Comparing English And German Translations Of Chinese Culture-Specific Expressions From The Perspective Of Skopos Theory

The report delivered by Xi Jinping,the General Secretary of the CCCPC,to the 19th CPC National Congress introduces policies of the CPC with new Chinese culture-specific expressions.The translations of the report bear the mission of delivering these new highlights to the world.They are therefore highly relevant to China's international image.Hans J.Vermeer's Skopos theory,as an important part of the functionalist translation theories,focuses on three rules:skopos,coherence and fidelity.In this thesis,samples of Chinese culture-specific expressions in the report to the 19th CPC National Congress and their corresponding English and German versions are chosen as research objects.They are categorized as idioms,metaphors,number-simplified Chinese locutions,Chinese four-character phrases and other Chinese-specific expressions in politics,economy and society.Based on the three rules of the Skopos theory,the English and German Translations are evaluated through qualitative and quantitative analysis.The analysis results indicate that the English and German versions have their own merits and their translation strategies could complement each other.General rules for English and German translations of the above five categories are summarized as follows:the translation of idioms should accurately explain the culture-loaded words;the translation of metaphors should specify the meaning of the metaphor;when a number-simplified Chinese locution appears for the first time in a text,its translation should be followed by a bracket with explanation of the numbers;the translation of Chinese four-character phrases should exhibit the rhythm and underline the appealing power;when other Chinese-specific expressions in politics,economy and society are translated,great attention should be paid to their meanings in the context of socialism with Chinese characteristics.