Translation Of Non-fiction Biography From The Perspective Of Chesterman’s Translation Norm Theory

No standards have been set for analyzing constraint factors for translation itself or evaluating translation products yet. However, polysystem theorists have come up with a series of translation norms that constrain translation practices after studying translation works of different periods. One important representative of this school is Andrew Chesterman, who divides translation norms into expectancy norms and professional norms, the latter of which is further divided into accountability norms, communication norms and relation norms. According to Chesterman, translation practice is constrained by various social and cultural norms, and translators are also constrained by translation norms and tend to adopt different translation strategies so as to make their translation products more acceptable.This paper selects the EC translation of Sum It Up, the New York Times best-seller biography of former basketball coach of Tennessee Volunteers, Pat Summit, as the case for analysis. With a detailed analysis of various translation strategies adopted by translator from the perspective of Chesterman’s four translation norms, this paper intends to discuss the applicability of Chesterman’s translation norms in non-fiction biography translation. A conclusion can be drawn that Chesterman’s translation norms are applicable in non-fiction biography translation, but there are still limitations concerning that remain to be perfected.