Five years ago Premier Chou En-lai promised to send me an invitation to visit China every fifth year until I was two hundred! [许国璋编《英语》(三), p. 169]
[原译]五年前,周恩来总理答应说,每隔五年邀请我来中国访问一次,直到我200岁。有人说,every fifth year 应译为“每隔四年”。究竟哪个译法符合原意呢?
首先应指出,我国各种辞书对 every three(four, five) days(weeks, months, years) 和 every third(fourth, fifth) day (week, month, year) 的译法是不同的。
1.《英语惯用法大辞典》:every three weeks 或 every third week 作“每隔三个星期”解。
2.《英汉大辞典》: Take a pill every three hours. 每隔三小时吃一粒药。
3.《新英汉辞典》: receive an injection every three days(或 every third day) 每三天打一针
4.《英华大词典》:every four days = every fourth day 每隔三日,每逢第四日
我们可以这样来研究这个问题：
every other line(day) = 每隔一行(每隔一天), 即每第二行(每逢第二天)
every third line(day) = 每隔二行(每隔二天), 即每第三行(每逢第三天)
every fourth line(day) = 每隔三行(每隔三天), 即每第四行(每逢第四天)
every fifth line(day) = 每隔四行(每隔四天), 即每第五行(每逢第五天)
由此可以证明, every fifth day(year) = 每隔四天(年)或每逢第五天(年)或每五天(年), 以此类推。