"Translation Shift" And "Translation Variation"

Catford put forward the notion of "Translation Shift" in his A Linguistic Theory of Translation in1965. Although the theory has been introduced into China for a long time, it has been neglected in China. This paper, by analyzing the examples in the Chinese translation of China Counting, explores the application of "Translation Shift" from two perspectives-"level shift" and "shift of category". However, Catford, who confines his theoretical research on the level of linguistic structures, fails to recognize the influence of non-linguistic factors (such as readership, discourse and culture) on translation practice. Therefore, the author suggests that it is necessary for translators to apply Huang Zhonglian’s "Theory of Translation Variation" in order to provide solid help for the translation of China Counting. Furthermore, this thesis also summarizes some application principles of the theory (such as readers’special needs and culture transmission). It is hoped that this Chinese version of China Counting, which is translated according to the theories and principles, may shed some light on their usefulness for translators.