《宋氏快譯》英漢對照（16）：活力飲料催升血壓！

《宋氏快譯》英漢對照（16）：活力飲料催升血壓！

Energy drinks jolt blood pressure, study finds
By Will Dunham
Tue Nov 6, 2007

研究發現活力飲料提升血壓

威爾。頓漢姆 文 宋德利 譯



ORLANDO, Florida (Reuters) - The increasingly popular high-caffeine beverages called energy drinks may do more than give people a jolt of energy -- they may also boost heart rates and blood pressure levels, researchers said on Tuesday.

奧蘭多，佛羅裏達（路透社）-
那些被稱之為活力飲品而日益流行的高咖啡因飲料對人們的影響，遠非僅僅給人們增加一點活力 – 它們可能還會加速心率和提高血壓。


The results of a small study prompted the researchers to advise people who have high blood pressure or heart disease to avoid energy drinks because they could impact their blood pressure or change the effectiveness of their medications.

一次小小的研究結果促使研究者建議高血壓和心髒病患者不喝活力飲品，因為它們可能會影響到他們的血壓，或者改變他們的醫療效果。


The drinks generally have high levels of caffeine and taurine, an amino acid found in protein-rich foods like meat and fish that can affect heart function and blood pressure, the researchers said.

調查者說，飲料一般都含有大量的咖啡因和牛磺酸，以及一種氨基酸，而這種氨基酸在那些能夠影響心髒功能和血壓的肉魚類蛋白質豐富的食品裏才能發現。

注釋：
這段比較複雜，是過去分詞（found）作修飾語的分句裏又套定語從句（that can affect。。。），實際上，過去分詞作修飾語時它本身就是一個隱形的，或說是略縮形式的定語從句。an amino acid found in protein-rich foods like meat and fish that can affect heart function and blood pressure，其實就是an amino acid which can be found in protein-rich foods like meat and fish that can affect heart function and blood pressure。所以說這個句子是定語從句套定語從句，理解起來難度增加，翻譯起來更不容易。全句硬譯就會十分羅嗦：“飲料裏一般都含有高水平的咖啡因和牛磺酸，以及一種隻有在那些能夠影響心髒功能和血壓的肉魚類蛋白質豐富的食品裏才能發現的氨基酸。”什麽叫“ 高水平的咖啡因”，還不就是含量高。


"We saw increases in both blood pressure and heart rate in healthy volunteers who were just sitting in a chair watching movies. They weren't exercising. They were in a resting state," James Kalus of Henry Ford Hospital in Detroit, who led the study, said in an interview.

“我們看到那些坐在椅子裏看電視的健康誌願者血壓和心率水平都在增加。他們不是在鍛煉。他們都處在一種休息狀態，”這次麵談的主持者，底特律亨利。福特醫院的詹姆斯。卡拉斯說。


The increases did not rise to dangerous levels in the group of 15 healthy volunteers, whose average age was 26, the researchers said.

這組健康的誌願者平均年齡在26歲，血壓和心率水平的增加在他們當中還沒有達到危險的程度。


But the increases potentially could be significant in people with cardiovascular disease or those taking drugs to lower heart rate or blood pressure, they told a meeting of the American Heart Association in Orlando, Florida.

但是在那些心血管病患者或依靠服藥來降低心率和血壓的人當中，這一增加卻存在著潛在的影響，調查者在佛羅裏達奧蘭多美國心髒協會的一次會議上這樣說。


"While the amount of caffeine in energy drinks or coffee may cause a slight and temporary increase in blood pressure, it would have no greater effect than walking up a flight of steps," the American Beverage Association industry trade group said in a statement responding to the findings.

活力飲品或咖啡中咖啡因的那點含量可能導致血壓輕微和暫時的增加，但其作用並不比爬一層樓梯的台階大，”美國飲料協會工貿小組在一份回應這些發現所做的聲明中這樣說。


"So singling out energy drinks in a unique manner, particularly when compared to a more commonly consumed caffeinated beverage like coffee, does not provide a full and proper context for consumers."

