最近知新共学的外刊群和翻译群经常碰到where的一个特殊用法,表示事物之间的对比,比如外刊群读过的这个句子:
Where Mr Wilson focuses on the origins of creativity, Anthony Brandt and David Eagleman, a composer and a neuroscientist, focus in “The Runaway Species” on the act of creation.
还有翻译群翻译过的这个句子:
Where now a worker might pop into the coffee shop before going to work, for example, a latte might soon be delivered in a driverless vehicle.
没有上下文语境,单纯就这两个句子来看,应该多少也能理解到一些,主要是说A是怎样的情况,而B又是怎样的情况。
这里涉及到where的一个用法:
used to say that one person, thing, opinion etc is different from another
〔表示某人、某物、某观点等与众不同〕
Where others might have been satisfied, Dawson had higher ambitions. 别人或许这样就满足了,可道森却有更大的雄心。
这种用法的where作为主从连词,表示的就不是地点了,而是用来讲主句和从句所说的两件事做一个对比,后面接陈述句。
再举一个例句感受一下:
Where I used to see a child who was always a bit self-conscious, I now see a young man who is infused with genuine self-assuredness because he has more tattos than any one else he known.
原先我常看到的,是一个总是有点害羞的小孩子,而现在我看见的,却是这样一个青年人,他因为身上的刺青比他所认识的任何人都多,而洋溢着一种真正的自信。
回到开头提到的那两句话上,其实很简单:
Where Mr Wilson focuses on the origins of creativity, Anthony Brandt and David Eagleman, a composer and a neuroscientist, focus in “The Runaway Species” on the act of creation.
对比的是Mr Wilson和Anthony Brandt and David Eagleman在研究方向上的不同:
威尔逊关注的是创造力的起源,作曲家安东尼·勃兰特(Anthony Brandt)和神经学家大卫·伊格曼(David Eagleman)在《失控的物种》(The Runaway Species)一书中关注的则是创造这种行为。
Where now a worker might pop into the coffee shop before going to work, for example, a latte might soon be delivered in a driverless vehicle.
对比的是现在和未来消费场景的不同:
例如,现在的员工可能会在上班前去咖啡店,也许很快就会有无人车来送拿铁了。
写到这里,忽然想到我们耳熟能详的where there is a will, there is a way中的where应该也是属于此例。
So, 下次再在外刊中碰到这个词,应该就能一眼识别了吧。
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