Application Of Catford’s Translation Shift Theory In Translation From English To Chinese

"Translation shifts", the theory first formulated by Western translation theorist J.C.Catford, defines the types of shifts that happen in the translation process on and below the sentence level based on Halliday’s system-functional linguistics, and proves to be applicable in translation practice. Clearly classified and universally acquirable, Catford’s theory is the most influential and practical one among the studies of translation shifts. With these factors combined, the writer decides to use Catford’s theory for the analysis.Examples in this article are picked from the Chinese translation of the second and the third chapters of Social Media in the Public Sector, authored by Dr. InesMergel, assistant professor of Public Administration at The Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs of Syracuse University. The book employs multiple case examples at the local, state, federal and international levels to review the current situation of the public administration literature and discuss how Government2.0activities can potentially challenge or change the existing paradigms.The article analyzes the application of Catford’s theory of translation shifts, mainly including level shifts, structure shifts, class shifts and unit shifts, with the help of basic differences between the English and Chinese languages. It is suggested that translators explore the most appropriate type of shifts in the translation process based on thorough understanding of Catford’s theory.