参考翻译:
The Qing Ming Festival is an important traditionalChinese festival which usually falls around April 5 inthe solar calendar. It started from Zhou Dynasty,with a history of over 2,500 years. The Qing MingFestival is an occasion for Chinese people to offersacrifices to ancestors. Offering sacrifices to the departed on the Qing Ming festival actuallyshows that the living miss, respect and love the dead. The Qing Ming Festival is close to anotherChinese traditional festival "Cold Food Day"; therefore, eating cold food has turned into one ofthe customs of the day. Besides tomb-sweeping,there are also other customs and activities likeswinging on that day. At present, the Qing Ming Festival has become an important intangiblecultural heritage in China.
1.第一句话有两个分句,不必翻译成两个简单句。可把“清明节是中国重要的传统节日”作为句子主干,将“通常在4月5日左右”处理为which引导的定语从句修饰主语“清明节”,这样译文显得简洁紧凑。
2.翻译第二句话“它始于…,有…历史”时,“有…历史”可用“with+名词短语”结构,即a history of...来表达。
3.在“清明节是中国人祭祀祖先的日子”这句话中,“日子”这个词汇很容易被翻译成a day,此处建议采用an occasion“场合”,这样更能表达出英文要传达的正式、庄重的意境。
4.在“…体现了生者对逝者的思念与敬爱”这句话中,可以把名词“思念”和“敬爱”转化为动词,译成the livingmiss, respect and love the dead,这样比较简洁易懂。
5.“吃寒食也成为清明节的习俗之一”这句话中,“成为”可以翻译为has become,也可以译为has turnedinto,后者更能体现习俗慢慢演变的过程。