科技英语翻译技巧和策略探究A Study about the Translation Strategies on The Translation of English for Science and Technology.doc

科技英语翻译技巧和策略探究a study about the translation strategies on the translation of english for science and technology摘 要 随着国际学术交流的日益广泛，科技英语已经受到普遍的重视，但是在当前科技英语翻译中还存在很多的不足之处，导致科技英语翻译的译文质量不尽人意，究其原因，主要是缺乏对科技英语翻译差异的认识，缺乏恰当的翻译策略，因此掌握一些科技英语的翻译策略是非常必要的。 本文对科技英语翻译中的翻译标准，翻译技巧等注意事项提出一些看法，同时列出了土壤生物学、信息技术和植物学中的三个翻译实例，通过对这三个翻译实例的具体数据统计和数据分析，详细分析了科技英语翻译中的使用专业术语，使用名词化结构，使用长句这三个最主要的特点以及一些应用方法。希望能通过这一小方面的研究就科技英语翻译进行一定程度上的探讨和研究。abstractwith the expansion of international academic exchange，english for science and technology has become highly valued and welcomed, but at current the translation of english for science still leaves much to be desired. so that its found to be unsatisfactory. why? the lack of understanding and strategies to the translation of english for science and technology is the main reason. so its necessary to have some skills on the translation of english for science and technology.the article will bring some ideas on translation standard and skills instructions and so on, and by giving three translation examples, in agrobiology, information technology and botany, to have statistical analysis of their data in detailed. we analyzed also in very great detail on terminology, using many nominalization and sentences, the main three features on the translation of english for science and technology, and we also analyzed some translation methods. we hope that the article will carry out a certain degree of discussion and research on english for the translation of science and technology。 table of contentspages1. introduction .1.1 research background1.2 research objective.1.3 project design.11122. rationale.2.1 the standard of est2.2 the features of the est. 2.2.1 using terminology2.2.2 using nominalization2.2.3 using sentences. .3333443. data description.3.1 the example of agrobiology. 3.2 the example of information technology 3.3 the example of botany. . 3.4 translation content table.556784. data analysis.4.1 on terminology. .4.2 using many nominalization.4.3 sentences. 4.4 translate methods10101113135. results and suggestions. 5.1 results. . 5.2 suggestions on the application methods of est1717176. conclusion.19bibliography20appendix.21 1. introduction1.1 research backgroundaccording to the dictionary of modern chinese, the translation is “put the meaning from the source language into the other language”. but the translation is not an unaided creationary subject itself, it is creationary and scientific. its an artistic form of language communication and re-creation of est. with increased international academic exchanges, est has become highly valued and welcomed. so grasping of the better skills in the est has become more and more necessary. est acts as an important english style, comparing with the other styles, it shows different features, such as, more terminology, more nominalization, more professional, longer sentences, etc. all of the features are decided by the est content. so the translation of est is different from the others.1.2 research objective during the translating of est, if we want to digest all the text, we must know something more about it, and become fluent in the same expression of things in the chinese and english. nothing but to depend on the proficiency to the two language, we can communicate the information between both sides, but when we want to use language flexibility, especially, when we want to choose the words accurately, the scarcity to the corresponding knowledge will be a huge limit. if we want to resolve this problem, we must active in knowing well the corresponding knowledge of this science field. i.e. when we translate the word “轧机牌坊”, it is not good enough to translate the literal sense only, furthermore sometimes the using of the words are not standard. the literal sense of “轧机牌坊” is “mill housing”, but base on the truth of the device, it must be translated as “window”. the engineers have accustomed to using this word. so if you know the manufacturing and devices, it would improve your ability to understand the meaning of language and the quality of translation will also be greatly improved. in the est study of this article, we show three features: on terminology, using many nominalization and sentences. and we will have an exposition by detailed data analysis.1.3 project designthe data to be analyzed consist of three est texts which represent three research fields of est respectively, i.e. agrobiology, information technology, and botany. all of them were originally written in chinese and translated into english, thus good comparability can be found among these texts. furthermore, since the texts cover three major fields of the science and technology text, it is likely to get an overview on the textual features of this kind of text as well as a general guideline of translation skill and strategy.2. rationale2.1 the standard of estabout the standard of est translation in china, when we mentioned the standard of translation , people always thought of the idea -“信,达,雅” (faithfulness, expressiveness and elegance), from the enlightening thinker at the end of qing dynasty, fu yan. now most translators accept widely the following standard: the translated content must be original and flowing in normal condition. but for the characteristic and purpose of the translation of english science and technology documents, its