A Report On The Chinese Translation Of The Art Of Readable Writing(Chapter 5-8)

The Art of Readable Writing was written by Rudolf Flesch,an Austrian naturalized American author and a readability expert.First published in 1949,the book is represented as an indispensable guide to enhance the readability of writing,and is important for people to learn how to write fluently.Unfortunately,the translator noticed that this book is such important for writing,it hasn’t had its Chinese version since its publication in 1949.Therefore,the translator decided to take the responsibility.The report was finished based on the translation of 12845-word excerpts from the Chapter 5 to Chapter 8,covering the process of creative writing,the approach to the start of writing,the method to make narrative human-interest and factual,and the application of narrative and dialogues.As a guidebook,the original text is also a popularizer,which makes it easier for readers to understand and enhances the readability of the book.In the book,to demonstrate his opinion,the author used examples to prove,some of which contain some proper nouns;some are long sentences with complex structure;and philosophical expressions are barriers for the translator.Besides,the book also contains metaphors and complex sentences so that the author can convey as much information as he can.Therefore,it’s essential for the translator to split the sentence,and choose the proper method to interpret the metaphors.Besides,the translator needed to adjust word order,use the method of conversion,and even change the original expression of the source text as a way to achieve smooth and natural translation,due to the differences between Chinese and English.Given this situation,the translator chose the framework of“Comprehension,Expression and Adaptation”(hereinafter referred to as CEA framework)created by Li Changshuan to report the project.Through this translation practice,the translator applied translation theories into practice,and she found out her language competence was not enough.At the same time,the translator hoped that this report can help provide reference and experience to enhance the readability of writing so as to better help people achieve smooth expression.