浅谈英语新闻标题的翻译[1]

1、 浅谈英语新闻标题的翻译来源：岁月联盟 作者：李清 时间：2010-10-06【Abstract】 this dissertation focuses on introducing some translating skills according to the features of English news headline. First, it is about translation of lexical items in English news headline, including translation of acronym, new words and midget word

2、s. As for the limitation of newspaper space, lexical items are commonly used in headline so this part is regarded to be essential and critical for the dissertation. Second, the paper discusses translation of proper punctuations not all punctuations aroused in news headline. This part mainly introduc

3、es some translating techniques of frequently used ones such as comma, colon, and dash and so on. Third, the translation of rhetorical devices is the highlight of this paper. News headline is quite likely to produce striking effect by means of figure of speech. It could be translated literally at the

4、 most of time and sometimes it should be translated flexibly for the different culture backgrounds between china and English-speaking countries. Finally, this part focuses on the translation in terms of the grammar features of news headline which often differ from ones we usually accept, such as the

5、 omission of articles, auxiliary verbs, conjunctions and flexible use of tense, voice and non-predicate verbs.【Key Words】 translation; News headline; English【摘 要】 本文结合新闻标题的主要特点,通过具体的例子,介绍了英语新闻标题的翻译技巧.首先是英语新闻标题中词语(包括首字母缩略语、新词、小词)的译法.报纸有限的空间使得新闻标题常用词语来表达,因此词语的译法是的一个重要组成部分,其次是关于某些在新闻标题中常用的标点符号所代表的意思的翻译

6、.再者,新闻标题中修辞手法的翻译是论文的重点,新闻标题经常借助各种修辞来增强其表达效果,大多数情况下可采用直译,但由于中英国家不同的文化背景,必要事需要采取灵活的翻译技巧.最后,值得注意的是,英语新闻标题的一些语法特征不同于我们平常所接受的语法特点,新闻标题经常省略冠词、连词、助动词等一些虚词,其时态、语法及非谓语动词的使用也十分灵活.【关键词】 翻译；新闻标题；英语1. Introduction At a time when the pace of life is getting faster and faster, everything seems to be bidding for pe

7、oples attention, and newspaper is no exception. As the eye of the news, headline sits in a position to capture the essence of the event, demonstrate the readability of the news and attract readers attention. A good headline, generally speaking, should include such features as accuracy, brevity and c

8、larity which are generally developed by lexical items, punctuation, rhetorical devices, and grammar. Put it in detail, first, as for words selection, such items as acronym, new words and midget words are commonly chosen for the headline. Second, not all punctuations could appear in headline, and the

9、 frequently used ones like comma, colon, and dash also indicate specific meaning of the headline. Third, in order to lead force to an idea, to heighten effect, or to create atmosphere, headline is usually written figuratively. Finally, the limited space of newspaper demands that headline be concise

10、and brief, and therefore it has developed its own grammatical style. The major difference of the grammar rules used for daily English and news headlines lies in the frequent omission of function words(article, auxiliary verbs, conjunctions and so on), and unique practice of tense, voice and non-pred

11、icate verbs. Such features of English news headline as mentioned above are essential and critical for readers to understand the connotation of news headline, and also are the difficulties and problems needed settling in translating English news headline. This essay focuses on introducing some corres

12、pondent translating techniques with these features of English news headline.2. Translation of lexical items in English news headline2.1. Translation of acronymAcronym (word formed from the initial letters of a group of words) is one main form of English news titles glossary variation. Since newspape

13、rs are limited in time and space, acronym meets the need, saving the space of newspaper. This chapter attempts to discuss some skills in translating acronym.2.1.1. Translate according to its pronunciationFor example:(1) OPEC 22nd Session Ends(OPEC =Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries 石油输出国

14、组织，即欧佩克)- 欧佩克第二届会议结束(2) AIDS-The Risk to Heterosexual(AIDS=Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome 艾滋病,即后天免疫缺损综合症)-艾滋病危及异性恋爱者2.1.2. Translating and shortening the full nameFor example:(1) NATO to Seek New Secretary General(NATO=North Atlantic Treaty Organization 北大西洋公约组织,简称北约)-北约寻求新任秘书长(2) USSR Dissolve

15、s, Mikhail Corbachev Resigns: Boris Yeltsin Takes over(USSR=Union of Soviet Socialist Republics 苏维埃社会主义共和国联盟,简称苏联)-苏联解体,戈尔巴乔夫辞职,叶利钦上台2.1.3. Explaining all letters In view of the fact that not all acronyms can be translated according to the pronunciation; otherwise readers would be confused. The tran