standard has some difference from the literature translation. its standard must be standard, professional, specialized. these points are the most difference to the normal literature translation. in the following 2.2 chapter we will show more detailed content about these characteristics.2.2 the characteristics of the est according to the standard of est in the 2.1 chapter, we will show the three features of the est.2.2.1 using terminologyin the est, we use much professional terminology. terminology means “the vocabulary of technical terms used in a particular field, subject, science, or art; nomenclature”. its the explanation of american traditional dictionary. according to the above explanation terminology is one and only in some special field. in fact much terminology did not exist itself before the article which the terminology represent come forth. and because the est is scientific, researchful and developmental, in any period there are many new invented or discovered articles. so there is much terminology in est and we must attach importance to them. the compounds are the first format in terminology. we often create some new compounds to express some new possibilities by various kinds of combining form. such as radiophotography (无线电传真)，anti-armored fighting vehicle missile(反装甲车导弹) etc. this kind of terminology is easy-understand if we are well-known to the parts of compounds. but another one is more difficult to understand, such as internet(互联网), a completely new article. if the translators have no specialized knowledge in the information technology, they cant express the accurate meaning. in brief, the translation of terminology is extremely difficult in est, the most important reasons are that the translators have no specialized knowledge. so the translators must enlarge the extension of the knowledge, study the special knowledge and understand correctly the meaning of the text, in order to express the right meaning by fitted terminology. 2.2.2 using nominalizationwhen a grammar of contemporary deals with est, it offered that using nominalization is the feature of est. because the est requests the capsule description, the antiseptic expression, the exact content and the enough information, it must emphasize the existent facts, but not some action. for example, archimeds first discovered the principle of displacement of water by solid bodies.2.2.3 using sentences est is based on the external expression, so its type of writing is formal, the point of view must be clear, and the language organization must be preciseness, has not flashback or narration interposed. for example, it is evident that a well lubricated bearing turns more easily than a dry one 。3. data description we have some examples in agrobiology, information technology and botany in the following. and we can understand the translation of est more profound through these data. 3.1 the example of agrobiology st 1: 发育“发育”一词包含三个过程。【1】首先，通过分裂产生新细胞，这在高等植物中尽管不专有但通常是发生在称为分生组织的区域内。【2】其次，是细胞生长或增大阶段。【3】最后，细胞分化进入成熟和特化状态。【4】这三个发育阶段无论是从空间上还是时间上都是不可分开的，从一开始就了解这点是非常重要的。【5】分裂可以发生在正在增长的细胞中，在某种情况下，甚至发生在一般被认为是成熟和完全分化的细胞中。【6】通常认为分化是细胞达到了某种最后的或稳定的状态，具有特定的生理功能（如维管系统中的输导作用或叶肉中的光合作用）。【7】tt 1：development:the term development encompasses three types of process . 1 first , new cells are produced by division , in the high plant , this occurs most commonly , although not exclusively , in regions called meristems . 2 next, there is a phase of growth or cell enlargement. 3 finally, the cells differentiate into their mature and specialized states. 4 it is important to grasp from the outset that these three phases of development are not necessarily separated either in space or in time. 5 divisions may occur in cells which are actively enlarging, and in certain circumstances even in cells which would ordinarily be considered as nature and differentiated fully. 6 differentiation is usually regarded as the attainment of some final state or stability by a cell, coupled to a specific function (such as transport in the vascular system or photosynthesis in the mesophyll ) . 73.2 the example of information technology st 2 :存储器存储器是能够存储一位或多位信息的媒体或装置。【1】在二进制系统中，一位以两种可能状态之一进行存储，分别代表1或0。【2】触发器就是一位存储器的例子，配合有合适的传送装置和读写电路的磁带是大存储器的另一个极端的例子，存储能力在十亿位以上。【3】计算机的存储器也可以分成两部分。【4】所有计算机都有的部分是主存储器。【5】第二部分称为文件存储器和辅助存储器，在需要的时候，常用以存储大量的信息。【6】主存储器是由半导体器件组成的，其运行速度比文件存储器快得多。【7】一般来说，以零点几微秒的时间即可对主存储器存或取一个字或一组数据。【8】我们只讨论半导体型主存储器。【9】半导体型存储器分为两大类：只读存储器(rom)和读写存储器(rwm)。【10】tt 2: memorya memory is a medium or device capable of storing one or more bits of information. 1 in binary systems, a bit is stored as one of two possible states, representing either a 1 or a 0. 2 a flip-flop is an example of a 1-bit memory, and a magnetic tape, along with the appropriate transport mechanism and read/write circuitry, represents the other extreme of a large memory with an over-billion-bit capacity. 3 computer memory can be divided into two sections. 4 the section common to all computers is the main memory. 5 a second section, called the file or secondary memory, is often present to store large amounts of information if needed. 6 the main memory is composed of semiconductor devices and operates at much higher speeds than does the file memory. 7 typically a word or set of data can be stored or retrieved in a fraction of a microsecond from the main memory. 8 we shall limit our discussion to semiconductor main memory. 