企业中文简介英译研究
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摘要
企业简介是用于介绍、推动企业或团体发展的一种书面的实用文体,经常出现在报纸、杂志和网站等媒体上。很多企业在网上建立双语网站,介绍企业的产品和服务。企业简介在国际市场上推介公司,展示实力,扩大影响,拓展业务方面起着很重要的作用。可是,目前错误和不规范的企业英译简介不但严重影响了企业的形象,也损害了中国的国际形象。
本文旨在对企业中文简介的英译进行错误分析和对比分析并提出相应的改进策略。作者通过潜心研究,得出结论:目前企业简介的英译状况不容乐观,存在用词不当、语法错误、语用失误等,严重影响了信息的准确传递。
首先,从企业网站上以及书中任意搜集了135篇企业简介样本,组成了一个小型的语料库,具有真实性和代表性。作者通过对这些样本的文体类型进行全面详细的分析,准确定位翻译中出现的错误。
研究数据显示,企业英译简介的错误主要包括语言错误和非语言错误两大类。语言错误包括词形(拼写和词性)、词意(语义关系、词序和搭配)和句法错误(主宾不一致、主谓不一致和句法歧义)。非语言错误包括理解错误和功能不对等等。数据中显示的错误主要集中在词汇、语法、语用和篇章方面。
归类和分析发现,企业简介英译中出错误的原因主要有三个:一是母语迁移;二是语内错误,均由译者不恰当的英语学习策略和英语交际策略引起的;三与译者翻译能力以及翻译的管理力度不够有关。
针对以上问题,本文提出了改进企业中文简介英译的策略。词汇方面,在组合关系上要注意词语搭配和预制语块的表达;在聚合关系上,注意词语的语义关系;同时,注意词化的掌握;语用上,注意英汉文化差异,从而避免语用失误;功能对等方面,作者提出了文化调节和美学对等的建议;在译者能力和翻译管理方面,提出持续改善的策略。
总之,企业简介英译错误方面的研究相当必要。它不仅可以使大家了解我国企业材料英译的现状,而且提出相应的改进策略,达到向外国传递准确信息和开拓国际市场的效果。因此,该研究具有社会价值和经济价值。
An enterprise profile is a kind of practical writing to introduce and promote the enterprise or institute,and it can be seen in all kinds of media like newspapers, magazines,websites,etc.Many enterprises put bilingual profiles on their website to introduce their products and services in hope of expanding business into western markets by making the enterprise known to foreign customers.However,the improper and nonstandard English versions of the profiles have been a pressing problem because they have tarnished not only the enterprise's image but China's international image.
This thesis attempts to find strategies for improvement by comparing and analyzing errors found in the English versions of enterprise profiles.A large number of errors in C-E enterprise profile translation reveal a fact that translation of enterprise profile is far from being satisfactory.Translators need to improve their English proficiency especially in terms of word choice,grammar and cross-cultural communication.
Firstly,135 authentic samples of enterprise profiles are downloaded randomly from the companies' website or books,constituting a small corpus for the author to make a detailed and thorough analysis of the features of this text genre and locate common problems in translation.
Secondly,according to the levels of errors by Carl James,the errors in C-E enterprise profile translation were also specified on three linguistic levels:the levels of substance,text and discourse.In this study,substance errors mainly focused on misspellings.Text errors consist of lexical errors and grammar errors,and discourse errors incoherence and pragmatic errors.
Thirdly,from the perspective of diagnosis of errors,the errors were attributed to interlingual errors,intralingual errors and translators' incompetence and poor management of translation authoritative institution.As for interlingual errors,they were caused by mother tongue influence.As to intralingual errors,they were considered from two aspects:learning strategy-based errors and communication strategy-based errors.
To the problems found in translating enterprise profiles,suggestions on how to improve the quality of enterprise profile translation have been given.As for lexical errors,special attention should be paid to systagmatic and semantic relations (collocation and prefabricated chunks),paradigmatic and semantic relationship (semantic field) and lexicalization.As for functional equivalence,suggestions are put forward from the perspectives of cultural adjustment and aesthetic equivalence.As for the capacity of translators and management of translation,strategies for continuous improvement are proposed.
