For a more dispassionate critique of Mrs Clinton, who is reckoned to be the second-most-unpopular presidential nominee ever,after her Republican opponent,Donald Trump,listen to some of the less partial operatives and politicians who have worked with her over the past 25 years.
1.dispassionate critique 没有偏见的评论
dispassionate译为“不动感情的,不带偏见的,公平的”,与上文中的“partial”意思相反;critique在这里译为“评论(文章)”
2.reckon是一个比较重要的动词,不用于进行时态。
分为以下几个意思:
①以为,认为(可以接that从句)
②估算,估计固定搭配为 reckon on sth to be sth
③认为...是(一般用于被动语态)其短语较多
⑴be rekoned to be/as 人们认为.../...被认为...
⑵reckon sth up把...加起来(≈add up)
⑶reckon on doing/名词 指望,预料
eg. We were reckoning on a profit of about half a million a year.我们预计每天能盈利约50万。
3.presidential nominee 总统候选人
记住这两位候选人的名字
Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton
4.partical operatives中的“operative”在此处作名词讲,它有两个意思①工人,技工②(尤指为政府部门服务的)特工,特务,间谍。此处取第二个意思。
Mrs Clinton's former congressional colleagues-including the Republicans she wooed assiduously on Capitol Hill,though they had sought to destory her husband's presidency,and her,in the 1990s–speak even more admiringly of her.
5.former congrssional colleagues“前国会同事”。要注意,在美国的国会中议员成为总统候选人必须要退出国会,所以在这里用了“former”。
6.专有名词 the Republicans共和党派人士
7.woo (在这里取第一个解释)
①极力劝说(某人做某事),争取...的支持,拉拢【用于新闻报道】
eg. the Party's efforts to woo working class voters.党为了拉拢工人阶层选民所做出的努力
②向【女子】求爱,求婚 (已经过时的词)
8.Capitol Hill 美国国会山,也指美国国会
9.speak admiringly of 赞美
speak of 是“谈论,提及”的意思,中间加上副词“令人赞佩地”起修饰作用
This , to put it mildly, is not a characterisation supported by Mrs Clinton's ratings.
10.to put it mildly 译为“说得委婉些”
与此类似的还有
to put it shortly简言之 to put it frankly坦白说to put it bluntly直截了当地说
She is a politician , therefore self-interested and cynical at times-yet driven, they say, by an overarching desire to improve Amercia.
11.self-interested 自私的,利己的 名词形式为 self-interest
12.overarching 包罗万象的,支配一切的overarch 译为“做拱形,成拱形”。“an overarching desire”在这里可以翻译成“强烈的愿望”