真题
中国的传统节日小年通常在农历腊月二十三或二十四庆祝。小年被视为春节的前奏，标志着春节准备工作的开始。在这一天，人们会祭灶神，希望灶神能在年终向玉皇大帝汇报时说好话。祭灶神的习俗源于古代对火的崇拜，人们相信灶神掌管着家庭的饮食和健康。除了祭灶神，人们还会进行大扫除，清理家中的灰尘和杂物，寓意着扫除旧年的晦气，迎接新年的吉祥。小年是一个重要的节日，它不仅承载着人们对新年的期待，也体现了中国传统文化中对家庭和和谐的重视。
 
参考译文
The Chinese traditional festival, Xiaonian, is usually celebrated on the twenty-third or twenty-fourth day of the twelfth lunar month. Xiaonian is regarded as the prelude to the Spring Festival, marking the beginning of the preparations for the Spring Festival. On this day, people offer sacrifices to the Kitchen God, hoping that he will speak well of them to the Jade Emperor when reporting at the end of the year. The custom of offering sacrifices to the Kitchen God originates from the ancient worship of fire, and people believe that the Kitchen God is in charge of the family's diet and health. In addition to offering sacrifices to the Kitchen God, people also conduct a thorough cleaning of their homes, removing dust and clutter, which symbolizes sweeping away the bad luck of the old year and welcoming the good fortune of the new year. Xiaonian is an important festival that not only carries people's expectations for the new year but also reflects the emphasis on family and harmony in Chinese traditional culture.
 
翻译要点分析
节日名称和时间的描述
“中国的传统节日小年通常在农历腊月二十三或二十四庆祝”
翻译为：The Chinese traditional festival, Xiaonian, is usually celebrated on the twenty-third or twenty-fourth day of the twelfth lunar month。
使用“is usually celebrated on...”来表达“通常在……庆祝”，直接说明时间。
“小年被视为春节的前奏，标志着春节准备工作的开始”
翻译为：Xiaonian is regarded as the prelude to the Spring Festival, marking the beginning of the preparations for the Spring Festival。
使用“is regarded as”来表达“被视为……”，“marking...”说明其象征意义。
祭灶神的描述
“在这一天，人们会祭灶神，希望灶神能在年终向玉皇大帝汇报时说好话”
翻译为：On this day, people offer sacrifices to the Kitchen God, hoping that he will speak well of them to the Jade Emperor when reporting at the end of the year。
使用“offer sacrifices to”来表达“祭……”，“hoping that...”说明人们的期望。
“祭灶神的习俗源于古代对火的崇拜，人们相信灶神掌管着家庭的饮食和健康”
翻译为：The custom of offering sacrifices to the Kitchen God originates from the ancient worship of fire, and people believe that the Kitchen God is in charge of the family's diet and health。
使用“originates from”来表达“源于……”，“is in charge of”对应“掌管着……”。
大扫除的描述
“除了祭灶神，人们还会进行大扫除，清理家中的灰尘和杂物，寓意着扫除旧年的晦气，迎接新年的吉祥”
翻译为：In addition to offering sacrifices to the Kitchen God, people also conduct a thorough cleaning of their homes, removing dust and clutter, which symbolizes sweeping away the bad luck of the old year and welcoming the good fortune of the new year。
使用“in addition to”来表达“除了……之外”，“conduct a thorough cleaning”对应“进行大扫除”，“removing dust and clutter”说明具体做法，“symbolizes...”说明其寓意。
节日意义的描述
“小年是一个重要的节日，它不仅承载着人们对新年的期待，也体现了中国传统文化中对家庭和和谐的重视”
翻译为：Xiaonian is an important festival that not only carries people's expectations for the new year but also reflects the emphasis on family and harmony in Chinese traditional culture。
使用“not only... but also...”结构来表达“不仅……而且……”，“carries people's expectations”对应“承载着人们的期待”，“reflects the emphasis on...”对应“体现了……的重视”。
 
翻译技巧
使用被动语态
在描述祭灶神的习俗时，使用被动语态（如“is regarded as”“originates from”），使句子更加客观。
列举法
使用“such as...”来列举具体做法，使句子更加简洁明了。
定语从句的运用
在描述大扫除的寓意时，使用定语从句“which symbolizes...”来进一步说明其意义。
固定搭配
使用“is usually celebrated on...”“is regarded as”“offer sacrifices to”“originates from”“is in charge of”“conduct a thorough cleaning”“removing dust and clutter”“symbolizes”等固定搭配，使翻译更加地道。