A Report On The Translation Of Product Manual

With the development of foreign trade,a large number of Chinese products have joined in the international competition,in which process the translation of product manuals plays an important role.As a way of communicating directly with consumers,the product manuals,together with their translation,have drawn attention from both companies and translators.This report,based on the translation project of automotive product manuals,explains the preparatory work by discussing how to ensure the quality of translation through the pre-translation analysis.Meanwhile,the translator carries out “fidelity”and “readability” according to Skopos theory.Through the case analysis,this report summarizes the characteristics and the translation methods of product manuals.In terms of vocabulary,the translator focuses on the usage of technical terms,abbreviation,word selection and parts of speech.Meanwhile,the translator emphasizes the addition or deletion of some certain words.With regard to sentence structure,the translator elaborates the translation of non-subject sentences,conditional sentences and long sentences,and explains some problems as well as their corresponding solutions.This report indicates that amplification,imperative sentences or passive sentences can be used in the translation of non-subject sentences so as to make the translated version complete and coherent.As for the translation of long sentences,the division method can make the sentences well arranged and easy to understand.Also,the translator should pay attention to the usage of non-predicate structure,so as to meet the criteria of product manuals.In this report,the translation strategies of product manuals are summarized,so as to provide reference for future translation practice and research.