A Report On The Conversion Of E/C Translation Of Popular Science Texts In Geography Field

Translation of the geography popular science texts has become an important means and a necessary way to expand international communications and improve the public‘s scientific literacy. Popular science texts carry unique characteristics of science, literariness, popularity, and fun. Hence, due to the differences between popular science texts and other technical texts, and its own uniqueness and particularity, special attention should be paid to guarantee its translation‘s consistence with the original text‘s features in the translating process, instead of simply adopting translation methods for technical texts. Qualified translation should carry the original text‘s multiple features.German functional school of translation theory defines translation as a purposeful behavior, and advocates translators to choose the appropriate translation strategies based on the function and purpose of the translation practice. Skopos theory also puts forward three major rules including Skopos rule, coherence rule and fidelity rule. The theory has no strict limitations on translators‘ choices of translation strategies and methods, and takes the ways and habits of target language‘s expressions into consideration, which has great significance to and guiding effect on geography popular science text translation practice.Based on the author‘s English-Chinese translation practice of geography part of the Science encyclopedia in Beijing Institute of Technology, the report is guided by the German functional translation theory. It discusses the conversion phenomena in English-Chinese translation of geography popular science texts, and respectively provides specific cases and analysis from the aspects of conversion of part of speech, conversion of sentence compositions and conversion of expression ways of voices. Conclusion of the author‘s translation experience on related types is also included. According to the different characteristics of English and Chinese, the translator should choose different conversion strategies. Due to different target readers, the translator should fully consider to maximize the functions of the original texts. The choice of conversion translation strategies should also be based on the textual features of geography popular science texts. This report also puts forward that translators should take the target readers as the center and give full play to the subjective initiative on the basis of the original texts‘ function during the translating process of geography popular science texts. In addition, the translators should have solid translation skills and diversity of background knowledge reserves. Finally, the translators should also have a strong sense of responsibility and good professional ethics.