A Study On Translation Techniques In Semantic And Communicative Translation

For a long time, translation studies have been confined to discussions on literal and free translation with inadequate attention to the text type and the purpose of translation. Following Buhler's classification of language functions, the well-known British translator and translation theorist Peter Newmark classifies texts into the following three types:expressive, informative and vocative texts. Centered on the analysis of text types, he puts forward two approaches to translation:semantic translation and communicative translation. Communicative translation attempts to produce on its readers an effect as close as possible to that obtained on the readers of the original. Semantic translation attempts to render, as closely as the semantic and syntactic structures of the second language allow, the exact contextual meaning of the original. Meanwhile, he holds that semantic translation is generally applied in expressive texts and communicative translation is in informative and vocative texts.Soon after the two concepts were put forward, they have been well received. But most of the domestic and foreign researches related to this theory are for macro-analysis, they are not combining it with the specific translation techniques. Therefore, based on the previous researches, this thesis choose literary texts to be the semantic translation representative, and corporate profile texts the communicative translation representative with an attempt to probe into their different translation techniques applied.Based on the study of corpus, there are no definite relations between translation strategies and translation techniques--one translation strategy can include several translation techniques while one translation technique can also be employed in different translation strategies. The thesis makes a contrastive analysis of translation techniques applied in semantic translation and communicative translation and the major findings can be summarized as follows. Firstly, nearly all of the translation techniques involved in the thesis are applied in both literary texts and corporate profile texts. That is to say, various translation techniques are used in either semantic translation or communicative translation. Secondly, the top three translation techniques used in the translation of literary texts are the same as those in the corporate profile texts which are amplification, inversion and omission. This indicates these three translation techniques are basic ones in translation regardless of types of texts. Thirdly, except omission, combination, voice change from passive into active and some translation techniques applied on textual level, most translation techniques such as amplification, inversion, division, negation, repetition and so on are used more frequently in semantic translation than in communicative translation. This may result from the fact that communicative translation with its emphasis on the effect of the message, tend to be smoother, simpler and clearer while semantic translation pursuing the most possible equivalent forms, seems to be more complex, more detailed and more precise.In addition, the thesis also makes a contrastive analysis between Chinese and English corporate profile texts and finds that there are many differences between them in the use of modifiers, sentence structure, formality, addressing and honors and awards. Therefore, a translator, guided by communicative translation, is expected to take these differences into account while employing such techniques as adding, omitting and restructuring so that he can produce a quality translation that satisfy the foreign readers' horizon of expectations.The thesis takes a new look into the theory of semantic translation and communicative translation. It also enriches the theory by providing various specific translation techniques which can shed some light in semantic and communicative translation practice.