The Theory and Practice of Translation Presented by WEI Jianhua (Baker) School of Foreign Languages Guangdong Institute of Petrochemical Technology E-mail:

The Theory and The Theory and Practice of TranslationPractice of Translation

Presented by WEI Jianhua (Baker)

School of Foreign Languages

Guangdong Institute of

Petrochemical TechnologyE-mail: [email protected]

Cell Phone: 15113658088

Unit One IntroductUnit One Introduction ion

第一章翻译的历史第一章翻译的历史1.1 The Definition & Nature of Translation1.1 The Definition & Nature of Translation

( 翻译的定义和性质)

————Why do we l have the class of translation?

English-Chinese Written Translation. Copyright (C) 2012 by Wei Jianhua. All Rights Reserved

Teaching Courseware

Translation is of great importance iTranslation is of great importance in learning a foreign language:n learning a foreign language: ——Many of those who learn English ——Many of those who learn English will be English-Chinese translators in will be English-Chinese translators in the future.the future. ——It is very necessary for us to hav ——It is very necessary for us to have a good command of both the e a good command of both the source languagesource language and the and the target languagetarget language, and of the theories an, and of the theories and techniques in translation.d techniques in translation. ——Without knowing the theories a ——Without knowing the theories and techniques, one will most likely taknd techniques, one will most likely take e a roundabout course a roundabout course in the translatiin the translation work. on work. 返回


source language n. source language n.

——The language from which ——The language from which a a translation is to be made. translation is to be made. （（被译出的语言）被译出的语言）


target language n.target language n.

1 1 、、 The language into which a text wrThe language into which a text written in another language is to be translatitten in another language is to be translated.ed. （（目标语言目标语言 ; ; 用另一种语言写成的文件用另一种语言写成的文件 ; ; 将将被翻译成的语言）被翻译成的语言） 22 、、 A language that a nonnative speaA language that a nonnative speaker is in the process of learning. ker is in the process of learning. （目标语（目标语言言 ;; 一个人正在学习的一种非母语语言）一个人正在学习的一种非母语语言） 33 、、 Also called: object languageAlso called: object language


What is What is translation?translation?

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Translation ：


What is What is translation?translation?

An activity of reproducing in one language the ideas which have been expressed in another language

B. Eugine Nida （尤金 · 奈达 , American translation theorist ）： Translation consists in reproducing in the receptor language the

closest natural equivalent of the source-language message, first in terms of meaning and secondly in terms of style. (Nida & Taber: The Theory and Practice of Translation)

（翻译是把一种语言所表达的思想用另一种语言重新表达出来的活动。）

( 所谓翻译 , 是指从语义到文体在译文中用最贴切最自然的对等语去再现原文的信息。 )

Translation ：


1.2 Translation in the WestTranslation in the West

I. How Translation Came into Being

A. People used to speak a same language?

C. Translation seemed impossible in the past, but needed in foreign exchanges.

B. How comes that there are so many languages in the world?

D. Writing or guessing is a kind of translating.

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—— ——As a matter of fact, As a matter of fact, guessing what other people guessing what other people mean is also a kind of mean is also a kind of

translating.translating. 返回

—— ——To write is to translate what one is To write is to translate what one is thinking of or understanding.thinking of or understanding.


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1.3 Translation in China ( 翻译在中国 )

● Translation cause in China has a history of about 2,000 years.

● In the Zhou Dynasty ：五方之民，言语不通，嗜欲不同，大其志，通

其欲，东方曰“寄”，南方曰“象”，西方曰“狄醍”，北方曰 “译”。

—— 选自《礼记》（ Rites ）● Up to 150 AD, in the last few years of the Eastern Han Dynasty, Buddhist Scripture was translated and was handed down till today from that time.

● 隋书 says “ 翻译最为通解 , which are the earliest two characters ( 翻译 ) in Chinese history.


● In the Tang Dynasty, translation was quite popular. There

was a famous monk named Xuan Zang ( 玄奘 ), who had been

to India and stayed there for 17 years.

——Having returned home, he translated many books of B

uddhism into Chinese.

——It was Tang Xuanzang who became in Chinese history

the first person that translated some of Lao Zi’s books into S

anskrit ( 梵文 ) ， an ancient Indic language that is the langua

ge of Hinduism and the Vedas ( 吠陀经 ) and is the classical lit

erary language of India.


● By the end of the Qing Dynasty ： Yan Fu ( 严复 ) ， president of Yanjing University ( 燕京大学 ) ， and a great translator and professor, introduc

ed a large number of foreign books into the Chinese peo

ple by means of translation. He also put forward the wel

l-known criteria for translation, that is ——

Faithfulness, comprehensibility and elegance ( 信、达、雅 ).


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●Translation is for inter-lingual （语际语言学的）communication, bridges the gulf between different-tongue speakers, and reproduces and spreads the message in the original language. ● Translation permits knowledge to be transmitted to different corners of the world and to succeeding generations. ●Translation gives information, reveals feelings and affects people’s thought or behavior. Without translation, the worldwide civilization would not be possible.


●The English-Chinese translation proves to

be a valuable aid to the English learner because

it gives him or her a better understanding of the

English language and the Chinese language. It h

elps the English major brush up his or her Englis

h used as either the source language or the targ

et language.


Documents

The Theory and Practice of Translation Presented by WEI Jianhua (Baker) School of Foreign Languages Guangdong Institute of Petrochemical Technology E-mail: