Translation Techniques

Translation Techniques

Teaching Plan Teaching Contents: 1. Introduction to the functions of translation techniques 2. Introduction to the 8 commonly-used techniques 1) repetition(重复法) 2) amplification(增译法 ) 3) omission(/省译法/减译法 ) 4) conversion(词类转移法 ) 5) inversion (词序调整法) 6) division(分译法) 7) negation(正说反译, 反说正译法) 8) the change of the voices(语态变换法)

Teaching Plan Teaching Aims: • To make students get the knowledge of translation techniques and master them in translating practicing. • To make students skilled in translation. Teaching Focus: • Training students’ ability in dealing with the techniques. Teaching Methods: • Discussion (group work, then class work) and teacher-oriented lecturing Teaching Approaches: • Multi-media aided. Teaching Procedures:

I. Discussion of the Assignment Put the following paragraph into English: • 今天的老人是昨天的劳动者。他们对物质文化的发展做出了许多贡献，理所当然应该分享其成果。当敬老、养老蔚然成风时，各个年龄层的人都会有一种完全感。每个人都有一天会变老。如果人们确信老年时生活一定幸福、安康，就会全力以赴地投入工作。

I. Discussion of the Assignment • The old people of today are the laborers of yesterday. It goes without saying that they should have a share in the rewards for material and cultural advancements to which they have contributions. When respecting and providing for the elderly becomes common practice, people of all generations will have a sense of security. For everyone gets old some day, and when people feel perfectly secure of a happy and comfortable life in old age, they will devote themselves wholeheartedly to work.

II. Questions for discussion 1. What is domesticating? What is foreignizing? Explain them through examples. 2. How do you understand the relationships between “free translation and literal translation” and “domesticating and foreignizing”? How do you use them in your translation practice?

III. Introduction to the techniques of translation • Techniques of translation refer to the experience that people have accumulated in their practice of translation. They include lots of skills in translation, such as selection of word meaning, extension of word meaning, conversion of parts of speeches and sentence structures, long sentence translation, paragraph and passage translation, translation of articles of different kinds of styles, etc.

Eight Commonly-used Translation Techniques 1. repetition(重复法) 2. amplification(增译法 ) 3. omission(/省译法/减译法 ) 4. conversion(词类转移法 ) 5. inversion (词序调整法) 6. division(分译法) 7. negation(正说反译, 反说正译法) 8. the change of the voices(语态变换法)

1. Repetition • I. Teaching contents • 1. 根据词义或修辞需要增词 • 2. 根据语法需要增词 • 3. 重复译法 • 1) 为了明确重复 • 2) 为了强调重复 • 3) 为了生动重复

IV. Teaching Method • Discussion (group work, then class work). • V. Teaching procedures

1. Repetition(重复法) 重复也属于增词。翻译和写作一样。本应力求简练，尽量省略一些可有可无的词；有时为了明确、强调或生动，却往往需要将一些关键性的词加以重复。例如： • (1)为了明确重复 • 汉语重复,英译时也重复 • (2)为了强调重复 • 为了强调，汉语句子中往往重复关键性的词，以使读者留下深刻印象，汉译英时往往可以采用同样的重复手段。 • 汉语原文中有词的重复，译成英语时可以保持同样的词的重复。

1. Repetition(重复法) 例如： • 他在凄雨中荡来荡去，想了又想，盘算了盘算。 • He wandered about in the chill rain, thinking and thinking, brooding and brooding. • 先生们尽管可以高喊和平，和平！但是依然没有和平。 • Gentlemen many cry peace, peace---but there is no peace. • 血债要用血来还。 • Blood must atone for blood. • 他们往往一遍又一遍反复琢磨这些密件。 • They would read and re-read the secret notes.

