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A Stylistic Approach To E-C Translation Of Business Contracts

Posted on:2005-01-28Degree:MasterType:Thesis
Country:ChinaCandidate:L L PanFull Text:PDF
GTID:2155360122495274Subject:English Language and Literature
Abstract/Summary:PDF Full Text Request
Business contract register conveys particular stylistic features in terms of its special social function, which is the key point in contract translation. This thesis is a study on E-C translation of business contracts on the basis of stylistic comparison between English and Chinese business contracts. With a considerable number of convincing examples, this thesis demonstrates stylistic similarities and differences at three levels - lexical level, syntactic level and textual level. Meanwhile, relevant translating techniques at the above three levels are discussed in detail. In addition, three paradoxes in contract English are also presented in order to facilitate the translation of business contracts.In the introduction part, the thesis puts forward directly its objective and significance. Then, four hypotheses on the stylistic features of Chinese and English business contracts are suggested to pave the way for the following discussions.The first chapter makes a detailed stylistic comparison between English and Chinese business contracts at three levels, including: Similarities - 1>. at the lexical level: frequent use of archaic words, careful choice of formal or legal words and unique terminologies; 2> at the syntactic level: preference for verbs and nouns, a limited number of conjunctions, adjectives and adverbs, scarce use of pronouns; dominance of statements and conditional clauses without any interrogative and imperative mode; 3> at the textual level: lexical repetition and scarcity of pronouns as cohesive devices and frequent use of parallel structures in terms of layout. Differences - 1> at the lexical level: English business contracts often employ the coordination of synonyms while Chinese versions never allow such a feature; 2> at the syntactic level: Englishbusiness contracts resort to nouns, prepositions and articles, compared with scarcity of prepositions and no use of articles in Chinese versions. In addition, English business contracts prefer nominal groups and post-modifiers while in Chinese business contracts verb phrases and pre-modifiers are more frequently used.The second chapter is the most important part of the thesis, covering theory and practice of E-C translation of business contracts. Firstly principles of contract translation and requirements for translators and translations are elaborated. Here the author systematically explores some translating techniques at the mentioned three levels respectively. As to the lexical level, ancient Chinese words and formal expressions may be resorted to. At the syntactic level, English prepositions and adverbials have a flexible way of translation in line with the norm of Chinese business contracts. To standardize translation, conversion of parts of speech is frequently employed. With regard to translation of long sentences, five techniques are proposed - embedding, cutting, reversing, splitting and recasting. Textually, the original sentence can be retained with certain proper adjustments such as lexical repetition and scarce use of pronouns even if they do not occur in the original.In the third chapter, a totally new concept is raised - paradoxes in contract English. Three paradoxes are illustrated here, namely, principle of accuracy vs. fuzzy message, principle of conciseness vs. syntactical complexity, and conventional formula vs. various contents. In spite of their superficial contradiction to each other, they all make up essential features of contract register. And each of their characteristics should also be faithfully reproduced and handled properly in the translation process.The last part is conclusion. First characteristics of the thesis are concluded, i.e., merits and demerits. Then, the author predicts that translation of business contracts is oriented at a simpler, more formulaicand more equivalent mode. Finally, some suggestions are put forth, namely, E-C translation of business contracts can be explored from other perspectives (the perspective of law) other than stylistic perspective; C-E translation of business contracts is a...
Keywords/Search Tags:business contracts, stylistic comparison, translating, principles for business contract translation, techniques of business, contract translation, four paradoxes in business contract translation
PDF Full Text Request
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