Translation Skills — Diction The objectives

Translation Skills --- Diction

The objectives of this lecture: to conclude the equivalence between English and Chinese at Word Level v II. to discuss how to identify the accurate meaning of an English word in the process of English-Chinese translation v III. to focus on the eight techniques of translating English words v I.

v v v Diction : the proper choice of words and phrases on the basis of accurate comprehension of the original to express meaning, is one of the basic translation techniques. In the practice of translation, what perplexes us most frequently is how to find an equivalent in the language to be translated into. Great care is called for in the translation of “familiar” English into Chinese, as their meaning vary with the change in collocation or context. e. g. Tension is building up. Without context, both “tension” and “build up” may have various explanations. Thus this sentence may be translated into different Chinese expressions accordingly: 形势紧张起来。/电压在加强。/张力在增大。/ 压力在增强。

v Please translate “情况” in each context： v 这种情况必须改变。 v This state of affairs must change. v 现在的情况不同了。 v Now things are different. v 他们的情况怎么样？ v How do matters stand with them? v 前线有什么情况? v How is the situation at the front? v 我们可能去那里，那得看情况而定。 v We may go there, but that depends.

v I. Equivalence Between English and Chinese at Word Level v In most cases, there is no existing pattern for sentence translation, nor are there fixed rules for word transformation. Generally speaking, the equivalence between English and Chinese at word level may be categorized as follows: v 1. Word-for-word Correspondence: v This is most evidently shown in proper nouns and technical terms. v 　e. g. Marxism, Aspirin, Laser

2. One Word with Multiple Equivalents of the Same Meaning v e. g. : 业务范围： v range, major business, business lines v wife: v 妻子，爱人，夫人，老婆，老伴，媳妇儿，内人，屋里头的 v potato： v 马铃薯，洋芋，土豆，山药蛋 v

v v v v v 3. One Word with Several Equivalents of the Different Meanings e. g. cousin: 堂兄，堂弟，堂姐，堂妹，表哥，表弟，表姐，表妹 President：总统，总裁，主席，董事长，会长，社长，校长 Carry：搬，运，送，提，挑，抬，背，搂，走: walk, amble, stride , trudge, tiptoe

v v v v v 4. Equivalents Interwoven with One Another In this case, a certain word may be treated differently according to various circumstances or collocations. e. g. say, speak, talk, tell… (说，讲，谈，诉) 这可说不得。It must not be mentioned. 我代他向你说话。 I appeal to you on his behalf. 他说他很忙。He says he is busy. 他说英语。He speaks English. 别胡说。Don’t talk nonsense. 我说不好。I am unable to express myself.

v v v 5. Words without Corresponding Equivalents 　 In this case, an explanation is given instead of an equivalent. In comparison with Chinese, English words are generally more flexible both in form and in meaning, therefore it is often a hard task for a translator to find their Chinese equivalents that are suitable to the occasion. On the other hand, a Chinese word or phrase may have a variety of English equivalents according to different situations. e. g. : yin(阴), yang(阳), teenager(13至 19岁的青少年)

v v Apparently，there is no fixed pattern of wordfor-word transformation that is available to either English-Chinese or Chinese-English translation. Since the meaning of English words is unfixed, it is up to the translator to fixate it in a given context. And the following are the major methods of discriminating word meaning suggested by some linguists.

II. How to identify the accurate meaning of an English word ? 1. Distinguishing the Appropriate Meaning of a Word (词义的确定)

A. base: v The government based its conclusions on some intelligence agency false reports and fabricated stories. v As we all know, a base reacts with an acid to form a salt. n. v It is base to cheat in any kind of examination. adj.