1. Repetition(重复法) • (3)为了生动重复根据两种语言各自的习惯用法,以不同的表达方式进行重复,这种重复通常是为了传达原文的生动性. • 汉语中有大量四字词组，这是汉语的一在特点。四字词组比较精炼，念起来顺口，有节奏感，在英译时要注意词汇的选择，尽量保留原文生动活泼的修辞效果。例如：

1. Repetition(重复法) • 他老是磨磨蹭蹭，马马虎虎，脾气又好得惊人，我们都对他毫无办法。 • With his tardiness, careless and appalling good temper, we had nothing to do with him. • 我的回答完全是坦坦荡荡，（直言无隐），不藏不掖。 • I had been completely honest in my replies, withholding nothing. • 他的那些孩子，也是穿得破破烂烂，粗野不堪，就象没有父母似的。 • His children, too, were as ragged and wild as if they belonged to nobody.

Examples • We have to analyze and solve problems. • 我们要分析问题，解决问题。 • Let’s revise our safety and sanitary regulations. • 我们来修改安全规则和卫生规则吧。 • Gentlemen may cry, peace, peace --- but there is no peace. • 先生们尽管可以高呼和平，和平！但是依然没有和平。 • Nels had it all written out neatly. • 纳尔斯把它写得清清楚楚。

Examples 这种人闹什么东西呢?闹名誉,闹地位,闹出风头。 What are they after? They are after name, after position, and they want to cut smart figure. 大(家庭)有大(家庭)的难处。 A large family has its difficulties. 天苍苍,野茫茫,风吹草低见牛羊。 The sky is blue, blue; And the steppe wide, wide; Over grass that the wind has battered low; Sheep and oxen roam.

寻寻觅觅,冷冷清请,凄凄惨惨戚戚;乍暖还寒时侯,最难将息。寻寻觅觅,冷冷清请,凄凄惨惨戚戚;乍暖还寒时侯,最难将息。 (译文1） Seek, seek; search, search; Cold, cold; bare, bare; Grief, grief; cruel, cruel grief. Now warm, then like the autumn cold again, How hard to calm the heart! （译文2） I seek but seek in vain, I search and search again; I feel so sad, so drear, So lonely, without cheer. （许渊冲译）

青青河边草, 郁郁园中柳。 Green grows the grass upon the bank, The willow shoots are long and lank.

2. Amplification(增译法 /增词法) • Amplification: It means supplying necessary words in our translation work so as to make the version correct and clear. Words thus supplied must be indispensable either syntactically or semantically.

英语和汉语在语法方面差异很大， 比如英语有数的变化、有时态、语态、语气变化、有情态的变化（我们常称为三态一气），而汉语这样的变化很少，如时态，只用着、了、过就解决了。在翻译中我们要注意这些差别，把英语中的数和三态一气等体现出来。为了使译文忠实地表达原文的意思与风格并使译文合乎表达习惯,必须增加一些词语,这就叫增译法. • 增词义增加虚词为多，也可酌量增加实词。 • 英译汉时经常增加的词有结构词、数量词、概念词、语气词等。 • 从增补的功能来看，可以分为结构增补、意义增补和修辞增补。

I am looking forward to the holidays. • 我们等待假日的到来。 • Much of our morality is customary. • 我们大部分的道德观念都有习惯性。 • Reading makes a full man; conference a ready man; and writing an exact man. • 读书使人充实，讨论使人机智，笔记使人精确。 • Histories make men wise; poets witty; the mathematics subtle; natural philosophy deep; moral grave; logic and rhetoric able to contend. • 读史使人明智，读诗使人灵秀，数学使人周密，科学使人深刻，伦理使人庄重，逻辑修辞之学使人善辩。

没有调查研究就没有发言权。 • He who makes no investigation and study has no right to speak. (No investigation, no right to speak.) • 2. 子曰:“学而不思则罔, 思而不学则殆。” • Confucius said: “He who learns without thinking is lost. He who thinks without learning remains puzzled.” • 3. 虚心使人进步, 骄傲使人落后。 • Modesty helps one to go forward, whereas conceit makes one lag behind.

