Unit 5 Omission

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Unit 5 Omission

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By PYSH
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I. Definition

• By omission we mean we properly omit some words
  or expressions in order to make the translated
  version brief, concise, clear. Proper omission in
  English-Chinese translation often involves the
  omitting of some words (such as prepositions,
  articles, certain pronouns, conjunctions, etc.)
  that are indispensable in the SL text but not in
  the TL text.

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II. Motivation

• Omission is based on the differences between
  English and Chinese. For example, Chinese has no
  articles or infinitive markers. And pronouns,
  conjunctions, and prepositions are not used as
  frequently as those of English. So when we
  translate English sentences with articles and
  infinitive markers into Chinese, we often omit
  them.

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III. Principles

1. Omission does not go against faithfulness. It
   does not mean subtracting meanings from the
   original work.
2. Omission should be aimed at smoothness and
   conciseness or succinctness.
3. What is omitted may not be necessarily confined
   to certain parts of speech. Any parts of speech
   may be liable to be omitted according to the
   context and the translators translation
   techniques.

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IV. Classification

• Omission Due to Syntactic Considerations
• Omission Due to Logic Considerations
• Omission Due to Rhetoric considerations

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1. Omission Due to Syntactic Considerations

• Omission of Articles (Articles are generally not
  translated unless it is necessary)
• Omission of Prepositions
• Omission of Personal and Possessive Pronouns
• Omission of It
• Omission of Conjunctions
• Omission of Verbs

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1.1 Omission of Articles

• A horse is a useful animal.
• ????????
• The earth moves around the sun.
• ????????

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Some Articles Can Not Be Omitted!

• He left without a word.
• ???????????
• He said that he was getting a dollar a mile.
• ??????????????
• The children are of an age.
• ??????????

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1.2 Omission of Prepositions

• The rocket engine carries with it the oxygen of
  its own.
• ??????????
• Trees grow along both banks of the canal.
• ?????????
• It is a pleasure for us to offer you the goods as
  follows.
• ????????????

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1.3 Omission of Personal and Possessive Pronouns

• If you want to kill a snake you must hit it first
  on the head and if you want to catch a band of
  robbers you must first catch their leader.
• ?????,??????
• He is a good friend that speaks well of us behind
  our backs.
• ????????????????
• We expect that the delivery will be effected at
  your earliest convenience.
• ????????

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1.4 Omission of It

• He took it upon himself to pay off the debt.
• ??????????
• It requires patience to do the job.
• ???????????
• It is better to do well than to say well.
• ???????????

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1.5 Omission of Conjunctions

• If winter comes, can
• spring be far behind?
• ????,???????
• The sun is bright, and the sky is clear.
• ????,?????
• The salesman was so successful that in the end he
  became general manager of the firm.
• ??????????,???????????

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1.6 Omission of Verbs

• At present the foreign exchange market in New
  York is relatively weak while the stock market is
  very strong.
• ??????????,?????????
• When the pressure gets low, the boiling point
  becomes low.
• ???,?????
• Because of economic crisis of the host country,
  this American multinational corporation has
  suffered the same great losses as the local
  companies.
• ??????????,?????????????????????

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2. Omission Due to Logic Considerations

• Please expedite the L/C (letter of credit) so
  that we may execute the order smoothly.
• ????????,?????????
• For further information regarding this system,
  reference may be made to U.S. Pat. No. 4374986.
• ???????,???4374986??????
• We take this opportunity to inform you that we
  are now in position to make prompt shipment of
  the merchandize.
• ???,?????????

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3. Omission Due to Rhetoric Considerations

• Omission of the repeated expressions of the
  original
• Omission of the unnecessary expressions of the
  original

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3.1 Omitting the Repeated Expressions of the
Original

• Instead of one old woman knocking me about and
  starving me, everybody of all ages knocked me
  about and starved me.
• ????,?????????????,?????????????

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3.2 Omitting the Unnecessary Expressions of the
Original

• Remember you are not any old Tom, Dick or Harry
  giving his opinion. You are a man who was sent as
  a representative of British Government.
• ????,?????????????,?????????????????????

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• China is also a country of people with a
  passionate love of peace.
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• The foundation would be in a position to meet
  more of the vast unsatisfied needs of children
  and young people if more resources were made
  available to it.
• ?????????,????????????????????????
• There was no snow. But the leaves were gone from
  the trees and the grass was dead.
• ????,???????

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Summary

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  ?????????????????(readability),???????????????????
  ?,?????????????????