二、英语短语(成语)翻译的多样性

例：to be on tenterhooks(心情烦乱、焦急、紧张)

1)She was on tenterhooks when she heard of her mother's illness.

她得知母亲病了，坐立不安。

2)He was on tenterhooks of expectation during our conversation.

在我们谈话时，他因有所期待而如坐针毡。

3)I found him on tenterhooks when he was waiting for his girlfriend.

我发现他在等女朋友时显得局促不安。

4)The President，being told of the strong earthquake in his country, was on tenterhooks every minute.

得知本国发生了强烈地震，总统一直心乱如麻。

5)His parents were on tenterhooks all the time until they got his letter.

他的父母在收到他的信前，一直是那样的心烦意乱。

6)The students were on tenterhooks before the examination began.

考试开始前，学生们的心里七上八下。

7)The poor boy was on tenterhooks when his father was searching for a stick.

那个可怜的男孩见父亲到处找棍子，感到六神无主。

8)The hen-pecked man was on tenterhooks when his wife scolded her way into the room.

当妻子骂骂咧咧闯到房间来时，这个得了“气管炎”的男人便有些手足无措。

权威的英语词典Longman Dictionary of Contemporary English对英语成语to be on tenterhooks的释义有两个：(1)to be in a worried，anxious，or nervous state of mind(心情烦乱、焦急、紧张);(2) to be in a state of anxious expectation(急切等待)。上面除了第二和第三个例句，里面的成语to be on tenterhooks都属于第一个释义。尽管第二、第三个例句中的成语有“等待”之意，但其侧重点还是在于“等待造成的心情烦乱”。如果把上面例句中的英语成语全都简单地译成“心情烦乱”或“心情紧张”，译文就会显得苍白无力、枯燥无味。上面8个例句对句中同一个成语却采用了多样性译法，译文全部都采用了四字格：“坐立不安”、“如坐针毡”、“局促不安”、“心乱如麻”、“心烦意乱”、“七上八下”、“六神无主”、“手足无措”。这8条汉语成语都是“心情烦乱、焦急、紧张”的写照。但是，我们也须仔细体会不同译文之间在词义的轻重程度上所存在的细微差距。它们中的大多数并不能相互替换。