In summary,it is urgent to study the errors in C-E translation of enterprise profiles.By doing so,the present deficiency of C-E enterprise profile translation is revealed and strategies for improvement are proposed so as to transmit accurate information to foreigners and promote international business.Therefore,it has both social and economical value.
本文旨在对企业中文简介的英译进行错误分析和对比分析并提出相应的改进策略。作者通过潜心研究,得出结论:目前企业简介的英译状况不容乐观,存在用词不当、语法错误、语用失误等,严重影响了信息的准确传递。
首先,从企业网站上以及书中任意搜集了135篇企业简介样本,组成了一个小型的语料库,具有真实性和代表性。作者通过对这些样本的文体类型进行全面详细的分析,准确定位翻译中出现的错误。
研究数据显示,企业英译简介的错误主要包括语言错误和非语言错误两大类。语言错误包括词形(拼写和词性)、词意(语义关系、词序和搭配)和句法错误(主宾不一致、主谓不一致和句法歧义)。非语言错误包括理解错误和功能不对等等。数据中显示的错误主要集中在词汇、语法、语用和篇章方面。
归类和分析发现,企业简介英译中出错误的原因主要有三个:一是母语迁移;二是语内错误,均由译者不恰当的英语学习策略和英语交际策略引起的;三与译者翻译能力以及翻译的管理力度不够有关。
针对以上问题,本文提出了改进企业中文简介英译的策略。词汇方面,在组合关系上要注意词语搭配和预制语块的表达;在聚合关系上,注意词语的语义关系;同时,注意词化的掌握;语用上,注意英汉文化差异,从而避免语用失误;功能对等方面,作者提出了文化调节和美学对等的建议;在译者能力和翻译管理方面,提出持续改善的策略。
总之,企业简介英译错误方面的研究相当必要。它不仅可以使大家了解我国企业材料英译的现状,而且提出相应的改进策略,达到向外国传递准确信息和开拓国际市场的效果。因此,该研究具有社会价值和经济价值。
An enterprise profile is a kind of practical writing to introduce and promote the enterprise or institute,and it can be seen in all kinds of media like newspapers, magazines,websites,etc.Many enterprises put bilingual profiles on their website to introduce their products and services in hope of expanding business into western markets by making the enterprise known to foreign customers.However,the improper and nonstandard English versions of the profiles have been a pressing problem because they have tarnished not only the enterprise's image but China's international image.
This thesis attempts to find strategies for improvement by comparing and analyzing errors found in the English versions of enterprise profiles.A large number of errors in C-E enterprise profile translation reveal a fact that translation of enterprise profile is far from being satisfactory.Translators need to improve their English proficiency especially in terms of word choice,grammar and cross-cultural communication.
Firstly,135 authentic samples of enterprise profiles are downloaded randomly from the companies' website or books,constituting a small corpus for the author to make a detailed and thorough analysis of the features of this text genre and locate common problems in translation.
Secondly,according to the levels of errors by Carl James,the errors in C-E enterprise profile translation were also specified on three linguistic levels:the levels of substance,text and discourse.In this study,substance errors mainly focused on misspellings.Text errors consist of lexical errors and grammar errors,and discourse errors incoherence and pragmatic errors.
Thirdly,from the perspective of diagnosis of errors,the errors were attributed to interlingual errors,intralingual errors and translators' incompetence and poor management of translation authoritative institution.As for interlingual errors,they were caused by mother tongue influence.As to intralingual errors,they were considered from two aspects:learning strategy-based errors and communication strategy-based errors.
To the problems found in translating enterprise profiles,suggestions on how to improve the quality of enterprise profile translation have been given.As for lexical errors,special attention should be paid to systagmatic and semantic relations (collocation and prefabricated chunks),paradigmatic and semantic relationship (semantic field) and lexicalization.As for functional equivalence,suggestions are put forward from the perspectives of cultural adjustment and aesthetic equivalence.As for the capacity of translators and management of translation,strategies for continuous improvement are proposed.
In summary,it is urgent to study the errors in C-E translation of enterprise profiles.By doing so,the present deficiency of C-E enterprise profile translation is revealed and strategies for improvement are proposed so as to transmit accurate information to foreigners and promote international business.Therefore,it has both social and economical value.
