論說文是書面語體中運用得非常廣泛的一種文體，通常分為議論和論述兩種，是相對于散文中的記敘（Narration）和描寫（Description）而言的。其常見形式包括社科論著、論文、評論、演講、講座、報告等。論說文的文體特點主要有以下幾條：

　　1） 措詞嚴謹規(guī)范。論說文的功用主要在于對某一觀點進行解釋、說明或闡述，因此，此類文章講求理性與邏輯性，在措詞上表現(xiàn)為正式語體的詞、大詞、抽象詞、外來詞用得較多，而絕少使用俚語俗語及過于口語化的詞，以體現(xiàn)其莊重、嚴謹?shù)奶攸c。

　　2） 句法及篇章結(jié)構(gòu)較為復雜。由于論述文旨在解析思想，闡發(fā)論點，辨明事理，展開論證，因此文章內(nèi)容往往比較復雜。為全面、慎密地表述自己的見解，避免片面、疏漏，論說文中往往長句、復雜句使用較多。另外論說文講究謀篇布局及條理層次，因而在篇章結(jié)構(gòu)上較為復雜，往往段落之間環(huán)環(huán)相扣，層層遞進。除此之外，論說文還十分講究修辭，辭格上多用排比、遞進、設(shè)問等，以增強文章的感染力和說服力。

　　下面一例節(jié)選自一篇論說文，它較為清晰地顯示了論說文體的主要特點：

Science and Ethics?

　　Science impinges upon ethics in at least five different ways.

　　In the first place, by its application it creates new ethical situations. Two hundred years ago the news of a famine in China created no duty for Englishmen. They could take no possible action against it. Today the telegraph and the steam engine have made such action possible, and it becomes an ethical problem what action, if any, is right. Two hundred years ago a workman generally owned his own tools. Now his tool may be a crane or steam hammer, and we all have our own views as to whether these should belong to shareholders, the State, or guilds representing the workers.

　　Secondly, it may create new duties by pointing out previously unexpected consequences of our actions. We are all greed that we should not run the risk of spreading typhoid by polluting the public water supply. We are probably divided as to the duty of vaccinating our children, and we may not all be of one mind as to whether a person likely to transmit club foot or cataract to half his or her children should be compelled to abstain from parenthood.

　　Thirdly, science affects our whole ethical outlook by influencing our views as to the nature of the world-in fact, by supplanting mythology. One man may see men and animals as a great brotherhood of common ancestry and thus feel an enlargement of his obligations. Another will regard even the noblest aspects of human nature as products of a ruthless struggle for existence and thus justify a refusal to assist the weak and suffering. A third, impressed with the vanity of human efforts amid the vast indifference of the universe, will take refuge in a modified epicureanism. In all these attitudes and in many others there is at least some element of rightness.

　　Fourthly, in so far as anthropology is becoming scientific, it is bound to have a profound effect on ethics by showing that any given ethical code is only one of a number practiced with equal conviction and almost equal success; in fact, by creating comparative ethics. But, of course, any serious study of the habits of foreigners, whether scientific or not, had this effect, as comes out plainly enough in the history of ancient Greek ethics. Hence science is not wholly responsible for the ethical results of anthropology.?
   
    這篇論說文的主題句是Science impinges upon ethics in at least five different ways.作者分別從四個方面來說明這一主題思想，邏輯清晰、層次分明，讀后讓人一目了然。

　　翻譯英語論說文，應(yīng)注意以下幾點

　　1） 理清原文的篇章結(jié)構(gòu)。論說文的篇章結(jié)構(gòu)往往較為復雜，因此在著手翻譯前譯者應(yīng)首先分析一下原文的結(jié)構(gòu)與布局，理清段與段之間的關(guān)系，以便從整體上把握全文的脈絡(luò)。

　　2） 謹慎遣詞造句。論說文在遣詞造句上有其明顯的特點，因此翻譯中譯者必須最大限度的體現(xiàn)原文在字、詞、句方面的文體特征。在措詞方面，一定要使譯文與原文在語域上相適應(yīng)。在句法方面，譯文在避免翻譯腔的同時應(yīng)反映原文的句法特征，以體現(xiàn)論說文嚴謹、慎密的特點。此外，譯文還應(yīng)盡量再現(xiàn)原文的修辭特征，例如，原文如有排比結(jié)構(gòu)，則譯文也應(yīng)設(shè)法以排比結(jié)構(gòu)將之譯出，以體現(xiàn)原文的氣勢與感染力。

　　3） 如果原文作者引經(jīng)據(jù)典，譯者在翻譯中可采取加注或.釋義的方法。如譯一般論說文，以上2種方法則可視情況選用。如譯演講或發(fā)言，應(yīng)以后一種方法為主。這主要是考慮到譯文的語篇功能應(yīng)與原文對等。當然，如果我們翻譯一篇演講或發(fā)言，只為他人參考或為了研究等別的目的，那么譯者在處理典故時，不妨多用加注的方法，以便讀者參考或弄清出處。

　　試看下面這篇論說文及其譯文：

　　Fourscore and seven years ago, our fathers brought forth on this continent a new nation, conceived in liberty, and dedicated to the proposition that all men are created equal.

