【问】 It does not follow from my ignorance of the fact that I was entirely indifferent.

[原译]我漠不关心并不是由于我对那事实全然不知而来的。(钱歌川：《英文一日一题)，P.97)》

it follows from…that是指“由于……而来”吗?

【答】 follow from确实有“从……而来”的意思，例如：

1. From diffrent stands there follow different attitudes.

不同的立场就有不同的态度。

2. And，finally，because today we in Germany are still having to endure the consequenceswhich Marx predicted would follow from these events.

最后，因为我们在德国至今还不得不忍受马克思预言过的这些事变的结果。

3. Your statement doesn’t follow from the original premise. (MD)

你的论断并不是从最初前提得出来的。

但在it follows from…that这个句型里，follow from不作“从……而来”解，而作“从……可知”、“从……可以得出……的结论”解。it是先行词，充当形式主语，that-clause是主语从句，表示结论的内容。COD对follow的释义是“be deducible”，New English-Russian Dictionary的译文是следовать，логически витекать из(遗憾的是《新英汉辞典》等国内出版的各类词典均未收入这一重要含义)。下面让我们举几个实例：

1. It follows from the above considerations that scientists，whether they like it or not，arebecoming involved in government，and hence in politics itself，to a far greater extentthan ever before.

从以上所谈的种种情况可以看出，科学家们不管愿意与否已开始比以往任何时候都更加深入地卷入到政府事务中去，因而也就卷入到政治中去。

2. Because a lad does not happen to be strong，it does not necessarily follow that a sea-lifewould not suit him.

不能因为一个小伙子碰巧身体不大强壮，就说他一定不适于过海上生活。

3. It follows from what you have said that no one can really be held responsible for his conduct. (Wood)

从你所说的可以看出，没有一个人能真正地为他的行为负责。

[试译]不能因为我对这事一无所知，就说我对它漠不关心。

(本条部分内容曾在《翻译通讯》1983年第3期上发表过)