“咖啡之類的含咖啡因飲料比活力飲品的消費量要大得多。當人們以一種獨特的方式將活力飲品挑選出來，並與含咖啡因飲料相比的時候，並不會恰如其分地向消費者提供全麵的情況。

注釋：
這句話裏最麻煩的就是beverage，前呼後擁的有六個修飾詞或詞組：量詞（a）、比較級（more）、副詞（commonly）、過去分詞（consumed， caffeinated）、詞組（like coffee,），如果這些修飾部分都是簡單的形容詞，其麻煩最多隻不過是多用幾個“的”字。而現在就複雜了，最複雜的就是過去分詞，因為一個過去分詞就代表一個隱形的句子，翻譯成漢語有時則不能隱形。這樣beverage翻譯出來就非常臃腫繁複。正是因為如此，我想按原句的語序直譯或硬譯都極其困難，費了九牛二虎之力，光是beverage一詞前前後後那麽多累贅，加在一起翻譯，when compared to a more commonly consumed caffeinated beverage like coffee全句似乎可以寫成：當人們用活力飲品與像咖啡那樣的更加普遍地被消費的含有咖啡因的飲料相比較的時候“。實在太累贅，我隻好拆開來譯。為了方便，我把這一大串摘下來，放到句首，而且還獨立成句。然後再慢慢地翻譯後麵，這樣翻譯似乎比較輕鬆，脈絡也比較清晰。does not provide a full and proper context for consumers，直譯是：不會向消費者提供完整的恰當的情況。仔細體味，似乎不如把proper當副詞用來修飾動詞provide，翻譯成“恰如其分地向消費者提供完整的情況”。

BOOSTING ENERGY

增加活力

The products have names like Full Throttle, Amp and Rush. Red Bull, made by Austrian company Red Bull GmbH, is a market leader. Beverage companies market various energy drinks as soft drinks that can boost a person's energy.

產品具有類似“開足馬力”（Full Throttle）、“一馬當先”（Amp and Rush）這樣的名字。由 奧地利 公司Red Bull GmbH生產的“紅牛”（Red Bull）是一種市場領軍飲品。飲料公司把各種活力飲品作為能夠增加一個人活力的軟飲料推向市場。


Kalus declined to say which brand of energy drink was used in the study. He said the drinks generally contain similar ingredients, adding, "By giving the brand, it would dilute the message that all of these drinks need to be looked at."

卡拉斯拒絕說出哪一品牌的活力飲品被用於研究。他說飲料一般都含有類似的配料，他還補充道：“如果透露品牌，就會使人們忽視這樣一個信息，即所有這些飲料都需要受到人們的關注。”

注釋：
would dilute the message這句話的意思是“將會淡化這樣一種信息”，我把dilute（淡化）譯成“忽視”。其實這句話有弦外之音，即，如果透露這個品牌，就會使人們的注意力都集中到它上麵，從而忽視其它品牌。其實，所有這些飲料都需要受到人們的關注。


Coca-Cola Co. makes Full Throttle.

可口可樂公司（Coca-Cola Co.）生產“開足馬力”牌（Full Throttle）


The study participants were asked not to consume other forms of caffeine for two days before starting the study and then throughout a study in which they consumed two cans of energy drinks daily over seven days. Each can contained 80 milligrams of caffeine and 1,000 milligrams of taurine.

參加研究的人員按照要求，在開始研究之前的兩天裏，以及在研究的整個過程中，不消費其它品牌的含咖啡因飲料，在為期7天的整個研究過程中，每天隻喝兩罐活力飲品。每罐含80毫克咖啡因和1，000毫克牛磺胺。

注釋：
The study participants were asked，直譯是：“參加研究的人被要求”。這種被動句式在中文裏不太常用。可以改成主動句式“參加研究的人員按照要求”，這種效果似乎略勝一籌。


The volunteers' heart rates rose by about 8 percent on the first day and 11 percent on the seventh day.

誌願者的心律在第一天提高約8%，而在第七天則提高11%。


Maximum systolic blood pressure -- the top number in blood pressure readings that represents pressure while the heart contracts -- rose by 8 percent on the first day and 10 percent on the seventh day, the study showed.

研究表明，血壓最高收縮值 - 心髒血壓讀數刻度板頂端的數字代表心髒收縮時的壓力- 在第一天提升8%，在第七天提升10%。


Diastolic blood pressure -- the bottom number that gives the pressure when the heart relaxes between beats -- rose by 7 percent on the first day and 8 percent on the seventh day.

心髒舒張時的血壓 – 底部的數字代表心髒在搏動之間鬆弛時的壓力 - 第一天提升7%，第七天提升8%。


The study did not identify ingredients responsible for the changes, but Kalus said it probably was caffeine and taurine.

研究沒有證明哪些配料會引起這些變化，但是卡拉斯表示，可能就是咖啡因和氨基酸。

注釋：
responsible for the changes對這些變化負什麽責任，其實就是“會引起這些變化”。


Kalus said the study did not address possible health effects from the way some people consume these drinks, such as mixing them with alcohol.

卡拉斯說，研究沒有提到把飲料與酒精混起來喝之類的消費方式可能給一些人的健康帶來哪些影響。

注釋：
possible health effects from the way some people consume these drinks, 直譯：從一些人消費這些飲料的方式中產生哪些可能的健康影響。其實就是“給健康帶來的影響”。