On Translation Strategies For Operative Texts

As an increasing number of foreign brand stores emerge in China,there is a growing demand for Chinese translation of operation handbooks which are mainly used to train employees and standardize their operating procedures.This paper aims to study the translation of a retail operation handbook of an Italian fashion brand that specializes in leather.According to Reiss’ s text typology,the operation handbook performs both informative and operative functions.This paper will focus on how to achieve the operative function while translating so as to clearly instruct the employees.This paper summarizes three factors that might impair the operative functions of the handbook: implicit actor,ambiguous instruction and unstated focus.Accordingly,several translation strategies are proposed: turning passive voice into active voice so that who is responsible for every task can be explicit;restructuring sentences so that every instruction can be stated clearly;delving into the message behind by considering the interests of the brand store,and letting the target readers know what to lay emphasis on.It is hoped that this paper will offer a useful reference for the translation of operative texts from the perspective of realizing the operative function.