The government based its conclusions on some intelligence agency false reports and fabricated stories. 政府依据情报部门一些虚假报告和虚构故事做出了结论。 v As we all know, a base reacts with an acid to form a salt. 众所周知，碱与酸起反应变成盐。 v It is base to cheat in any kind of examination. 无论在什么样的考试中作弊都是可耻的行为。 ---A. Distinguishing the original meaning of an English word by means of its part of speech v

right: v Your account of what happened is not quite right. adj. v Go right on until you reach the church. adv. v It’s my right of way, so that lorry must stop or slow down until I’ve passed it. n. v She tried her best to right her husband from the charge of robbery. v.

v Your account of what happened is not quite right. v 你对于发生的事情的叙述不太正确。 v Go right on until you reach the church. v 一直往前走，直到你到达教堂为止。 v It’s my right of way, so that lorry must stop or slow down until I’ve passed it. v 我有优先通行权… v She tried her best to right her husband from the charge of robbery. v 她尽力为她丈夫被控抢劫一案伸冤。

B. v Noun: power v The electronic microscope possesses very high resolving power compared with the optical microscope. 与光学显微镜相比，电子显微镜具有极高的分辨率。 v Power can be transmitted from the Yangtze Gorges Power Station over a long distance to the metropolitan city of Shanghai. 电力可以从长江三峡水电站输送到很远的大上海。 v The fourth power of three is eighty-one. 3的4次方是 81。 v

The Seventh Fleet in American navy is a mighty power. v 美国海军第七舰队是一支强大的武装力量。 v She has strong powers of concentration when she studies or works. v 她在学习中或做事时有极强的集中注意力的能力。 v It’s been proved again and again in history that some power always tried to dominate and bully other small and weak countries. v 历史无数次反复证明；大国总想控制和欺负弱小国家。 ---B. Distinguishing the original meaning of an English word by means of context，including time context, place context, cultural background，or logical relations v

v v Verb: survive She survived her husband by twenty years. v 她丈夫去世后她又活了二十年。 v v v v He survived the trouble. 他闯过了难关。 Very few of these old coins survived. 这些古钱币现在已经十分罕见。 He now cares only about his own comfortable survival and the future of his son. 他现在关心的知识要过一个舒适的晚年和儿子的前途。 The country survived the external pressures. 这个国家经受了外部压力，未被压垮。

v v v v adjective: good It was a good dinner. 这是一个丰盛的宴会。 He proved to be a good listener. 他这个人善于倾听别人说话。 It was a good paper. 这是一家声誉很高的报纸。 It was a good morning; there were high white clouds above the mountain. 这是一个明媚的早晨，群山上高高地飘着白云。 The cheques are all good, of course. 当然，这些支票是完全有效的。 Each time he gave the bartender a good tip. 每次他都给酒保丰厚的小费。 I do not speak without good evidence. 我不会说没有可靠根据的话。

v v v C. system: management system 管理体制 financial system dual-price system 财政制度双重价格体系 data-processing system 数据处理系统 system of government 政体 system of classification 分类法

v --- C. Distinguishing the original meaning of an English word by means of collocation v 任何一种语言，在长期的使用过程中，会形成一些固定的词组或常见的搭配。所以翻译时，必须注意英汉词语的不同搭配。

v build: v build a house build bridge v 盖房子架桥 v build a ship build a dam v 造船筑坝 v build a fire v 生火 v build a stamp collection v 集邮

v build a car v 制造汽车 v build one’s confidence v 树立信心 v build the drama of a story v 构思故事的戏剧性情节 v build scholars of tomorrow v 培养未来的学者 v Reading builds the mind. v 阅读能发展智力。

2. Extending the Meaning of a Word (词义的引申) for nouns v Every people in turn adapted itself to the law of necessity. 各个民族都相继适应了这条必然的规律。 As a result of those economies, many of our most important new projects in other fields became possible. 由于采取了这些节约措施，我们在其他方面许多重要的新项目才得以实施。 v

v The EEC’s Common Agricultural policy is a dinosaur which is adding ￡ 13. 50 week to the food bill of the average British family. 欧洲经济共同体的农业共同政策早已不合时宜，它要使英国家庭平均每周在食品开销上多支出 13. 5英镑。 v She felt that this moment of interview for her first job was a tremendous inch in her whole existence. 她觉得这第一次的求职面试，在她整个一生中占有重要的地位。

for verbs A threatened king in chess must be protected. v 下棋时国王受到威胁必须保驾。 Scandal clouded the popular president’s reputation. v 丑闻玷污了深得民心的总统的声誉。