　　Now we are engaged in a great civil war, testing whether that nation, or any nation so conceived and so dedicated, can long endure. We are met on a great battlefield of that war. We have come to dedicate a portion of that field, as a final resting place for those who here gave their lives that that nation might live. It is altogether fitting and proper that we should do this.

　　But in a large sense, we cannot dedicate - we cannot consecrate - we cannot hallow - this ground. The brave men, who struggled here, have consecrated it far above our poor power to add or detract. The world will little note nor long remember what we say here; but it can never forget what did here. It is for us the living, rather, to be dedicated here to the unfinished work which they who fought here have thus far so nobly advanced. It is rather for us to be here dedicated to the great task remaining before us - that from these honored dead we take increased devotion to that cause for which they gave the last full measure of devotion - that we here highly resolve that these dead shall not have died in vain - that this nation, under God, shall have a new birth of freedom - and that government of the people, by the people, for the people, shall not perish from the earth.

　　八十七年前，我們的先輩們在這個大陸上創(chuàng)立了一個新國家，它孕育于自由之中，奉行一切人生來平等的原則。

　　現(xiàn)在我們正從事一場偉大的內(nèi)戰(zhàn)，以考驗這個國家，或者任何一個孕育于自由和奉行上述原則的國家是否能夠長久存在下去。我們在這場戰(zhàn)爭中的一個偉大戰(zhàn)場上集會。烈士們?yōu)槭惯@個國家能夠生存下去而獻出了自己的生命，我們來到這里，是要把這個戰(zhàn)場的一部分奉獻給他們作為最后的安息之所。我們這樣做是完全應(yīng)該而且非常恰當?shù)摹?/P>

　　但是，從更廣泛的意義上來說，這塊土地我們不能夠奉獻，不能夠圣化，不能夠神化。那些曾在這里戰(zhàn)斗過的勇士們，活著的和去世的，已經(jīng)把這塊土地圣化了，這遠不是我們微薄的力量所能增減的。我們今天在這里所說的話，全世界不大會注意，也不會長久地記住，但勇士們在這里所做過的事，全世界將永志不忘。毋寧說，倒是我們這些還活著的人，應(yīng)該在這里把自己奉獻于仍然留在我們面前的的未竟的事業(yè)――我們要從這些光榮的死者身上汲取更多的獻身精神，來完成他們已徹底為之獻身的事業(yè)；我們要在這里下定更大的決心，不讓這些死者白白犧牲；我們要使國家在上帝的福佑下得到自由的新生，要使這個民有、民治、民享的政府永世長存。

　　該段落節(jié)選自林肯的著名演說Gettysburg Address.原文措詞精煉典雅，并較多地使用了書面用語（literary words）；在句法上，文中句子長短交錯，并頻繁使用了一些復合結(jié)構(gòu)，這使得演說呈現(xiàn)嚴謹?shù)臈l理性和邏輯性；在修辭手法上，大量并列關(guān)系的詞、詞組和句子（及排比結(jié)構(gòu)）的運用不僅使演講氣勢磅礴，動人心扉，而且由于其整齊的句式和分明的節(jié)奏，也增強了演講的感染力。譯文在詞法、句法及修辭方面緊跟原文，較好的體現(xiàn)了原文的意義與風格。如在措詞上，譯者較多地使用了諸如"先輩們"、"孕育"、"永志不忘"，"未竟的事業(yè)"，"汲取"，"福佑"，"永世長存"等富有文學色彩和感情色彩的詞，這些詞語的使用時的演講顯得莊重典雅，極富感染力。另一方面，在措詞上譯者還注意了選詞的精煉，如"民有、民治、民享"三詞言簡意賅，可謂字字珠璣，堪稱難得的佳譯。在句子結(jié)構(gòu)上，譯文較好地控制了句子的長度與復雜性，使之顯豁通達而不失莊重嚴謹。在修辭上，譯者在譯文中較好地體現(xiàn)了原文的排比結(jié)構(gòu)，如"不能夠……，不能夠……，不能夠……"，和"我們要……；我們要……；我們要……"等。總之，由于譯者準確地理解了原作的思想內(nèi)容并較好地把握了其語言風格，同時在遣詞造句及修辭等方面精雕細琢，緊跟原文，因而譯文在內(nèi)容上忠實達意，在表達上酣暢淋漓，在風格上簡練凝重，充分再現(xiàn)了原文的思想與文題風格，堪稱上乘之譯作。譯文在內(nèi)容上忠實達意，在表達上酣暢淋漓，在風格上簡練凝重，充分再現(xiàn)了原文的思想與文題風格，堪稱上乘之譯作。

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