关于as well as这个词组，你容易忽略的细节

昨天翻译群的练习里有这样一句话：

Dressing to impress has an environmental cost as well as a financial one.

和我们以前在翻译练习中处理过的许多长难句相比，这句话算是简单的了，但是大家都忽略了一个细节：as well as。

很多人喜欢拿as well as去替换and（有时候的确是可行的），或不管三七二十一直接处理成“和”，似乎as well as两头永远是完全平行并列的选项。

这是一个误区。

看这句话：

The chain’s backers include investment funds who seek social as well as financial returns.这家连锁酒店的投资方包括寻求社会和财务回报的投资基金。

这里直接将as well as直接处理成了“和”，这样是否准确呢？

as well as作连词连接两个名词代词或形容词，并不完全是and的功能，在某些语境下是有侧重的。A as well as B，侧重点在A，相当于not only B but also A。比如：

It has symbolic as well as social significance. （侧重点在symbolic）

Women, as well as men, have a fundamental right to work. （侧重点在women）

因此刚才那句话，真正的意思应该是：

The chain’s backers include investment funds who seek not only financial but also social returns.

再回到开篇的那个句子：

Dressing to impress has an environmental cost as well as a financial one.

正确的意思应该是not only financial cost but also environmental one，重点在environmental cost这里。其实这篇文章说的也是服装产业对环境的影响，可以根据下文对于环境影响的阐述上看出这个侧重，译文可调整为：

穿得引人注目不仅有经济成本，还会给环境造成损失。

除了信息平行这一个误区，as well as还有哪些用法是我们需要关注的呢？

当as well as作为连词的时候，后面跟分句的时候必须连着动词ing形式，不跟动词原形、不定式或句子。比如：

Smoking is dangerous, as well as to make you smell bad. 错

Smoking is dangerous, as well as making you smell bad. 对

He broke the window as well as destroyed the wall. 错

He broke the window as well as destroying the wall. 对

但要注意区分以下这种情况：

She draws as well as designing clothes. 她不但会设计衣服，还会画画呢。

She draws as well as she designs clothes.她的绘画技术和服装设计的能力一样好。

此处的well 是修饰draw的副词。