A Report On The E-C Translation Of Habitat Ecology And Analysis (Chapter One)

Wildlife and their habitats are precious and sustainable resources in nature.However,due to various reasons such as population growth and economic development,fragmentation of wildlife habitats is becoming more and more serious.Therefore,protection and construction of wildlife habitats take priority over measures of wildlife conservation.Habitat Ecology and Analysis is an ecological monograph with habitat as its theme.The E-C translation of this work will facilitate ecologists’ study on the habitats of specific species.Moreover,it is of great significance to improve the public’s awareness of habitat protection and enrich the study of habitat ecology in China.The author of this report translated the first chapter of Habitat Ecology and Analysis,in which Joseph A.Veech,the writer of this book,discussed the history of the habitat concept.It belongs to an academic text.In terms of vocabulary,there are a large number of ecological terms and nominalized phrases.In terms of syntax,there are many long complex sentences,manifested by frequent use of passive sentences and compound sentences.Therefore,the translation mainly involved the shifts at the lexical and syntactical levels.To solve these problems,the translator applied Catford’s Translation Shift Theory,based on which difficulties were settled by means of level shift and category shift.In level shift,shifts from grammar to lexis were employed and in category shift,structure shifts,class shifts and unit shifts were applied to improve the coherence and logicality of the target text.It is found that the Translation Shift Theory is highly applicable in guiding the E-C translation of academic texts on ecology.With its guidance,the meaning of the original text is accurately conveyed and the readability of target text is ensured.Based on the Translation Shift Theory,this report summarizes the techniques applied to translating this academic text on ecology.It is hoped that this report can enrich the guiding theories for the translation of academic texts and provide a reference for future translation of works in related fields.