翻译题目
京杭大运河(the Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal)是中国古代劳动人民创造的一项伟大工程。有着2500多年历史的大运河是世界上最古老、工程最大、里程最长的运河。春秋时期(the Spring and Autumn Period)， 吴国(the State of Wu)开凿了从扬州到淮安的运河。后来历经几个朝代的翻修扩建，才形成现今的京杭大运河，运河北通北京南至杭州，全长约1794公里。它对中国南北地区经济、文化发展与交流起了巨大作用。
表达难点
1.第1句中的定语“中国古代劳动人民创造的”较长，故将其处理成后置定语用表被动的过去分词短语created by working people in ancient China来表达。
2.第4句中的“后来历经几个朝代的翻修扩建”翻译时“增译”了副词successively很好地表达出“连续几个朝代”之义。
3.倒数第2句中的“北通北京至杭州”翻译时动词分别用了reach和extend to，避免了用词重复，而且 extend to很好地表达出运河贯穿南北的走向。“全长约17%公里”处理成伴随状语，译作with a length of about 1,794 km.
4.最后一句“它对……起了巨大作用”可套用句型it has played a great important role in…。译文中使用现在完成进行时态，表达出“起作用”的“持续性”。
参考译文
The Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal is a great project created by working peopple in and it China. With a histoiy of more than 2,500 years, it is the longest, largest, and the most ancient canal in the world. In the Spring and Autumn Period, the State of Wu dug a canal from Yangzhou to Huai'an, Later on, the canal had been successively restored and expanded in several dynasties to the existing Beijing-Hangzhou Grand Canal. The Grand Canal reached Beijing in the north and extended to Hangzhou in the south with a length of about 1,794 km. It has been playing a veiy important in promoting the economic and cultural developments and exchanges between the north and the south areas in China.
