On the Techniques of Translating English Long Sentences.doc

毕业论文(设计)B.A. ThesisOn the Techniques of Translating English Long SentencesB.A. Candidate: Luo LuAdvisor: Li WeihongForeign Language DepartmentJiaying UniversityJune 5, 200822Acknowledgements I would like to take this chance to express my gratitude to many people who have helped me with the completion of this paper. My sincere thanks and appreciation first of all go to Prof. Li Weihong , my supervisor, who has taken much time and trouble instructing me in my paper. It has been a great privilege and joy to work under her guidance. Her valuable suggestions and unwavering support have helped me overcome many difficulties. Without her insightful criticisms and suggestions, the completion of this thesis would be impossible. In addition, I deeply appreciate the contribution to this thesis made in various ways by my friends and classmates Ma Shuxiao and Lan Huiliang. They gave me a lot of suggestions，provided some good materials，and helped me to correct some errors or mistakes.AbstractTranslation is the most important means of communication between different countries and cultures，in which sentences are the basic units of translation and discourse. Proper sentence translation may lay a good foundation for the translation of a text and is the essential qualification of a translator.Nowadays, all the books on the English translation are concerned with the long sentence translation. Long sentence translation has always been an important and difficult part of English-Chinese translation. The previous studies on the translation of English long sentences are mainly concerned with techniques of transferring the English long sentence.，but they are only introductory and limited to a few basic general rules. Long sentence translation is an area that demands more in-depth and comprehensive studies and that is what the paper aims at.To study translation of long sentences from English to Chinese，by exemplifying，many Chinese and English sentences and their translated versions are introduced. The paper firstly introduces the present circumstances of English long sentences translation. And then，based on the standard of English long sentences translation， and the characteristics of English and Chinese languages and comparison between them，the paper discusses the factors effecting English long sentences translation and the basic processes and commonly-used skills of translating long sentences from English into Chinese. In the end, it is pointed out that the translator should try to find a suitable method to translate long sentences from English to Chinese with view to the differences after comprehending the original correctly. And it also puts forward that there are more issues worth studying and this dissertation is just the beginning to probe into the techniques of long sentence translation from English to Chinese.Key Words: translation English long sentences characteristics methods 摘 要翻译是国际及各种不同语言文化间交流的最重要的手段，而句子是翻译的基本单位，也是语篇的基本单位。因此，译好句子可以为语篇翻译打下良好的基础，也是译者应具备的基本技能。目前，几乎所有的英文翻译没有不涉及到长句的翻译的，英语长句的翻译历来是英汉翻译中的难点之一，以往对这方面的研究大都着眼于总结翻译长句的经验和技巧，这些方法对翻译长句无疑提供了有价值的指导作用。但是，除了方法的研究外，长句翻译还涉及许多其他方面，值得进行更深入的研究。而这也是此文撰写的目的。本论文以大量英汉长句及其译句为实例，着重考察英语长句的翻译问题。 首先介绍了英语长句的翻译现状。然后在提出英语长句的翻译标准和对比分析了英汉长句的差异的基础上，讨论了影响英语长句翻译的因素，为接下来的两章探讨英语长句翻译的基本步骤和方法提供了理论依据。 最后，作者提出在英汉长句的翻译中，应注重英汉两种语言之间的差异，寻找恰当的方法来指导英汉长句的互译。同时指出此文只是对长句翻译方面的一些初步探讨，今后还有更多英语长句翻译问题值得我们进一步研究和探讨。关键词: 翻译 英汉长句 特征 方法 ContentsAcknowledgementsiAbstract（English）iiAbstract（Chinese）iii1. Introduction12. Standards of English long sentences translation22.1 Criteria of English long sentences translation23. The characteristics of English and Chinese sentences33.1 The characteristic of English long sentence structure43.2 The characteristic of Chinese long sentence structure53.3 Comparison of sentence structures in English and Chinese54. Factors effecting English long sentences translation64.1 Cultural background of the languages64.2 Analysis of the original text74.3 Translators competence on translation85. Skills of translating English long sentences into Chinese95.1 The basic process of translating English long sentences into Chinese95.2 Commonly-used techniques to translate English long sentences into Chinese135.2.1 Rearrangement of the word order135.2.2 Splitting and combination145.2.3 Conversion of some words155.2.4 Proper addition and omission Proper addition. Proper omission185.2.5 Necessary repetition196. Conclusion20References21On the Techniques of Translating English Long Sentences1. IntroductionWith more and more international communication，translation becomes the most important means of communication between different countries and cultures. Sentences are the basic units of translation and discourse. Proper sentences translation，especially long sentences translation，may lay a good foundation for the translation of a text and is the essential qualification of a translator.（Zhu Fangzhu 2002 ：87）Nowadays，English long sentences can be found everywhere in scientific, technical and other discourses. They make comprehension and translation difficult, and often cause mistranslation on English-Chinese translating. How to translate English long sentences well becomes a classic topic in translation studies. So it is of realistic and profound significance to study the problems of the long sentences translation from English to Chinese.Since long sentences translation is an area which demands more in-depth and comprehensive studies, it is necessary to develop the methods to comprehend and translate them. By using the contrastive methods，this paper aims at analyzing the structures of the English and Chinese long sentences and discussing the techniques of translating the long sentences. It is hoped that this paper would help translators in their profession, and would also contribute a little to the translation research work.In order to study the strategies of translating long sentences from English to Chinese，it is necessary to analyze the standards of English long sentences translation first and then contrast the characteristics between English and Chinese. 