西湖是中国最著名的旅游景点之一。它位于浙江省省会杭州，水域面积约6平方公里。几个世纪以来，西湖一直以来其秀美风景和文化古迹(cultural heritages)而闻名于世西湖三面环山，一面临城，春夏秋冬各有特色，将自然历史，艺术巧妙地融合在一起。每年西湖都会吸引上千万的游客到杭州观光旅游，杭州也因其自身的魅力，被称之为“人间天堂”。

　　表达难点

　　1.第2句“它位于浙江省省会杭州，水域面积约6平方公里”是并列结构，如果翻译时也采用并列结构，则句子结构稍显松散，故将前一分句处理成非谓语形式，用过去分词短语located in Hangzhou…作地点状语，后半句译为句子的谓语成分。

　　2.第3句的时间状语“几个世纪以来”用介词短语for centuries来表达即可，“几个”several可不译。

　　3.第4句分句较多，前两句意思紧密，可合译成一个独立的句子。后半句的“春夏秋冬”不必一一道出，只需译为in different seasons或in four seasons.“将……融合在一起”可处理成“春夏秋冬各有特色”的伴随动作，用现在分词短语combining…来表达。

　　4.最后一句中前后两分句主语不同，翻译时，可以“西湖”为主语，表达为the West Lake attracts…，再用 which引导的非限制性定语从句来补充说明杭州，引出后—分句的内容。这样一来，整个句子结构清晰，语义联系更紧密。

　　参考译文

　　The West Lake is one of the most famous tourist attractions in China. Located in Hangzhou capital of Zhejiang Province, it covers a water area of around 6 square kilometer. For centuries, it has been well-known for both its beautiful landscape and cultural heritages. The West Lake is surrounded by mountains or three sides and the remaining side is connected with the city. It has its unique features in different seasons, combining skillfully nature, history and art. Every year, the West Lake attracts tens of millions of visitors to Hangzhou, which is known as “paradise on earth” because of its charm.