A Report On The E-C Translation Of The Fifth Domain: Defending Our Country,Our Companies,and Ourselves In The Age Of Cyber Threats (an Excerpt) From The Perspective Of Translational Action Theory

After land,sea,air,and space,cyberspace has emerged as the fifth domain of competition among major countries.China,like many other countries,is facing mounting cyber threats and challenges to its national security and development interests.This has been given great attention by our state leaders,experts,and scholars.The source text of this E-C translation task is excerpted from The Fifth Domain: Defending Our Country,Our Companies,and Ourselves in the Age of Cyber Threats,a non-fiction book published by Penguin Press on July 16,2019.It consists of 19 chapters,all of which have been translated by three translators.The two interrelated chapters serving as the source text introduce two feasible ways to help the U.S.reduce tensions in cyberspace,enhance stability and avoid wars.One is to develop strong military capabilities,both offensive and defensive.The other is to build a diplomatic architecture,namely a Schengen Accord for the internet.Both have a certain reference value for maintaining cyberspace security in China.In light of the situation of this cooperative translation,the writer selects the Translational Action Theory proposed by Justa Holz-M?ntt?ri,a German functionalist,as the theoretical guidance.On the basis of this theory,the writer then analyzes the problems encountered in the translation process and discusses their corresponding solutions.In particular,multiple translation methods are flexibly adopted to solve those problems from the perspectives of “intentional interaction”,“interpersonal interaction”,“intercultural action” and “text-processing action”.As a result,the requirements of both the initiator and Gold Wall Press are met,and the translation quality is further improved through interaction with the commissioner and the intended target-text receivers.More than that,the cultural-loaded terms involved are also properly rendered,as are the many long and complex sentences.The four findings of this report are as follows: First,the Translational Action Theory proves to be an instructive one for this kind of cooperative translation.Second,when applying the Translational Action Theory to practice,translators have to properly restrict the rights assigned to them by the theory itself so as to reasonably carry out translational actions instead of behaving aggressively.Third,interpersonal interaction in cooperative translation is of great significance to ensure the smooth progress of translation projects,ramp up translation quality,and maintain consistency.Fourth,the translated version of The Fifth Domain could serve as a good material for machine learning and a reference for those to do this kind of translation task in the future.