for adjectives Influenza is an acute self-limited infection. v 流感是一种急性的定期自愈的传染病。 That is a no-win dilemma. v 这可是一个两头都不讨好的难题。

v for phrases v Rearm your spirits before it is too late. 你们要赶快把精神振作起来。 v There is a definite link between smoking and lung cancer. But this doesn’t make you too uncomfortable because you are in good company. v 吸烟肯定跟肺癌有关，但这并未使你感到不太舒服，因为吸烟的人不止你一个人。

v The establishment yearns for the days of Kennedys. The shuttle society – artists, nobles, the beautiful people— used to make a pilgrimage down here to do its bit nightly. 权势阶层都想念肯尼迪家族当权的日子。那时候，穿梭社交界的人，如艺术家、显贵、名流，每晚都到这儿来拜见，每人都为这里添加了一点气氛。

v for fixed expressions v The President contemplates retiring with a hand on the helm. 主席打算退位，不过依然参事听政。 v In country after country, talk of nonsmokers’ right is in the air. 不吸烟者的权利问题在一个又一个国家里议论开来。

v Nowadays a student heading for college may pack a frying pan along with his books. v 如今大学生在学校里也可以自己做点吃的了。 v When I go around on speaking engagements, they all expect me to assume a Quaker-Oats look. v 我应邀外出演讲时，他们都指望我摆出一副毫无表情、一本正经的面孔。 v （Quaker-Oats是欧美一种有名的麦片商标，商标中画的老头模样毫无表情，我国读者不熟悉）

3. Identifying the Complementary or Derogative Terms of Words (词义的褒贬) v e. g. : v 听到你母亲去世的消息后我非常悲痛。 v I am deeply grieved to hear that your mother kicked the bucket. funny: v 褒义：a funny story a funny writer He is being funny. v 中性：There is something funny about the matter. a funny black hat v 贬义：You’ll be sorry if you try anything funny in class. She is a bit funny sometimes. Don’t get funny with your boss! v

褒义：a funny story 滑稽的故事 a funny writer 风趣的作家 He is being funny. 他在逗乐。 v 中性：There is something funny about the matter. 事情有点蹊跷。 a funny black hat 古怪的黑帽子 v 贬义：You’ll be sorry if you try anything funny in class. 你要是在课堂上玩什么鬼花样，肯定要后悔的。 She is a bit funny sometimes. 她有时有点疯疯癫癫的。 Don’t get funny with your boss! 不得对老板放肆！ v

Your country is a consistent and resolute champion of all the peoples who struggle against terrorism. 贵国一直坚定地站在反恐怖主义的前列。 It is the champion of apartheid. 它是导致种族隔离的罪魁祸首。 Many people think that he is one of the most ambitious politicians of our times. 很多人认为他是现今最有野心的政客之一。 Although he is very young, he is very ambitious in his research work. 他虽然很年轻，但是在研究作中很有雄心壮志。

The stubborn boy refused to listen to his parents’ advice. 这个犟男孩不肯听父母的忠告。 The invaders met a stubborn resistance from the local people. 侵略者遭到了当地人们顽强的抵抗。 She is fidgety and restless. 她生性急躁好动。 All the inventors have a restless mind. 所有的发明家都有一个不停思索的头脑。

As luck would have it, no one was in the building when the explosion occurred. 真幸运，发生爆炸时大楼里刚巧没有人。 As luck would have it, there was rain on the day of the picnic. 真不凑巧，野餐那天下雨了。 The old couple made a persistent effort to search for their daughter lost in the war. 这对老年夫妇执着地寻找着他们在战争中丢失的女儿。 She was vexed by the persistent ringing of the phone. 她被没完没了的电话铃声搞得心烦意乱。

v Aggressive nations threaten world peace. v 侵略成性的国家威胁世界和平。 v A sales man must be aggressive if he wants to succeed. v 推销员如要成功，必须有闯劲。 v He incited the soldiers to fight bravely. v 他激励士兵勇敢作战。 v He was charged with inciting people to violence. v 他被控煽动人们暴动。

张将军真是足智多谋啊！ General Zhang is really wise and resourceful. 那个敌参谋长可是诡计多端的啊! That enemy chief of staff has a whole bag of tricks. 这位小姑娘长得真好看。 She is certainly a pretty little girl. 那个小偷被送到派出所去了。 That petty thief has been sent to the police station. 她父亲是一位有名的外科医生。 Her father is a famous surgeon. 黄金荣是就上海有名的大流氓。 Huang Jinrong was a notorious rogue in Shanghai in the old times.

