Day和一天的關(guān)系

翻譯辨誤之“Day”就是“一天”嗎？

原文：At the end of the day, it's his responsibility, and there's nothing you can do.

譯文：到這一天結(jié)束的時候/到了晚上，這就是他的責任了，你什么也不能做。

辨析：譯文讓人覺得不知所云，誤譯的原因在于未能理解句首成語的確切含義，而是照字面揣測。At the end of the day 是英語成語，常用于口語，意思是when all is taken into consideration（當一切都考慮進去時，即分析了各種可能性后得出結(jié)論）或when everything has happened or been settled。

所以原文可譯為：不管怎么說，這是他的責任，你一點兒辦法也沒有。

帶有at the end of...的英語成語很多，下列句子僅是幾例：

1.With all the homework to be done, he was at the end of his rope.

有那么多功課要做，他簡直累壞了。

At the end of his rope意思是“束手無策”、“筋疲力盡”或“忍無可忍”，也作at the end of one's row at the end of one's tether

2.Their washing machine has long been at the end of the road.

他們的洗衣機早就壞了。

At the end of the road意思是“用壞的”、“完蛋的”，與“路”沒關(guān)系。

3.A hundred years ago, this place was at the end of the rainbow, and people were rushing there through all means.

一百年前，那兒是（美國）實現(xiàn)夢想的地方，人們千方百計到那兒去。The end of the rainbow出自神話傳說，指“所有愿望都能實現(xiàn)的地方”

英語里有很多成語，其意思從字面上看不出來，常構(gòu)成翻譯的誤區(qū)，所以翻譯時要勤查字典。