《宋氏快译》英汉对照（16）：活力饮料催升血压！

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

研究发现活力饮料提升血压

威尔。顿汉姆 文 宋德利 译



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.

奥兰多，佛罗里达（路透社）-
那些被称之为活力饮品而日益流行的高咖啡因饮料对人们的影响，远非仅仅给人们增加一点活力 – 它们可能还会加速心率和提高血压。


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.

一次小小的研究结果促使研究者建议高血压和心脏病患者不喝活力饮品，因为它们可能会影响到他们的血压，或者改变他们的医疗效果。


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.

调查者说，饮料一般都含有大量的咖啡因和牛磺酸，以及一种氨基酸，而这种氨基酸在那些能够影响心脏功能和血压的肉鱼类蛋白质丰富的食品里才能发现。

注释：
这段比较复杂，是过去分词（found）作修饰语的分句里又套定语从句（that can affect。。。），实际上，过去分词作修饰语时它本身就是一个隐形的，或说是略缩形式的定语从句。an amino acid found in protein-rich foods like meat and fish that can affect heart function and blood pressure，其实就是an amino acid which can be found in protein-rich foods like meat and fish that can affect heart function and blood pressure。所以说这个句子是定语从句套定语从句，理解起来难度增加，翻译起来更不容易。全句硬译就会十分罗嗦：“饮料里一般都含有高水平的咖啡因和牛磺酸，以及一种只有在那些能够影响心脏功能和血压的肉鱼类蛋白质丰富的食品里才能发现的氨基酸。”什么叫“ 高水平的咖啡因”，还不就是含量高。


"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.

“我们看到那些坐在椅子里看电视的健康志愿者血压和心率水平都在增加。他们不是在锻炼。他们都处在一种休息状态，”这次面谈的主持者，底特律亨利。福特医院的詹姆斯。卡拉斯说。


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

这组健康的志愿者平均年龄在26岁，血压和心率水平的增加在他们当中还没有达到危险的程度。


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药来降低心率和血压的人当中，这一增加却存在着潜在的影响，调查者在佛罗里达奥兰多美国心脏协会的一次会议上这样说。


"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.

活力饮品或咖啡中咖啡因的那点含量可能导致血压轻微和暂时的增加，但其作用并不比爬一层楼梯的台阶大，”美国饮料协会工贸小组在一份回应这些发现所做的声明中这样说。


"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."

“咖啡之类的含咖啡因饮料比活力饮品的消费量要大得多。当人们以一种独特的方式将活力饮品挑选出来，并与含咖啡因饮料相比的时候，并不会恰如其分地向消费者提供全面的情况。

注释：
这句话里最麻烦的就是beverage，前呼后拥的有六个修饰词或词组：量词（a）、比较级（more）、副词（commonly）、过去分词（consumed， caffeinated）、词组（like coffee,），如果这些修饰部分都是简单的形容词，其麻烦最多只不过是多用几个“的”字。而现在就复杂了，最复杂的就是过去分词，因为一个过去分词就代表一个隐形的句子，翻译成汉语有时则不能隐形。这样beverage翻译出来就非常臃肿繁复。正是因为如此，我想按原句的语序直译或硬译都极其困难，费了九牛二虎之力，光是beverage一词前前后后那么多累赘，加在一起翻译，when compared to a more commonly consumed caffeinated beverage like coffee全句似乎可以写成：当人们用活力饮品与像咖啡那样的更加普遍地被消费的含有咖啡因的饮料相比较的时候“。实在太累赘，我只好拆开来译。为了方便，我把这一大串摘下来，放到句首，而且还独立成句。然后再慢慢地翻译后面，这样翻译似乎比较轻松，脉络也比较清晰。does not provide a full and proper context for consumers，直译是：不会向消费者提供完整的恰当的情况。仔细体味，似乎不如把proper当副词用来修饰动词provide，翻译成“恰如其分地向消费者提供完整的情况”。

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.

产品具有类似“开足马力”（Full Throttle）、“一马当先”（Amp and Rush）这样的名字。由 奥地利 公司Red Bull GmbH生产的“红牛”（Red Bull）是一种市场领军饮品。饮料公司把各种活力饮品作为能够增加一个人活力的软饮料推向市场。


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."

卡拉斯拒绝说出哪一品牌的活力饮品被用于研究。他说饮料一般都含有类似的配料，他还补充道：“如果透露品牌，就会使人们忽视这样一个信息，即所有这些饮料都需要受到人们的关注。”

注释：
would dilute the message这句话的意思是“将会淡化这样一种信息”，我把dilute（淡化）译成“忽视”。其实这句话有弦外之音，即，如果透露这个品牌，就会使人们的注意力都集中到它上面，从而忽视其它品牌。其实，所有这些饮料都需要受到人们的关注。


Coca-Cola Co. makes Full Throttle.

可口可乐公司（Coca-Cola Co.）生产“开足马力”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.

参加研究的人员按照要求，在开始研究之前的两天里，以及在研究的整个过程中，不消费其它品牌的含咖啡因饮料，在为期7天的整个研究过程中，每天只喝两罐活力饮品。每罐含80毫克咖啡因和1，000毫克牛磺胺。

注释：
The study participants were asked，直译是：“参加研究的人被要求”。这种被动句式在中文里不太常用。可以改成主动句式“参加研究的人员按照要求”，这种效果似乎略胜一筹。


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

志愿者的心律在第一天提高约8%，而在第七天则提高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，血压最高收缩值 - 心脏血压读数刻度板顶端的数字代表心脏收缩时的压力- 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.

心脏舒张时的血压 – 底部的数字代表心脏在搏动之间松弛时的压力 - 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.

研究没有证明哪些配料会引起这些变化，但是卡拉斯表示，可能就是咖啡因和氨基酸。

注释：
responsible for the changes对这些变化负什么责任，其实就是“会引起这些变化”。


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

卡拉斯说，研究没有提到把饮料与酒精混起来喝之类的消费方式可能给一些人的健康带来哪些影响。

注释：
possible health effects from the way some people consume these drinks, 直译：从一些人消费这些饮料的方式中产生哪些可能的健康影响。其实就是“给健康带来的影响”。