2. Standards of English long sentences translation2.1 Criteria of English long sentences translationAs to the criteria of English long sentences translation, many famous writers and scholars, both domestic and abroad, did great contributions. In China，after the May 4th Movement, Lu Xun(a famous linguist and literature critic) proposed “信”（faithfulness ）and “顺”（smoothness） as the criteria of translation. After the birth of new China, quite a lot of translators put forward various criteria: such as “fluency”，“smooth”，“accuracy”，“faithfulness” “formal similarity” and “spiritual similarity ”；strive for “romantic charm” but not “outward appearance” ，and so on. （Gu Jinming 1995：327）As early as 18th century，Alexander Fraser Tyler （1749-1814），English famous theoretician，formulated the famous three “laws of translation” in his Essay on the Principles of Translation：1.The translation should give a complete transcript of the ideas of the original work.2.The style and manner of translation should be of the same character with that of the original.3.The Translation should have the ease of the original composition. His theory has given rise to a heated discussion.Among these criteria however, outstanding forerunner，Yan Fus three-character standard of translation “faithfulness, expressiveness and elegance” is a highly influential theory and makes great contributions to the English long sentence translation，both in theory and practice. “信”Being faithful to the original(忠实于原文)“达”Being explicit and smooth（明白晓畅）“雅”-Being elegant in words（词语的优雅）Quite a lot of translators prefer Yan Fus theory to others. And Yan Fus three-character standard of translation is considered to be the golden rule in the field of English long sentence translation.3. The characteristics of English and Chinese sentencesWith the social development and the influence of cultures and languages，there are more and more long and complicated sentences in English literatures of various kinds of discourses, such as science, economic, technology and law. And those sentences can be understood well by English natives，but difficult to be translated into Chinese. Although the practice of translation proves that it is very difficult to deal with English long and complicated sentences, it is known that translating them well may lay a good foundation for the translation of a discourse and is the basic skill of a good translator. So it is essential and significant to study the characteristics of the English and Chinese long sentences and the transformation between them，which bring up the discussion on contrasting the different characteristics between English and Chinese sentences.3.1 The characteristic of English long sentence structureAn English long sentence can be defined as the sentence that contains a great numbers of words，phrases，or clauses and many modifiers and that can express complex ideas.（Zhu Fangzhu 2002：189）According to structure，English long sentences can be classified into four kinds：simple long sentence，compound long sentence，complex long sentences and complex-compound long sentences. （Zhu Fangzhu 2002：192）Simple long sentences have only one subject-predicate structure in which one or more constituents are long and complex. Compound long sentence：Compound long sentence have two or more subject-predicate structures，with coordinated relationship between each other. Complex long sentence：Complex long sentences are composed of several subject-predicate structures among which some is primary and others are subordinated. Compound-complex long sentences are compound sentences on the whole，but there is one or more subordinated clauses in the coordinated clauses. （Zhu Fangzhu 2002：193）From the above definitions，it can be seen that English long sentence develops from the basic structure of subject-predicate. There are three ways to expand them into long and complex ones：to add the modifiers or coordinate constituents，to make phrases to be constituents（such as prepositional phrases，participate phrases，definite phrases），and to combine two or mere simple sentences into compound or complex sentences.3.2 The characteristic of Chinese long sentence structureChinese long sentences refer to those that have a lot of words and complex structures with multiplex semantic meanings. （Zhu Fangzhu 2002：231）Chinese long sentences can be classified into three kinds：simple long sentences，complex long sentences and multiple-complex sentences. （Zhu Fangzhu 2002：233）Simple long sentences are developed from the short simple ones. Their constituents are not a word or a simple phrase，but complex phrases or clauses. One of the reasons for their length is that they have some modifiers such as adjectives or adverbs. Another reason is that one or more constituents are long and complex. Complex long sentences are composed of three or more clauses and have more than two levels in structure. When a sentence expresses polymorphic meaning，it always develops phrases or clauses in a parallel or paratactic direction into a long sentence， because there is no the same strict sentence boundary in Chinese as in English. It is difficult to punctuate Chinese sentences. In fact，immediate punctuation was one of the key studies in the old days before printed punctuations were used.3.3 Comparison of sentence structures in English and Chinese Although English and Chinese adopt the basic structure：subject-predicate-object, it is acknowledged that they bear specific characteristics. So a comparison should be made to illustrate the specific characteristics between English and Chinese languages. English has articles, but