A Translation Report Of Beginning Postcolonialism (the First Chapter)

Beginning Postcolonialism is a famous academic writing of postcolonialism written by American writer John McLeod, an introduction to the pioneers and their masterpieces in various sub-fields of postcolonialism. It consists of eight chapters which discusses postcolonialism from different perspectives:origins, national differences, relationship with feminism, ethnic identities and so on. Written in formal English, it is a little difficult to be translated for rich terms and complex sentences. Based on Peter Newmark’s Theory of Text Types, the book belongs to the Informative Function text. Regarding its linguistic and stylistic features, the semantic translation method is employed during the translation practice of its first chapter.This translation report is a record of the translation practice, mainly describing process and achievement of the translation. This report puts emphasis on the selection and analysis of typical examples involving problems encountered, corresponding translation methods and specific strategies in the hope of that some certain constructive conclusions and inspirations can be available to. There are four parts in the report:task description, translation process, case studies and conclusion. Part One introduces the background, nature, features and requirement of the translation practice; Part Two focuses on the process of translation; Part Three is the core part:Case Studies, including 20 cases elaborated on from three perspectives. It covers translation principles and strategies for translating academic writing. Part Four is the summary, which are mainly reflections and conclusions about the translation of academic works and what to be expected as a translator in the future.The significance of this report is to be witnessed in drawing out what should be paid attention to for translating academic writing. For the author individually, the report is a leap from translations theories to practice, a meta-recognition of translation:to be a translator, handsome personal characteristics are urgently needed besides expertise knowledge of language and translation.