16、slator had better point out the meaning of all letters.It can be clearly seen in the below examples:(1) BBC Considering Starting Global Television Service(BBC=British Broadcasting Corporation)-英国广播公司拟开通全球电视服务(2) PLO Says Israeli Drive ahead(PLO=Palestine Liberation Organization)-巴勒斯坦解放组织说以色列即将大举进攻(3

17、) START Announced to Begin June29(START=Strategic Arms Reductions Talks)-裁减战略武器会谈于六月而十九日开始(4) 36th WTTC triumphantly closes in Yugoslavia.(WTTC=World Table Tennis Championships) -第三十六届世界乒乓球锦标赛在南斯拉夫胜利闭幕(5) Government Is Covering up UFO Evidence?(UFO=Unidentified Flying Object) -美政府一直隐瞒不明飞行物真相？(6) Hol

18、lywood Helps CIA Come in From the Cold(CIA=Central Intelligence Agency) -好莱坞为中央情报局重塑形象2.2. Translation of new words in English news headlineAs science and technology of the world swiftly develop, the contact among countries increasingly expands, more and more new English words are born to the world.

19、 In order to draw close to the social life, grasp the times pulse, news report need to create massive new words to reflect the worlds new things, new thoughts, new phenomenon and new prevailing customs to attract readers attention. “This kind of words may be divided into two types: one is to give ol

20、d words new meaning. For example, clone means 无性系繁殖 and then it is exuded to be 复制； Bug means 机器的毛病 now refers in particular to 机千年虫问题；Sept.11 or 9/11 has the special meaning because the terrorists attacked the US world trade building. The other is completely new words, namely, coin age, mainly in t

21、he fields of science technology, such as Internetese(因特网语言），com, e-mail, e-commerce（商务）， cyberspace（电脑空间）, bio-chips (生物芯片）， techno-millionaire （高科技百万富翁） and so on. ”1P108For example：(1) Year 2000 Bug Unstoppable for Some Corporations- 计算机千年虫问题迫在眉睫(2) American Online: Often Down, Never Out- 美国在线公司:屡

22、挫不倒(3) What Is Dateline?- 何为征婚热线？(4) The Sandbaggers- 用沙袋治沙的人们(5) Cold-Fighting Drug May Be Used Against SARS -千呼万唤始出来抗非典药物有望面世(6) Asia Pledge Action on Bird flu -亚洲国家表示采取一致措施控制禽流感(7) Yahoo Awards Worlds Best Cyber cafs-雅虎评选全球最佳网吧2.3. Translation of midget words “Midget words are verbs or nouns that

23、 are shorter or fewer syllable but more vivid employed in news headline to make it easier for readers to understand.”2P98 At this point, the translator should seek to produce something relatively equivalent to this kind of words in Chinese.For example:(1) War Strains and the Production of Killers.-战

24、争压力与杀戮者的产生(2) The U.S. Proposal and Its Chances. -美国的建议及其机会(3) The Pressure on Cherbourg and the Enemys Distress -瑟堡吃紧敌军凄苦(4) A Fertile Valley and Its Scourge -肥沃河谷的灾难Further examples:(1) Report Backs Methadone for Addicts -报道支持吸毒者使用镁沙酮镇定剂(2) Nuclear Blast Seepage Is Found -核爆炸渗漏物被发现“The words back

25、and blast are shorter than the words support and explosion, but there are no Chinese words Correspondent with them to express the difference in visually between back and support, blast and explosion, so it is only translated literally to be 支持 and 爆炸， stressing in the significance transmission in sp

26、ite of losing English midget words language characteristic.”3P98(3) British Student Knifed in France-英国学生在法被刺Here if “knife” is translated to be “刀刺”， it would gild the lily.(4) Chun Axes 37 Judges in Shape-up-全斗焕在改组中撤掉37名法官“If the word axe is translated literally to be 斧砍 in Chinese, it is possible

27、 to cause two penalties: one is to make the divergence -全斗焕在改组中用斧头砍伤了37名法官；the other is that the scale of formality of Chinese word 斧砍 makes it quite alien to the phrases 改组, 法官 and 全斗焕.”4P98 Under such circumstances, we are concerned with the essential meaning implied in the words. When words or ph

28、ases in the English news headline are meaningless or misleading if translated literally into Chinese, one is obliged to make some adjustments in translation to guarantee the headline pass into Chinese without losing its essence.3. Translation of proper punctuationsNews title is always simplified in

29、structure; accordingly, punctuation plays a very important role in news headline. More often than not, certain punctuation can produce some kind of special result. The translator should pay attention to the concrete meaning of these punctuations while translating them.3.1. Comma (,)“Comma expresses