III. The Techniques of Translating a Given English Word v v 1. Deduction This is a major means in English-Chinese translation which is used to deduce the original meaning in the light of the explanation of and English dictionary. e. g. : Boomer—a person born in the marked rise in birthrate (as in the U. S. immediately following the end of World War II) 生育高峰期出生的人

v cybercafé—a coffee house that provides patrons with computer terminals for browsing the Internet for a fee 网吧 v smart card—electronic card: a small plastic card containing a microchip that can store personal data and bankaccount details 智能卡 v win-win—beneficial to all in some way 双赢

v v 2. Transplant By this technique, we may translate the ingredients of a given English word literally and then combine each part of them. e. g. : bandwidth bluetooth microwave 带宽蓝牙微波 supermarket 超级市场

v v v v v 3. Extension The extension of meaning may be either from the specific to the general or from the concrete to the abstract, and vice versa. e. g. : bottleneck 瓶颈—交通狭口—阻塞 (from the concrete to the abstract) brain drain 脑排干—人才外流—人才流失 (from the concrete to the abstract) ecstasy 入迷—摇头丸 (from the abstract to the concrete) It is more than transient everydayness. 这远非一时的柴米油盐问题。 (from the abstract to the concrete)

v v v v v 4. Substitution This technique is used to replace the words of the original expression with Chinese synonyms or idioms according to different situations. e. g. : To kill sb. as an example 杀一儆百（杀鸡给猴看） Please withhold the handout. 请不要发这些材料。 He was indeed a good riddance. 他还是不在的好。 The same is not true with a mortal illness. 如果是得了不治之症情况就不一样了。

v v v 5. Explanation This technique is commonly used when there is no corresponding Chinese expression and all the abovementioned techniques fail to make sense. e. g. : mindlessness 思想上的混沌 togetherness (家庭或社会的)和睦相处 redshirt 红色运动员（出色的美国大学生运动员）

v 6. Combination v This technique is used to integrate two words of close meaning into one expression. v so subtle and careful an observer v 一位如此精细的观察者 v his mendacity and dishonesty v 他的狡诈 v a grim and tragic Christmas v 一个惨淡的圣诞节 v the body and mind cramped by noxious work v 有害作造成的身心困顿

v v v 7. Transliteration This technique is commonly used in dealing with proper nouns (especially the names of people and places, trademarks, etc. ). Besides, it is also used in coinage when no existing Chinese expression is available. e. g. : bungee calorie Citroen (雪铁龙) clone euro hacker pizza Wall Street

v v 8. Pictographic Translation (象形文字译法) e. g. : H-beam 字梁 O-ring 环形圈 U-steel 槽钢 V-belt 三角皮带 X-brace 交叉支撑 Y-curve 叉形曲线

Diction in Chinese-English Translation: v v Diction in Chinese-English translation is somewhat different from that in English-Chinese. If the crux of the latter lies in picking out the right Chinese word from t hose we know very well, the former then is much more difficult—we have to deal with and English vocabulary that we are not so familiar with. For example, the familiar Chinese adjective “老”, so simple and common a word, when used in different contexts, the English equivalents rarely keep to its original meaning “old”—that explains why we are often frustrated when trying to find out an accurate English equivalent for a certain Chinese word.

