Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Terminology
◆Chapter 3
Collocation: p47
Idiom and fixed expressions: p47
Marked collocation: p51
Accuracy：p56
Naturalness: p56
◆Chapter 4
Grammar: p83
Morphology: p83
Syntax: p83
Gender: p90
Text: p111
?Collocation: semantically arbitrary restrictions which do not follow logically from the propositional meaning of a word; the tendency of certain words to co-occur regularly in a given language. p47
?Idiom and fixed expressions: frozen patterns of language which allow little or no variation in form and, in the case of idioms, often carry meanings which cannot be deduced from their individual components. p47
?Marked collocation:an unusual combination of words, one that challenges our expectations as hearers or readers. p51
?Accuracy：A term used to refer to the extent to which a translation matches its original. It usually refers to preservation of the information content of ST in TT. An accurate translation is generally literal rather than free. P56
?Naturalness: A term used to refer to the extent to which a translation is expressed in clear, unforced terms in TL, as stated by Nida and Taber that 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.” P56
?Grammar: the set of rules which determine the way in which units such as words and phrases can be combined in a language and the kind of information which has to be made regularly explicit in utterances. p83
?Morphology: the study of the structure of words, the way in which the form of a word changes to indicate specific contrasts in the grammatical system. p83
?Syntax:the study of the grammatical structure of groups,clauses, and sentences: the linear sequences of classes of words such as noun, verb, adverb, and adjective, and functional elements such as subject, predicator, and object, which are allowed in a given language. p83
?Gender:a grammatical distinction according to which a noun or pronoun is classified as either masculine or feminine in some languages. p90
?Text:the verbal record of a communicative event; an instance of language in use rather than language as an abstract system of meanings and relations. p111
3 Equivalence above World Level
3.1 Collocation
3.1.1 Collocational range and collocational markedness 3.1.2 Collocation and register 3.1.3 Collocational meaning
3.1.4 Some collocation related pitfalls and problems in translation 3.1.
4.1 The engrossing effect of source text patterning
3.1.
4.2 Misinterpreting the meaning of a source-language collocation 3.1.4.3 The tension between accuracy and naturalness 3.1.4.4 Culture-specific collocations
3.1.
4.5 Marked collocations in the source text
3.2 Idioms and fixed expressions
3.2.1 Idioms, fixed expressions, and the direction of translation 3.2.2 The interpretation of idioms
(a) Some idioms are “misleading”; they seem transparent because they offer a reasonable literal interpretation and their idiomatic meanings are not necessarily signalled in the surrounding text.
(b) An idiom in the source language may have a very close counterpart in the target language which looks similar on the surface but has a totally or partially different meaning.3.2.3 The translation of idioms: difficulties
(a) An idiom or fixed expression may have no equivalent in the target language.
(b) An idiom or fixed expression may have a similar counterpart in the target language, but its context of use may be different; the two expressions may have different connotations, for instance, or they may not be pragmatically transferable.
(c) An idiom may be used in the source text in both its literal and idiomatic senses at the same time. (d) The very convention of using idioms in written discourse, the contexts in which they can be used, and their frequency of use may be different in the source and target languages.3.2.4 The translation of idioms: strategies (examples see Feng Chapter 5) 3.2.4.1 Using an idiom of similar meaning and form
Burn the boat 破釜沉舟 Castle in the air 空中楼阁 A bolt from the blow 晴天霹雳 Show the cloven hoof 露出马脚 打草惊蛇 wake a sleeping dog 挥金如土 spend money like water 3.2.4.2 Using an idiom of similar meaning but dissimilar form Have an axe to grind 别有用心 Talk through one’s hat 胡言乱语 A fly in the ointment 美中不足 Call a spade a spade 直言不讳 3.2.4.3 Translation by paraphrase 扬眉吐气 to feel proud and elated 单枪匹马 to be single-handed in doing sth 开门见山 to come straight to the point 无孔不入 to take advantage of every weakness 3.2.4.4 Translation by omission
涌现出无数感天动地、可歌可泣的英雄事迹 produced uncountable touching and brave exploits
护关资料试都可以能地
(3.2.4.5. Literal translation
Crocodile tears 鳄鱼眼泪
Armed to the teeth 武装到牙齿
刻骨铭心to be engraved on one’s heart and bones
口蜜腹剑to be honey-mounthed and dagger-hearted)
e.g.
去年5月12日，我国发生震惊世界的汶川特大地震。在党中央、国务院坚强领导下，全国各族人民特别是灾区人民万众一心、众志成城，人民子弟兵舍生忘死、冲锋在前……
A massive earthquake that shocked the world struck Wenchuan on May 12. Under the firm leadership of the CPC Central Committee and the State Council, people of all ethnic groups in China, especially in the quake zone, worked as one and fought in unison against the earthquake disaster. The people's army rushed to the frontlines without thinking of their own safety.
这场艰苦卓绝的抗震救灾斗争，涌现出无数感天动地、可歌可泣的英雄事迹，充分展现了中国人民不屈不挠、自强不息的伟大民族精神，谱写了气壮山河的壮丽篇章。
This hard struggle against the earthquake produced uncountable touching and brave exploits and fully demonstrated the great indomitable and unyielding spirit of the Chinese people, thus writing a heroic chapter in the history of the nation.
