Application Of Translation Theory In English Tests Of National University Entrance Examination

The trial edition of New English Curriculum for Chinese Primary Schools andJunior/Senior Middle Schools requires that stress be laid on fostering senior highschool students’ ability to think and communicate in English, on cultivating thestudents’ cross-cultural awareness, and on understanding the differences betweenlanguages and cultures of Chinese and English and so on. Translation known as thebridge of cross-culture is the vital key to the smooth switch between languages.According to New Curriculum for Senior High Schools, students are required tomake non-technical written translations, which are embodied in the form oftranslation from Chinese to English in National University Entrance Examination. Nota few students and teachers do hold the view that they tend to be somewhat puzzled inthe process of preparing for University Entrance Examination. Recent years havewitnessed average scores between88and90, partly due to the students’ inefficiencyin translation.Based on the theory of translation, this thesis gives an analysis of the essentialityof the translation theories employed in the English teaching, on whose basis teacherscan engage in their teaching activities strategically. The thesis consists of sevenchapters. Chapter One describes the background of the translation and the currentstate of English University Entrance Exam. Chapter Two makes an account of thebasic translation theories, and the main approaches, namely literal translation, freetranslation and combined translation. Chapter Three is a collection of examples takenfrom the textbooks and the State Entrance Exams. Chapter Four analyzes the causesof improper translations made by students, followed by reference translations. InChapter Five, strategies are proposed to solve the problems confronting students.Chapter Six describes an experiment which concludes that the target class adoptingthe translation strategies is superior to the controlled class. In the last chapter, ageneral evaluation of the previous discussions and reflections, and in view of theexperiment, suggestions as how to perfect our future teaching are provided.