Basic Knowledge of Translation TheoryI.Translation1.Definition1)The definition in the old days●“译即易，谓换易言语使相解也。
”——贾公彦(618-907) 唐朝●“夫翻译者，谓翻梵天之语转成汉地之言。
音虽似别，义则大同。
”——法云(960-1279) 宋代It means that translation is a rendering from one language (Source Language) into another (Target Language), remaining the meaning.●The British scholar Dr. Samuel Johnson once said: “To translate is to change into anotherlanguage, remaining the sense.”2)The current definition●The American translation theorist Eugene A. Nida wrote in 1964: Translation consists inreproducing in the receptor language the closest natural equivalence of the source language, first in terms of meaning and secondly in terms of style.（所谓翻译，是在译语中用切近而又最自然的对等语再现原语的信息，首先是意义，其次是文体。
）1)再现原文的信息(message)而不是保留原文的形式结构(formal structure)2)对等(equivalence)不是同一(identity)3)对等是最贴近、自然的对等4)意义是优先考虑的因素5)文体很重要●The British translation theorist T ytler‟s definition in 1970 about translation: “A goodtranslation is one which the merit of the original work is so completely transfused into another language as to be as distinctly apprehended and as strongly felt by a native of the country to which that language belongs as it is by those who speak the language of the original work.”●Prof. Huang Long TranslatologyTranslation may be defined as follows:The replacement of textual material in one language (SL) by equivalent textual material in another language (TL)（翻译可以作以下界定：用一种语言（目的语）的文本材料对等地再现另一种语言（源出语）的文本材料。
Basic Theory And Techniques of TranslationForeign Languages College, Shanghai Normal UniversityI. Criteria and process of translation1. Criteria of translationWhat is translation? To put it briefly, translation, essentially, is the faithful representation in one language of what is written or said in another language. Translation is bilingual work; that is, it concerns at least two languages. In case of Chinese-English translation, Chinese is the 1st language, English is the 2nd language, or Chinese is source language, English is target language. In case of English-Chinese translation, English is the 1st language, Chinese is the 2nd language, or English is source language, and Chinese is target language. One who wants to be a good translator must be good at both the target language and the source language. This is the prerequisite for a translator. In the cause of translation, first, we must have a good understanding of the source language; secondly, we must have a good representation in the target language. To the last analysis, your vocabulary, grammar, your Chinese are all tested in the process of translation.信、达、雅faithfulness, expressiveness and elegance) have great influence and are still playing an important role n the field of translation. However, there have been a lot of arguments about these words. To be practical, especially for those who begin to learn translation, our criteria should be simpler and easy to use. To state it briefly, 优秀的翻译作品是忠实与流畅的完美结合(忠实、通顺). What is meant by the term faithfulness? By faithfulness we mean our translation version must be faithful to the meaning contained in the original text. In the cause of translation, a translator is not permitted or allowed to make any change in meaning, though he must not stick to the original form too much. What is meant by smoothness? By smoothness we meant the language used in the translation version must be smooth and expressive. In the course of translation, a translator should use the generally accepted language (规范语言He must simultaneously strive to avoid broken, ungrammatical, and awkward language.Faithfulness should not be obtained at the cost of smoothness and it is also true the other way round.2. Steps of translationIt goes without saying that translation naturally includes 2 steps, that is, the step of comprehension and the step of representation.1) Firstly, the step of comprehension. Let's first see some examples.Ex. Suddenly the line (引爆电线) went limp.break somewhere. Wait for me. I'm be back in five minutes."Here the key word is "break". Who knows its meaning in this context? (rest, stop, separation) The word "break" usually has two meanings, one is something like rest,the other is the state of being broken. Now let's discuss which of the two is used in the above example. We must consider the context that is the first sentence of this example. “Limp” means soft, the opposite of tight. The correct Chinese translation is like this: (引爆) 电线耷拉了下来。
常用翻译术语简述（一）1、内容（content）与形式相对，指原文的思想或其内在意义。
2、形式（form）与内容相对,是传统译论的核心概念之一。
指语言意义的物质表现,包括词(字)形、句型、篇章结构、修辞格、字体排列以及各种音素形式。
3、欠额翻译（under-translation）与过载翻译相对在译语中, 原语信息被译者忽视或打了不应有的折扣，即信息度过小，以致读者得不到理解原文意思的必要信息。
(Newmark)4、过载翻译（over-translation）与欠额翻译相对。
译语的意义容量超过原语的意义容量,即译语的信息度过大，一般为增译不当所致，亦有添油加醋、借题发挥而致。
(Newmark）5、不可译性（untranslatability）与可译性相对,由于原作语言形式上的特异性和不同语言民族之间文化空缺或不可替代性，使译文不可能准确完整地再现原文。
6、可译性（translatability）与不可译性相对,可译论者认为,人类思想具有同一性,认识和思维方式具有普遍性，所以原本(包括它的文体和风格)是可用另一种语言翻译出来的。
7、可译性限度（limit of translatability）因语言形式和文化不同使可译性受到局限。
8、归化（domestication）与异化”相对，指恪守本族文化的语言传统，回归地道的本族语表达方式。
9、异化（alienation）与“归化”相对。
指在翻译方法上迁就外来文化的语言特点,吸纳外语表达方式。
10、回译（back translation）指把被译写成另一种文字的内容再转译成原文的表达。
12、形合（hypotaxis）与“意合”相对,指句子内部的连接或句子间的连接采用句法手段(syntacticdevices)或词汇手段(lexical equivalence)。
13、意合（parataxis）与“形合"相对,指句子内部的连接或句子间的连接采用语义手段(semantic connection)。
