英漢兩種語(yǔ)言由于表達(dá)方式不盡相同，翻譯時(shí)常常有必要在譯文的詞量上作適當(dāng)?shù)脑黾?，使譯文既能忠實(shí)地傳達(dá)原文的內(nèi)容和風(fēng)格，又能符合譯入語(yǔ)的表達(dá)習(xí)慣。但是增詞必須是根據(jù)具體情況增加非增加不可的詞語(yǔ)。增詞一般用于以下三種情況：一是為了語(yǔ)法上的需要；二是為了意義上的需要；三是為了修辭上的需要。 
一、為了語(yǔ)法上的需要 
英語(yǔ)中沒(méi)有量詞，漢譯時(shí)就得根據(jù)漢語(yǔ)的表達(dá)習(xí)慣增加合適的量詞。例如： 
(1) To the east and the south a faint pink is spreading. 
東南方呈現(xiàn)一抹淺紅，正在向遠(yuǎn)處擴(kuò)展。 
(2) The sun rose thinly from the sea. 
一輪紅日從海邊淡淡升起。 
(3) A stream was winding its ways through the valley into the river. 
一彎溪水蜿蜒流過(guò)山谷，匯到江里去了。 
(4) I was extremely worried about her, but this was neither the place nor the time for a lecture or an argument. 
我真替他萬(wàn)分擔(dān)憂，但此時(shí)此地既不宜教訓(xùn)她一番，也不宜與她爭(zhēng)論一通。 
(5) It was a nova! 
這是一顆新星！ 
英語(yǔ)動(dòng)詞有時(shí)、體的變化、有語(yǔ)氣，而漢語(yǔ)動(dòng)詞卻沒(méi)有對(duì)等的表現(xiàn)形式，翻譯時(shí)常常須增加一些表示時(shí)體和語(yǔ)氣的詞才行。例如： 
(1) I had imagined it to be merely a gesture of affection, but it seems it is to smell the lamb and make sure that it is her own. 原來(lái)我以為這不過(guò)是一種親熱的表示，但是現(xiàn)在看來(lái)，這是為了聞一聞羊羔的味道，來(lái)斷定是不是自己生的。 
(2) I was, and remain, grateful for the part he played in my release. 我的獲釋是他成全的，對(duì)此我過(guò)去很感激，現(xiàn)在仍然很感激。 
(3) The old man said, " They say his father was a fisherman. Maybe he was as poor as we are." 
老人說(shuō)："聽(tīng)人說(shuō)，從前他父親是個(gè)打魚(yú)的。他過(guò)去也許跟我們現(xiàn)在一樣窮。" 
(4) The old man had taught the boy to fish and the boy loved him. 
原來(lái)老頭兒已教會(huì)了孩子捕魚(yú)，所以孩子很愛(ài)他。 
(5) English prose is elaborate rather than simple. It was not always so. 
現(xiàn)今英國(guó)散文華巧而欠簡(jiǎn)樸，過(guò)去卻并非總是如此。 
英語(yǔ)的可數(shù)名詞有單復(fù)數(shù)之別，漢語(yǔ)則沒(méi)有。翻譯時(shí)常常有必要增詞以便傳達(dá)這一含義。例如： 
(1) The lion is the king of animals.獅子是百獸之王。 
(2) I saw bubbles rising from under the water.我看見(jiàn)一個(gè)個(gè)水泡從水下升起。 
(3) The very earth trembled as with the tramps of horses and murmur of angry men. 
連大地都震動(dòng)了，仿佛萬(wàn)馬奔騰，千夫怒吼。 
(4) The mountains began to throw their long blue shadows over the valley. 
群山已在山谷里開(kāi)始投下蔚藍(lán)色的長(zhǎng)影。 
(5) An individual human existence should be like a river-small at first, narrowly contained within its banks, and rushing passionately past boulders and over waterfalls. 
一個(gè)人的一生可以比作一條河流：開(kāi)始身軀很小，兩岸之間非常狹窄，水流湍急，沖過(guò)礫石，飛下懸瀑。 
英語(yǔ)中常用省略句，翻譯時(shí)要根據(jù)漢語(yǔ)的表達(dá)習(xí)慣，作些適當(dāng)?shù)脑鲅a(bǔ)。例如： 
(1) I judge I would saw out and leave that night if pap got drunk enough, and I reckoned he would. 　
我猜那天晚上爸要是醉得夠厲害的，我就可以鋸?fù)昴莻€(gè)洞鉆出去，我算計(jì)著他是會(huì)醉得夠嗆的。（增補(bǔ)he would后省略的成分） 
(2) She ate little. Food sickened her, and I think much of life too. 
她吃得很少；她厭惡食物，我覺(jué)得她也厭惡生活。 
(3) When I turned around, John was grinning, expectant, studying my face intently to see if he had pleased me. He had. 
我轉(zhuǎn)過(guò)身，只見(jiàn)約翰正咧著嘴笑，滿臉期待的神情；他熱切的目光想從我的臉上探明他是否博得了我的歡心。他確實(shí)博得了我的歡心。（增補(bǔ)he had后被省略的部分） 
(4) Courage in excess becomes foolhardiness, affection weakness, thrift avarice. 
勇敢過(guò)度，即成蠻勇；疼愛(ài)過(guò)度，即成溺愛(ài)；儉約過(guò)度，即成貪婪。（增補(bǔ)被省掉的in excess becomes） 
二、為了意義上的需要 
英譯漢有時(shí)有必要增加合適的動(dòng)詞、形容詞或副詞，使譯文意思明確，例如： 
(1) When I came to I was in the water, swimming automatically, though I was about two thirds drowned. 
