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Unit 3
Common Skills and Techniques in English-Chinese Translation
Outline
? Unit 3-1 Translation skills & techniques at word level
– Diction
– Amplification – Omission – Negation – Conversion
? Unit 3-2 Translation skills & techniques at sentence level
– A comparative analysis of English and Chinese syntactic structure – Nominal clauses – Adjective clauses – Adverbial clauses – The passive voice – Long sentences
? Unit 3-3 Translation skills & techniques at discourse (text) level
Translation skills & techniques at word level
Unit 3-1
Diction
? Definition: the proper choice of words and phrases in translation on the basis of accurate comprehension of the original. eg: He gave his house as a security.
Treasure securities are revalued daily. Techniques in Diction
? Pictographic Translation (图形法)
eg: I-bar / H-beam O-ring U-bolt V-belt X-brace Y-curve Z-road
Techniques in Diction
? Extension (引申法): bringing out a word’s deep meaning according
to the context by stretching from its literal meaning in order to achieve readability and smoothness.
– Extending from the concrete to the abstract – Extending from the abstract to the concrete – Extending by association
Techniques in Diction
? Extending from the concrete to the abstract
1) The huge increase in oil prices in the 1970s cast a cloud over the development plans of many developing nations. 20世纪70年代石油价格猛涨，曾对许多发展 中国家的经济发展计划投下了一抹阴影。
2) She felt that this moment of interview for her first job was a tremendous inch in her whole existence.
她觉得这第一次的求职面试，在她整个一生中有重要的地位。
? Extending from the concrete to the abstract
3) There is a mixture of the tiger and the ape in the character of the imperialists.
帝国主义者的性格既 残暴，又狡猾。
Techniques in Diction
? Extending from the abstract to the concrete
eg: There is more to their life than political and social and economic problem, more than transient everydayness. 他们的生活远不止那些政治的、社会的和经济的问题，远不止一时的柴米油盐问题。 ? Extending by association
eg: It’s a case of January and May. 这是一对老少配。
Exercises
? The EEC’s common Agricultural policy is a dinosaur（要被废弃的落后的庞然大物） which is adding ￡13.50 a week to the food bill of the average British family.
Amplification Exercises
? The blond boy quickly crossed himself.
那个金发小男孩立刻在胸前画十字，祈求上帝保佑。
? Better be wise by the defeat of others than by your own. 从别人的失败中吸取教训比从自己的失败中吸取教训更好。
Omission
? Purpose of omission in E-C translation: to achieve the effect of
succinctness, especially in dealing with English pronouns and such functional words as the article, the preposition, the conjunction, etc.
? Omission of Subject Pronouns
1) He was thin and haggard and he looked miserable. 他消瘦而憔悴，看上去一副可怜相。
2) But it's the way I am, and try as I might, I haven't been able to change it. 但我就是这个脾气，虽然几经努力，却 未能改变过来。
3) Order is order, we cannot complain, we cannot bargain, we cannot question and we cannot suggest changes．
命令就是命令，不得抱怨，不得讨价还价，不得质疑，不得建议修改。
? Omission of Subject Pronouns
4) We live and learn． 5) You can never tell.
6) Everywhere you can find new types of men and objects in New China. 新中国处处可以看到新人、新事物。
? Omission of Object Pronouns
1) The more he tried to hide his warts, the more he revealed them. 他越是要掩盖他的烂疮疤，就越是会暴露。
2) She laid her hand lightly on his arm as if to thank him for it. 她轻轻地把手放在他的胳膊上，好象表示感谢。
? Omission of Possessive Pronouns
1) He shrugged his shoulders, shook his head, cast up his eyes, but said nothing.
他耸耸肩，摇摇头，两眼看天，一句话不说。
? Omission of the Impersonal Pronoun “It”
1) It was just growing dark, as she shut the garden gate.
她关上园门时，已是暮色苍茫了。
2) It was only then that I began to have doubts whether my story would ever be told.
只是在这个时候，我才开始怀疑，我的经历究竟能不能公诸于众呢！ 3) Peter has always enjoyed claiming that it was he and not George, who was the first to reach the summit of the mountain.
彼得一直津津乐道的是，第一个到达山顶的实际上并不是乔治，而是他自己。
? We knew spring was coming as (because) we had seen a robin. 我们看见了一只知更鸟，知道春天快要到了。
? Because the departure was not easy, we made it brief. 告别这件事难受得很，我们就作得简短一些。
? John rose gloomily as the train stopped, for be was thinking of his ailing mother.
火车停了，约翰忧郁地站了起来，因为他想起了病中的母亲。 ? The People's Republic of China was founded in 1949. 一九四九年中华人民共和国成立。
cf: 中华人民共和国成立于一九四九年。
? Now complaints are heard in all parts of that country. 该国各地目前怨声载道。
? Winter is the best time to study the growth of trees. Although the leaves are gone and the branches are bare, the trees themselves are beautiful.
冬天是研究树木生长的最好季节，虽则树叶落了，树枝光了，但树木本身却是美丽的。
- Exceptions
? When the indefinite article indicates the numeral “one”, or “a certain”, “every”, eg:
1) I take computer lessons twice a week. 我一星期上两次计算机课。
2) Jane is an honest girl and never tells a lie. 珍妮是一个诚实的孩子，从不说谎。
3) There is not a Helen in the class, but we have three Marys. 这个班上没有一个女孩叫海伦，倒是有三个叫玛丽的。
- Exceptions
? When the definite article refers to a specific one, indicating “this” or “that”, eg:
1) The book bought last week deals with English idioms. 我上周买的那本书是关于英语习惯用语的。
2) It was a different William Carey from the William Carey we had long known.
这不是我们认识很久的那个威廉·卡瑞。
? Verb
eg: Solids expand and contract as liquids and gases do. 如同液体和气体一样，固体也能膨胀和收缩。
Exercises
1. These developing countries cover vast territories, encompass a large population abound in natural resources. 这些发展中国家地大物博，人口众多。
2. Never trouble yourself with trouble till trouble troubles you. 不要自寻麻烦。
3. The true joy of joys is the joy that joys in the joy of others. 与人同乐才是真乐。
4. As it is late, let us go to bed. 不早了，睡吧！
5. University applicants who had worked at a job would receive preference over those who had not.
报考大学的人，有工作经验的将优先录取。
Negation
? Definition: putting what is affirmative in form in one language into negative in another, and vice versa.
– Affirmative in English, but Negative in Chinese – Negative in English, but Affirmative in Chinese
- Affirmative to Negative
1. The first bombs missed the target. (v.) 第一批炸弹没有击中目标。 2. We may safely say so. (ad.) 我们这样说万无一失。
3. This summer is predictably hotter. (ad.) 不出所料，今年夏天更热。
4. What you’ve said is above me. (prep.) 你所说的我不懂。
5. It was beyond his power to do so. (prep.) 他无权这样做。
- Affirmative to Negative
6. I will not go unless I hear from him. (conj.) 如果他不通知我，我就不去。
7. She kept to her room all day. (phrase) 她一整天没出房门。
8. He is nearly 60,but he carried his years lightly. (sentence) 他已年近花甲，可并不显老。
9. The decision has to come. (sentence)