺术评论被看作是对刊登它的出版物的一种装饰。