當(dāng)我清醒過(guò)來(lái)時(shí)，發(fā)覺(jué)自己在水里，雖然浸得半死，卻本能地浮著。（增補(bǔ)動(dòng)詞）(原文雖然沒(méi)有"發(fā)覺(jué)"，但譯者根據(jù)上下文增補(bǔ)了它，使譯文意思更加明確、表達(dá)通順。) 
(2) He doubtlessly expected hugs, tablefuls of food, tears, laughter, and conversation followed by more conversation, then hugs and more hugs all over again, without end. 
毫無(wú)疑問(wèn)，他以為會(huì)有熱烈的擁抱，滿桌的食物，激動(dòng)的淚水，歡樂(lè)的笑聲，一段接一段的談話，一次又一次的擁抱，沒(méi)完沒(méi)了。（譯文中增加了三個(gè)相應(yīng)的形容詞，形象地描繪出他想象中的歡樂(lè)場(chǎng)景，使意思更加明確，表達(dá)更加生動(dòng)。） 
(3) In the evening, after the banquets, the concerts and the table tennis exhibitions, he would work on the drafting of the final communique. 
晚上在參加宴會(huì)、出席音樂(lè)會(huì)、觀看乒乓球表演之后，他還得起草最后公報(bào)。 
(4) These soon told her,… how easy it was and how little it interfered with life's affairs to go and see one's grave. 
這些人不久便告訴她…去看自己親人的墳?zāi)故嵌嗝慈菀?，幾乎一點(diǎn)兒也不妨礙日常生活。 
(5) The sky is clear blue now the sun has flung diamonds down on meadow and bank and wood. 
此時(shí)已是萬(wàn)里藍(lán)天，太陽(yáng)把顆顆光彩奪目的鉆石灑向草原，灑向河岸，灑向樹(shù)林。 
有時(shí)為了意思明確還必須增加合適的名詞或是重復(fù)同一名詞，例如： 
(1) These early cars were slow, clumsy, and inefficient. 
這些早期的汽車(chē)速度緩慢，行動(dòng)笨拙，效率不高。（譯文中在形容詞前分別加上了三個(gè)名詞，既使譯文意思明確，又使它形成四字詞組，勻稱(chēng)整齊。） 
英語(yǔ)中有一些由動(dòng)詞或形容詞派生來(lái)的抽象名詞，翻譯時(shí)也可根據(jù)上下文在其后增加適當(dāng)?shù)拿~，使譯文意思明確、符合漢語(yǔ)的表達(dá)習(xí)慣。例如： 
darkness 漆黑一團(tuán) 
madness 瘋狂行為 
complacency 自滿情緒 
backwardness 落后狀態(tài) 
(1) After all preparations were made, the planes were flown across the U.S. to San Francisco. 
一切準(zhǔn)備工作就緒以后，飛機(jī)就飛越美國(guó)去舊金山。 
(2) Recourse to arms is not the best solution to a quarrel between countries. 
國(guó)與國(guó)之間的爭(zhēng)端訴諸武力，并不是最好的解決方法。 
有時(shí)也有必要增加適當(dāng)?shù)倪B詞，例如： 
(3)Without a sense of your fault, how can repentance and amendment be expected？如果對(duì)自己的錯(cuò)誤都不認(rèn)識(shí)，怎么能悔恨和改正呢？（增補(bǔ)"如果"使得原含蓄條件句中的隱性含義明白無(wú)誤。） 
三、為了修辭上的需要 
為了使譯文優(yōu)美自如、活潑生動(dòng)或是得到強(qiáng)調(diào)，有時(shí)有必要重復(fù)某些詞語(yǔ)或是增加適當(dāng)?shù)拿枋鲈~、語(yǔ)氣助詞、重疊詞、承上啟下的詞、概括詞。例如： 
(1) Poor little tender heart! And so it goes on hoping and beating, and longing and trusting. 
可憐這溫柔的小姑娘，一顆心抖簌簌的跳個(gè)不停，她左盼右盼，一直想念情人，對(duì)他深信不疑。（譯文并沒(méi)有將"hoping and beating"簡(jiǎn)單地譯為"盼望著、跳動(dòng)著"，而是增加了一些描述性的詞語(yǔ)來(lái)描寫(xiě)少女思念情人的心情，使人如見(jiàn)其人、如聽(tīng)其聲，產(chǎn)生了一種可觸可摸的立體感覺(jué)。） 
(2) Their host carved, poured, served, cut bread, talked, laughed, proposed healths. 
他們的主人,（又是）割啊，（又是）倒啊，（又是）上菜啊，（又是）切面包啊，（又是）說(shuō)啊，（又是）笑啊，（又是）敬酒啊，忙個(gè)不停。（增加語(yǔ)氣助詞和概括詞語(yǔ)） 
(3) Only very slight and very scattering ripples of half-hearted hand-clapping greeted him. 
歡迎他的只有幾下輕輕地、零零落落、冷冷淡淡的掌聲。（疊詞） 
(4) And her thoughtfulness! If the night was anyway cold or wet or windy there was sure to be a little tumbler of punch ready for him. 
她多體貼?。∫悄奶煲估镙^陰冷、潮濕、或是刮風(fēng)，她必定要斟好一杯混合甜飲料，等著他來(lái)暢飲。(原文And her thoughtfulness!是個(gè)感嘆句，翻譯時(shí)增加了副詞"多"、語(yǔ)氣助詞"啊"，準(zhǔn)確地傳達(dá)了原文的句式和語(yǔ)氣。)