E-C Translation Of Academic Texts Under The Guidance Of Translation Shifts Theory

Translation involves the transformation between two languages that contributes to the precise transfer of information and the effective communication.The concept translation shifts was put forward by John Catford who defined shifts as the departures from formal correspondence in the process of going from the source language to the target language.The theory highlights meaning equivalence instead of formal equivalence,which conforms to the principle of academic translation,that is,the content is of greater importance than form.The theory can provide an effective guidance for the translation practices because of its operability,comprehensiveness,and clearness in classification.The paper selects the academic thesis Metaphor,Ambiguity,and Motive in Evolutionary Biology as the source text,examining various shifts occurring in the translation practices under the guidance of translation shifts theory.The differences in linguistic features and thinking modes between English and Chinese have been taken into consideration,and specific patterns of each shift used by the translator in her practices have been elaborated.With the features,functions,and applications of each shift discussed,the paper proves the applicability of Catford's translation shifts theory in the E-C translation of academic texts,aiming to help the translators to get rid of the constraints of forms and to improve the coherence and acceptability of translated texts on the basis of the precise transfer of message.