The Comparison And Translation Of A Descriptive Function In Chinese-English Sentences

Functional translation theories focus on"the same function, the similar meaning". The former refers to the same rhetorical function between the original text and the translations; the latter refers to the similar meaning between them. Translation functional theory is from the development of such theories as the early translation function theory, theory of translation purposes, theory of translation behavior and analysis of the text. Functional translation theories were born in the 1970s in Germany. It experienced three stages and formed. The first stage is marked by the book translation criticism possibility and restrictions, written by Katharina Reiss in 1971. The book first took text function as a standard of translation criticism, and the embryo of translation functional theories was formed. In the second stage, Hans Vermeer, the student of Reiss, established the core theory of translation functional theories: theories of translation purpose. In the third stage, Justa Holz Manttari further developed functional translation theories on the basis of Vermeer's theory of translation purpose, and produced theories of translation behavior. Then, Chritiane Nord, the master and one of the main advocates of functional translation theories in Germany, among so many functional scholars in Germany, first comprehensively and systematically summed up various academic thinking of functional theories, with easy-to-understand language and abundant examples to clarify complex academic theory and terminology of function. Finally, translation analyses of text and translation loyalty principle were produced. Functional translation theories opened up a new perspective for translation study, which to the most extent subverted traditional translation theories dominated by form and equivalent, and brought translation study into a more ambitious context, greatly widened translation study vision.Structures reflect functions. According to cognitive-functional translation theories, cognitive linguistics theories explain languages and language structures; functional linguistics theories analyze languages and language structures, to compare two languages. Translations from"the same form"to"the similar meaning"achieve ideal translation ----"the same function"and"the similar meaning". A language can be categorized into five rhetoric functions ---- declarative functions, descriptive functions, functions of definition, functions of classification and functions of instruction. Different languages in different nations can express the same function.Translation is a process of cognition for expressing in languages based on understanding. Translation is a process of expressions. Only by mastering two conversed languages, knowing their cultural characteristics and linguistic functions, can translations be expressive and can ideal translations come to. From cognitive-functional translation perspective, the paper is to compare and analyze descriptive functional sentences between Chinese and English to get their differences and similarities, which helps to sum up translation principles and methods in Chinese-English translation for descriptive functional sentences. It develops new routes of linguistics perspective for translation study.There are many definitions about descriptive function sentences. Chen Wangdao names it the MiaoJi sentence, referring to the shape of things. The predicate of a Miao Ji sentence is often an adjective. (陈望道, 1978) Lv Shuxiang believes that an adjective as the predicate is called a MiaoXie sentence. (吕叔湘, 1979) Wang Li holds that MiaoXie sentences are used to describe the characters'virtue. Today, it is generally said that descriptive sentences are adjectives as the predicate in a subject-predicate predicate sentence. (陈建民, 1986) According to Ci Hai (1980), a descriptive sentence is used to describe persons or things'property, state and so on, generally with adjectives as the predicate. After a large number of empirical studies, here I define that a descriptive sentence is to describe a person or a thing's property, state, features and so on, with state verbs or state adjectives as the predicate to depict a person or a thing's shape or appearance. Descriptive sentences are the integration of semantic state verbs and adjectives as the predicate. Here descriptive functions we mentioned refer to descriptive rhetoric, to describe a person or a thing.This paper discussed some descriptive functional sentences and their translation methods in Chinese subject-predicate sentences-----adjective-predicate sentences, verb-predicate sentences, noun-predicate sentences and subject-verb predicate sentences.