Factors And Strategies In Chinese-English Translation Of Publicity Materials

Eugene A. Nida's theory of functional equivalence has been highly valued and has influencedthe practice of translation in general. The primary purpose of this thesis is an attempt toanalyze functional equivalence and apply it to Chinese-English translation of publicitymaterials so as to overcome difficulties encountered by translators in practice.After China's implementation of the reform and opening up policy, translations of Chinesepublicity materials have become an increasingly important medium for the outside world toknow the country. However, there still exit many problems concerning the quality andintelligibility of translated texts despite great improvements in recent years. Proceeding fromthe characteristics of Chinese publicity materials, this paper analyzes the cultural andlinguistic factors affecting Chinese-English translation, and discusses strategies adopted inhandling these problems in the light of Nida's functional theory.The first chapter serves as an introduction, presenting the purpose, research methodology andstructure of the thesis.Chapter Two reviews the theory of Nida's functional equivalence and compares it with othertranslation theories in China. Then it concludes the specific contributions of functionalequivalence to translation and discusses the principles adopted in receptor-orientedtranslation.Chapter Three introduces the characteristics of publicity materials, lists some prominenttranslation problems, expounds the underlying linguistic and cultural factors, and setsrequirements for translators.Chapter Four discusses the methods translators can employ to achieve functional equivalence:literal translation plus explanation, abridging, paraphrasing, rewriting and so on.Chapter Five is a conclusion which sums up the thesis, points out the limitations of thepresent study and makes suggestions for future research.