On The Translation Strategies Of Chinese Classics Of Science And Technology From Functionalist Approaches

Science and technology constitute a primary productive force,which plays an important role in the development of modern society.As an important factor affecting the cultural and social development deeply,the translation of science and technology is worthy of attention from the academics and society.In the long historical process,the Chinese people have created the extensive and profound civilization,and have recorded it in a multitude of Chinese classics.These Chinese classics fully demonstrate Chinese people's wisdom and contributions.In ancient China,great achievements were made in literature,art,music,science,technology,geography,medicine,agriculture and so on.Therefore,the translation of Chinese classics has great significance in propagating Chinese culture and promoting the exchange between Western countries and China.Brush Talks from Dream Brook is written by the famous politician,Shen Kuo,in the Northern Song Dynasty(960-1127).As an encyclopedia in ancient China,Brush Talks from Dream Brook is the representative of Chinese classics of science and technology.It is regarded as “the coordinate of Chinese scientific history” by the famous British science expert Joseph Needham.According to its high academic value,Brush Talks from Dream Brook has been translated into many languages,but just for several sections or chapters.There were no complete English versions before 2011.In 2011,the English version of Brush Talks from Dream Brook,translated by Professor Wang Hong,was published by Paths International Ltd.in Britain,which was a great breakthrough Chinese translators had made in the English translation of Chinese classics.An analysis on the translation strategies and translation theories will make contributions to the translation of scientific and technical classics in the future.The translation of different text types requires different translation strategies supported by an appropriate theoretical framework.Taking functionalist approaches as guidelines for the translation of scientific and technical texts,this thesis attempts to analyze the translation strategies adopted in translating Brush Talks from Dream Brook.This thesis provides many case studies to illustrate specific strategies and skills of scientific and technical translation,which clearly demonstrates the importance of accurate word choice,formal grammar andcohesive discourse from three dimensions as lexis,syntax and discourse.It points out that adopting different translation strategies based on different functions and purposes of different texts types,is not only necessary,but also practical.