4. 交出翻译之前,必须读几遍,看看有没有要修改的地方. 这样你才能把工作做好。 Before handing in your translation, you have to read it over and over again and see if there is anything in it to be corrected or improved. Only thus can you do your work well. 5. 只许州官放火, 不许百姓点灯。 The magistrate are free to burn down houses, while the common people are forbidden even to light lamps.

(One man may steal a horse, while another may not look over the hedge.) 6. 班门弄斧 Showing off one’s proficiency with the axe before Lu Ban the master carpenter. 7. 三个臭皮匠, 顶个诸葛亮。 Three cobblers with their wits combined equal Zhuge Liang the master mind. 8. 留得青山在, 不怕没柴烧。 So long as green hills remain, there will never be a shortage of firewood.

3. Omission(减译法) • Omission: In the process of translation we may make proper omission of some individual words in accordance with the corresponding laws inherent in the two languages concerned in order to retain and better express the original meaning. • 减译法是指原文中有些词在译文中不译出来,因为译文中虽无其词而已有其意,或者在译文中是不言而喻的; • 减译法是删去一些可有可无的, 或者有了反而累赘或违背译文习惯表达法的词, 并不是把原文的某些思想内容删去。例如：

字母I代表“我”，O代表“欠”，U代表“你”。字母I代表“我”，O代表“欠”，U代表“你”。 • The letter “I” represents I, “O” owe, and “U” you. • 所有物体都由分子组成，而分子则由原子组成。 • All bodies consists of molecules and these of atoms. • 我们提前完成了我们的工作，他们也提前完成了他们的工作。 • We have fulfilled our work ahead of schedule, so have they. • 他在写学期论文时，遇到了重重困难。 • He had met with great difficulties in writing his term paper. • 雨也罢，晴也罢，我都要去那儿。 • Rain or shine, I’ll go there. • 你要是去北京的话，别忘了去看一看我弟弟。 • If you go to Beijing, don’t forget to see my younger brother. • 勇之过度则蛮，爱之过度则为宠，俭之过度则为贪。 • Courage in excess becomes foolhardiness, affection weakness, thrift avarice.

谁犯了纪律，谁就应该受到批评。 • Whoever violates the disciplines should be criticized. • 上大学的上大学了，下乡的下乡了。 • Some have entered college and others have gone to the countryside. • 他想给他们增加些援助，增添些武器，增派些人员。 • He wanted to send them more aid, more weapons and a few more men. • 他既精于飞行，又善于导航。 • He was proficient both as a flyer and as a navigator. • 幸福家庭有幸福家庭的苦恼。 • Happy families also had their own troubles.

省译和增补是相辅相成的两种翻译技巧。省译和分为结构省译和精炼压缩。省译和增补是相辅相成的两种翻译技巧。省译和分为结构省译和精炼压缩。 • 所谓结构省译是由于英汉两种语言在句子结构上的差异造成的。在英译汉时经常省略的词有代词、系词、介词、连词、冠词、先行词等。作主语和定语的人称代词以及做定语的物主代词均可省译。 • 如果把结构省译看作是消极的省译手段，那么精炼压缩则是积极的省译手段，前者明显，后者隐晦。

A book is useful. • 书（是）由用（的）。 • The earth goes around the sun. • 地球绕太阳转。 • On Sundays we have no school. • 礼拜天我们不上学。 • If you write him, the response would be absolute silence and void. • 你写信给他，总是石沉大海。 • A wise man will not marry a woman who has attainments but no virtue. • 聪明的人是不会娶有才无德的女子为妻的。

It isn’t rum for a woman to want her old husband back, for respectability, though for a man to want his old wife back – well, perhaps it is funny, rather! • （一个）女人为了体面（的关系）而要（她的从）前（的那个丈）夫回来，这并不（是）奇怪（的事），虽然（一个）男人要（他从）前（的那个）妻（子）回来，也许是很有趣的事。

我们要培养分析问题、解决问题的能力。 • We must cultivate the ability to analyze and solve problems. • 2. 郭沫若同志曾说: “中国人历来是勇于探索、勇于创造、勇于革命的。” • Comrade Guo Moro once said: “The people of China have always been courageous enough to probe into things, to make inventions and to make revolution.” • 3. 他们为国家做的事, 比我们所做的多得多。 • They have done much more for the state than we have.