引文
[1]Basel,Universitat."The use of Collocations by Advanced Learners of English and Some Implications for Teaching."[J]Applied Linguistics(24/2),2003:223-242
[2]Beckman,J and J.Callow.Translating the Word of God[M].Michigan:Zondervan,1976
[3]Corporate Profile,Quezon City:Businessday Co.,1983
[4]Cowan,J.Ronayne."Toward a Psychological Theory of Interference in Second Language Learning"[J].TESL Studies 2 1997:51-63.
[5]Fries,C.C.Teaching and Learning English as a Foreign Language,Ann Arbor,1945:9
[6]George,H.V.Common Errors in Language Learning:Insights from English[M].Rowley,MA:Newbury House,1972
[7]Hawkins,J."A Parsing Theory of Word Order"[J].Lingual Inquiry,1990:21(2)
[8]James,Carl.Contrastive Analysis[M].Qingdao:Qingdao Publishing House,2005
[9]James,Carl.Errors in Language Learning and Use:Exploring Errors Analysis[M].Beijing:Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press,2003:129,142,145-154,156-162,142-143,151,165,185
[10]Janieki,K.Deviance beyond Grammar[J].Studia Angliea Poznaniensia,1980:Vol.12:61-71
[11]JFL Correspondent."An Interview with Dr.Eugene Nida."[J]Journal of Foreign Language,1998:(2)
[12]Kecskes,Istvan and Tunde PAPP.Foreign Language and Mother Tongue[M].Mahwah,NJ:Lawrence Erlbaum Associates,Inc.,Pub.,2000:64-66
[13]Klein,K.2005.Company Profiles.Retrieved on Dec20,2006,from website:http://www.WebForging.com.
[14]Lado,Robert.Linguistic Across Cultures,Ann Arbor,1957:2
[15]Leeeh,G.Principles of Pragmatics[M].Longman:London,1983:150
[16]Lehrer,A.Semantic Fields and Lexical Structure[M].North-Holland:[n.p.],1974:15
[17]Lewis,M.The Lexical Approach[M].Hove and London,England:Language Teaching Publications,1993
[18]Lewis,M.Teaching Collocation:Further Development in the Lexical Approach[M].Hove Language Teaching Publications,2000:16
[19]Lyons,J.Semantics[M].Vol.1 Cambridge:Cambridge University Press,1977:268
[20]Nattinger,J.R.&Jeanette S DeCarrieo.Lexical Phrases and Language Teaching[M].London:Oxford University Press,1992:ⅩⅤ
[21]Nida,Eugene A.Language,Culture and Translating[M].Shanghai:Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press,1993:101-111,107
[22]Nida,Eugene A.and C.R.Taber.The Theory and Practice of Translation[M].Leiden Brill,1969:4
[23]Nida,Eugene A.Toward a Science of Translating:with special reference to principles and procedures involved in Bible translating[M].Leiden:Brill,1964:159,68
[24]Riehards,J.C.,J.Platt and H.Platt.Longman Dictionary of Language Teaching & Applied Linguistics[Z].Beijing:Beijing Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press,2002:33
[25]Riehards,J."The Role of Vocabulary Teaching "[J]TESOL Quarterly,1976:10(1):77-89
[26]Shaughnessy,M.Errors and Expectations[M].Oxford:Oxford University Press,1977
