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Translation Of Passive Sentences

Posted on:2020-08-26Degree:MasterType:Thesis
Country:ChinaCandidate:Y WangFull Text:PDF
GTID:2415330590980769Subject:Translation
Abstract/Summary:PDF Full Text Request
With the globalization speeding up,the legal translation which serves as the bridge of intercultural legal communication has played a more and more important role in legal activities,and the necessity to conduct research on legal translation has loomed large as well.Since judgments best reflect the culture of the legal system and can guide the enactment of the law,more importance should be attached to the translation of them.In comparison with other fields of texts,passive sentences are extensively used in legal English,which highlights the objectivity of legal documents.Although ways of translating passive sentences suggested by scholars and translators are numerous,a limited study has been done on the translation of passive sentences in legal English.Therefore,the significance of the translation of passive sentences in legal English tells its own tale.Taking a typical judgment(Daimler AG v.Bauman et al.)issued by the Supreme Court of the United States,including syllabus,opinion of the court and concurring opinion of one judge,as the ST,this thesis is a report on translating passive sentences in legal English.Based on the legal system,the legal language is unique.And in order to satisfy it,legal English employs a special structure as well as abundant use of performance verbs,legal terms,and passive voice.Based on differences between English and Chinese in passive sentences as well as the guidance of static equivalence and principles of legal translation proposed by Li Kexing,the author completes the translation task and discusses the E-C translation of passive sentences in the ST.Through analysis,three E-C translation methods are adopted in translating passive sentences of legal English:(1)English passive sentences are translated into Chinese passive sentences with passive markers such as “?”,“?”,“?” if the emphasis is put on legal agents or legal acts.(2)English passive sentences are turned into Chinese active sentences if the form and meaning in legal English cannot be converted at the same time,by changing the passive form of the predicate verb into an active form,byswitching the object to the subject in the target sentence,and by adopting the generic person or generic term.(3)English passive sentences are transformed into Chinese judgment constructions if there is a tendency to describe the state of legal agents or legal facts.By doing so,the author hopefully finds problems in the translation process,and by seeking and analyzing the E-C translation methods for passive sentences in legal English,provides some new insights for the existed studies.Some experience and lessons may also be provided for legal translation practice in the future.
Keywords/Search Tags:legal translation, judgment, static equivalence, passive sentence
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