A Practice Report On Interpreting Chinese Cultural-loaded Expressions:A Translation As Adaptation And Selection Perspective

The thesis is based on the author’s interpreting practice for a Pakistani youth delegation to Xi’an City, Shaanxi Province in 2014. In this paper, the interpreting of Chinese cultural-loaded expressions, which remains as a major problem in the author’s interpreting practice including food names, place names, Chinese opera terms and idioms, are analyzed and discussed. Resorted to the perspective of Translation as Adaptation and Selection of the Eco-Translatology, the paper aims at expounding on strategies related to the interpreting of Chinese cultural-loaded expressions under the interpreting eco-environment in light of previous studies. As has been pointed out, when choosing strategies, interpreters are supposed to analyze all the factors in the comprehensive interpreting eco-environment, and make adaptive selection on the factors, including language, culture, communication, clients, listeners, speakers, time and setting. Moreover, four strategies namely transliteration, descriptive translation, literal translation and liberal translation are proposed and illustrated through analysis on interpreting eco-environment of the above mentioned categories respectively. Further, a discussion on flexibilities and variations of Chinese cultural-loaded expressions in interpreting eco-environment is put forward. This thesis is expected to shed some light on similar practices in the future.