v “老” v 老战士 a veteran v 老领导 a senior leader v 老师傅 a master craftsman v 老黄牛 a willing ox v 老芹菜 overgrown celery v 老黄历 ancient history, obsolete practice v 老家 hometown, native place

v “书” v 申请书 letter of application v 协议书 agreement v 成绩通知书 grade report v （使用）说明书） directions / instructions v 家书 a letter from home v 国书 credential v 楷书 regular script v 证书 certificate v 保证书 guarantee

v The Chinese expression “运动”： v 运动有益身心。 v Exercise is good for health. v 足球是我喜欢的运动。 v Football is my favorite sport. v 他在香港热心推广手球运动。 v He is a keen promoter of handball in Hong Kong. v 我国每年纪念五四运动。 v The May Fourth Movement is commemorated in our country every year.

v 人们热烈响应筹款运动。 v There was great enthusiasm for the donation drive. v 他们发动了一场戒烟运动。 v They started a campaign to stop people smoking. v 这属于运动神经疾病。 v This belongs to motor nerve disease. v 技术革新运动是成功的关键。 v Technological renovation is a key to the success.

v v v v v Avoiding those mistakes when you are applying diction 一、避免翻译腔（不要逐字翻译/死译(word-forword/ mechanical translation) Business took me to town. 公务把我带到了城里。改译：我因公务进城去了。 She is a good washer. 她是一个好洗衣人。改译：她洗衣服总是洗得很干净。 That was how they crossed the river. 这就是他们怎样渡过了河。

v Anger choked his words. v 他气得话也说不出来。 v Bad habits die hard. v 恶习难改。 v Her name escaped me. v 我记不起她的名字了。

v v v 友谊第一，比赛第二。 [误] Friendship is the first, and competition is the second. [正] Friendship should come before competition. 他一向嘴硬，从不认错 [误] He has always got a hard mouth and never admit a fault. [正] He never says uncle. （嘴硬）这个小姑娘嘴很甜。 [误] This little girl’s mouth is very sweet. [正] This little girl is honey-lipped. 我们要避免冤枉好人. [误] We should avoid wronging good persons. We should avoid wronging innocent persons.

v 别装蒜了。 v [误] Don’t pretend as garlic. v [正] Stop pretending! / Come off it! v 我的学习很忙。 v [误] My study is very busy. v [正] I am very busy with my study. v 敌人对我们又打又拉。 v [误] The enemy stroke and pulled us. v [正] The enemy used both the carrot and the stick towards us.

他俩好得能穿一条裤子。 v [误] They are so close as if they could wear the same trousers. v [正] They are hand in glove. v 久仰大名，如雷贯耳。 v [误] I have long looked up to your great name with admiration and it goes into my ears like a deafening thunder. v [正] I am pleased to meet you. / I feel highly honored to meet you. v 你怎么学得如此下流？ v Where did you learn these low-class ways? v

v v v 二、搭配错误：(Mistakes in dealing with collocation) 完成任务 to fulfill/complete/accomplish a task (不用finish) 取得成就 to have/record/score achievements (不用to make) 学习/掌握/获取知识 to acquire/attain knowledge（不用to learn）把中国建成强大的国家 to turn/transform China into a powerful country（不用to build）

v v v 实现自给自足 to reach self-sufficiency (不用achieve) 强硬政策 tough policy （不用strong policy）价格便宜（贵） The price is low (high). （不用cheap/expensive）交通拥挤。 The traffic is busy (heavy/ light). （不用crowded）根据他的意见 according to Tom / in Tom’s / his opinion (不说according to Tom’s opinion, 也不能说 according to him )

v v v 欢迎和我们一起作。 You are welcome to work with us. (不说Welcome you to work with us. ) 欢迎你到中国来。 You are welcome to China. (不说Welcome you to China. ) 他抢了我的钱包。 He robbed me of my wallet. (不说He robbed my wallet. ) 他剥夺了我的发言权。 He deprived me of my right to speak (不说He deprived my right to speak. )

v v v v v 医生治好了她的癌症。 The doctor cured her of cancer. （不说The doctor cured her cancer. ）他在事故中幸存下来。 He survived the accident. （不加in）提高人民的生活水平 to improve/better the lives of the people to improve/uplift the quality of the lives of the people to improve/raise standards of living (不说to raise the level of the lives of the people)