Unit 7 克服翻译症

Examples

(7) Kino hurrying towards his house，felt a surge of exhilaration. ＊ 奇诺朝着他的屋子匆 匆地走去，感到一阵涌起的兴奋。 基诺加 快步伐，兴致勃勃地朝自己家奔去。 (8) The essence of pearl mixed with essence of men a curious dark residue was precipitated． ＊ 珍珠的要素和人的要素一混合，一种奇怪的黑 渣子便沉淀了下来。 珍珠的价值和人的灵 魂，这两种东西混在一起便会有一种奇怪的黑 色沉渣。
impact of the wholesale translations of textbooks and other semiliterary materials, a kind of translationese has arisen in many parts of the world. This form of language is often accepted, especially by educated nationals, as the only possible medium for communicating materials which have first been expressed in a foreign language.
Examples
（1）The air seemed almost sticky from the scent of bursting buds． ＊ 空气由 于刚开的花蕾发出的香味似乎变得几乎 是黏糊糊的了。 花蕾初绽，散发出一 种芳香，这时空气似乎给人一种黏糊糊 的感觉 。 （2）I had no idea about it， until you told me. ＊我对此一无所知， 一直到你告诉我时为止。 在你告诉我 之前，我对此一无所知。
Main Causes of Translationese

Generally speaking, two factors lead to translationese in EnglishChinese rendering: incorrect understanding of the original words and Europeanization of the Chinese sentence structure.
Examples

(9) Doctors had recommended that babies be laid down to sleep on their stomachs for fear they might choke if they vomited in their sleep． ＊ 医 生过去曾建议让婴儿睡在他们的腹上，以防他们睡 着呕吐时可能被噎住。 医生过去曾建议让婴儿 趴着睡，以防他们睡着呕吐时可能被噎住。 (10) However，this view has later been discredited and doctors now advise parents to lay their infants on their backs． ＊不过，这种看法后 来被推翻了。现在医生反而建议家长应让婴儿躺在 他们的背上。 不过，这种看法后来被推翻了。 现在医生反而建议家长应让婴儿仰着睡。
Translationese : A Style or a Syndrome

Some scholars tend to regard translationese as something of a literary style and argue that "a translation should read like a translation". Nida notices the trend and remarks: Under the
Word Meaning and Translationese


Translating must aim primarily at rendering the message. To do anything else is essentially false to one's task as a translator. Being the content of message, word meaning must be given priority to in the process. Translationese often occurs when a translator fails to understand the contextual meaning of the original words or simply clings to the ready-given meaning in a dictionary. Examine the examples below:
Examples

1）Improve Your Study Habits （the title of a text) ＊改进你的学 习习惯 改进你的学习方法 （2）This is the official kind of strike. ＊这 是官方的罢工。 这是工会组织的罢工。 (3）They took a final look at Iron Mike，still intact in the darkness。 ＊他们最后看了铁迈克一眼—它依旧安 然无恙地耸立在黑暗中。 最后他们看 了看迈克的铁像—它仍然完好无缺地耸 立在黑暗中。
Translationese : A Style or a Syndrome

Though "accepted especially by educated nationals" , the so-called translationese is a syndrome in practice due to its obscure nature in most readers' eyes. While versions in slight translationese often sound awkward and unnatural, those in strong translationese may be so vague and redundant that they defy readers' correct understanding. Many examples in this chapter illustrate this point.
Examples

3）Honda’s parents were cotton pickers in Peru until they opened a tailor shop in downtown Lima. ＊本田 的父母在秘鲁采棉花谋生，一直到他们 在利马商业区开设裁缝店为止。 本田 的父母原本在秘鲁采棉花谋生，后来他 们改行在利马商业区开裁缝店。 （4） He walked when he might have taken a car． ＊ 当他可以乘汽车去的时候，他 还是步行了。 尽管他可以乘汽车去的， 他还是步行了。
Avoid Translationese


Translationese in E-C Translation （1）照搬英汉词典的释义 （2）照搬原文的功能词 （3）照搬原文的语序 （4）照搬原文的表达方式
What is translationese?

Language is the principal means whereby we conduct our social lives. The language of one nation distinguishes itself from that of another by its peculiar lexis, syntax, idiomatic expressions and modes of thinking. Failing to free himself of the influence of the source language, or simply holding the wrong conception that the formally closest version to the SL is the most faithful one, the translator sometimes directly transplants the original linguistic forms into the target language, hence a hybrid language characterized by its poor acceptability in the TL, i. e. translationese.
Sentence Structure and Translationese


Translation played a significant role in the extensive spread of the vernacular Chinese in the early 20th Century and consequently in the development of the Chinese language．The influence exerted by modern translation on the Chinese language comes mainly from so-called literal translation，which brings to the country not only new expressions but also Europeanized sentence structures. As we know， English is quite different from Chinese both in syntax and in rhetoric. Europeanized sentence structures often lead to translationese and produce a malign influence on the Chinese language． Here are some examples：
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Examples

（4）Our son must go to school ．He must break out the pot that holds us in． ＊我们的儿子一定得进学校。他一定 得打破这个把我们关在里面的罐子。 我们 的儿子一定要上学，一定要出人头地。 （5） Nowadays，however，the crystal-ball promises of world peace are not so clear． ＊ 然而现在，像水晶球一样透亮的 世界和平前景却并不那么光明了。 然而现 在，可以预见的世界和平前景却并不那么光明 了。 （6） The hum of the machines ended for ever the age-old silence on the virgin land． ＊ 机器的轰鸣声从此结束 了这片处女地千百年来的寂静。 机器的轰 鸣声从此打破了这片处女地千百年来的寂静。
Translationese : A Style or a Syndrome

Since scholars have often had to read a good deal of such material, they come to accept it more and more as a kind of literary standard, not realizing that this banal and artificial form of language fails utterly to do justice to the rich resources of the receptor language. （Nida, 1969:100）