[27]Sinclair,J.Looking Up:An Account of the Cobuild Project in Lexical Computing[M].London and Glasgow:Collins English Language Teaching,1987
[28]Thoma,J.Cross-Cultural Pragmatic Failure[J].Applied Linguistics,1983(2)
[29]爱波斯坦、林茂荪、沈苏儒.呼吁重视对外宣传中的外语工作[J].中国翻译,2000(2)
[30]包惠南、包昂.中国文化与汉英翻译[M].北京:外文出版社,2004:39
[31]蔡基刚.英汉词化对比与综合表达法[J].《山东外语教学》,2005
[32]蔡基刚.《英汉写作修辞对比》[M].上海:复旦大学出版社,2003
[33]郭建中.“意译与炼句”[J]《中国科技翻译》,2001(3):4
[34]顾维勇.《实用文体翻译》[M].北京:国防工业出版社,2005
[35]贾文波.《汉英时文翻译-政治经济汉英300句析》[M].北京:中国对外翻译出版公司,2001:93-97,57-59
[36]贾文波.《应用翻译功能论》[M].北京:中国对外翻译出版公司,2004:1571-82
[37]金惠康.《跨文化交际翻译》[M].北京:中国对翻译出版公司,2002:2
[38]黄忠廉.《变译理论》[M].中国对外翻译出版公司,2002:89
[39]胡文仲.《跨文化交际面面观》[M].北京:外语教学与研究出版社,2004
[40]林大津.跨文化交际研究[M].福州:福建人民出版社,1996:129
[41]刘宓庆.《文体与翻译》[M].北京:中国对外翻译出版公司,1998:33
[42]刘宓庆.《新编汉英对比与翻译》[M].北京:中国对外翻译出版公司,2006:291,294,296
[43]刘先刚.中国呼唤企业翻译学.[J]石油大学学报,1992(2)
[44]马会娟.奈达翻译理论研究[M].北京:外语教学与研究出版社,2003
[45]宁建新、陈观亚.《实用广告英语》[M].郑州:河南人民出版社,1997:1
[46]汤富华.《谈企业对外宣传品的文体特点及英译技巧》[J].中国科技翻译,2000a(1):24-26
[47]申小龙.汉语言文化特征探索[J].学习与探索,1998(13)
[48]汤富华.企业对外推介英译的问题与文化思考[J].中国翻译2000b(6):35
[49]田时莉、周俊英.“思维与观念:浅析英汉对比教学法在英语教学中的重要作用”[J].《北京工业大学学报(社会科学版增刊)》,2005(5)
[50]王俊捷.汉英企业篇章的跨文化对比分析及山东企业篇章的英语翻译策略[硕士学位论文],2003:53
[51]王素清.《国际商务协作教程》[M].北京:对外贸易大学出版社,2002
[52]王晓英.《商务英语写作教程》[M].南京:东南大学出版社,2001:4
[53]伍谦光.《语义学导论》[M].湖南:湖南教育出版社,1998:94-95
[54]吴启金.入世后我国翻译教育面临的挑战及对策[J].《中国科技翻译》.2002(5):49
[55]许建忠.《工商企业翻译实务》[M].北京:对外翻译出版公司,2002:59-60
[56]张基佩.外宣英译的原文要适当删减[J].上海科技翻译,2001:53
[2]Beckman,J and J.Callow.Translating the Word of God[M].Michigan:Zondervan,1976
[3]Corporate Profile,Quezon City:Businessday Co.,1983
[4]Cowan,J.Ronayne."Toward a Psychological Theory of Interference in Second Language Learning"[J].TESL Studies 2 1997:51-63.
[5]Fries,C.C.Teaching and Learning English as a Foreign Language,Ann Arbor,1945:9
[6]George,H.V.Common Errors in Language Learning:Insights from English[M].Rowley,MA:Newbury House,1972
[7]Hawkins,J."A Parsing Theory of Word Order"[J].Lingual Inquiry,1990:21(2)
[8]James,Carl.Contrastive Analysis[M].Qingdao:Qingdao Publishing House,2005
[9]James,Carl.Errors in Language Learning and Use:Exploring Errors Analysis[M].Beijing:Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press,2003:129,142,145-154,156-162,142-143,151,165,185
[10]Janieki,K.Deviance beyond Grammar[J].Studia Angliea Poznaniensia,1980:Vol.12:61-71
[11]JFL Correspondent."An Interview with Dr.Eugene Nida."[J]Journal of Foreign Language,1998:(2)
[12]Kecskes,Istvan and Tunde PAPP.Foreign Language and Mother Tongue[M].Mahwah,NJ:Lawrence Erlbaum Associates,Inc.,Pub.,2000:64-66
[13]Klein,K.2005.Company Profiles.Retrieved on Dec20,2006,from website:http://www.WebForging.com.
