1、It is easy to underestimate English writer James Herriot.
【解析】“underestimate”可通过构词法理解“under”表示“在……之下;低于……”;“estimate“估计”的意思，故“underestimate”意为“低估”。本句中的it是形式主语，真正的主语是“to underestimate…”。两种翻译方法，第一：某人很难做某事;第二：做某事对某人来说是难的。
2、He Had such a pleasant, readable style that one might think that anyone could imitate it.
【解析】“ such…that…”结构，含有“如此……以至于……”的意思。前半句直译成“他有如此的令人愉悦的、可读的风格”显然不妥。本段文字中，我们讨论他的作品风格，而不是他本人的性格，所以"pleasant, readable"描述的是他的作品，因此我们可以将pleasant润色为“讨喜”，并将"readable"译为“通俗易懂”。
3、How many times have I heard people say, “I could write a book. I just haven’t the time.”
【解析】此句包含直接引语，这部分独立不可分割，我们可以先译出来——我可以写书，我只是没有时间。前半句的意思是多次听人们说这样一句话，所以整句话可译为：我听过多少次人们说“我可以写书，我只是没有时间”。也可以先翻译直接引语，再总结式地翻译前半句：“我可以写书，只是没时间。”这种话我听过无数次。
4、Easily said. Not so easily done.
【解析】完整的句子应该为"It is easily said. It is not so easily done." 说起来容易，做起来难。
5. James Herriot, contrary to popular opinion, did not find it easy in his early days of, as he put it, “having a go at the writing game.”
【解析】"contrary to popular opinion"与大众观点相反的；"as he put it"就像他所说的。 
6. While he obviously had an abundance of natural talent, the final polished work that he gave to the world was the result of years of practicing, re-writing and reading.
【解析】连词"while"放置于句首，多半情况下表示“虽然，尽管”，引导让步状语从句。从句中"natural talent"字面含义为“自然的才能”，也就是“天赋”的意思。另外，"an abundance of"的字面意思是“丰富的，大量的”，但搭配“天赋”不通顺。因此“丰富大量的天赋”可以翻译为“天资颇丰/才华横溢”。"polished"一词原本指“经过打磨的”，但修饰作品时则表示“精彩的”。
7. Like the majority of authors, he had to suffer many disappointments and rejections along the way, but these made him all the more determined to succeed.
【解析】本句从句法来说是比较简单的并列句结构，翻译时注意并列句省掉的成分是否需要补出来。“disappointment”“失望、沮丧”的意思，前面有“many”因此两个意思可以都翻译出来;“rejection”原意为“拒绝”，这里可进行抽象化处理，翻译为“四处碰壁”。
8. Everything he achieved in life was earned the hard way and his success in the literary field was no exception.
【解析】“ everything (that) he achieved in life”是定语从句，关系词在从句中作宾语，可省略。"earn … the hard way"意思是“做到某事来之不易”。"… be no exception"意思是“…也不例外” 。