9 there are tow broad classifications within semiconductor memories, the read-only memory (rom) and the read-write memory (rwm). 103.3 the example of botany st 3 :叶性器官在形态学上和解剖学上，叶是变化最大的植物器官。【1】长在植物上的所有类型的叶的集合术语为叶性器官。【2】种子植物门的不同叶性器官在外部形态、内部结构和功能上都是非常不同的。【3】由于这种变化性，叶性器官分为下列几种类型：营养叶、低出叶、高出叶、子叶和其他类型。【4】营养叶是重要的光合器官。【5】低出叶是生在芽合地下茎上的鳞片，而且他们的功能是保护和贮存预备物质。【6】首先，位于侧枝最下方的叶叫先出叶，在单子叶植物中通常只有一片先出叶，而在双子叶植物中有两片。【7】高出叶是指与化相伴而生的各种类型的苞片,很明显它们是起保护作用的。【8】有时高出叶是有色的，因此它们的功能与花瓣相似。【9】子叶是植物最早出现的叶子。【10】花器官也被当作子叶看待。【11】tt 3 :phyllome morphologically and anatomically the leaf is the most variable plant organ. 1 the collective term for all the types of leaves appearing on plants is the phyllome. 2 the different phyllomes of the spermatophyta are extremely variable both in external and in internal structure and in function. 3 because of this variability the following types of phyllomes have been classified: foliage leaces, catapylls , hypsophylls, cotyledons , and others . 4 the foliage leaves are the principal photosynthetic organs. 5 the cataphylls are the scales that appear on buds and on underground stems and their function is protection or the storage of reserve materials. 6 the first, lowermost leaves of a side branch are termed prophylls; in monocotyledons only one prophyll is usually present and in dicotyledons, two. 7 the hypsophylls are the various types of bracts that accompany the flowers and their function is, apparently, protection. 8 sometimes the hypsophylls are coloured and then their function is similar to that of petals. 9 the cotyledons are the first leaves of the plant. 10 the floral organs are also considered as leaves. 113.4 translation content tablethe technical terms of the st have been spotted out and listed in the forms below with their translation. (see form1 to form 3, the numbers in the square brackets represent the location of the words / phrases in the original texts.)form1:series numberst1tt11发育【1】development22分生组织【2】meristem23成熟状态【4】mature state44特化状态【4】specialized state45完全分化【6】differentiated fully66生理功能【7】function77维管系统【7】vascular system78输导作用【7】transport79叶肉【7】mesophyll 710光合作用【7】photosynthesis 7form2:series numberst2tt21存储器【1】memory12一位信息【1】one bit of information13多位信息【1】more bit of information14触发器【3】flip-flop35传送装置【3】the transport mechanism36读写电路【3】the read/write circuitry37主存储器【5】the main memory58文件存储器【6】the file memory69辅助存储器【6】the secondary memory610半导体器件【7】semiconductor device711半导体型主存储器【9】the semiconductor main memory912只读存储器【10】the read-only memory(rom)1013读写存储器【10】the read-write memory(rwm)10form3:series numberst3tt31形态学【1】morphologically12解剖学【1】anatomically13植物器官【1】plant organ14叶性器官【2】phyllome25种子植物门【3】spermatophyte36营养叶【4】foliage leaf47低出叶【4】cataphyll48高出叶【4】hypsophyll49子叶【4】cotyledon410光合器官【5】photosynthetic organ511芽【6】bud612地下茎【6】underground stem613侧枝【7】side branch714先出叶【7】prophyll715单子叶植物【7】monocotyledon716双子叶植物【7】dicotyledon717苞片【8】bract818子叶【10】cotyledon1019花器官【11】floral organ114. data analysisthe purpose of this study is to explore the features of est texts as a particular text type and to seek for a corresponding translation strategy which can serve as a guideline for translation practice. therefore, the focus is not on the translation skills in detail but on general rules that can be used as principles in handling the translation of this type of text. on the other hand, since at present est is regarded as a very professional text type, its texts accept widely the standard: the translated content must be original and flowing. but for the characteristic and purpose of the translation of english science and technology documents, its standard has some difference from the literature translation. its standard must be standard, professional, specialized. so the data analysis in this project will cover the following aspects: 1. on terminology, i.e. the translation of technical terms of est; 2. many nominalization; 3. sentences.4.1 on terminologyin the data description we have this result that incarnates the ests characteristic. its main purpose is to describe accurately the scientific discovery, scientific facts, test report and the others, so it must be formal, accurate, narrow, polished and clear. most of the technical terms are longer noun or combination, the spoken words or phrases are seldom used in est. form 4:st1tt1on terminology22meristem77vascular system77mesophyll77photosynthesisform 5:st2tt2on terminology33flip-flopform 6:st3tt3on terminology11morphologically11anatomically22phyllome33spermatophyte44cataphyll44hypsophyll44cotyledon77prophyll88bract1010cotyledonthe terminology cant be understood by normal readers. in fact the above terminologies in the forms are very strange to normal readers, so how to translate them to easy-understand words is very important and necessary. and we can analysis meristem (分生组织), mesophyll (叶肉), anatomically (解剖学), cotyledon (子叶) etc. these terminology marks: using many long forms, including some affixation from latin, greek and french. this kind of words has limited semantic features, and clear meaning. and its quite up to the mark of est. such as vascular system (维管系统)， photosynthesis (光合作用)，monocotyledon (单子叶植物)，dicotyledon (双子叶植物) etc.。4.2 using many nominalizationusing nominalization is the feature of est. because the est requests the capsule description, the antiseptic expression, the exact content and the enough information, it must emphasize the existent facts, but not some action. (see from form 7 to form 9). fo