【问】 下面译文均选自正式出版物，我怀疑译文的正确性。

(1) This airplane flies two times as fast as that one.(《翻译通讯》，1982年第2期)

[原译]这架飞机的飞行速度比那一架快两倍。

(2) He has five times as many books as you.

[原译]他拥有比你多五倍的书。(《学生活用词典》)

(3) He is twice as strong as he was.

[原译]他比从前强两倍了。(《英华大辞典》)

【答】 我国有的英语学者认为，在“倍数+as+形容词或副词原级+as的句型中，翻译时包括基数在内，把英语句中的倍数照译不减。”①我们认为，这种说法和译法是不符合现代英语的实际情况的。在现代英语里，“A is n times as large as B”的意思是“A的大小是B的n倍”或“A比B大n—1倍”。因此，第一个例句应当译为“这架飞机的飞行速度是那架飞机的两倍。”或“这架飞机的飞行速度比那架快一倍。”让我们从英文原著中援引几个倍数可以验算的例证：

1. The data in Table 2，taken with exactly the same arrangement as before but with theforce doubled，shows that the velocity increases twice as fast as before instead of △v/△t=14cm/sec2 we obtain △v/△t=28cm/sec2. (PSSC，Physics)

用与前次实验完全相同的装置但用二倍的力，我们得出了表2中的数据，它们表明速度的增快是前次的二倍。我们得到要△v/△t=28厘米/秒²，而不是△v/△t=14厘米秒²。

2. Moreover，if we make the force three times as large by putting three identical loops sideby side，we triple the acceleration. (PSSC，Physics)

此外，如果我们用三个并排的同样的环，使力增大到三倍，加速度也会增大到三倍。

3. A large part of the sulfuric acid of commerce today is made directly from sulfur. Sulfuris about twice as dense as water，insoluble in water but soluble in carbon disulfide，anonconductor of electricity，and has no marked odor.

今天，大部分商业用硫酸都是直接从硫制取的。硫的密度大约比水大一倍，不溶于水，但可溶于二硫化碳，不导电，也没有明显的气味。

关于这一点英语语言学家们也作过精确的解释：

1. They want at least to double their salaries.(= ‘twice as much as they now earn’) (ACommunicative Grammar of English，P.228)

他们要求把他们的工资增加一倍。

2. I wish I had twice his strength. (=I wish I was twice as strong as he. )(同上)

我真希望我的力量比他的大一倍。

3. I have three times as much as I want. ( =У меня втрое больше，чем мне нужно.)(《英俄大辞典》第二卷，P.70)

我所拥有的比我所需要的多两倍。