4. Conversion(词类转换法) • Conversion:It means that in translation a word in one language belonging to a certain part of speech is not necessarily to be turned into one of the same part of speech in another language. • 英译汉时词类转换的核心是根据需要将具有动作性的名词转换为汉语的动词，或者将可表示概念的动词转换为汉语名词。 • 汉译英时则反其道而行之。 • 在翻译过程中，如果绝对地按照原语的词性进行翻译，有时译文会显得晦涩或不符合译语的表达习惯。这时，我们可以对原语的词性进行转换翻译。汉译英中常见的词性转换有以下几个方面。

For students of composition, an awareness that rhetorical patterns differ from one culture to another can help them become more quickly proficient in a writing pattern that is not native to them. • 学习写作的人若能意识到各种文化在修辞模式上的差别，则有助于他们迅速掌握对他们来说是外在的写作模式。

In those years the Republicans were in. • 那些年是共和党执政。 • The music is a gas. • 这音乐妙极了。 • Saud was a frustrated man at that time. • 沙特那时已受挫折。 • Traditionally, there had always been good relations between them. • . 他们之间一直有着传统的友好关系。 • This experiment is a great success. • 这次实验是极为成功的。

1) 语言这个东西不是随便可以学好的, 非下苦功不可。 The mastery of language is not easy and requires painstaking effort. 2) 一定要少说空话,多做工作。 There must be less empty talk and more hard work.

3. 徐悲鸿画马画得特别好。 Xu Beihong’s drawings (paintings) of horses are exceptionally good. 4. 林则徐认为, 要成功地禁止鸦片买卖,就得首先把鸦片焚毁。 Lin Zexu believed that a successful ban of the trade in opium must be preceded by the destruction of the drug itself.

5. Inversion(词序调整法) • Inversion:By inversion in translation we mean that the constituent elements of a sentence are arranged in way different from the general rules of word order of the language in question. 1 发生了这样的事不是你的错。 It’s not your fault that this has happened. 2 她，一个瘦弱多病的女孩子，以她坚强的毅力写出了一部催人奋进的小说。 A thin and weak girl susceptible to diseases, she wrote one inspiring novel after another with her strong will. 3 一直在一旁观看的小学生们开始鼓起掌来。 The pupils that had been watching started to applaud.

会议没能取得一致意见就结束了。 • The meeting ended in disagreement (without reaching a consensus). • 这所大学现有计算机科学、高能物理、激光、地球物理、遥感技术、遗传工程六个专业。 • This university has six faculties, namely, Computer Science, High Energy Physics, Laser, Geo-physics, Remote Sensing and Genetic Engineering.

6. Negation(正说反译、反说正译法) • Negation:It means in translation some words, phrases or sentences with negative expression in SL may be transformed into affirmative expression in TL. Vice versa, some affirmative expression in SL may be transformed into negative expression in TL, to make the version clearer and more explicit. 反说英语词句中含有 “never”, “no”, “non-”, “un-”, “im-”, “ir-”, “-less” 等成分；汉语词句中含有 “不，没，无，未，甭，别，休，莫，非，勿，毋” 等成

我想小李明天不会来了。 • I don’t think Xiao Li will com tomorrow. • 2 我们的人民解放军无愧于伟大的人民军队的称号。 • Our PLA is worthy of being called a great army of the people. • 3 雷锋的高尚行为是赞扬不尽的。 • Lei Feng’s noble deeds are above all praise. • 她光着脚走进房间。 • She came into the room with no shoes on. • 5 法律面前人人平等。 • Law is no respecter of persons.