30、the stop between the compound ingredients in title, and it is also used to replace and in order to save space, generally being translated to be 和 in Chinese.”5P29For example:(1) Australia，U.S. Seek More Ways to Promote Trade(=Australia and U.S .Seek More Ways to Pro-mote Trade)-澳大利亚和美国寻求更多途径以促进两国贸易(

31、2) UN, Iraq Talk on Refugee Aid -联合国和伊拉克谈判援助难民问题(3) China, CIS States May Share Cables -和独联体国家合作开发光电通讯(4) Ready, aim, flamb: Army, Marine Cooks Battle Each Other-预备、瞄准、开火:海陆两军交“火”厨师各显神通(“The two commas in front of the colon are used to indicate display, and functionas Chinese slight-pause; the last

32、comma then is equal to and. 6P67)3.2. Colon (:)In the English news title, the most eye-catching information is always put in front, and then some supplement information is drawn outdo make up the subject after colon. The similarities in Chinese and English expression provide a series of parallelisms

33、 of content in translation.Look at the examples:(1)The2 billion Makeover: Australias Olympic City Gets Ready for the Games-二十亿美元的大改造：澳大利亚的奥林匹克城准备迎接奥运会(2) War Plan: the Wests Military Options -战争计划：西方的军事选择“Colon is also used to take place of relation verbs, and it is always translated to be 说、 宣称、 是

34、in Chinese.”7P29For example:(1) Rimini to Remain Reliable, Strong: Li-李鹏说人民币保持可靠和坚挺When colon is used to show the source of a quotation, that is, equal to the Chinese word“说”, in English it can be put in head of or after the speaker, while in Chinese it can only be placed after the speaker.(2) Healt

35、h Survey: New Yorkers Fitter, Slimmer-健康调查称纽约人更加健康和苗条(3) Poll on Trial: Why Werent the Victim Cries Heeded?-笼罩着审讯的疑云是为什么受害者的呼救没人理睬3.3. Quotation mark ()Generally speaking, single quotation mark is used in English news headline instead of double quotation marks. To be accordant with Chinese natural e

36、xpression, it is better for translator to change it into double quotation marks in Chinese.Look at the following examples:(1) Abadan Oil Refinery Destroyed-阿巴丹炼油厂“被毁”(2) Arafat to Reagan: We Are Still Here-阿拉法特告诫里根：“我们仍然存在”3.4. Dash()Dash is used to separate each independent clause in the title, and

37、 also frequently used to draw out the speaker before or after the subscript without the quotation mark. It is often translated to be “说” in Chinese in order to draw out the speaker, and to be “再”in order to emphasize something.For example:(1) Labor Council Face Bankruptcy Officials-官员们说劳动党委员会面临崩溃(2)

38、 Our Differences Can Be Overcome Rockefeller -我们的分歧是能够克服的 洛克菲勒(说)(3) Yeltsin in Hospital Again -叶利钦再次住院(4) World Unity against Terrorism Needed Blair -英国首相布莱尔说：世界各国在反恐问题上需要加强联合4. The translation of rhetorical devicesHeadline implies its meaning and is made to produce more striking effect by means of

39、 figure of speech such as alliteration, rhyme, metaphor, pun, allusion, exaggeration and so on. It becomes more difficult for translation because of the different culture backgrounds and the gap between the writers range of knowledge and experience and the readers. In order not to confuse Chinese re

40、aders, the translation of English news titles can “retain the rhetoric characteristics of the original text to achieve the same dissemination effect”8P95. The translator also should pay attention to making the translation “conform to Chinese titles features and cater to Chinese readers reading habit

41、s”9P95.4.1. Alliteration and rhymeAlliteration and rhyme are often used in English news headline to create the demeanor effect, exaggerate the atmosphere, and bring to readers attention and interest. It is hard to get accordance with the original alliteration and rhyme in translation, so certain fig

42、ure patterns must often be substituted for the proper expressions of Chinese.For instance:(1) Protestants Protest (alliteration)-新教教徒示威抗议(2) Soldiers Salaries Soar (alliteration) -士兵薪水剧增(3) Young Wheelers, Big Dealers (rhyme) -驾驶摩托小青年，保险公司大主顾(4) Whos Near to Reagan ear? (rhyme) -里根耳朵，谁愿听说？(5) Jazzy

43、in Jeans, Sassy in Sweater (alliteration) -穿上牛仔裤,活泼利索;套上毛线衫,潇洒俊俏(6) After the Boom, Everything Is Gloom (rhyme) -繁荣好景不在, 萧条接踵而来Further examples:(1) Desperate Need, Desperate Deed. -燃眉之机,十万火急 This translation shows the good understanding of original text, and Chinese words “机”and “急” get up to the rh

44、yme effect.(2) The Sister Vs. World Taunts! Tantrums! Talents!-姐妹对垒全世界 辱骂! 奚落! 天才!“This title with three harmonics is uneasy to understand. On the one hand, it expresses the intensively competitive rhythm of sports; on the other, it indicates the highlight of the subject. It is well known that U.S.

