Unit 1 Introduction: Translation and Translation Techniques

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Unit 1 Introduction Translation and Translation
Techniques
By PYSH
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General Introduction

• Translatability
• different in phonetics, lexicology, grammar,
  syntactic structures
• similar in living patterns.
• Origin of translation
• Zhou Dynasty
• first recorded in West Han Dynasty
• History 3 periods of climax
• East Han Dynasty---Tang and Song Dynasty
• Ming and Qing Dynasty
• 5.4 period

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• Functions of translation
• a means of cross-linguistic, cross-cultural
  communication
• an instrument for transmitting culture
• a technique for improving language acquisition
• encouraging social development

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Definitions of Translation

• ??????????????????
• Cross-linguistic transformation of meaning
• denotative meaning
• connotative meaning
• collocative meaning
• contextual meaning
• stylistic meaning
• 1. sun
• 2. I want my Martini dry.
• 3. An apple a day keeps a doctor away.
• 4. soft music/ soft drinks

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• Translating consists in reproducing in the
  receptor language the closest natural equivalent
  of the source- language message, first in terms
  of meaning and secondly in terms of style. (
  Eugene A. Nida and Charles R.Taber, 198212)
• Some terminologies
• source language
• target language/ receptor language
• translator
• original version
• translation

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Classification of Translation

• 1. Intralingual / interlingual translation
• 2. Interpretation, translation, machine
  translation
• 3. Translation of different genres( sci-tec
  translation, literary translation, etc)
• 4. Complete translation, adapted translation,
  selective translation, abstract translation , etc

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Qualities for a Good Translator

• 1. Good bi-lingual competence, esp. understanding
  and expressing
• You cant be too careful.
• It is five years since he smoked.
• 2. Broad knowledge
• Big brother kick bucket
• Hannibal had us for lunch, Clarice.
• 3. Translation strategies, techniques
• 4. Careful and conscientious attitude

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Principles of Translation

• Faithfulness, expressiveness, elegance (???)
  -----?????(Evolution and Ethics)
• Faithfulness, expressiveness, closeness (???)
  
  
  -----???????
• Spiritual conformity (??)
  -----??
• Sublimed adaptation (??)
  -----???
• Excellent translation faithfully reflects all the
  original passage in vocabulary, syntax, even
  punctuation and spelling.
• faithfulness, smoothness

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Faithfulness

• Be faithful to the content
• 1. Avoid word for word translation
• 2. Avoid cultural misunderstanding
• 3. Avoid the misunderstanding of idioms
• Be faithful to the style

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1.Avoid word for word translation

• greatest compensation for wrongful imprisonment.
• 1.??????????????
• 2.???????????
• The chief criminals shall be punished without
  fail.
• ????????????
• ?????
• Didnt you go to see the film last night?
• No, I didnt.
• ???????????
• ??,????

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2.Avoid cultural misunderstanding

• Love me, love my dog.
• Every dog has its day.
• That funny gay often talks horse.
• He became dissatisfied with modern life and mans
  selfish wish for private wealth, so he went and
  joined a Hippie commune.
• ???????????????????????????,???????????

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3gt Avoid the misunderstanding of idioms

• You can not trust him to keep a secret, he is
  sure to spill the beans before long.
• ??????????,?????????????
• I am sorry. I will eat my words.
• ???,????????

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Faithful to the style

• formalinformal
• positive/negative
• humorous/ rigid
• That man was so rude to me. I wouldnt go back to
  that job for all the tea in China!
• ????????,???????????????.
• ?????????,??????,??????????.
• I am up to my neck in your bullshit.
• ???????
• ??????????????

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Process of translation

• 1. Understanding
• 1.Understanding the meaning of diction in the
  context
• 2.Understanding the background
• 2. expressing and re-expressing
• 1.Expressing
• 2.Re-expressing
• 3. editing

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1-1.Understanding the meaning of diction in the
context

• A) Draw a line from A to B.
• B) The ship crossed the line.
• C) Cooking is more in your line than mine.
• D) They were given their marriage lines after the
  registration.
• E) She bought an overcoat lined with silk.

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1-2.Understanding the background

• ?????,
  ?????.
  ?????,
  
  ?????.
  -----???lt????gt
• Mournfully, mournfully rolls the long River,
  Saddened, ah saddened, the strangers breast.
  The flowers as they fall, his fate recall,
  As each flutters down
  in the earth to rest
  -----Fletcher

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• ??
• question, problem, trouble, point, issue
• ???????????,????????.
• We were on the Long March. Every day we marched a
  hundred li or more.
• marchwalk
• lt????????gtmarchwalk as soldiers do, with
  regular and measured steps.
• lt????????gt to walk with regular,esp.forceful
  steps like a soldier.

