Translation Practice On MEST Terms

The electromagnetic spectrum(EMS)has become one of the key operating areas of modern warfare.In order to compete for the EMS advantage on the battlefield,the US military launched a new concept of EMS warfare and conducted in-depth exploration from combat theory to equipment technology,and rapidly developed the leading edge of military theory and technological innovation.To effectively cope with the new threats frequently emerging in the field of electronic warfare(EW),the PLA has focused on improving its own research on EW.Being familiar with this aspect,the author translated the Chapter One,Chapter Three and Glossary of TRADOC Pamphlet 525-8-6,The U.S.Army Concept for Cyberspace and Electronic Warfare Operations(2025-2040),in hopes of providing her research team with the latest trends in US military cyberspace and EMS warfare operations.MEST terms appear to be a distinctive feature of the source text.Therefore,this report takes MEST terms as the research object and tries to work out some useful tactics for future translation projects.Previous study of terminology translation suggests that English technical terms can be classified into three types according to whether they have equivalents in Chinese either in the connotative meaning and denotative meaning.Those classifications are: terms with full equivalence,those with partial equivalence and those with no equivalence at all.This report carries out a careful analysis of some typical MEST terms in the pamphlet and concludes that there are effective methods for each type of terms.Although most of the MEST terms have been given a strict definition,but the Chinese translation of the term is not always the same due to the differences in the military structure,the form of war-fighting and organizational culture between the two countries.Therefore,a translator should analyze the concept very carefully before using the most appropriate translation method to convey the accurate information to Chinese readers.At the same time,the rapid development of science and technology enhances the innovation of more scientific and technical terms.Therefore,it is very important for a translator to have a good mastery of the newly-coined terms and know how to translate them into another language.It is hoped that this report will provide minimal theoretical and practical guidance to the translation of MEST terms as well as research on cyberspace and electronic warfare operations.