She refrained from laughing. • 她忍住了，没有发笑。 • She wasrefused admittance by them. • 他们不许她进去。 • An opportunity is not likely to repeat itself. • 良机难再。 • All that glitters is not gold. • All is not lost. 并非全失。 • But all men are not born to reign. • 并非人人生来就都是作帝王的。 • All that flatter you too much are not faithful friends. • 吹捧你的人并非都是你的忠实朋友。 • Both children are not clever. • 两个孩子都不都聪明。

闲人莫入。 • Private. • 切勿倒置。 • Keep upright. • 油漆未干。 • Wet paint. • 市区通道，不准停车。 • Urban clearway. • 易燃物品，请勿近火。 • Inflammables --- keep away from fire. • 凭票退还押金。 • No deposit will be refunded unless ticket produced. • 以上参观项目遇雨停止或改期。 • These visits will operate only if weather permits.

If you forward the transcripts yourself, they can be considered official only if the school envelope has remained sealed. • 如果你本人递交证件，只有校方信封保持密封才可以被认为是正视的。（误） • 如果证件由申请人本人递交，则本人不得擅自启封，否则证件将视为无效。（正）

7. Division(分译法) • Division: It means the necessary splitting of a long sentence into shorter ones. • 分译法主要用于长句的翻译。 • 以《毛泽东选集》英译本为例，说明汉语长句的分译法。

如果长句以一表示判断或小结的从句结尾，可使用分译法。例如：如果长句以一表示判断或小结的从句结尾，可使用分译法。例如： • 这些国家的共产党和进步党派，正促使它们的政府和我们作生意，以至建立外交关系，这是善意的，这就是援助。 • The communist Parties and progressive groups in these countries are urging their government to establish trade and even diplomatic relations with us. This is goodwill. This is help.

2. 如果汉语句子较长，其中有语气或话题的转折，为了使英译文明确，可进行分译。例如：蒋介石说，中国过去没有内战，只有剿匪；不管叫什么吧，总之要发动反人民的内战。 Chiang Kai-shek says there has never been any “civil war” in China, only “bandit suppression”. Whatever he likes to call it, the fact is he wants to start a civil war against the people.

3. 如果汉语长句中含有反问句（或反诘句）或感叹号，英译时通常要分译。不和中国的人民民主专政的当局好好地打交道，却要干这些混帐工作，而且公开地发表出来，丢脸！丢脸！ Instead of dealing with the authorities of the Chinese people’s democratic dictatorship in the proper way, Acheson and his like are doing filthy work, and what is more, they have openly published it. What a loss of face! What a loss of face!

蒋介石说要建国，今后就是建什么国的斗争，是建立一个无产阶级领导的人民大众的新民主主义国家呢，还是建立一个大地主大资产阶级专政的半殖民地半封建的国家呢？蒋介石说要建国，今后就是建什么国的斗争，是建立一个无产阶级领导的人民大众的新民主主义国家呢，还是建立一个大地主大资产阶级专政的半殖民地半封建的国家呢？ Chiang Kai-shek talks about “building the country”. From now on the struggle will be to build what sort of country. To build a new-democratic country of the broad masses under the leadership of the proletariat? Or to build a semi-colonial and semi-feudal country under the dictatorship of the big landlords and the big bourgeoisie?

4. 如果汉语长句中含有从一般到具体或从具体到一般的过渡，英译时应分译。例如：这一点现在就必须向党内讲明白，务必使同志们继续地保持谦虚、谨慎、不骄不躁地作风，务必使同志们继续地保持艰苦奋斗地作风。 This must be made clear now in the Party. The comrades must be taught to remain modest, prudent and free from arrogance and rashness in their style of work. The comrades must be taught to preserve the style of plain living and hard struggle.

5. 如果汉语长句中含有几个平行的句子，各讲一方面的内容，英译时最好分译。例如：我军的现代化，就是要有一支强大的陆军海军空军，要有现代化的武器装备，包括导弹和核武器，要严格训练，要按实战要求苦练过硬的杀敌本领，熟练掌握使用现代化武器装备的新技术，以及随之而来的新战术。

Translation Techniques