【问】 Some few of the survivors are still living.
[原译]少数生还者依然健在。(《远东英汉双解成语大辞典》,P.1176,并注明:some few=无几;不多)。some few在口气上到底是“言其多”,还是“言其少”呢?
【答】 some few(some little),如同quite a few,a good few一样,在口气上是“言其多”的,因此,不应译为“无几”、“不多”,而应译为“相当多”、“好多”(quite a lot)。请分析下面的实例:
1. There are some few who can look back upon their childhood with delight.
回顾童年而能够心情愉快的人是相当不少的。
2. Some few of the students are absent today.
今天有不少学生缺席。
[试译]生还者之中还有不少人依然健在。
赵振才 编著.英语常见问题解答大词典.哈尔滨:黑龙江人民出版社.1998.第1075页.