Introducing Translation Studies

Dr. Wei Gao

Dalian University
Key concepts covered in this lecture

• 1) Word for word translation;

• 2) Literal and free translation ;
• 3) Formal and functional equivalence in translation.
• 4) General notion : What is translation?
What is transaltion?

• Translation is:
• (a) a process by which a spoken or written utterance takes place in one la
nguage which is intended or presumed to convey the same meaning as a
previously existing utterance in another language (Rabin 1958)
• 不管是口头还是书面话语在一种语言里产生的时候都是会带有意图和
期望的，翻译是在另一种语言中要表达同样意思的过程。

• (b) rendering the meaning of a text into another language in the way that
the author intended the text.( Newmark 2002)
• 翻译是将一个文本的意思转成另一种语言，也就是把作者赋予文本的
用意解读展现出来。
•
What is transaltion ?
• c) the transfer of thoughts and ideas from one language (source) to anot
her (target), whether the languages are written or oral form… or whether
one or both languages are based on signs (Brislin 1976)
• 不管是笔译还是口译，不管是基于一种语言还是双语符号，翻译是把
思想和观点从一种语言（原语）转换到另一种语言（目的语）的活动
。

• (d) a situatation-related and function-oriented complex series of acts fo

r the production of a target text, intended for addressees in another cultu
re/language, on the basis of a given source text (Salevsk 1993)
• 翻译是基于源文本、参照情景、以功能为导向、复杂而又连续性的活
动，构建目的语文本，提供给另一种语言和文化的接受者。
What is translation?

• (e) any utterance which is presented or regarded as a ‘translat

ion’ within a culture, on no matter what grounds (Toury 199
5)
• 归根结底，翻译是展现言语，可以视为在一种文化背景里
的‘转换’。
Definaiton of the concepts

The word for word translation: look at each word and what it means in the
source text, and seek an equivalent term in the target text and write down.

Literal transaltion; 直译 (zhiyi):

attention to form;
transfering meaning on the surface;

Free transaltion ; 意译 (yiyi) :

sense for sense - ideas and thoughts ; content-based;
emphasis on general accuracy.
Formal and functional equivalence
形式与功能对等

Formal equivalence (Eugene Nida 1964;1969)

Context motivated
ST structure oriented
the message focused
to make sure of accuracy and correctness of ST
to represent the language and customs of the source culture
to achieve a match between both form and content.
Functional equivalence (Nida 1964; 1969; 1986)

Receptor-oriented approach

Complete naturalness of expressions;

How the reader feels about the text in terms of his (reader's) language expres
sion and culture.

Function: context- based , i.e who is translating what, for whom, and wh
en, where,why and in what circumstances?

Strategies:
Adjustment – gradual move away from form
towards functional equivalence;
parahrasing,gisting, reordering.
Practical translation : Case 1
Practical translation : Case 2

10
Practical translation : Case 3
Practical translation : Case 4
Practical translation : Case 5
Practical translation : Case 6
Literal translation

• To fight to the last man To break the record

• Under one’s nose Armed to the teeth
• Packed like sardines Sour grapes
• A die-hard A gentleman’s agreement
• An olive branch The Trojan horse
• The heel of Achilles The sword of Damocles
• The open-door policy The most-favoured-nation claus
e
• The position-of-strength policy Shuttle diplomacy
• The cold war The hot war
• A cat has nine lives
• Blood is thicker than water
• Barking dogs do not bite
• A rolling stone gathers no moss
Discussion: use functioanl theories to discuss th
e transaltions below
• thin:
• Literal translation ：瘦
• Free translation ：清癯【 qu 】 ( 面容～ ) ；清减；尢羸 [wang 1ei 】
( 相貌～ ) ；干瘪 ( ～老头 ) ；形销骨立；皮包骨头；一把骨头；骨头架
子

• 瘦:
• literal transaltion ： thin ，
• Free translation: slim ; skinny ； scraggy ； lank ； spare ； gaunt ； bo
ny ； wan ； rangy ； skeletal ； scrawny ； delicate ； wasted ； haggar
d ： emaciated ； rawboned ； shriveled ； wizened ； rickety ； spindlin
g ； pinched ； starved ； starved-looking ； fleshless ； twiggy( 像细枝
的 ) ； weedy ； as thin as a reed ( 芦秆 ) ； as thin as a lath( 板条 ) ； as t
hin as six o’clock ； as slender as a thread ； too thin to throw a shadow ；
be a bag of bones ； skin—and—bones ； looking like a plucked chicken ；
undersized ； underweight ； undernourished ； undergrown; underfed
Discussion:

• to kill two birds with one stone

• Literal ：一石二鸟
• Free ：一箭双雕；一举两得；一并两用儿
• to flog a dead horse
Literal ：鞭打死马
Free ：白费力；徒劳；白搭；枉然；徒然；事后再作无益的议论
• a drop in the bucket
• Literal: 一桶水中的一滴
Free: 沧海一粟；太仓一粟；九牛一毛；微不足道；微乎其微；不足
挂齿；不值一提；不起眼；渺小
• to teach a pig to play on a flute
• Literal ：教猪吹笛
• Free ：对牛弹琴；做荒谬的事情；做不可能做到的事情
Discussion

• A nod is as good as a wink to a blind horse ．

• Literal ：点头也好，眨眼也好，示意盲马，同样无效。
• Free ： 犟汉难劝，狂人难喻。
• The worst wheel of a cart creaks most ．
• Literal ：最坏的车轮最会嘎吱响。
• Free ： (A) 才学最差，叫喊最响；出力最少，抱怨最忙。
• (B) 能猫不叫，叫猫不能。
Discussion:

• 1 ． A brewer’s wife may drink of a tun ．

• a ．酿酒人的妻子不愁酒。 b ．近水楼台先得月。
• 2 ． He had one foot in the grave ．
• a ．他的一只脚踏进了坟墓，离死不远了。 b ．他已经是
风烛残年。
• 3 ． He was only a cock of the dunghill..
• a. 他不过是只在自家粪丘上啼叫的公鸡而已。 b ．他只
是个斗底之蛙。
• 4 ． A burned child dreads the fire ．
• a ．烧伤的孩子害怕火。 b ．一朝被蛇咬，十年怕井绳。
• 5 ． Rats desert a falling house ．
• a ．屋倒鼠搬家。 b ．树倒湖狲散。
Summary

• Four Basic Requirements of a Translation (Nida 1964:164) on

the basis of functional equivalence:
• 1. making sense
• 2. expressing the spirit and manner of the ST;
• 3. having a natural and easy form of expression;
• 4. producing a similar response to the reader in terms of his la
nguage expression and cultural acceptance.
References

Baker,Mona (2008,2011) ， In other words,Coursebook on Translation, Shanghai Foreign Langu

age Education Press.
Hatim, Basil and Mason ， Ian （ 1990 ）， Discourse and the Translator , Longman.
Munday, Jeremy (2001) ， Introducing Translation Studies: Therories and appliactions. Routl
edge.

冯庆华 （ 2002 ）《实用翻译教程》。 上海外语教育出版社

刘宓庆（ 2007 ）《文体与翻译》。中国对外翻译出版公司
姜倩，何刚强 （ 2008 ）《翻译概论》。上海外语教育出版社