45、is society with strong compatibility, betas for the black sisters who may draw little attention in the tennis world almost ruled by the white, this rhyme title in Times actually shows the strong effect caused by the black sisters.”10P674.2. Metaphor“A metaphor always makes a comparison betweens two

46、unlike elements, and this comparison is implied rather than stated.”11P166 The proper use of metaphor in news headline can produce vivid, striking effect and attract more readers.For example:(1) Middle East:：A Cradle of Terror中东-恐怖主义的摇篮(2) Russian Reform:：Old Wine in New Bottle俄罗斯改革-新瓶装陈酒(3) An Afgh

47、an Joan of Arc-阿富汗的贞德(“Comparing 17 year-old Afghan female soldier to 15 century French nationality heritress Arc”12P29)(4) The Open Barn Door-敞开的粮仓大门(“Implying thatit is easy to get the US scientific and technical information”13P29)(5) Carlo Ponti in Hot Water Again-卡洛,庞蒂再陷困境(in hot water means in

48、trouble )4.3. PunPun is an amusing use of a word or phrase that has two meaning, or of words having the same sound but different meaning. “To pun is to play on words, or rather to play with the form and meaning of words, for a witty or humorous effect.”14P221 When translating these kinds of words or

49、 phrases, the translation must be in accordance with the context of the particular message.For example:(1) Soccer Kicks off with Violence-足球开踢，拳打脚踢(kick off means both“球赛开始”and“拳打脚踢”）(2) Climbers Hold Summit Talks-登山运动员会师峰顶“The original meaning of SummitTalks is 首脑会议。But this news report concerned t

50、he situation that China, Japan and the Nepalese three national destinies mobilized to Mount Qomolangma.”15P68 The pun here gives a rise to the expression.(3) No Bellas.-寥寥粉黛诺贝尔“No Bellas and Nobel are homophones, and Bella is a girls name. The title gets two meaning at the same time: for hundred yea

51、rs rare females have got the Nobel Prize and the translator uses Chinese rhetoric metonymy, making the translation more implicit.”16P54(4) Royal Ballet Keeps Fans on Their Toes. -皇家芭蕾，奉献绝技 “Here the rhetoric of exaggeration and pun not only refers to the fact that the actress dances with toe, but al

52、so refers to dancing fans watch the dance standing on tiptoes ,which kills two birds with one stone.”17P230(5) No Bill, No Bell.-美以首脑会议不欢而散“This report is about Clinton meets Israeli Premier Netanyahu, and both sides havent obtained the anticipated result in some questions. As we know, Bill is Clint

53、ons nickname, while Bell is Netanyahus. They havent called each others nickname during the discussion, and the atmosphere is not harmonious. The editor use No Bill, No Bell to describe that the summits meeting between US and Israel is not completely satisfactory.”18P99 In this point, content is rega

54、rded as much more important than form. The headline is translated free rather than literally.4.4. Allusion Allusions are references to well-known persons, things, or events that writers assume are familiar to their readers. They serve to add clarity and significance to ideas and descriptions. Since

55、these allusions requite familiar to readers, the translation can also copy the original translating form.For example:(1) For Many in Cinema. All Roads Lento Wilder -对许多影迷而言，条条道路通威尔德“It is from the famous saying All roads lead to Rome. Billy Wilder is the outstanding American satire movie director, w

56、ho passed away in Los Angeles in March, 2002 at the age of 95.”19P109(2) A Tale of Two Hearts-双心记“Under this title tells a story about a patient was replaced with an artificial heart. This title copies mechanically the Dickens famous work A Tale of Cities -双城记”20P30(3) Liberty Is the True Mother of

57、Invention -自由是发明之母 (“Copying from the saying Necessity Is the Mother of Invention 需要是发明之母”21P30）(4) Queen Lear -李尔“皇”今昔“This article describes US nowadays one of the biggest feminine patent monopolies -W.P.Lear, from the Shakespeares works King Lear.”22P30(5) Measure for Measure- 一报还一报“It is quoted form Holy Bible. The news is about the Princess Diana whose death is said to b