A Report On The English-Chinese Translation Of The Architecture Of Roman Temples:The Republic To The Middle Empire (Excerpts)

This is a report on the E-C translation practice of excerpts from the book The Architecture of Roman Temples: The Republic to the Middle Empire.In this report,the translator summarizes the problems and difficulties encountered in the translation process,analyzes them by applying Eugene Nida’s functional equivalence translation theory and figures out the corresponding translation strategies and methods for such texts.The source text is about architectural history,involving the knowledge of history and architecture,with many proper nouns and phrases,long and complex sentences,and a strong reliance on context for semantics.The translator uses typical examples to analyze and solve difficulties and problems in the translation process,which include three aspects.In terms of vocabulary,some names of people,buildings and places that are not commonly used as well as Latin books titles should be accurate and precise.In terms of syntax,long sentences with clauses and phrases should be logical and coherent.In terms of culture,words or sentences containing cultural background or specialized knowledge should be equivalent between English and Chinese.By analyzing the types and features of the texts,the translator adopts different translation strategies.At the lexical level,the translator chooses “appropriate” rather than “ordinary” meanings when choosing word meanings.At the syntactic level,the translation is kept consistent and readable by means of conversion,addition,combination,omission,repetition without deviating from the original author’s meaning.At the cultural level,compensation for hidden cultural information is made through methods such as addition and a footnote,which can accurately convey the meaning and intention of the original text when making the translation conform to the reading habits of the reader.During this practice report,the translator applied the theory of functional equivalence to the translation of texts on architectural history has several advantages.Not only does it facilitate the dissemination of professional knowledge,but it also enhances readers’ understanding of the original content.Most importantly,the translator hopes that this report can serve as a useful reference for future translators working in related fields.