English Chinese translation sample-EGYPT-THE RIVER NILE

（Translated by freelance Chinese translator li – English to Chinese translation or Chinese to English translation services- tourism translation）

THE RIVER NILE - EGYPT'S LIFELINE
Aside from the daily and monthly cycles of sun, moon and stars, the annual fluctuation of the Nile, with its immediate impact on agriculture, was the most prominent phenomenon which fashioned the lives of the Ancient Egyptians. The Nile (Iteru in Egyptian) dominated their scenery everywhere. Life away from the river was almost unthinkable to them. Any land away from the river, be it the Eastern or Western Egyptian deserts, or neighboring countries such as Libya or Syro-Palestine, were to them unprivileged Hasut = "Hilly Lands", always written by means of a hieroglyph representing a series of three dry, interconnected hilltops.
尼罗河—埃及的母亲河
日升月落，斗转星移，尼罗河周期涨退。每年一次的洪水直接影响着埃及的农业，塑造了古埃及人的生活。对他们而言，尼罗河（埃及人称之为伊特鲁）孕育创造了一切。很难想象若是离开尼罗河生活会怎样。没有尼罗河滋养的土地，无论是埃及东部和西部的沙漠，还是其邻国，如利比亚和塞罗—巴勒斯坦,都意味着贫瘠的丘陵，在形象文字中总是用三个相连的干旱山丘来表示。

All year long, the Nile offered not only sweet water in abundance, but also a means for easy transportation and bountiful provisions of fish and waterfowl. But it was its annual flood that caught the imagination. The seemingly sudden and mysterious change in the river's behavior, so critical for survival, became naturally associated with divine power. A particularly poor inundation signified that water would not reach many back-lying fields, resulting in low recolts and possible hunger. On the other hand, an overabundant flood could produce equally catastrophic results because it would destroy many homes, which were built of Nile mud-bricks, and endanger the temples. Since the Nile flood (Hapi in Egyptian) had, obviously, a will of its own, it could be appeased, offered to and revered. The god Hapi was represented as a bountiful male human being with pendulous breasts, dressed in a mere loin-cloth, and frequently carrying nilotic products. For purposes of symmetry, Hapi was often represented as a double god, Hapi of Upper Egypt and Hapi of Lower Egypt. The two can be distinguished by the type of plant that is represented on top of their heads.
尼罗河不仅为埃及人民提供了丰富的淡水资源，还有便利的交通条件和充足的鱼类、水禽。然而一年一度的洪水也使人们油生敬畏。变化无常、神秘的尼罗河对于生存至关重要，很自然地被赋予了神灵的含义。小洪水不会淹没离河岸较远的土地，可能引起减产和饥荒。但是，大洪水可能毁坏泥砖建造的房屋，危及神殿，同样会酿成灾难。人们认为洪水（埃及人称之为哈比）有自己的意志，所以能够被抚慰、供奉和尊敬。哈比神被描绘成一位慷慨的男人，袒露着低垂的乳房，系着宽腰布，总会带来尼罗河丰富的物产。为了对称，人们构想出两个哈比神，上埃及的哈比和下埃及的哈比。从他们头上的植物可以区分开。

Left: Two symmetrically arranged figures of the god Hapi, representing the inundation of the Nile .
Folds of fat and pendulous breasts symbolise the bounty of the inundation. The Southern Hapi (on the right) and the Northern Hapi (on the left) bind the respective symbolic flowers (lily and papyrus) of Upper and Lower Egypt on an elongated hieroglyphic sign meaning "to unite". On top of the sign is the name of the reigning king, Ramesses II.
Below left: The main temple of his at Philae at the time of inundation. The dams at Aswan caused the water to accumulate. At times only the tip of the high pylons were visible above water level.
Below right: Ramesses 11 in mid-air. Photograph taken during the transportation of the temple of Abu Simbel to its present site. The figure belongs to one of the colossi of the facade.
左：两尊对称的哈比神像，代表尼罗河的洪水。
丰满下垂的乳房象征着洪水的慷慨。南哈比神（右边）和北哈比神（左边）分别戴着代表上下埃及的花束（百合和纸草），下方是一段古埃及形象文字，意为“统一”。这段文字的上面还刻有当时在位法老拉美西斯二世的名字。
左下：洪水泛滥的时候，位于菲莱岛的伊希斯主神殿。阿斯旺大坝会导致河水聚集。有时候只能看见高出水面的塔门尖顶。
右下：半空中的拉美西斯二世头像。照片是在阿布辛贝神殿向现址搬迁时所拍。该头像属于神殿正面的一尊巨像。

THE SILT - GIFT OF THE NILE
The dark, fertile soil which covers the Nile Delta and the fields on either side of the River Nile along its course, stands in sharp contrast to the reddish desert sand or sandstone ever present almost everywhere else. Sand is natural to Egypt, which constitutes the easternmost extension of the Sahara desert. The fertile soil, on the other hand, is clearly intrusive. It can be truly regarded as the gift of the Nile, which, from time immemorial, has carried enormous quantities of this earth from the heights of Ethiopia downstream, into the land of Egypt. Around mid-September, following the annual snow-melting in the region of the sources of its main tributary, the Blue Nile, the level of the water rises steadily and dramatically.
Up until the recent erection of the High Dam at Aswan, this tremendous volume of additional water would cause the river to overflow and inundate the low-lying areas of its course. These extend along the Egyptian Nile Valley, all the way north from Gebel el-Silsila. The fields would remain under water for about four months every year (inundation season). When the waters finally receded, and the river regained its original bed, the fertile silt would remain on the fields in the form of a black moist deposit, enabling immediate and intensive cultivation.Only fertile land could sustain living conditions for the Ancient Egyptians. Hence, for all practical purposes, Egypt proper was confined to this fertile strip, which widened considerably in the Delta. No wonder, then, that its inhabitants named their country after the black, life-giving soil, Kemet (later Kemi) = "The Black One", and clearly distinguished it from the outlying inhospitable desert Desheret = "The Red One".

淤泥----尼罗河的礼物
覆盖在尼罗河流域及三角洲地区的黑色沃土，与其他地方漫无边际的浅红色的沙子和沙岩形成了鲜明对比。沙子对于埃及极为平常，因为这里是撒哈拉沙漠东脉的延伸。沃土却是舶来品。人们完全可以把它看作尼罗河的礼物。自古以来，河水一直会带来埃塞俄比亚高原上的泥土，然后沉积在埃及的国土之上。9月中旬前后，尼罗河的水位，随着其源头的主要支流（蓝色尼罗河）一年一度的冰雪融化，平稳而快速地上升。阿斯旺大坝建成后，激增的河水溢出河床，淹没了周围大片的低地。格贝尔埃尔-西西拉以北，沿尼罗河谷的许多地区都会受到影响。这种情况每年持续约4个月（洪水季节）。洪水退去后，尼罗河又重新回到原来的水位，两岸留下的黑色淤泥形成了湿润的沃土，可以直接进行集约耕作。古埃及人只能在肥沃的土地上谋求生计。基于这种情况，其人口主要聚集在尼罗河流域的狭长地带，还有广袤的三角洲地区。难怪居民们认为黑色的土地赐予了生命，把这里称为凯美特（后为凯米），意为“黑色的国土”，而把不适宜居住的偏远荒漠称作迪赫里特，意为“红色的国土”。