A C-E Translation Report On Comparative Study On The Cultures Between The Shang And Zhou Dynasties (Section One In Chapter Four)

With the deepening of reform and opening-up, China has increased its economic and cultural exchange with foreign countries. More and more Chinese books on culture have been translated into various languages. Under such circumstance, Chinese Academic Translation Projects supported by National Social Science Foundation comes into being. The original text of the report is the first section in the forth chapter of Comparative Study on the Cultures between the Shang and Zhou Dynasties, which is exactly one of the 2013 Chinese Academic Translation Projects. The book, as a masterpiece of Wang Hui, a professor from the School of History and Culture, Shaanxi Normal University, is the latest research result on cultural similarities and differences between Shang and Zhou dynasties. It comprehensively analyses the cultural relations of the two dynasties, quoting a lot of oracle bone inscriptions, bronze inscriptions and document literature.This translation report is on the basis of the Skopostheorie of German Functional School, whose translation theory was put forward by Kantharina Reiss, Hans Vermeer, Justa Holz Mantari and Christiane Nord. Among them, the Skopostheorie raised by Hans Vermeer gets the translation studies out from the constraint of the original text oriented theory. The Skopostheorie points out that translation is an action with purposes and results, basing on the original text. This action must be accomplished by consultation. Translation needs to follow three rules, among which the Skopos rule is on the top. The other rules are coherence rule and fidelity rule.This report is composed of five chapters:the first chapter gives a comprehensive description about the translation task, including the background information of the task, the features of the task and the requirements of the entrusting party. Chapter Two is about translation process description:preparation before translation (including studying the theory-Western Functional Skopostheorie, analyzing original text and reading references), the overall translation process and the text checking after translation. The third chapter refers to some translation difficulties and corresponding case analyses in three aspects:the titles translation, cultural-loaded words translation and classic quotations translation. This chapter is the main body of the report. Chapter Four generalizes some translation methods and strategies, such as literal translation and liberal translation, amplification and omission, conversion, and restructuring. Chapter Five, the last chapter, concludes some experience and lessons that are acquired from the translation practice, and also points out some problems to be solved.