6. Steps of English-Chinese Translation

Since the sentence structures in the English-Chinese translation test questions are generally more complex, it is difficult to provide an accurate translation in one step, so it is recommended to use Translate gradually from large to small steps to achieve a "faithful" and "smooth" translation. This method means to first look at the big picture to find out the main structure and main elements of the sentence, and then fill in the details and analyze the peripheral components of the sentence. Finally, polish it, as shown below with examples.

Example 1Whether to use tests, other kinds of information, or both in a particular situation depends, therefore, upon the evidence from experience concernimg comparative validity and upon such factors as cost and availability.

whether clause depends on onevidence and factors

Whether... or... depends on onevidence and factors

Step 2: Adopt Test other information and experience based on cost and source factors

Step 3: Whether to use testing or other types of information, or both, depends on factors such as cost and availability of sources.

Step 4: Add: in a particular situation, therefore, concerning comparative validity and other elements, and polish the whole sentence.

The decision whether to use a test or another type of information, or both, in a given situation will therefore depend on empirical evidence regarding relative validity and will depend on factors such as cost. and the presence or absence of sources and other factors.

This method is suitable for sentences with complex content, many clauses, parallel comparisons, and selected phrases.

7. Examples of English-Chinese Translation Skills

1. Carefully choose words and express ideas fluently

Connect words to form sentences and sentences to form chapters. This is the general style of writing. law. In the translation process, word selection is an important aspect. In particular, whether you can choose the most appropriate one from many synonyms depends on the translator's language skills on the one hand, and the context of the context on the other hand - the postgraduate entrance examination translation actually provides sufficient context. As far as social science works are concerned, the problem of nouns is more prominent. Because there are often many nouns and terms in such works, they must be "a carrot and a pit". Any mistranslation or omission will affect the reader's understanding and fail to achieve the effect of "equivalent" translation. The word selection can generally be based on the following Consider several aspects: the connotation and denotation of the concept, the praise and criticism of the word meaning, the judgment of the part of speech, the stylistic characteristics of the word, the original meaning and the meaning of the word, etc. Considering its importance, it is the choice of words that will be discussed in detail.

Example 1The catch, says Oparil, is “Nobody could eat only that on their own”. And at the other two measured levels; she says there was little impact in dropping from 3,300 milligrams to 2,400, especially for those without high blood pressure. The problem isn't just that the NHBLI is clinging stubbornly to old ideas. It is that focusing on salt to control blood pressure also diverts attention from the more proven techniques of limiting calories or increasing activity." People will pick one that they're going to do," Oparil says. "And if they pick the salt restriction, they'll get a very minor benefit, in my opinion."

Original translation: Oparil Said this amount is "no one can allow themselves to eat this little salt."

In terms of two quantifiable data, Oparil said that going from 3,300 milligrams to 2,400 milligrams had almost no impact, especially in people who didn't have high blood pressure. The problem is not that the Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHBLI) clings to old beliefs, but that focusing on limiting salt intake diverts attention away from the proven benefits of calorie restriction or Ways to increase concentration in physical exercise. "People are going to choose one method over another, and if they choose to limit their salt intake, I think the effect will be minimal," Opalil said.

Analysis of the original translation has many shortcomings . First, the word selection is inaccurate; second, some sentences are too long; third, words are not added when they should be added.

In the first sentence of the original text, the original translation of catch as "this amount" has no basis and is a guesswork. From this paragraph, the conceptual meaning of this word is equivalent to the following "problem". In the "English-Chinese Dictionary", catch is used as a noun, and there is also a word meaning "hidden difficulty", which is equivalent to problem. This meaning is consistent with the full text; the translation of "on their own" as "let oneself" is also meaningless. The accurate translation is: Voluntarily; actively. In the phrase "at the other two measured levels", measured means "measured", and level means "standard". Considering the context, it can be concluded that these two words refer to "tested dosage", which shows that the original translation means "quantifiable" "Data" is incorrect.

“…focusing instead on limiting salt intake would divert attention from proven, effective methods of limiting calories or increasing physical activity,” Such a long sentence makes people choke to death before they can understand its meaning.

People will pick one that they're going to do, according to the above, it can be understood as: People will pick one of the ways that they're going to use to control blood pressure. So the translation should Add the word "lower blood pressure".

Paraphrase Oparil said: The problem is that "no one will voluntarily eat such a small amount of salt." For the other two trial dosages, she said going from 3,300 mg to 2,400 mg made little difference, especially in people without high blood pressure. The problem is not just that the Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHBLI) clings to old ideas, but that it focuses too much on using salt intake to control blood pressure and ignores more proven ways to limit calories or increase physical activity. . Opalil said: "People will choose one method to reduce blood pressure, and in my opinion, if they choose to limit the amount of salt, the effect will be minimal."