4 Grammatical equivalence
4.1 Grammatical vs lexical categories
4.2 The diversity of grammatical categories across languages
4.2.1 Number
4.2.2 Gender
4.2.3 Person
4.2.4 Tense and aspect
4.2.5 Voice—stylistic factor, function, frequency
4.3 A brief note on word order
4.4 Introducing text
4.4.1 Text vs non-text
4.4.2 Features of text organization
TRANSLATING THE PASSIVE
1. Features of the English passive
The passive abounds in English. Generally speaking, when the agent (施动者) is unknown or need not be mentioned, or the object of the action is to be emphasized, the passive may be employed. In the vast majority of cases, the passive is chosen for the following reasons:
1）The logical subject (agent) is known and need not be mentioned.
Visitors are requested to wait.
来宾请等候。
2）The logical subject is unknown or cannot be readily stated.
New factories are being built all over the country.
全国到处在兴建工厂。
3）The logical subject is self-evident from the context.
Your suggestion has been duly noted.
你的建议已得到适当的注意。
4）The logical subject is not mentioned for some reasons (tact or delicacy of sentiment).
Some things have been said here tonight that ought not to have been spoken.
今晚有人在此讲了不该讲的话。
5）The logical subject is less important than the object.
A child was run over and killed by a bus.
一个小孩被公共汽车轧死了。
6）The logical subject is avoided for coherence on account of shifting construction.
John actually loved her and was loved in turn.
约翰真的爱她，而她也爱约翰。
7）The logical subject is avoided for stylistic reasons.
The passive is generally more commonly used in informative than imaginative writing, notably in the objective, non-personal style of scientific articles, news items and government communications.
The first clock with weights and wheels is said to have been invented about the year 1000 A.D.
据说第一座装有钟摆和齿轮的钟大约是在公元一千年左右发明的。
2. Features of the Chinese passive
1）Infrequent use of the passive form
Unlike English, the Chinese passive is rarely used except for the following cases.
（A）Denote something undesirable or unpleasant.
“被”：被捕be arrested, 被杀be killed, 被俘be captured, 被剥削be exploited
c.f.字被我写坏了。（idiomatic）
字被我写好了。字被我写了（not idiomatic）
让：让人摆布be at the mercy of others
给：给他逼死be driven to death by him
叫：叫人说的一文不值be said to be not worth a farthing
挨：挨骂be scolded
受：受骗de deceived
为……所……：为家庭环境所迫be pressed by family circumstances
（B）There is a modern tendency in the Chinese passive to denote something desirable or neutral in some expressions.
“受”：受欢迎be welcome,
受表扬be praised，
受尊敬be respected
2）Frequent use of active forms to express passive sense
Chinese grammar has little difference between the active and the passive: no inflexion of the verb, no transposition of the subject, and often no passive sign “被”and the like before the verb. Many Chinese sentences patterns are active in form but passive in sense, i.e., there is disagreement between the syntactic and notional active or passive. Chinese notional passives are common but syntactic passives are rarely used.
Examples：
会议延期了。The meeting was postponed.
地图挂在墙上。A map was hung on the wall.
风速是用米/秒表示的。The speed of the wind is expressed in meters per second.
这个问题将在以后予以讨论。This question will be discussed later.
必须使温度很快从室温升至125oC。The temperature should be raised quickly from room temperature to 125oC.
3. Common ways to translate the English passive:
1）Convert the English passive into Chinese active.(The extensive use of the Chinese active form for a passive sense often makes this conversion necessary.)
(A) Use the original subject as the new subject
The gas can be liquefied and bottled or piped into homes.
石油气可以液化装瓶，或用管道输送到用户家里。
(B) Use the Chinese sentence pattern “……是……的”or supply“加以”,“予以”while
retaining the original subject.
Everything is built up of atoms
万物都是原子构成的。
(C) Change wording while retaining the original subject
The culture of antiquity was rediscovered.
古文化重见天日。
They are paid for this.
他们拿钱就是干这个的。
(D) Convert the verbs in passive form into Chinese nouns
The hall is air-conditioned and beautifully lighted.
大厅里有空调设备，照明设计也非常美观。
(E) Convert the original English subject into the Chinese object
It is well known that the compass was invented in China more than two thousand years
ago.
众所周知，中国在两千多面前就发明了指南针。
(F) Supply indefinite subjects like “有人”“人家”“人们”“大家”“众人”“人”“我们”or“本
文”etc.
Voices were heard calling for help.
有人听见呼救的声音。
It is now understood that atoms can be further divided into smaller particles.
现在人们懂得，原子还可以进一步分成更小的粒子。
(G) Convert the original English passive into a subjectless or subject-omitted Chinese
sentence
Air resistance must be given careful consideration when the aircraft is to be
manufactured.
要制造飞机，就必须仔细考虑空气阻力问题。
2) Translate the English passive into Chinese passive
This factory was seriously damaged during the earthquake.
这家工厂在地震中遭到严重破坏。
3) Translation of the idiomatic passive
In translating some idiomatic English passive like the following ,we usually use the character “据”, or supply indefinite subjects like “有人”, “人们” or “大家”, or use subjectless or subject-omitted expressions to turn the passive into an active.
It was told that…
It is said that…
It must be admitted that…
It will be seen from this that…
It has been objected that…
It is sometimes asked that…
It is established that…
It is hypothesized that…
It is recommended that…