A Report On The Translation Of Popular Science Texts Under The Guidance Of Skopos Theory

With the acceleration of global economic integration process as well as the increasing frequency of international exchanges,cultural globalization has become a new trend in the development of the world.Popular science text,as an important carrier transmitting scientific and cultural knowledge,plays an indispensable role in satisfying the public’s demand for new information.In this sense,it is self-evident that the translation of this type of work is of great significance.Based on the Skopos theory,this report selects the first chapter and part of the second chapter of the first part in the British scientific writer Fred Pearce’s The New Wild: Why Invasive Species Will Be Nature’s Salvation as source text,intending to explore how Skopos theory guides the translation practice of popular science texts.In the excerpt,Pearce mainly describes the mutually beneficial symbiosis between the introduced species and the native species.The language style of the source text is quite distinctive.The writer uses interesting and vivid language to elaborate and analyze the consequences of the introduction of new species,dismantling reader’s stereotypical impression on these species,which is both educational and meaningful.However,it is quite a difficult task for a translator to cope with the specialized terminologies as well as complex sentences of the source text in an easy-to-understand manner.Effectively conveying the original information and appropriately realizing the communicative function of the original text clearly are also crucial.Therefore,on the basis of abundant examples from the source text,this report will,in accordance with the principle of skopos,fidelity and coherence,analyze the translation strategies and methods of popular science text from the following two levels: at the lexical level,the translator should verify the specialized terminologies as well as proper nouns,a glossary needs to be built if needed;moreover,the meanings of common words also demand the translator’s conformation according to the context,lexical conversion should be employed if necessary;at the syntactic level,since the processing and decoding of passive sentences as well as complex long sentences will affect the generation of meaning and reader’s acceptance of meaning,it is indispensable to keep as close as possible to the linguistic habits and culture of the target reader,methods such as amplification,subtraction,reconstruction as well as splitting can be applied to convey the information of the original text precisely.This report lists a series of examples in the source text and discusses its translation strategies as well as methods,hoping to maximize the the cross-cultural communication function of this type of work,and provide useful references for translators of this field.