A Report On E-C Translation Of Japanese Homes And Their Surroundings(Excerpt)

This paper is a report on an English-Chinese translation practice.The translator selects the book Japanese Homes and Their Surroundings written by Edward Morse(a naturalist in the United States)as the source text,translates the Chapter 1,7,8 and 9 in the book,and makes this translation report.As a book introducing Japanese traditional architecture,it presents the exquisite design and layout of the constructions in Meiji period,which provides valuable research materials for future studies.With its plain language,this book is suitable not only for the employees in construction industry but also for the construction or Japanese culture lovers to study.The translation practice is based on the Skopos theory which emphasizes a given purpose to guide the whole translation.The translator should obey three rules in the process of translation: the Skopos rule,the coherence rule and the fidelity rule.When conflicts emerge,the Skopos rule should be put at the first place.Considering the features of the source text,this report analyzes some typical cases at the lexical,syntactic and textual levels and concludes some practical translation methods,under the guidance of the Skopos theory.More specifically,at the lexical level,the translator could convert the noun or noun phrase in the source text to verb or verb phrase,use the nominalization to keep the style of construction texts,and employ annotations to specific Japanese loanwords and the unique constructions in Japan,which makes the target easier to understand and more adaptable to Chinese expression habits.At the syntactic level,the translator could use the method of division to cope with the long sentence,use the method of conversion to reduce the use of passive voice,and use the method of division to make the source text more understandable for readers.At the textual level,the translator could use the methods of addition and substitution as well as change the position of subtitles,to present the logic of the source text more precisely.By using the Scopos theory to guide the translation,the translator has solved some problems in translating the source texts related to the field of construction,and proved the feasibility of applying this theory to this type of texts.Meanwhile,the case analysis in this report can serve as the reference for other translators to improve the quality of their target text.