Translation Practice (Unit 10)

1、毕业后，他先是做工程师，然后当厂长。（to start with）
After graduation, he became an engineer to start with, then a factory director.

To start with, he was an engineer after graduation before becoming a factory supervisor. [Have to change the order of the sentence if you want to use the phrase. If not, I would have translate it as, "After graduation, he was an engineer first before becoming a factory supervisor" ]

我想我还是接受他的邀请为好，因为你不能老是拒绝别人。（may as well）
I suppose I may as well accept his invitation, because you can’t just keep rejecting.

I may as well accept his invitation since one should not decline so often. ["decline" is a more polite form than "reject"]

为了安全起见，车上每一个人都必须系上安全带。（for the sake of）
Everyone in the car must fasten the belt for the sake of safety.

For the sake of safety, everyone the car must fasten their seat belts.

把温度降到摄氏零度，水就会结冰。（reduce to）
Reduce the temperature to 0 ℃, water will freeze.

Lower the temperature to 0℃ and water will freeze.

他被指控犯盗窃罪。事实上，他是无辜的。（be accused of）
He is accused of theft but in fact [or "but as a matter of fact"], he is innocent.

除了女主角的表演有点过火外，这是一部优秀的影片。（otherwise）
The main girl’s action is a little overmuch, otherwise this is an excellent film.

The main actress is overacting, otherwise this is an excellent movie.

If I am not constraint to using "otherwise" I would have translated it as,

"Other than the ham acting of the main actress, this would be an excellent movie" or

"Other than the main actress being a ham, this would be an excellent movie."

有时候大人也会上小孩的当。（fall for）
Sometimes adults fall for children’s tricks.

Sometimes even adults will fall for a child's ruse. [A ruse is more subtle than a trick]

如果她和你分手，那是你活该，谁让你老对她撒谎呢？（serve somebody right）
You keep lying to her. It serves you right if she breaks up with you.

Serve you right if she breaks up with you. Who ask you to lie to her so often?