C-E Translation Variation Of Four-Character Phrases In 50 Most Valuable Travel Places In China

Four-character phrases,being short,concise and implicit,are the artistic gem of the Chinese language.The use of four-character phrases in tourist attraction manuals can reflect the cultural connotation of the attractions and it can also highlight the unique atmosphere and charm of scenic spots.However,due to the huge difference between English and Chinese,it is practically impossible to find counterparts of Chinese four-character phrases,so adopting flexible translation approach for the said problem is compulsory.The study selects the book 50 Most Valuable Travel Places in China,from which the author chooses chapters II and III about 10 mountain attractions.These descriptions are ornate,often embellished and tautological,with frequent use of four-character phrases and rhetorical devices such as parallelism and personification,resulting in much redundant information.Without adjustment,the English translation will be long and wordy,making it difficult for foreign tourists to understand.In view of this,the author chose the Translation Variation Theory(hereafter abbreviated to TVT)as the theoretical guide for the translation practice.The thesis consists of five parts.This thesis firstly gives an overview of four-character phrases.Next it introduces the origin,essence and types of the TVT.It then proceeds with the introduction of the translation principles of four-character phrases in the selected texts:principle of economy,principle of theme-based information prominence and principle of pragmatic equivalence.Finally after introducing the seven translation strategies proposed by Huang Zhonglian,this chapter adopted the following translation variation strategies in the practice,namely: the reduction and contraction strategy for variation in content,the compilation,adaption and summarization strategy for variation in form,and combination and addition variation in the rhetorical device.This study argues that,in translating Chinese four-character phrases in the tourist attraction manuals,we should not be bound by the surface structure of four-character phrases.Instead,we should make good use of variation strategies to yield flexible translations.It is hoped that this research can provide an appropriate translation strategy and a helpful referencefor the follow researchers in dealing with the translation of four-character phrases in the tourist texts.