A Translation Project Report On China:Its State And Prospects (Chapter Seven)

This is a translation project report on China: Its State and Prospects,written by Medhurst Walter Henry,a British preacher,translator and sinologist.It is written in 1846,which records what the writer has experienced and witnessed while living and working in China.As a first-hand historical material,it holds significant academic values towards the study of the cultural exchange history between China and the western countries.This book has repeatedly been quoted in a number of academic works.However,there has not been a Chinese version yet.The purpose of this translation project is to make it easier for those scholars who are interested in studying the cultural exchange between China and the west but lack the ability of English reading.This translation report is divided into 5 parts.The first part is the general introduction of the source text,including the background and significance of the project and the structure of the report.The second part is the analysis of the source text,including the introduction of the writer,main content and linguistic features of the text.The third part is the introduction of the guiding translation theory,namely,functional equivalence proposed by Eugene Nida.In addition,this part also narrates how the functional equivalence theory is applied throughout the report.The forth part tells about the difficulties that are met in translating the source text,including the translation of special terms,complicated long sentences and difficulties caused by the linguistic difference between English and Chinese.The last part is the conclusion,discussing the translator's reflections upon social science translation,and telling about what he has learned and gained.