A Practice Report On Stanley-Wilder Saga (Excerpt) From The Perspective Of Skopos Theory

As first-hand historical document,letters and diaries written by witnesses have profound significance for history scholars.Stanley-Wilder Saga(1862-1962)(excerpt)compiled written materials of the Wilders in Peking,Weihsien and their repatriation trip from Dec.1941 to Dec.1943,which is of important reference value for studies on history of Japanese invasion of China and missionaries’ activities during that time.Guided by skopos theory;this report discusses methods for complete,accurate and fluent translation.Skopos theory believes a translational action is governed by its purpose.To accomplish the purpose,a translator must follow skopos rule,coherence rule and fidelity rule.In consideration of the source text,the specific aim is to restore the authors’ narrations in a faithful way.As a serious historical document,the places,people and incidents mentioned in the source text must be in accord with historical facts.I make meticulous textual research on toponym,personage and historical events to ensure preciseness of target text.The difficulty with translation is that many sentences in the source text are not well-organized due to the time of turbulence as well as inspection of Japanese militant police.I employed a number of translation methods namely footnote adding,domestication,literal translation,amplification,etc.to tackle with difficulties and meet the requirements of clients.This report aims to explore the translation methods and strategies for Stanley-Wilder Saga(1862-1962).From the perspective of skopos theory,I analyze translation purpose of the source text and explore the suitable translation methods and strategies for the document.