A Report On The Translation Of The Profits Of Nature:Colonial Development And The Quest For Resources In Nineteenth-century China (Chapter 1)

This is a report on a translation project.The source text is selected from Chapter 1 of The Profits of Nature,written by Peter B.Lavelle,an assistant professor of history at Temple University.Based on the life and career of Zuo Zongtang,the source text dwells upon the active measures the imperial court took to cope with social unrest,natural disasters and foreign incursions in nineteenth-century China.Scholars at that time devoted themselves to practical learning and agricultural practice,aiming to make full use of natural resources and land profits for the benefit of the country and the people.This report can help readers understand the various crises experienced by the Qing Dynasty society,as well as the scholars’ exploration and practice in agricultural technology,which can be used as a reference for modern historians and agricultural researchers.The source text is an informative text featuring plain words,cultural-loaded words and complex sentences.The analysis and reconstruction of complex sentences are important and difficult points in the translation process.In order to make the translation more in line with the Chinese usage and more comprehensible for readers,the translator,guided by Peter Newmark’s communicative translation theory,uses translation techniques,such as division,repetition,conversion,and omission.Through this translation project,the translator realizes the importance of being able to apply translation techniques flexibly and accurately for text translation.