Chinese does not. The possessive pronouns, conjunctions and passive voice are much more often used in English than in Chinese. Besides, English sentences, generally speaking, are longer than Chinese sentences. It is by no means easy to have a correct understanding of English long sentence， not to mention translate it into Chinese. Thats the difference between the two languages in length. The factors that result in a long English sentence are: 1. multiple modifiers; 2. parallel elements; 3.complicated syntax. The key point that marks the difference between English and Chinese is syntax. Hypotaxis is characterizes the English syntax which is described by some grammarians as “a big tree with a mass of many branches and foliage”, （Sun Miqing 2001：237）as a long sentence is usually composed of many clauses and modifiers just like a big tree with many branches and a mass of foliage. The Chinese syntax, stressed on parataxis, is described by some people as “waves surging forward at the vast sea”. To make a distinction between two languages is of great help to us in translating a long sentence from English into Chinese. 4. Factors effecting English long sentences translation4.1 Cultural background of the languagesLanguage and culture are interactive and interdependent. English long sentences translation is far from being a purely aesthetic or linguistic act，which is closely connected with culture and taken as a bridge of cultural exchanges. Vice versa， cultural differences among different countries and nations exert great influence on English long sentences translation. In order to be a qualified translator and make the translated text accepted by the target language readers, a deep and thorough understanding of the Chinese culture and the western culture is required. English long sentence translation demands a broad and profound knowledge of cultural background knowledge. In other words，a translator should have an understanding of literature and art，rhetoric and aesthetics；otherwise，he can hardly accomplish the task of reproduction of the original. 4.2 Analysis of the original textIt is known that accurate comprehension of the original is always the foremost concern in English long sentence translation. Whether or not a piece of translation is smooth or too mechanical is judged primarily by whether or not the translator has acquired accurate comprehension. The translator must understand the original in order to be understood by his readers. When the English long sentences are translated into Chinese, an important factor lies in analyzing correctly their multiple-branching construction. The first step to get at an ideal analysis is to analyze the grammar relation between the layers of structure. A translator should analyze the grammatical feature of complicated sentences and have a clear understanding of the subject-predicate nucleus and the modifying relations between attributives or adverbials in one hand and the words they modify on the other. It is essential to discover the subject-predicate nucleus, which normally would help him to grasp what is said about it. No matter how difficult the original is，the translator must first have a thorough comprehension of the sense and spirit of the whole text and then translate it as it is. And at the same time he must always pay enough attention to the coherence of the text，namely，the coherence between sentences and paragraphs so that the translation may read as an integral whole. 4.3 Translators competence on translationSince the 1980s， the work of translation in all corners of the world have been undergoing changes. First，the work of translation has become specialized. Translation is no longer a kind of work that anyone can casually do who knows some foreign language and depends simply upon a dictionary. Having received the regular kind of translation training and obtained a qualified translation certificate recognized by society，the translators will behave according to the regulations and stipulated by their profession. Besides，the work of translation has become academic. Translation theory and practice，carried out by positive methods， have become an academic object of research. Translators and translation educators have commanded ways of academic research，by which professional problems that come up will be solved professionally. Different translators may have different versions upon a same literal work，that is because the works qualification was mainly determined by the translators competence on translation. As analyzed above，a translators competence serves great importance on his translation. What requires to need is translators with unusual sensitivity to the resources of language，the importance of culture，and the art of translating to meet the needs of translating complicated works.（Nida，Language，Culture and Translating，pp.119，330-321， Inner Mongolia University Press，1998）In accordance with what have been discussed above，the following conclusion will be drawn：Whether a work of English long sentence translation is good or bad，readable or not，it has nothing to do with translation itself；rather，it depends on the （1）Cultural Background of the Languages（2）Analysis of the Original Text（3）Translators Competence on Translation. Whoever pays attention to the factors that effecting English long sentence translation both in theory and practice can，of course，offer satisfactory translations. 5. Skills of translating English long sentences into Chinese5.1 The basic process of translating English long sentences into ChineseThe translation of long sentence is perhaps the most difficult of all in the process of English-Chinese translation. The prerequisites for the correct handling of long and complex sentences in English-Chinese translation mainly lie in the translators correct comprehension of the original and, in his/her capabi