一、避讳死亡

　　死亡，可以说是所有文化中的禁地。对于死亡的表述，不同语言都有多种委婉的表述方式。汉语中有“长眠”、“逝世、去世”、“归西”、“了解尘缘”、“如土、归寂”、“崩、薨”等词，而英语也有多种表述方式“go to sleep”、“return to dust”、“pass away”、“demise”、“pay the debt of nature”等。

　　例1、真是“天有不测风云，人有旦夕祸福”，人人都会归了西。

　　译文：Truly, Storms gather without warning in nature, and bad luck befalls men overnight. Everyone will have ascended to the Western Paradise.

　　解析：“归西”便是死亡的委婉语，译为“ascended to the Western Paradise”相较于“go west”，更形象表现出“归西”的因果内涵，更利于西方读者了解有关的宗教文化。

　　例2、凤姐儿听了，眼圈儿红了半天，半日方说道：“...这个年纪，倘或就因这个病上怎么样了，人还活着有什么趣儿!”

　　译文：Xi- feng’ s eyes became moist. She said at last, “ but she’s only a child still. If anything should happen to her as a result of this illness, I think all the fun would go out of life!”

　　解析：凤姐与秦氏关系要好，面对好友重病，凤姐自然对“死”讳莫如深，文中的“怎么样了”，便是死亡的委婉语。译者采用“If anything should happen”这样模糊的表达，再现了原文的意图，也突显了凤姐对秦氏的不忍和怜惜之情。

　　例3、几时我闭了这眼，断了这口气....

　　译1：Once I’ve closed my eyes and breathed my last.

　　译2：I’ ll be glad when I’ ve drawn my last breath and closed my old eyes for the last time.

　　解析：原文“闭了眼”、“断了气”都是死亡的委婉语。两种译文分别使用“closed my eyes and breathed my last”和“ drawn my last breath and closed my old eyes for the last time”都很好得再现了原文的含义。

　　二、避讳排泄物

　　大多数文化都认为分泌物和排泄物是不雅和肮脏的，对其大多采用委婉语表达。

　　例3、想毕，也装作出小恭，走至外面，悄悄滴把跟宝玉的书童茗烟换到身边，如此这般，挑拨他几句。

　　译文：He left the room on the customary excuse and quietly got hold of Mingyan, one of Baoyu’ s pages, to work on his feelings with his account of the matter.

　　解析：“出小恭”是古代排泄的委婉表达，译文将其翻译为“on the customary excuse”表达人类共同生理现象。

　　三、避讳两性关系

　　相对开放的西方在两性关系上也较为含蓄，而中国文化更加保守，两性关系的描述更具微妙。

　　例4、妹妹的名声很不好听，连老太太、太太们都知道了，妹妹在家做女孩子儿就不干净，又和姐夫有些首尾。

　　译: There is a nasty little story going around, my dear, that you weren’t all you should have beenbefore you were married. They say you were much too thick with Cousin Zhen.

　　解析：这是王熙凤对尤二姐说的话，译者使用“weren’t all you should have been ”，说法虽然看似委婉，但充分展现了凤姐花言巧语，充满心机的性格。即使恶事做绝，也要做得滴水不漏，好名尽得。

　　例5、(贾宝玉)......说着便把梦中之事细说与袭人听了。然后说至警幻所授云雨之情，羞得袭人掩面俯身而笑。

　　译文：“It’s a long story, ”answered Baoyu, the told her his dream in full, concluding with his initiation by Disenchantment into the “sports of cloud and rain”. Xiren, hearing this, covered her face and doubled up in a fit of giggles.

　　解析：汉语常用生动的名词来说明两性之事，比如花草、杨柳、风月等高雅词语，但译者将“云雨之情”译为“sports of cloud and rain”，不免让西方读者一头雾水。可以翻译为“every act of love”或“the inevitable climax”等较为委婉却又能根据上下文理解出的短语。

　　常言入乡随俗，说的是无论身处何处，都要注意当地的风俗习惯、语言禁忌等。在翻译中也要遵循这样的原则。委婉语的使用往往含有说话者或作者独特的用意。因此，委婉语的翻译不能是停留在语言层面的直译，必须将具体文化考虑在内。