2 pronouns refer to, know what< /p>

Another important difference between English and Chinese expressions is that English uses more pronouns, while Chinese uses less pronouns. Pronouns are commonly used in English, such as it (they) and so on. They are used extensively and are encountered in almost every sentence. This is mainly to avoid repeating nouns. In addition, it is related to the fact that English sentences generally require a subject. Pronouns are rarely used in Chinese. This difference in language and thinking habits will cause difficulties in our understanding and translation. Especially when it (they), which has relatively weak semantic function but prominent grammatical function, and its declension form appear frequently, we often need to carefully ponder and deliberate when understanding its referent content. The practice of haphazardly adding pronouns to the text without doing in-depth semantic and logical analysis often makes the translator confused about the content of the translation, and often results in points being deducted according to the scoring rules.

Example 1The little pills gave women the kind of control Kelly crved. And they transformed women's lives——personally, economically and socially——and, in the process, forever changed American society. The pill was a revolution and then some, said sociologist Dr. Kristin Luker, a professor at the University of California at Berkeley. "It was like discovering fire." The fire took a few years to spread.

Original translation of this small The pill gave women the birth control benefits Kelly once craved. It transformed women's lives - personally, financially and socially - and, over time, changed American society forever.

The drug was a revolution for women, in a sense, as Kristin Luke, a sociologist at the University of California, Berkeley, puts it, "It was like humanity discovered fire." It took several years to spread to thousands of households.

First of all, the analysis said that the original translation translated in the process as "as time goes by", which probably means it is regarded as in the process of time. In fact, combined with the above they transformed women’s lives, we can see that process refers to the process of changing women’s lives. Carefully understand the meaning of the context, you can understand it this way: the birth control pill changed women's lives in personal, economic and social aspects, and at the same time, it also changed American society forever. If the translator's negligence here is not a big problem, then the translation of the indefinite pronoun some below is different. The pill was a revolution and then some, and then some is translated as "at that time, in a sense", which is really irrelevant. Due to this error, translations that fish in troubled waters appeared by simply mixing the contents of two sentences together. The reason is that the translator failed to see that some refers to the previous revolution, which means: the contraceptive pill was a revolution, and several more (revolutions) followed. This can also be confirmed from the following chapters, that is: (due to the advent of contraceptive pills) women's doors to education and employment have been opened, etc.

The little pill gave women the convenience of birth control that Kelly had longed for. They changed women's lives personally, economically, and socially, while also changing American society forever. Christine Luke, a sociologist and professor at the University of California, Berkeley, said: The birth control pill was a revolution, and several more followed. "It's like humans discovered fire." Within a few years, Tinder spread to thousands of households.

3 lines of analysis, Li Guan and Li Dai

The two languages ????of English belong to two different language families, and there are great differences in writing organization and syntactic structure. English syntax mostly uses "form combination", while Chinese syntax mostly uses "meaning combination". Some linguists vividly refer to English sentences as a "grape-shaped" structure. The grape trunk is very short and has abundant fruits attached to it. Chinese sentences, on the other hand, are shorter. One short sentence is described one after another, gradually unfolding, and the information content is carried out section by section like a bamboo pole. There is rarely a structure of stacked bed frames, so it is often called It is a "bamboo pole" structure.

This inherent characteristic of English sometimes brings certain difficulties to our understanding and translation, and it is also easy for us to fall into the trap of mistranslation. After all, we are used to the Chinese "bamboo pole shape" It is not easy for people with short sentences to get used to the "grape-shaped" structure of English. The only way to deal with it is to chew the original text carefully and analyze its various components in order to achieve "the most important thing."

Example 1Casualties, were taken to several hospitals in southwestern Georgia, some of which operated on backup generators.

Original translation Casualties were taken to several hospitals in southwestern Georgia, some of which operated on backup generators. , some of the injured underwent surgery with the help of backup generators.

Analyze that some of which in the previous sentence is a non-restrictive attributive clause. At first glance, you may mistakenly think that it modifies casualties (casualties), because there are both casualties and hospitals in the sentence, especially one of the prepositions on, which can be used as a "mask" to make readers think that operated on is not Does "operate" mean? If you think about it further, you think it's impossible, because "operated on" is used as a phrase, and the "to be" (that is, were) before it must not be omitted. At the same time, it should be understood that an important meaning of the preposition on is: to rely on; in the way of.... For example: to travel on the ship; They live on potatoes. (They live by eating potatoes.) Therefore, the preposition on in the previous sentence should still be considered to form a phrase with backup generators. What it means is: rely on a backup generator to generate electricity.

Paraphrase Casualties were taken to several hospitals in southwest Georgia, several of which were running on backup generators.

4 Use logic and careful thinking

The famous Hungarian translation theorist Rado Gyurgi believes that translation is a logical activity and the translation is the product of logical activity.

The logical activity mentioned here is to find the logical relationships and internal connections of things. Organizing the translation according to this logical relationship can accurately reflect the spiritual essence of the original text and meet the requirements of accuracy and smoothness.

We know that English has a relatively strict structure and uses a lot of connectives, which makes the relationship between each component of a sentence and the sentences clear and clear. This is different from the relationship between Chinese sentences, which is mainly connected by the meaning itself. , rarely relying on the structure of conjunctions, and also provides convenience for us to reasonably use logical relationships in the translation process.

