The girl is a dead shot.

　　这位姑娘是神枪手。(不能译作"死射手")

　　After the failure of his last novel, his reputation stands on slippery grounds.

　　他上部小说失败之后，声誉一落千丈。(不能译为"站在滑动场地上了。")

　　2、有些借喻不能直译

　　He went west by stage coach and succumbed to the epidemic of gold and silver fever in Nevada's Washoe Region.

　　误：他乘公共马车到了西部，患了瓦肖地区金银发烧流行病。

　　正：他乘公共马车到了西部，卷入了淘金热和淘银热。

　　The rather arresting spectacle of little old Japan adrift amid beige concrete skyscrapers

　　is the very symbol of the incessant struggle between the kimono and the miniskirt.

　　应译为：式样古老小巧日本房屋像小船一般，漂游在灰棕色钢筋混凝土摩天大楼之间，这引人注目的景象象征着旧传统和新发展之间不断斗争。

　　3、引典。如果是尽人皆知典故。可以直译，不必加说明，如果多数人不知道，最好是意译，或者直译加注释。

　　He met his Waterloo.

　　句中meet one's Waterloo是成语典故,由拿破仑在Waterloo遇到惨败而来，所以要意译。"他吃了大败仗"。

　　I asked whether for him, the arch anti-communist ,this was not bowing down in the House of Rimmon.

　　句中bowing down in the House of Rimmon 是成语典故，表示"表面上与宗教信仰一致，但心里却有不同政治主张"，这是口是心非。

　　四、习语成语中的误区

　　英语中有丰富的习语成语，增强了语言表达能力。其中大部分可以直译，或用汉语中相应的习语套用。 例如：the open door policy开放政策，the cold war 冷战，to fish in troubled waters 混水摸鱼，strike while the iron is hot 趁热打铁，at sixes and sevens 乱七八糟。但是还有一些习语成语必须意译才能表达出其正确含义。

　　She was born with a siver spoon in her mouth.

　　她出生在富贵之家。

　　You're talking through your head again.

　　你又在胡说八道了。

　　You should keep your nose out of here.

　　你别管闲事。

　　Good to begin well, better to end well.

　　要善始善终。

　　五、词汇翻译中的误区

　　有些词汇在某些场合下具有了新义，如果直译就会曲解原意。所以，要根据语言环境确定具体词义。英语中词义发展变化十分常见。

　　He is the lastperson for such a job.

　　他最不配干这件事。

　　Every life has its roses and thorns.

　　人生有苦有甜。

　　The wedding, which Heyward still remembered with pride,was attended by a who's who of Boston Society.

　　赫华德仍然记得，参加婚礼人中有一位波士顿的社会名流，这让他感到十分得意。

　　从上述例句可以看出，有些词在某些场合或结构中具有特殊意义，例如the last, who's who，有的词用其比喻意义，如roses and thorns ，有的词在特殊场合与句型中词义发生了递转，如yes, no，有词义有了引申或发展。