On The Intervention Of Translation Factor In Thinking And Behavior Process Of Second Language Writing

Writing and translating have both been very important writing activities in the history of human civilization ever since the creation of signs of written languages which have empowered human beings to better communicate, transmit and inherit ideas and cultures. Writing is "composing-writing" while translating is "translating-writing". The research of second language writing is always a hot-spot but shows no relationship with translation studies. However, as a product of efforts by generations of essay writers and translators to produce the best possible written text, translational writing is a study which integrates theories of grammatology and translatology and provides a new perspective for the study of translatology and second language writing. It first draws on grammatology, especially the basic principle of "perception—thinking—expression" and "revision" in Chinese writing and definitely sheds light on the new process of translational writing. It attaches importance to the fact that the key factor in translation quality is the writing ability of the translator, aims at pursuing high quality translation, and then further enlarges the research scope of translatology into grammatology. As is known to us all, second language writing is more or less influenced by native language. The author believes that the translation factor intervened into the writing process at the same time. In this thesis, the author uses a questionnaire as assisting research methodology which aims at understanding how the undergraduates of non-English major think and express in the second language writing. On the basis of the research achievements made by the predecessors, the author mainly studies and discusses the relationship between second language writing and translating, reviews and analyzes the thinking and behavior process of second language writing from the perspective of translational writing. After analyzing the valid data of the questionnaire, we come to the conclusion that most writers obviously and inevitably accomplish second language writing through thinking in their own native language first and then putting the words and sentences that has been obviously intervened by some translation factor in the whole process into second language. Then, the author drafts a brief diagram for the thinking and behavior process of second language writing. The author believes that the second language writing starts from perception, and then the thinking in native language. A process of "thinking—translating—writing" is formed with the constant transformation between second language and native language in the writers’mind and finally a text will be produced mainly through translating. Then, the sentences and even a word should be carefully reviewed again and again so that they will conform to the formal English and a good English composition can be produced. That is rightly the translational writing process. A more audacious idea comes into the author’s mind that the thinking and behavior process of second language writing might be translation. The author gives some advice in this thesis that it is right time to reconsider the intervention and the function of translation factor and change the teaching mode for English writing. The author thinks that the second language writing and English writing course in China should be conducted by the guidance of translational writing theory, and the teaching mode and the textbooks of English writing should be reformed. The author also hopes that this thesis will be helpful to more English learners who are working hard to master the ability of second language writing and the research scope of translational writing will be further enlarged.