The Semantic Orientation Conversion Of Modifiers In Chinese-English Translation

The study probes into the semantic orientation conversion of modifiers in Chinese-English translation. Through the analysis of the conversions concerned, corresponding translating methods and motivations underlying these methods are uncovered. This study aims to provide a new perspective for translators in translating modifiers.It is Chinese grammarians who launched the concept of semantic orientation and developed its related theories into maturity. It has also come into the scope of western scholarship, although under different appellations. In many books introducing ways in doing C-E translation, most methods are as follows:addition, deletion, re-categorization, etc. These translating approaches have limited space to be put under theoretical survey and thus not open enough to the theories. Semantic orientation is a concept in linguistics and can explain sentences at a much deeper stratum, which has lent it a rather strong power for the explanation of translating mechanism. In translation, the foremost thing is to understand the deep structure between components. And therefore, the study combines the semantic orientation in linguistics with translation, which is a creative attempt to study translation and of both theoretical and practical significance.Chinese scholars such as Shui Changxi and Shao Jingmin have generally categorized semantic orientation into ten types. This study, taking into consideration the differences and similarities between Chinese and English as far as semantic orientation is concerned, selects among the ten types three pairs, which is to be analyzed within practical situation. The three kinds of semantic orientation are: front and back orientation; forward and backward orientation, adjacent and remote orientation. Semantic orientation conversion between original texts and target texts is the focus of analysis:front orientation to back orientation and vice versa; forward orientation to backward orientation and vice versa; adjacent orientation to remote orientation and vice versa. In addition to the analysis of semantic orientation conversion, concrete translating methods attached to every kind of orientation conversion and motivations underlying these methods are also concluded.Comparative analysis is throughout the study. Two contemporary novels and their correspondent translations by foreign translators are chosen, which are Rice by Su Tong and A private life by Chen Ran and their corresponding English version rendered by Howard Goldblatt and John Howard-Gibbon. The two translations are from excellent translators who are experienced in translating and thus diction in translations will benefit future translators a lot.Through comparing sentences between original texts and their translations, major findings are the three types of semantic orientation conversion. The first type occurs between front orientation and back orientation. If the oriented lies in front of the orienting, this is called front orientation. If the oriented lies behind the orientating, this is a back orientation.The second type of semantic orientation conversion takes place between forward and backward orientation. Forward orientation means the sentence order is in line with the people’s normal way of thinking. Adjectives, explaining the properties of objects, are usually put behind the subjects as the predicates. Adverbs, modifying predicates, are put before the predicates in Chinese while behind the predicates in English.The third type of conversion can be found between adjacent orientation and remote orientation. In most cases, one semantic orientation structure (including the orienting and the oriented) is inserted by other constituents which do not belong to this structure, and this will result in the orienting being at different level with the oriented constitutes. In Chinese, the oriented and the orienting are often not closely put together, however, in English, a language emphasizing hypotaxis, semantically related constituents are often laid together to show their relations. So here comes the conversion between adjacent orientation and remote orientation.Semantic orientation conversion has strong explanatory power for English translation. This study analyzes semantic orientation conversion of modifiers; at the same time, it also introduces specific translation methods and motivations underlying these methods, methods such as translating adverbs into subject attributes or object attributes, turning adjectives into subject attributes or into predicates. Through this study, translators can improve their awareness of conducting translation through semantic orientation analysis. Moreover, after knowing the rationale underlying translating methods, translators will find it easy to choose translating methods.