论翻译中词性转换

On Transformation of Parts of Speech in TranslationI. IntroductionParts of speech are the core content of the traditional grammar according to which words are classified as follows: nouns, verbs, adjectives, adverbs, pronouns, prepositions, conjunctions, etc. Different languages have different standards to distinguish parts of speech. English belongs to the Indo-European language family, and parts of speech in it are categorized as word-order, lexical meaning and inflection changes. Nouns, verbs, adjectives and adverbs have complex systems of endings or vowel changes or both. For example, the form –ize, -en and –ify are used to denote the possessive case of verbs. But quite different from English, Chinese belongs to the Sino-Tibetan language family and parts of speech are divided based on sentence structure function.Apart from the above differences, another great one is that English is a kind of static language which tends to use more nouns, prepositional phrases, etc. While Chinese is a dynamic one in which verbs are often used. So, when we translate between these languages, we commonly use transformation of parts of speech to make the translation more standard and idiomatic. No one can say that the target language (TL) and the source language (SL) tex ts ―have the same meaning‖, because each one has its own meaning. Eugene A. Nida, a distinguished American theorist, reformed the traditional parts of speech and established a new system which has been applied into practice. For example,TL：她工作出色。

SL：1. She works excellently.2. Her excellent work3. the excellence of her work4. Her work is excellent.The different expressions indicate the same meaning. So the transformation of parts of speech is based on the premise that the target language must be faithful to theoriginal language. Correctly using of parts of speech conversion can make the translated version smoother and clearer. This thesis will study the importance of the transformation of parts of speech and problems concerning using this method and some countermeasures.II. Translation and Transformation of Parts of SpeechIt is hard to define translation as a science or an art, a skill or a taste. It is understood as a linguistic phenomenon, as an operation performed on languages. This operation is seen as a process of translating between source language and target language. Many dictionaries offer synonyms for translation such as interpretation, conversion, transformation, expressiveness, transference, which are followed by from one language into another. Other authorities make use of expressions such as ‗identical‘, ‗equivalent textual material‘, ‗similar‘, ‗comparable‘, etc. So translation may be defined as: ―the replacement of textual material in one language (SL) by equivalent material in another l anguage (TL)‖ (Schaffner 2). Roger Bell, a professor of linguistics, says that ―Translation is the expression in another, source language, preserving semantic and stylistic equivalences‖ (5). The two definitions both refer to ‗equivalent‘ which replicates the same situation as in the original, while using completely different wording. Again, we have a descriptive definition from Nida: Translating 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 (12). To shift from one language to another is, by definition, to alter the forms. Unfortunately, languages are not this simple, and difficulties may also arise when there are no equivalent parts of speech. Each language has its own special structure. Word-for-word correspondences do not exist in the process of translation. The reasons are as follows:1. Words have more than one meaning;2. Many words are culture-bound and have no direct equivalents;3. Cultural orientations can render a direct translation nonsensical;4. A culture may not have the background and understanding to translateexperiences specific to other cultures. (Samovar 132)There are some examples which will be illustrated here. ―birds of a father‖ means ―一丘之貉‖; ―天生有福‖, when translated into English, it may be ―born with a silver spoon in one‘s mouth‖. The important point is that shifts and changes in the technique of translating do not occur at random. Rather, they are linked with different cultures and times. So, we are seeking to different methods of translating to get equivalence of high level.Translation aims primarily at reproducing the message. To do anything else is essentially false to one‘s task as a translator. But to repro duce the message one must make a good many adjustments as accuracy and economy. There are four kinds of adjustments.(1)Semantic adjustmentIn order to completely express the meaning of the original work, sometimes a literal translation is not advised. F or instance, ―The accounts were balanced‖. This indicates ―已结账了‖. If it is translated into ―账已被平衡了‖, nobody can understand it.(2)Word-order adjustmentIn the process of translation, the translator must pay more attention to the characteristics of langua ges. Here are some examples. ―the rate of interest‖ means ―利率‖; ―the unit of measurement‖ means ―计量单位‖. But these versions ―利息的比率‖ and ―计量的单位‖ do not comply with briefness and parataxis which are the features of Chinese.(3)Grammatical adjustmentThe transformation of parts of speech is often used as a method of grammatical adjustment in order to get a better version. For example, ―We are lovers of the world peace.‖ Means ―我们热爱世界和平‖ or ―我们是世界和平的热爱者‖. The former version would be much more idiomatic.(4)Literary-style adjustmentDifferent styles of writing have different requirements such as narration, argumentation, description and exposition, while there are formal and informal styles in the colloquial English. When doing translation, we should make the adjustment inaccordance with different styles. For example:(1)但是，照抄照搬别国的经验，别国的模式，从来就不能得到成功。