一一、兩種英文全譯本，一個是楊憲益及其夫人戴乃迭的譯本，一個是大衛·霍克斯（Hawkes）譯本。總體來講，楊戴本偏直譯，Hawkes本偏意譯。

二、楊憲益夫婦翻譯得比較直白,大多數情況下是直譯的,Hawkes譯本中有一些很靈活的翻譯方式,也有不少地方偏離作者本意。

三、楊憲益，江浙人,在牛津大學學習中古英語文學、古羅馬文學。戴乃迭(GladysMargaret Taylor)是英國傳教士之女,對於中國文化極感興趣,後來在牛津學的中文。

四、首先，就語言風格而言，楊憲益更喜歡直譯，因此語言的彈性受到了限制。相反，Hawkes更注重語言的功能對等，他的譯文對於譯語讀者來說更為通順。

其次，就翻譯策略來說，楊憲益明顯採用了歸化法，並把直譯作為主要的翻譯技巧。由於他深諳中國文化，譯文原使著再現。Hawkes也對中國文學有很深的造詣，1948年至1951年在北京大學學習中國文學，之後成為牛津大學的中國文學教授。總體來說，他的翻譯是直譯和意譯，歸化與異化的結合。

楊憲益和戴乃迭翻譯的版本評價還是很高的，比如：

【紅樓夢 引子】

Prologue toThe Dream of Red Mansions

楊憲益 戴乃迭 譯

開闢鴻蒙，誰為情種？都只為風月情濃。

At the dawn of creation

Who sowed the seeds of love?

From the strong passion of breeze and moonlight they came.

趁著這奈何天、傷懷日、寂寥時，試遣愚衷。

因此上演出這懷金悼玉的《紅樓夢》。

So in this world of sweet longing

On a day of distress, in an hour of loneliness,

Fain would I impart my senseless grief

By singing thisDream of Red Mansions

To mourn the Gold and the Jade.

【枉凝眉】

Vain Longing

楊憲益 戴乃迭 譯

一個是閬苑仙葩，一個是美玉無暇。

One is an immortal flower of fairyland,

The other fair flawless jade,

若說沒奇緣，今生偏又遇著他；

And were it not predestined

Why should they meet again in this existence?

若說有奇緣，如何心事終虛化？

Yet, if predestined,

Why does their love come to nothing?

一個枉自嗟呀，一個空勞牽掛。

One sighs to no purpose,

The other yearns in vain;

一個是水中月，一個是鏡中花。

One is the moon reflected in the water,

The other but a flower in the mirror.

想眼中能有多少淚珠兒，

How many tears can well from her eyes?

怎經得秋流到冬盡，春流到夏！

Can they flow on from autumn till winter,

From spring till summer?

【太虛幻境楹聯】

Illusory Land of Great Void

楊憲益 戴乃迭 譯

假作真時真亦假，無為有處有還無。

When false is taken for true, true becomes false;

If non-being turns into being, being becomes non-being.

【葬花吟】

楊憲益 戴乃迭 譯

花謝花飛飛滿天，紅消香斷有誰憐？

As blossoms fade and fly across the sky,

Who pities the faded red, the scent that has been?

遊絲軟系飄春榭，落絮輕沾撲繡簾。

Softly the gossamer floats over spring pavilions,

Gently the willow fluff wafts to the embroidered screen.

閨中女兒惜春暮，愁緒滿懷無釋處，

A girl in her chamber mourns the passing of spring,

No relief from anxiety her poor heart knows;

手把花鋤出繡閨，忍踏落花來複去。

Hoe in hand she steps through her portal,

Loath to tread on the blossom as she comes and goes.

柳絲榆莢自芳菲，不管桃飄與李飛。

Willows and elms, fresh and verdant,

Care not if peach and plum blossom drift away;

桃李明年能再發，明年閨中知有誰？

Next year the peach and plum will bloom again,

But her chamber may stand empty on that day.

三月香巢已壘成，梁間燕子太無情。

By the third month the scented nests are built,

But the swallows on the beam are heartless all;

明年花發雖可啄，卻不道人去梁空巢也傾！

Next year, though once again you may peck the buds,

From the beam of an empty room your nest will fall.

一年三百六十日，風刀霜劍嚴相逼。

Each year for three hundred and sixty days

The cutting wind and biting frost contend.

明媚鮮妍能幾時，一朝飄泊難尋覓。

How long can beauty flower fresh and fair?

In a single day wind can whirl it to its end.

花開易見落難尋，階前悶殺葬花人。

Fallen, the brightest blooms are hard to find;

With aching heart their grave-digger comes now.

獨倚花鋤淚暗灑，灑上空枝見血痕。

Alone, her hoe in hand, her secret tears

Falling like drops of blood on each bare bough.

杜鵑無語正黃昏，荷鋤歸去掩重門。

Dusk falls and the cuckoo is silent;

Her hoe brought back, the lodge is locked and still;

青燈照壁人初睡，冷雨敲窗被未溫。

A green lamp lights the wall as steep enfolds her,

Cold rain pelts the casement and her quilt is chill.

怪奴底事倍傷神，半為憐春半惱春：

What causes my two-fold anguish?

Love for spring and resentment of spring;

憐春忽至惱忽去，至又無言去不聞。

For suddenly it comes and suddenly goes,

Its arrival unheralded, noiseless its departing.

昨宵庭外悲歌發，知是花魂與鳥魂？

Last night from the courtyard floated a sad song –

Was it the soul of blossom, the soul of birds?

花魂鳥魂總難留，鳥自無言花自羞。

Hard to detain, the soul of blossom or birds,

For blossoms have no assurance, birds no words.

願奴脅下生雙翼，隨花飛到天盡頭。

I long to take wing and fly

With the flowers to earth"s uttermost bound;

天盡頭，何處有香丘？

And yet at earth"s uttermost bound

Where can a fragrant burial mound be found?

未若錦囊收豔骨，一抔淨土掩風流。

Better shroud the fair petals in silk

With clean earth for their outer attire;

質本潔來還潔去，強於汙淖陷渠溝。

For pure you came and pure shall go,

Not sinking into some foul ditch or mire.

爾今死去儂收葬，未卜儂身何日喪？

Now you are dead I come to bury you;

None has divined the day when I shall die;

儂今葬花人笑痴，他年葬儂知是誰？

Men laugh at my folly in burying fallen flowers,

But who will bury me when dead I lie?

試看春殘花漸落，便是紅顏老死時。

See, when spring draws to a close and flowers fall,