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The process of understanding

• first reading , general reading for main idea,
  theme, background
• second reading, careful reading for details
• final reading for stylistic features, spirit

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How to understand

• 1)contextual analysis
• The slums offered an ugly contrast to the
  classical grandeur of official Washington.
• The baseball season opens this afternoon and I
  suspect that most of official Washington are out
  at the field, including the president and many of
  the members of the Cabinet.
• John is now with his parents in New York it is
  three years since he was a high school teacher in
  Washington.
• She didn't attend the meeting because she wanted
  to.
• 2)logical analysis
• The old man informed us that his wife had
  thirteen children, one in every month of the year
  and one over besides.

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2-1.Expressing

• Express the content and in the meantime keep the
  original form mainly including structure
  arrangement, image, figure of speech,etc.
• ?????????,?????????
• Six years have passed by in a flash/ in a twinkle
  since I came to the city from the countryside.

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• Keep the original content, sacrificing the form.
• ????????,????????,????????,??????,
  ????????????
• There was a village called Zhangjia Village,
  where lived Carpenter Zhang, who had a good wife,
  nicknamed little Moth, who gave birth to a girl
  called Ai ai.

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Practice

• Creation
• ????????
• Prefer to face the powder, rather than powder the
  face.
• ?????,??????
• Be man of men, be soul of souls.
• ????????
• Boundless forest sheds leaves shower by shower.

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2-2. Re-expressing

• 1. Improving Chinese readability
• Cotton feels soft.
• ?????????????????
• Even if you go there, there wouldn't be any
  result.
• ?????,?????????????????
• 2. Getting rid of the bound of original words
• Any person not leaving litter in this basket will
  be liable to a fine of ?5.
• The cathedral was built in Spanish Gothic style.
• Distance from the event should make the memories
  less painful.
• His irritation could not withstand the silent
  beauty of the night.
• 3. Mastering some skills

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3. Editing

• ????,????,?????,?????????????????
• ????,????,??????????????????,?????????
• ??????,????,???????.

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Translating Methods

• Literal translation
• Free translation
• Transliteration

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Literal Translation

• In the course of translation, not alter the
  original sentence pattern, structure, image,
  figures of speech.
• It takes sentences as its basic units and takes
  the whole text into consideration.
• It strives to reproduce both the ideological
  content and the style of the original works.
• The translation should be smooth, natural and
  acceptable.

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Free Translation

• Translate the content, without paying attention
  to the formal correspondence and the translation
  should be smooth, natural and acceptable.
• It is a supplementary means to mainly convey the
  meaning and spirit of the original without having
  to reproduce its sentence patterns or figures of
  speech, images, etc.

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Literal or Free Translation?

• Valuable left in full view can be open invitation
  to theft.
• ????????????,??????????
• ???????????,?????
• A gift is the key to open the door closed
  against.
• ???????????????????
• ?????????,????????
• Every life has its roses and thorns.
• ?????????????,?????
• ??????????,?????

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• It means killing 2 birds with one stone.
• Dont teach your grandmother to suck eggs.
• Never offer to teach a fish to swim.
• Dont display your axe at Lu Bans door.
• Hitler was armed to the teeth when he lunched
  WWII.
• Dont shed crocodile tears.
• There is no pot so ugly it cant find a lid.
• Barbara was born with a silver spoon in her
  mouth.
• Cast pearls before swine. ?????

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Transliteration

• 1. Pronunciation
• Yin, Yang, logic, Gongfu, Taichi, kowtou
• 2. Names and places with special meaning and
• implication
• typhoon, model, hacker
• 3. Similar meaning and similar pronunciation for
• trademarks or brand names
• Kodak Pentium Apple Cadillac Haier Xerox
• 4. Abbreviations , acronyms (international
• practice)
• Gallup Poll OPEC

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Eight Skills of Translation

• 1. Diction
• 2. Amplification
• 3. Omission
• 4. Repetition
• 5. Conversion
• 6. Restructuring
• 7. Negation
• 8. Division

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• Definition (D) of Translation (T)
• T means the conversion of an expression (E) from
  one language (L) into another. To say it plainly,
  T is an art to reproduce the exact idea of the
  author by means of a L different from the
  original. From the D of T, we know that the
  original thought of the E must be kept as far as
  possible, nothing can be added to or taken away
  from the original work. Accuracy (A) is the
  1st indispensable quality of T. The translator
  must cautiously stick to the authors idea. Words
  selected sentences constructed must be such as
  to convey (????) the exact original thought. A
  is to make the thought definite exact, while Ee
  is to make the T vivid attractive.