Resisting the hypnotizing effect of television, I sat in my room for a few evenings with my eyes glued to a book. (New Concept English, Book 3, p. 124)
为了抵御电视机的催眠作用,我在自己房内坐了几个晚上,两眼盯在书上。(《新概念英语》(三),朗文出版公司、世界图书出版公司,1993,p.235)
hypnotize 在这里作“催眠”解吗？
hypnotize 确实有“催眠”的意思,而且,就某些电视节目而言,电视确实有催眠的作用。从整个句子看,似乎看不出这种译法有什么不妥之处。但是,结合上文提到的 I limited myself to two modest ambitions: to do physical exercises every morning and to read more of an evening. , 就可以看出上述译法之不确切了。从原书编者 L. G. Alexander 编写的练习题也可以证明这一点: The writer's efforts to read more have so far failed because (d) he has not been able to resist the hypnotic effects of television. 原来,hypnotize 还有另一个意思:“使着迷”。看来,选择后一词义,比较适合上下文的内容。
有人读到这里可能会问: hypnotize 真的有“使着迷”的含义吗？让我们用权威英语辞书的释义来证明吧。
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If you are hypnotized by something, you are so fascinated by it that you cannot think of anything else. EG The child was hypnotized by the machine. (EED) 如果某事使你着迷，那就是说，你被它迷住了，以致你不能想到其他任何事情，例如，孩子被这台机器迷住了。
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hypnotize vt. 1. to put in a state of hypnosis
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fascinate (《韦氏词典》, 电子版)
[试译]为了抵抗电视的诱惑,我有好几个晚上坐在自己房间里,两眼盯着书本。
hypothesis/hypotheses 见 basis