(a) I never see her but I want to kiss her. (LDCE)
[原译]我从未见过她,但我仍想吻她。(《朗文现代英汉双解词典》,现代出版社、朗文出版公司,1988年,p.178,but条)
(b) Hardly a week passes but I get another good idea. (LDCE)
[原译]刚过一星期,我就有个好主意。(同上)
译文似乎与原意相违背。请分析。
该词典的译者们忽略了句中 but 的真正含义和用法，也没有注意原词典编者所作的注释：(after certain negatives) without it being true that。这就说明句中的 but 并不作“但是”解，而是 but that 的省略形式，作 without v-ing（如果不……）解。never (hardly)... but = “如果不……就不会”，“……就”，“若……就一定”。请研究下面句中 but 的含义：
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I never go past my old school but I think (= without thinking) of Mr Wilkins, the headmaster. (ALD) 每当我走过我的母校时，都会想起校长威尔金斯先生。
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We never arrange a cricket match but it rains. (Wood) 我们一安排板球比赛, 就下雨。
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He never speaks but she contradicts him. (MED) 他一发言,她就反驳他。
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He never comes but that he may scold us. (Curme) 他一来就责骂我们(他不来则已，一来就责骂我们)。
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Never a month passes but she writes to her old parents. (OSD) 没有一个月她不给她年老的父母写信。
试译我没有一次见到她而不想吻她。
(b) 几乎没有一周我不产生另一个好主意。
[参见 but that , never(never...but)]
no one but... 见 no one but
not... but 见 not... but
nothing but 见 nothing