Translation Methods Of Dashes In English-Chinese Translation

Dashes are a type of insertion mark used in both Chinese and English written language.They serve as a cohesive device and can be used to differentiate inserted elements from the rest of the sentence.Yet,simply retaining them in E-C translation without reckoning the fact that dashes have different usages and are used with different frequencies in Chinese and English,may result in awkward translation,or even semantic loss,making target readers confused.The writer selects chapters of Tensions of American Federal Democracy:Fragmentation of the State as the source text for translation.This book provides insights into American politics and its overall development.Dashes used in this text bring some difficulties for translation,which impels the translator to handle them appropriately.This thesis adopts the method of case study and selects cases of dashes in the translated chapters to explore appropriate methods for handling dashes in the translation of English social science texts based on the classification of their functions.This thesis summarizes the translation methods regarding dashes in a social science text:(1)converting them to other punctuation marks,i.e.,commas,periods,and brackets,omitting them,(2)adding conjunctions,and(3)retaining them under some circumstances.Among them,converting dashes to other punctuation marks is the most frequently used method.Translators should not confine themselves to the use of dashes in the source text and the original sentence structure,but should choose translation methods according to the function of dashes in the sentence and the context to make the target text read well.