Report On The C-E Translation Of Chinese Non-subject Sentences In X Automotive Maintenance Manual(Excerpt)

With the improvement of the quality of Chinese automobile products,Chinese vehicles are being exported overseas at a very fast speed.As one of the important accessories of automobile export products,the importance of translation of automotive technical texts is self-evident.X Automotive Maintenance Manual is a maintenance manual written for the vehicles of X Automobile Co.,Ltd.Its goal is to guide the target readers to carry out maintenance operations in a correct manner and provide technical support for the export after-sales service of X company’s automobile products.“Sunroof System Maintenance Manual” is an important part of X Automotive Maintenance Manual.Its prominent linguistic form is the existence of a large number of non-subject sentences in the text.The study on the C-E translation of non-subject sentences not only provides a new perspective to the study on C-E translation of automotive technical texts,but also provides some reference for the future C-E translation of non-subject sentences in automotive technical texts.Therefore,the study on the C-E translation of Chinese non-subject sentences in automotive technical texts is of certain theoretical value and practical significance.Verschueren believes that language has three properties,namely variability,negotiability,and adaptability.Adaptability is the core property among them.According to adaptation theory,language use is a process in which language functions,or a process in which language users continuously choose language means according to the needs of the communication context so as to achieve communication intention.Meanwhile,adaptation theory explains the behavior of linguistic choice from the following four dimensions,namely contextual correlates of adaptability,structural objects of adaptability,dynamics of adaptability,and salience of the adaptation process.Structural objects of adaptability are mainly reflected in linguistic choices at multiple levels,such as phonetics,vocabulary,syntax,style,and discourse.Hence,from the perspective of structural objects of adaptability,five effective translation techniques could be adopted for the C-E translation of the non-subject sentences in “Sunroof System Maintenance Manual” of X Automotive Maintenance Manual: adding a subject according to context,adopting “it” as the formal subject,translating into passive sentences,translating into imperative sentences,and translating into “there be” sentence pattern.All in all,this translation practice is a meaningful attempt for the study on the C-E translation of non-subject sentences in automotive technical texts.