Example 1Some parents simply cannot stand letting their baby cry until he or she learns to fall asleep on their own, or when the baby awakens in the middle of the night. Most expert advice suggests this is shortsighted.< /p>

Original translation: Some parents don't want to see their babies crying for a moment unless the baby falls asleep or wakes up in the middle of the night. Most expert opinion suggests this is a short-sighted approach.

Analyzing English sentences greatly appreciates logic. In terms of surface structure, English also likes to "externalize" the logic of the sentence's connotation, that is, use various Connectives to express its logical relationships. English also focuses on the big picture. It is called a "Language of Hypo?taxis". Generally speaking, the logical markers of English sentences are very obvious, and these are important basis for us to correctly understand English sentences. For example, in the previous sentence, until he or she learns to fall asleep on their own, or when the baby awakens in the middle of the night, the concept of time is clear and the logic level is clear. The translator analyzed it piece by piece and sorted it out properly. They cannot be "pinched" together plausibly, translated as "unless the baby falls asleep on his own or wakes up in the middle of the night." until he or she learns to fall asleep on their own → until the baby learns to fall asleep on their own; when the baby awakens in the middle of the night → when the baby wakes up in the middle of the night.

Some parents simply can't stand their baby crying before they learn to fall asleep on their own, or when their baby wakes up crying in the middle of the night. Most expert opinion suggests this is shortsighted.

5 See both the trees and the forest

"See both the trees and the forest" has become a famous saying in the translation industry. The connotation of this sentence reflects a certain philosophical thinking and has important guiding significance for translation activities. Specifically, in the process of translation, we must not only see the "point" but also the "face". We should not be complacent because we have solved a trivial problem and ignore the "big picture". Ignoring the "big picture" and concentrating on solving "point" problems will actually not solve it. The translation process is in a hurry, so the translator should take all aspects into consideration, make reasonable arrangements, be condescending, base on the big picture, keep the text in mind, choose the meaning of words, organize the writing, and grasp the style, so as not to go astray, so as not to take words out of context, and not to make mistakes. Just as the name implies, it will not end at the beginning but not at the end, and it will not break some fixed structures for no reason. Establishing an overall sense and overall view of the translation process is the first thing that new translators should establish.

Example 1The study will then use the programs that induce the most laughter to test immune system responses in young patients. If a positive biological response to laughter is found, the cartoons, TV shows and films could be incorporated into the care of ill children during procedures such as blood draws and chemotherapy to alleviate stress and fear and promote faster healing, according to the researchers.

The next step in the research is to use the most laughable words Methods The immune systems of young patients were tested.

Analysis 1) Programs are obviously related to the cartoons, TV shows and films that follow, so translating programs into "methods" does not fit the context. It should be translated as "program".

2) Looking at young patients in isolation, it can be translated as "young patients". However, the care of ill children appears below. Obviously, young patients here have its own specific referent, and it seems that it can be translated as "young patients". Translated as "little patient".

In addition, the original translation missed the responses in the original sentence. This is an oversight that shouldn't happen.

The next step in the research is to test the immune system response of young patients using the most hilarious program.

6. Look forward and backward, and keep the whole "sentence" in mind

The structure of English sentences is generally characterized by the main clause as the core. The main components (subject and predicate) are very compact, and various modifying components are Superimposed before and after the main clause.

When the modifying component is long and there are other components in between, the modifying component is often placed behind, far away from the component being modified, resulting in a gap between the components. If we only analyze and sort out the sentence structure based on the concept that "post-positioned attributives must be close to the modified word", ambiguity will often occur. In addition, the insertion of some interval components between subject and predicate, between predicate and object, or even the same subject, the same predicate, the same object, and the same adverbial may cause difficulties in understanding and translation. At this time, you must look forward and backward, and keep the whole "sentence" in mind, in order to understand it correctly and express it accurately. The practice of cutting off the organic components of a sentence in a superficial way often leads to a dead end in English-Chinese translation.

Example 1 Telecommunications Industry Association says existing designs are safe. She dismissed shield products as “people preying on the fears of consumers.”

Original translation Telecommunications Industry Association says existing designs are safe. Safe. She refuses to consider blocking products, believing that such products are "defrauding worried consumers out of their money."

Note for analysis, the verb dismissed in the original sentence is not isolated, it exists with the following preposition as The inseparable relationship forms a phrasal verb with each other, dismiss... as means: think...; ignore; exclude from one's heart; do not consider, etc. For example, dismiss in the following sentences is used together with as. We must not look at the word dismiss in isolation: A good few people dismiss the idea as sheer nonsense. (Many people think this idea is nonsense.) The minister laughed just, and dismissed the idea as impossible. (The minister thinks that that idea is impossible. The idea was whimsical, so I laughed it off. )

In addition, the original translation of "prey on" as "fraud" also seems unsightly and heavy-handed.

The Long Distance Communications Industry Association considers the current design to be safe. She believes such shielding products are nothing more than "scamming money off consumers' worries."

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