[14]Lado,Robert.Linguistic Across Cultures,Ann Arbor,1957:2
[15]Leeeh,G.Principles of Pragmatics[M].Longman:London,1983:150
[16]Lehrer,A.Semantic Fields and Lexical Structure[M].North-Holland:[n.p.],1974:15
[17]Lewis,M.The Lexical Approach[M].Hove and London,England:Language Teaching Publications,1993
[18]Lewis,M.Teaching Collocation:Further Development in the Lexical Approach[M].Hove Language Teaching Publications,2000:16
[19]Lyons,J.Semantics[M].Vol.1 Cambridge:Cambridge University Press,1977:268
[20]Nattinger,J.R.&Jeanette S DeCarrieo.Lexical Phrases and Language Teaching[M].London:Oxford University Press,1992:ⅩⅤ
[21]Nida,Eugene A.Language,Culture and Translating[M].Shanghai:Shanghai Foreign Language Education Press,1993:101-111,107
[22]Nida,Eugene A.and C.R.Taber.The Theory and Practice of Translation[M].Leiden Brill,1969:4
[23]Nida,Eugene A.Toward a Science of Translating:with special reference to principles and procedures involved in Bible translating[M].Leiden:Brill,1964:159,68
[24]Riehards,J.C.,J.Platt and H.Platt.Longman Dictionary of Language Teaching & Applied Linguistics[Z].Beijing:Beijing Foreign Language Teaching and Research Press,2002:33
[25]Riehards,J."The Role of Vocabulary Teaching "[J]TESOL Quarterly,1976:10(1):77-89
[26]Shaughnessy,M.Errors and Expectations[M].Oxford:Oxford University Press,1977
[27]Sinclair,J.Looking Up:An Account of the Cobuild Project in Lexical Computing[M].London and Glasgow:Collins English Language Teaching,1987
[28]Thoma,J.Cross-Cultural Pragmatic Failure[J].Applied Linguistics,1983(2)
[29]爱波斯坦、林茂荪、沈苏儒.呼吁重视对外宣传中的外语工作[J].中国翻译,2000(2)
[30]包惠南、包昂.中国文化与汉英翻译[M].北京:外文出版社,2004:39
[31]蔡基刚.英汉词化对比与综合表达法[J].《山东外语教学》,2005
[32]蔡基刚.《英汉写作修辞对比》[M].上海:复旦大学出版社,2003
[33]郭建中.“意译与炼句”[J]《中国科技翻译》,2001(3):4
[34]顾维勇.《实用文体翻译》[M].北京:国防工业出版社,2005
[35]贾文波.《汉英时文翻译-政治经济汉英300句析》[M].北京:中国对外翻译出版公司,2001:93-97,57-59
[36]贾文波.《应用翻译功能论》[M].北京:中国对外翻译出版公司,2004:1571-82
[37]金惠康.《跨文化交际翻译》[M].北京:中国对翻译出版公司,2002:2
[38]黄忠廉.《变译理论》[M].中国对外翻译出版公司,2002:89
[39]胡文仲.《跨文化交际面面观》[M].北京:外语教学与研究出版社,2004
[40]林大津.跨文化交际研究[M].福州:福建人民出版社,1996:129
[41]刘宓庆.《文体与翻译》[M].北京:中国对外翻译出版公司,1998:33
[42]刘宓庆.《新编汉英对比与翻译》[M].北京:中国对外翻译出版公司,2006:291,294,296
[43]刘先刚.中国呼唤企业翻译学.[J]石油大学学报,1992(2)
[44]马会娟.奈达翻译理论研究[M].北京:外语教学与研究出版社,2003
[45]宁建新、陈观亚.《实用广告英语》[M].郑州:河南人民出版社,1997:1
[46]汤富华.《谈企业对外宣传品的文体特点及英译技巧》[J].中国科技翻译,2000a(1):24-26
[47]申小龙.汉语言文化特征探索[J].学习与探索,1998(13)
[48]汤富华.企业对外推介英译的问题与文化思考[J].中国翻译2000b(6):35
[49]田时莉、周俊英.“思维与观念:浅析英汉对比教学法在英语教学中的重要作用”[J].《北京工业大学学报(社会科学版增刊)》,2005(5)
[50]王俊捷.汉英企业篇章的跨文化对比分析及山东企业篇章的英语翻译策略[硕士学位论文],2003:53
[51]王素清.《国际商务协作教程》[M].北京:对外贸易大学出版社,2002
[52]王晓英.《商务英语写作教程》[M].南京:东南大学出版社,2001:4
[53]伍谦光.《语义学导论》[M].湖南:湖南教育出版社,1998:94-95
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