The Significance Of Checking And Verifying Encyclopedic Knowledge In The Translation Of Historical Texts

The translator chooses chapter one to chapter five of The Rise of Athens as the translation project.During the translation process,the translator finds that checking and verifying encyclopedic knowledge has a strong supporting role in the translation of historical texts.Historical texts are often interspersed with historical stories or historical facts.Translators can find relevant content through pre-translation reading and the information checking during the translation process,which will undoubtedly improve the accuracy of translation.Taking chapter one to chapter five of The Rise of Athens as an example,there are many Greek myths and historical stories in it.Some of the plots are almost the same with the contents the translator finds,which is time-saving and is good for the translation efficiency.It can be seen that checking and verifying encyclopedic knowledge is of great significance for the translation of historical texts.The translator hopes that this translation report could provide a reference for the further translation of historical texts.The translator reads through The Rise of Athens and roughly grasps the general content,writing style and degree of the complication of sentence structure,finding that there are plenty of ancient Greek myths.Then,the translator finds a large number of books about ancient Greek history and ancient Greek myths to read,and looks up related information on the Internet and CNKI.After that,the translator chooses chapter one to chapter five as the translation project.During the translation process,the translator finds that previous reading and search work plays an important role in translation.Many names of people,Gods,and places,and big events are involved in the reference books.Some are even the same with the original text,which improve the translation efficiency and accuracy.After finishing the first translation draft,the translator revises the draft.To avoid the mistake that the translator herself cannot find out,the translator gives it to her schoolmate to check.After two times checking,the translator submits it to her supervisor.Finally,the translator amends the draft again in accordance with the supervisor’s comment.The Rise of Athens belongs to historical texts,and it is a magisterial account of how a tiny city-state in ancient Greece became a history’s most influential civilization.Filled with tales of adventure and astounding reversals of fortune,The Rise of Athens describes the city-state that transformed the world from the democratic revolution that marked its beginning,through the city’s political and cultural golden age,to its decline into the ancient equivalent of a modern-day university town.The author describes precisely the unforgettable portraits of the talented,tricky,ambitious,and unscrupulous Athenians who fueled the city’s rise.This book could show Chinese readers the foreign historical myth,social development of other countries and local customs.It is also has reference value for researchers who study Athens history.