作者：丁衡祁

對“外資”一詞經常有幾種不同的譯法，一種是 foreign investment，另一種是 overseas investment，還可以譯為 international investment。如果把“外資”譯為foreign investment，那就會給人造成一種錯覺，把港、澳、臺也變成了外國，因為我們常說的“外資”，也包括港、澳、臺投資。所以，有人主張把“外資”譯為overseas investment。但是，這樣翻譯也對也不對，因為它既可以指國外來的投資，也可以指向國外投資。

那么如何才能做到準確到位地翻譯“外資”呢？我們要展開思路，可以按照“來國內的旅游團”（inward / incoming / inbound tours）和“去國外的旅游團”(outward / outgoing / outbound tours)的模式來翻譯“外資”和“對外投資”。例如，我們可以將“外資”（外國來的投資）譯為foreign (direct) investment；將“海外來的/到海外的投資”譯為overseas investment；將“對內投資”譯為internal investment；將“國外來的/外面來的投資”譯為inward investment或者incoming investment；將“向外面/對外投資”譯為outward investment或者outgoing investment或者external investment等。

如本文開頭所講，“外資”的一種譯法是foreign investment。在下面的這兩個例句中，我們不難看出，“外資”都是指外國來的投資(foreign investment)，所以將“外資”（外國來的投資）譯為foreign investment 是十分明確的：

例1 Given the need to increase both local and foreign investment in the economy, the Trade and Industry Working Group initiated research into various aspects affecting investment.

例2 China's absorption of foreign investment is an important aspect of China's fundamental principle of opening up to the outside world, and is one of the great practices of building up socialist economy with Chinese characteristics.

“外資”的另一種譯法是overseas investment，它既可以指“國外來的”投資，也可以指到國外投資。在例句3和例句4中，overseas investment指的是國外來的投資，向內的投資。而在例句5和例句6中，overseas investment或者investing overseas指的是向國外投資：

例3 New Zealand welcomes and encourages overseas investment from all countries. This is reflected by the facilitative nature of the Government's overseas investment policies.

例4 The Overseas Investment Commission administers the Overseas Investment Regulations 1995. Under the Regulations an "overseas person" must obtain consent to acquire or take "control" of 25 percent or more of New Zealand.

例5 overseas investment loss reserve 海外投資損失準備金

例6 Investing Overseas: Setting up a business overseas? Whether a joint venture, subsidiary, acquisition, etc - it can be a key to improving your company's growth and competitiveness. For many UK exporters considering setting up a joint venture or local office will be central to reviewing their business strategy for a particular market or group of markets. Investing overseas can, however, involve considerable investment in time, resources and capital and therefore risk.

另外，例句1中的Local Investment 是指來自國內的投資，而在下面這個例句中它就是來自本地的投資，Local Investment Fund：The National Fund that loans to Social Enterprises. 還有，domestic investment也是指來自國內的投資，例如 Mobilizing external resources for domestic investment in Africa.

下面的大量例子說明，“外資”（即國外來的投資）的翻譯方法很多，但要看上下文。

例7 Cumbria is the home of many successful international businesses as well as the world-famous Lake District National Park. The Cumbria Inward Investment Agency web site provides you with an introduction to Cumbria as a great location for your business, with an unequalled quality of life for your people.

例8 Incoming Investment: Are there any prohibitions or restrictions on foreign investment in the U.S.?

例9 Attraction of FDI: Latvia is still among the countries whose annual growth of the incoming investment is very high. It certifies the potential hidden both directly in the economy of Latvia and in the strategically important global market.

例10 Taxation of Inbound Investment: Government must make a more focused and concerted effort to implement policies that would encourage a greater quantity and higher quality of business investment, from both foreign and domestic sources.

下面的例子是指“對外投資”（即到國外去投資）的翻譯方法：

例11 Outward Investment from Canada - The Offshore Perspective

例12 Outgoing Investment：Are there any prohibitions or restrictions imposed by the U.S. government against U.S. persons making investments outside the U.S.?

例13 Worldwide outgoing investment in 1997 reached $423.7 billion (an increase of about 22 percent over the previous year) as a new record and continues to increase. ... Developing countries reached their highest level of outgoing and incoming investment.

例14 The China Outbound Investment Statistics Report, jointly issued by the Ministry of Commerce and the National Bureau of Statistics, gives an overview of the movement in the Chinese mainland.

例15 Outbound investments fell to $5.73 billion last year after $6.28 billion in 2002, $6.34 billion in 2001 and $6.02 billion in 2000. MOFE officials said that domestic companies and individuals continued to expand their overseas investments as they search for cheaper labor and better access to emerging markets like China and Vietnam…

另外，external investment和internal investment根據不同的上下文，也可以指來自企業外部和內部的投資，如例句16和例句17：

例16 External investment: How much external investment in your company was generated based on the Licensed Technology? (External Investment includes: venture capital funding, private or family funding, cash for equity, strategic partnerships, government contracts, etc.)
例17 Internal Investment Priorities to Drive Services Spending in 2004

但是要注意，home investment 是指房地產投資，例如：Home Investment Partnerships Program。

通過以上對“外資”翻譯的簡要分析，我們可以看出按照“來國內的旅游團”和“去國外的旅游團”的模式來翻譯“外資”和“對外投資”是一種比較正確的方法。所以，我們應該展開思路，不能拘泥于中文字面意思，一定要聯系上下文，理解其正確含義。只要這樣，我們才能做到對“外資”準確到位地翻譯。

About the author:

丁衡祁，對外經濟貿易大學商務英語系教授，2002 年退休后被對外經濟貿易大學卓越國際學院聘為英語教學研究中心主任。曾任對外經濟貿易大學研究生部主任兼師資培訓中心主任。曾被派往中國駐美國舊金山總領事館任商務領事。曾在中央電視臺主講英語教學節目《奪魁》（Bid for Power）?，F為中國翻譯協會理事，《中國翻譯》雜志編委，中國譯協對外傳播委員會成員，全國翻譯專業資格考試英語專家委員會委員，中國日報網站英語點津“翻譯擂臺賽”特約專家，中國對外翻譯出版公司專家顧問委員會委員，中國進出口銀行英文譯審。