Translating In Context-A Report On The Translation Of Plumbers

Jiangsu Yilin Press is planning to publish a book entitled Best European Fiction (2011) in2012. Bulgarian writer Alek Popov’s fiction Plumbers was entrusted to the author of the thesis to translate from English to Chinese. The translation task was received in December of2011. First, the author did extensive research and background studies into both the writer and the novella during the initial reading of it. Then in January of2012, the first translation began with emphasis on language style. Afterwards, the translation has been improved respectively focusing on the content, style and orthography under the guidance of linguistic, situational and cultural contexts. This has taken more than three careful revisions. After submitting the final text to the press, the author received very helpful suggestions and comments from the editor. Following some discussion with the editor, the author proceeded with another cycle of revision and improvement. During the process of translating Plumbers, context played a vital role in not only the understanding and the rendering of the source text, but also the reviewing of the translated text. In simple translating situations, only linguistic context is used to decide the correct meaning of the lexeme as well as its faithful rendering, or only situational context is consulted to choose the right rendering of the syntax. However, in some difficult situations, both cultural and situational contexts are combined with linguistic context to decide the best understanding and translating of the lexemes, syntax or discourse. Within all the procedures of translating, errors have always been corrected and analyzed as to the context. In conclusion, there could never be translation without paying attention to all contexts. Only sometimes the translation is achieved so spontaneously that the translator even doesn’t notice the minimal effort to take into account the context. Whereas usually, great effort is needed. The translation of lexemes, syntax and discourse is definitely under the guidance of linguistic, situational and cultural context. But the guidance of the contexts is not static or one to one, it is dynamic and much more complicated.